Andrew Goodwin's Theory | Research

According to Andrew Goodwin's theory, there are 5 different aspects to a music video.

1. Thought through beat

Thought through beat is viewing what the lyrics mean or represent in your head. There are three different steps to this theory. The first being the process of analysing the music structure and understanding the chorus and the verses. The second being the main voice of the song. This is where the voice of the artist is very unique compared to others, which gives the person a form of identification which can then be related to the star image or the singer. Then the third is the story of the artist which is being told within the song. This can establish the music artist as a story teller, and the music video backs this up showing the video through the vocals of the song. An example of this is when the vocals have a sad tone, it shows that the music artist is sharing an emotional story.

2. Relationship between music and visuals

There are three different ways in which visuals are used to promote a song.
Illustrate
In music videos there are certain images and shots that are used to explain the meaning of the song lyrics. This can be linked in with a narrative video by following a storyline through the direction of the lyrics. This interests the viewer of the music video as it makes them understand the lyrics more and in some cases it makes them feel sympathy/empathy for the music artist in the video.
Disjuncture
The music video doesn't follow the meaning of the song and the meaning is ignored. This links to a performance video which focuses mainly on entertaining the viewer by showing them interesting footage. The music video creates a story, but the story it creates has nothing in common with the lyrics of the song.
Amplify
This is when music videos repeat the same footage and the same camera shots to make the video more interesting and easier to remember. This is called 'repeatability'. This is used in music videos to show the same message and to make the viewer remember certain parts of the video.

Goodwin believed that a music video could promote a song through the way it analysis's the lyrics of the song. This is portrayed in music videos when the character or artist in the video follows the instructions of the song. For example; when the song lyrics are "jump", the actor in the video will actually jump and follow the instruction.

3. The narrative and performance of the song

Goodwin believed that it is important for the music artist to be involved in the music video by performing or acting out a role as the main character in the video or as the singer. The helps make the song look more realistic and helps give the audience a special connection and understanding of the song. Many artists will get involved in their music videos to allow their audience to enjoy the video as well as understand the lyrics a little better. Also if the music artists of the song are involved in the video, more people are going to want to watch it. For example; 'Roar' by Katy Perry. Perry is the main actor in the song as well as the singer who sung the song. This helped make the song and the video look more realistic and it helped engage the audience as well due to the fact she was in the video.

4. Star image

Goodwin said the star image as a vital aspect of the music video as the music artist makes the music video more appealing to the audience while bringing a unique style to their video by the way they are portrayed to the audience. In these music videos there a lot of camera shots that make the artist the centre of attention. The starting image is always very unique in the way the artists are presented through the costumes, the moves and their appearance. This helps to promote the artist's image in the public eye and also helps promote the video while creating a reputation in the public for the artist.

5. Technical aspect of a music video

Goodwin said that the technical aspect holds the music video together through the use of the Mise-en-Scene. This includes the special effects, the sound and the editing. The lighting and colour helps to set the mood in the video and it creates emphasis on the most important parts of the song to create a dramatic effect and add a thrill to the video. The Mise-en-Scene is important in the production of the music video as it can help the artist gain authentication and also make their work look more professional. The beats of the song are very important and useful as they help create an effective cut and keep the footage and cuts in time with the music. This makes the video look more entertaining and it holds the music video together.