Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos

Andrew Goodwin's theory states that there are 5 aspects to a music video.

1. Thought through beat, so thinking about what the lyrics mean or represent. You first have to analyse the chorus and verses if the song, then think about the main artist singing in the song, so you're then able to identify what can be related to the said singer. You would finally have to then think of the story or plot that the singer may be trying to portray through the lyrics of the song. The music video can help with this by showing the video through the lyrics and vocals of the song. However sometimes it can be more difficult to put a storyline together for a song if the lyrics are unclear.
2. Relation between music and visuals, there are three different ways that visuals can be used to promote a song, the first being Illustrate. Within music videos they use particular images and camera shots to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics in the song. The next way is Disjuncture, which is used when the meaning of the song has nothing to do with the music video. The final way is Amplify, which refers to an image or camera shot being repeated in a music video so it is reinforced in our minds.
3. Relation between music and visuals, Goodwin stated that a music video can promote a song by the way it analyses the lyrics, this is particularly shown when a character in a music video does exactly what the song says, for example if a song lyric is 'Jump, jump, jump' the characters may actually be jumping in the video.
   
4. Performance and narrative of song, Goodwin believed that it was important for artists to be involved in their music videos by acting out or performing a role as a main character. He said that it helps with the song looking more realistic and allowing the audience to understand and connect with the song lyrics. For example, One Direction's Night Changes video shows the groups being the main actors in the song but also performing the song, which makes the whole plot of the video seem more realistic to the audience.
5. Star image, lots of camera shots making the singer centre of attention, This is a vital aspect of a music video, the singer makes it look more appealing to the audience. The beginning image is always important in the way that this is how the singer is presented, for example through their costume, movement and appearance. This then helps to promote the artist, as well as the music video.
6. Technical aspect of a music video, Goodwin believes the technical aspect helps to hold a music video together, through use of mise-en-scene, special effects, sound and editing. The lighting and colours used helps to set the mood for the music video and create emphasis on certain parts of the song to create a dramatic effect. Mise-en-Scene can then help make the artists work appear more professional, through the use of relevant props, costumes and setting. Depending on the beat of the song, this can be useful during the editing process of a music video, because when the beat changes you can cut to different scenes of the video accordingly to make it run smoother.