Research for Music Video: Andrew Goodwin's theory

Goodwin Theory - Illustration, Amplification and Disjuncture.

The Goodwin Theory implies that there are three types of relations between songs and their videos, they are:

1. Illustration - where the video tells the story of the lyrics, dance is also often used to express feelings/moods in the song.

2. Amplification - this occurs when the videos introduce new meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics but add layers of meaning.

3. Disjuncture - when there is little connection between the lyric and the video or when the video contradicts the lyrics.

You Belong with me - Taylor Swift, An example of illustration.



This is quite undoubtedly an example of illustration as the lyrics are acted out through the song. The mood of the song is also conveyed in the video, as the mood changes the tone of the video changes simultaneously along with it and there clearly implicating that this is an example of illustration.

Holiday- Dizzy Rascal, An example of amplification.



This song is an example of amplification and amplifies with the video as the theme of holiday emphasises on the women who are wearing bikinis, luxury location, hot weather. It adds the meaning of holiday in a mans perspective, the perfect holiday. The representation of women from the point of view of men, projects their fantasy of men on to the “females figure which is styled accordingly” making them objects of desire, ultimately they become an object to watched as oppose to the humans they are. I believe this is therefore also an example of male gaze, I am given this impression because body shots are constantly used and hardly any shots of their faces, and even when they rarely do, they are covered by sun glasses which I believe emphasises that women do not play any significant roles and are just as objects for men to watch.

To Lose my life - White Lies, An example of Disjuncture.



This is an excellent example of disjuncture because there is no connection between the lyrics and the video, the video does not help us understand the lyrics at all and is quite random in the sense that it doesn’t flow together at all. The different images of the wolves and the women as well as the man towards the end is the reason behind why we can say the relationship between the lyrics and video is an illustration of disjunction.
The lyrics of the song are about love and the fear of dying without their loved one; however the video does not interpret this. The mise en scene is also not linked with the song, the singer at one point sits in a room which is clustered with dolls, emphasising that the lyrics of the song are not being portrayed or amplified in the video.