The document analyzes the music video for the song "Local Man Ruins Everything" by The Wonder Years based on Goodwin's theory of 6 areas that characterize music videos. It finds that the video demonstrates genre characteristics of pop-punk like feelings of isolation. It also amplifies the lyrics about depression through visuals of Hank alone. While some shots match the fast music, many slow shots contradict this for a more thoughtful atmosphere. The video focuses solely on Hank rather than the band for greater impact in showing isolation. It references the Rocky training montage but subverts it to show Hank as a daydreamer.

1. Local Man Ruins Everything – The Wonder Years (Video Breakdown: Goodwin)
Goodwin’s theory says that there are 6 different areas in music videos, in which
all the characteristics of the video lie, I am going to see if these areas apply to The
Wonder Years Video for their song “Local Man Ruins Everything”
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band,
aspiration in Hip Hop).
During the video, there are a lot of characteristics of the pop-punk genre
that are displayed, such as the sense of being alone, and being an outcast
from where you are from, this can be seen in a lot of shots, in which Hank
the pigeon is on
his own, and
there aren’t
people around
him in the city
and this is
emphasised by
the wide shots,
as well as, a lot
of the shots
being a mix of
shallow and
deep focus,
giving the disorienting feeling of being alone. As well as this, Hank himself
is shown to not fit in, dressed up in a large pigeon costume, showing his
distance from society, being typical of pop-punk. Elliptical editing is used
to show a day in the life of loneliness of Hank being alone too.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are
represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The Visuals in the video do amplifying of the lyrics, discussing what it
means living with depression,
and not fitting in, such as the
lyrics “It’s not about forcing
happiness, it’s about not letting
sadness win” This is amplified in
the video as Hank is seen to be
left alone when the band go on
tour, and how he copes to not let
depression get a hold of him. In

2. the video props are used to show how Hank is dealing
and masking things up, including a shot of a church saying Jesus Saves,
thinking about religion as a point to help, but then choosing against it, as
well as, choosing junk food to cover up loneliness as well.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and
atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative,
amplifying, contradicting).
During the music video there are a mix of relationships of illustrative and
contradicting, having some fast pace of editing in some shots to match the
fast 4/4 beat throughout the song, which illustrates the pop-punk speed
of the music which creates band identity, having fast music and fast past
music videos, having
shot and thought
beats frequently.
However there are a
lot of contradicting
relationships, because
of a lot of the shots
being long and slow
shots, having Hank the
pigeon gently walk
about and bright
colour palettes throughout, and this contradicts the fast style and
conventions of pop-punk, again creating more band image of The Wonder
Years, showing how although sometimes they are conventional, they are
different form other pop-punk bands as they are willing to do things for a
more thought provoking atmosphere.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close
ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across
their work (a visual style).

3. In this video, Goodwin’s theory is contradicted, as there are absolutely no
shots of the band in this video, however I feel like this is done to amplify
the lyrics in the visuals, as it is to show what it’s like to be in complete
isolation, and having the band seen in full friendship and teamwork
would contradict this, and therefore have the visuals less impacting,
instead the only mention of the band was a letter left to Hank from the
band, to show how he has been left alone.
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within
screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the
female body.
Goodwin’s
theory is
tested and
strained in
this area, as
there is no
real notion
of looking in
the video,
having only
a few shots
of Hank
looking at
trains or some buildings, having no real intention of a voyeuristic view of
women, because of the message being about being alone and a mess-up,
rather than pursuing and lusting after women.
6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other
music videos etc).
In this video, the biggest intertextual reference is a homage to the Rocky
training montage, in which Rocky runs ups the steps and celebrates his
training and hard work, in
this video it is referenced, as
Hank sees a similar looking
staircase, and starts to run up
it, all the shots in this part are
almost identical to those in
rocky, having a mix of
medium shots , wide shots
and close ups. The difference
however, is a front facing close up shot, in which we see hank have a
break, and rub the sweat from his forehead, this is done to show how
hank is a daydreamer, because he doesn’t fit in. as the lyrics suggest, and
although he wants to be like rocky, he’s not accomplished enough.