Theorist - Goodwin

Goodwin identifies five key aspects of music videos that the audience and those producing critical analyses should identify. These are :

- Star image
- Technical aspects 
- Narratives and performance 
- The relation of music and lyrical content to visuals 
- Thought beats ('seeing the sound')


Goodwin believes star image to play a vital part in the production and development of music videos, the theory suggests the star is utilised to appeal to an audience through their unique portrayal in music videos. Both the public presentation of their star and their individual style aid the promotion of the video whilst cementing their presence in the public eye.




In terms of technical aspects, Goodwin focuses on camera movements, angles, mise-en-scene and editing. Goodwin believes the beat of the song and audio layers will drive the editing to meet audience pleasures. Goodwin continues to suggest mise-en-scene achieves the final level of professionalism and aesthetic value in music videos with lighting and colour setting the atmosphere and emphasising dramatic value.

Narrative is believed to require repetability by Goodwin who focuses on the adveritising value of music videos. To retain repetability Goodwin suggests narrative and performance must blend together and capture the attention of a new and established audience to ensure they will watch the music video multiple times without lacking interest. Music videos that utilise the artist as performer and a narrative character become authentic to the audience as the core lip syncing performance seems realistic when paired with the base narrative. 

Goodwin identifies three ways that music and lyrical content are related to visual content in music videos. The video may illustrate the lyrical meaning and musical genre through the series of images and shots or the meanings are amplified through manipulation of images which are constantly thrown into the eye of the audience. Goodwin also suggests some music videos utilise disjuncture of the audio meaning by ignoring the content of the song completely. 


         



Lastly, Goodwin suggests there are three steps which the audience takes in order to identify thought beats and 'see the sound'. 
1. Identify song structure e.g. chorus, bridge, verse
2. Identifying the artists vocals and trademark quirks like the   grain, expression, tone and associations of their voice
3. Evaluating the mode of address, e.g. a song in which the artist is narrating their story making the music video a communication of the story making the audience listen to the narrative


Moving on from this, Goodwin then looks into form ; identifying key features found in music videos. 

1. Particular genres introduce their own music video style, icnography and semiotics. An example being stage perfomance in rock music videos and dance routines in girl or boy band music videos


2.  A Relationship between lyricals and visuals (previously mentioned)

3. A Relationship between music and visuals (previously mentioned)

4. The record label requirements will include close-ups of performers/artists with the artist sometimes developing motifs and star iconography which will reoccur in future works to emphasise their star image




5. There are frequent references to the notion of looking and vouyeristic treatment of the female body found in shots like female dance sequences or a screen within screen set up


6. Intertextual references are commonly found in the music videos like simillar costumes and locations found in films, television programmes past music videos etc.