Andrew Goodwin's theory is made up of 6 key statements which help to understand music videos better but also it enable us to break down music videos so when we write about them we can establish them and write about them in greater detail.
The first music video in which I think Andrew Goodwin's theory can be applied to is Taylor Swift's Bad Blood as this music video demonstrates most of the characteristics that are involved within his theory. This music video genre is pop like the actual song which means that the song and the video reflects certain expectations of the genre which can be thoroughly shown throughout the music video. An example of this is that the song is very performance based due to the background mainly being CGI which helps to create and allow for the music video to have a somewhat story. Another convention of the pop genre is that the main focus of the music video is on the lead singer the whole video, an example of this is the thumbnail of the music video as it is an extreme close up of the lead singer. This ensures that the audience knows who the singer is but it is also something that they expect from the artist as it is another way of marketing her and making her the focus of her music videos and albums even if, like this song it is a collaboration she is made to be the primary focus. This demonstrates Goodwin's first characteristic in his theory which is that Music videos demonstrate Genre characteristics. This video displays stereotypical conventions of a pop music video which an audience expects such as the examples mentioned above.
Another convention of Andrew Goodwin's theory that Taylor swift's music video features is that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The link in this video isn't necessarily obvious but it is more metaphorical as the lyrics don't physically match up to the visuals but the visuals do represent the lyrics in a metaphorical sense. An example of this is the lyrics' now we've got bad blood' This is meant as a sense of anger but also to reflect an opposition which is shown by having the two opposing almost like teams which seems to display anger towards eachother. The focus is on the two leaders which is shown by the use of extreme close ups and close ups, it seems to be a strict rivalry which is obviously acting. The acting also reflects the lyrics but subconsciously as at the beginning of the video it can be seen that selena Gomez and taylor swift's characters are arguing which demonstrates the 'bad blood' between them. The music video amplifys the lyrics even if it isn't in the most obvious way and is meant in a slight metaphorical meaning.
The last aspect of Goodwin's theory that applies to Taylor swift's Bad Blood music video is that the Record label have a need to include lots of close ups of the artist in question and that the artist develops a recurring motif that is used throughout their music videos. This can be seen in the bad blood music video by the frequent use of close ups and extreme closeups of taylor swift but also the other singer that is involved which is selena Gomez. But it does lack a frequent amount of the featured rapper Kendrick lamar who is only briefly shown throughout the whole video even though his lyrics are featured a fair amount in the song. A motif that taylor siwft has developed in her videos is that she always seems to have some type of famous person like selena Gomez featured in the videos even if they aren't actually featured within the song. This produces more of an audience for Taylor swift wwhihc means more views and more people watching the video because Selena Gomez's fan base will be watching as she is featured and Taylor swift's fan base will watch as it is a Taylor swift song. By having more famous people in a music video it produces a bigger buzzabout the artist and the record label but also the song which means that more people will watch the video which means a bigger audience.
The second music video that I chose that Incorporates Goodwins theory is Heathens by Twenty one Pilots which demonstrates quite a few statements of Goodwin's Theory.
The first Statement of Goodwin's that can be applied is that the music video demonstrates the stereotypical genre conventions of an alternative group music video. This is shown in the music video as it is highly performance based which is shown by having the lead singer almost serenading the camera but not completely but as it is also a music video for a film it also features clips from a film as this builds a buzz about the film and also for the duo which introduces a wider audience to both. Another stereotypical genre convention that this music video demonstrates is the location it is based in, as it is a grungy prison which is something that the audience expects from this type of genre as it is quite desolate and prison's are generally quite isolated from society. This produces an eery setting for the music video it also makes it appear to be more tense for the audience which relates to the song and the film it is promoting. The location also represents a certain moral ambiguity within the music video and the characters that are within it. Lastly, the genre convention that this film represents is the lighting that is used and the slight filter put over it to make it appear grungier and helps to enhance the type of location. The lighting appears to be diegetic as it has fairly low key lighting which adds to the ambiance but the music video does probably have some non diegetic key lighting on the main singer so that they are the overall focus of the music video to make the audience watch the video.
Secondly, the Heathens music video applies The lyrics relating to the visuals but only slightly as most of the lyrics don't seem to relate to the visuals but the brief clips of the film that are incorporated within the music video do slightly relate to the lyrics only because they apply to the film characters that are featured within the music video but apart from those one worded lyrics the music video seems to be aimed more at the film that it is promoting slightly and less at the song that is being performed in the video. This makes the video seem more illustrative then it does actually enhancing the song.
Thirdly, Another Goodwin statement that applies to the Heathens music video is the record label will need lots of close ups of the artista and that the artist may develop recurring motifs throughout their work. This can be seen at 0:23 where the audience get to see the lead singer for the first time this is exhibited by using a close up of the lead singer which uses key lighting and leaving the rest of the background in darkness. A recurring motif that generally features in twenty one pilots videos is the drummer wears red face paint which relates to their recent album but this motif is not featured in this music video as it is promotion for a film.
The last statement of Goodwin's theory that can be applied to the heathens music video as it is promotion for a film is a lot of the time there is inter-textual reference within the music video. In the Heathens music video there is clips featured from the film 'suicide squad' as the song is used to promote the film but also to create buzz about the film and to concoct a bigger audience as the people who like the duo will most probably be the sort of person who would enjoy the film. An example of a clip being shown to create a buzz is displayed at 2:06 which features the character Harley Quinn.
These 2 videos both display a variety of Goodwin's statements within his theory by using location and different camera shots.
Well done for carefully exploring how these videos relate to Goodwin's theory. I like the way you use the time code to refer to specific moments of the videos. Target: try to use more sophisticated media language e.g. instead of 'due to the background being highly fxed' write about the use of CGI; instead of 'un well lit' talk about low key lighting.
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