4. Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin's theory in Dancing in the Distraction Factory has 5 key characteristics to a music video. Goodwin comments that we see what we hear, meaning that the lyrics have a direct correlation to the visual aspect. The artist is used as both the narrator and participant in the video, the technical aspect: often breaking the 4th wall, and also the protagonist in the video (or artist), having a lot of camera shots, making the identity recognisable and the centre of attention.

Goodwin's 'thought through beat' theory follows the idea that the audience can see what they mentally visualise. The use of a verse-chourus-verse structure is used to analyse the thought through beat theory. The voice of the artist is also very different to others, giving them an identity and making them recognisable to an audience. The artist may also be the narrator of the song, allowing the music video to be a visual aid to to what the singer is trying to 'story tell'.

In relation to the correlation between visuals and the music, Goodwin’s theory includes the idea that music videos can show ILLUSTRATION to depict the meaning of their song and their genre, for example:

Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus depicts the band often playing their instruments (exhibiting that they are a pop rock indie group) and a short narrative directly linking to the song lyrics. Specifically at 2:40, the lyrics are "it's prom night and I am lonely... she's walking over to me", where we see a literal visual of the 'teenage dirtbag' alone in a prom setting, then the female walking up to him. We also see a lot of close ups of the band's lead singer, and shots of the band playing their instruments, following the conventions of a pop rock indie music video.

Goodwin also explains that there are some music videos that have DISJUNCTURE or no relevance to the actual song meaning:

No Scrubs – TLC

No Scrubs has no relevance to the song, as TLC are primarily dancing and singing towards the camera, and does not illustrate the songs meaning. The song lyrics describe a male who lacks in wealth, which is not projected in the music video in any way. The R&B pop band are seen in trendy , futuristic costume, like many other R&B videos. R&B music videos are often focused on the visual style of the video, which leads to the lack of narration. The visual style is the strongest part of the music video as it makes it interesting and appealing to an audience. The fact that the band are dancing creates more of a focus on their talents than the song itself. 

AMPLIFICATION is the emphasis of the meaning of the song, where the artist is directly associated with the performance, connotations, and narrative: 

If I Were a Boy – Beyonce

This music video directly projects the connotations of the song. We immediately see this through the fact that stereotypical roles of males and females are switched. The literal meaning of 'If I were a boy', is shown through Beyoncé playing the role of a police officer, which is stereotypically a male dominant role. It is also shown throughout the video through stereotypical 'male' actions. The music video is also fully displayed in a greyscale throughout the whole thing, making the audience focus on the implications of the song and the visuals, rather than the visual style of the video.