Research for Music Video: A summary of the main points of Andrew Goodwin's theory, including examples of videos that follow the main ideas

Andrew Goodwin

- To summarise Goodwin, is to say that music videos as a whole are generally performance based, this is amplified by music video tendencies where the subjects in frame break the fourth wall, to establish a connection with the consumers at home.

Echoing Vernallis, he understands that the videos are edited to the beat of the song, and don't really follow a traditional narrative structure. By not following a linear pattern, music videos have the flexibility to use repetition and create motifs or "idioms in video" as both the song and video reach a climax in unison.

Goodwin does stress to bear in mind that a videos main purpose is to sell an artist, an image - and that the label will do what it needs to, to sell a song or an album in the three minutes of the songs length - hence the extent focus on performance in most music videos. 

Goodwin also believes that video can be separated and distinguished through three different formats, and they are either illustration - where videos act out the story of the lyrics, and heavily rely on the narrative within the song. Amplification - where the video may not necessarily follow the lyric of the song so closely, but rather adds new meaning to the song, an addition of layers, showing it in a different light, or lastly disjuncture, where there is little to none correlation between the song and the music video accompanying it.

Here are some examples that fall into the categories assigned by Goodwin's theory:

Illustration

Lily Allen - LDN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmYT79tPvLg&ob=av2e

Amplification

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M&ob=av2e

Disjuncture

Beyonce - Single Ladies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY

*EMBEDDED VIDEOS BELOW IF LINKS DO NOT WORK