Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Research for music video

Andrew Goodwin believes that pop videos nowadays don't follow the traditional narrative style. He thinks that instead, they approach the narrative (or lyrics) from a different angle (which differs from novels or films). But why is this? ....

- Lyrics of a song don't usually follow a traditional narrative structure  (where things are normal, then a problem occurs, then there's a solution), and videos are built around songs, and so a narrarive might not work as well.

- The artist in the music video acts as a narrator and a character too!

- The artist always tries to make the audience feel engages and involved by looking directly into the camera.

An example of where a video tries to promote a brand name product is in the 'The Saturdays' music video called 'Notorious'.

As you can see , the first screenshot I took from the video is a close up of the 'Barry M' lipgloss. They sell this product in places like Boots and Superdrugs, and after seeing the product in the video I went to go by myself one!! The image below it shows them applying the lip gloss, so it looks like they do actually wear the product! This is a good way to persuade an audience to buy the product if they want good-looking lips like them! Its quite obvious the target audience fot this shot is females that like a bit of make up!

                                      I have given examples below for each category.

ILLUSTRATION

This is when a music video matches the lyrics of the song. In other words, the video tells the story of the lyrics. A good example of illustration is the music video to 'Ex' by Dele.

In this video he talks about the pain his going through as he misses his ex- girlfriend. The video is an illustration as what he sings actually happens in the performance.



AMPLIFICATION

This occurs when a music video doesn't contradict the lyrics of the song, but it creates new ideas, and allows the concept of the video to portray different/similar meanings. In other words, the video links to the lyrics but doesn't necessarily illustrate them. A good example of this is the music video 'Flashback' by Calvin Harris.

DISJUNCTURE

This is when there is little or no connection between the video and the lyrics of the song. In other words, the video contradicts the lyrics of the song. An example of this is the song 'Change the way you kiss me' by Example. The song is about the relationship between him and his girlfriend changing to something scary, and he seems to be reminising of how great their relationship used to be compared to now. However, the song doesn't even show any sign of him having a girlfriend. Instead he wakes up one morning, and makes his way to a concert, in which he performs at.