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ANDREW GOODWIN’S THEORY The 6 key aspects of a music video 1. The music video demonstrates genre characteristics 2. There is a relationships between the lyrics and the visuals 3. There is a relationship between the music and the visual 4. The demands of the record label are met 5. There is frequent reference to the notion of looking 6. There are often intertextual references

Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

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Page 1: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

ANDREW GOODWIN’S

THEORYThe 6 key aspects of a music video

1. The music video demonstrates genre characteristics2. There is a relationships between the lyrics and the visuals3. There is a relationship between the music and the visual

4. The demands of the record label are met5. There is frequent reference to the notion of looking

6. There are often intertextual references

Page 2: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Andrew Goodwin• Currently a professor of cultural studies at the University of

San Francisco• Published “Dancing in the Distraction Factory: Music

Television and ” in 1992 which illustrates the 6 key factors of a music video

• Explains how music videos are constructed through the link between the lyrics and visuals as well as the song and artist

• Published a number of articles on media and cultural theory as well as having interests in

• Media Aesthetics

• Cultural Theory

• Popular music

• “Music videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements. As consumers, we make up our own meaning of a song in our minds: a music video can anchor meaning and gives the company/artist a method of anchoring meaning” – Andrew Goodwin

Page 3: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

THE MUSIC VIDEO DEMONSTRATES GENRE

CHARACTERISTICSFor the song I will be using for my music video –”Sincerely, Me” I will be looking into the characteristics

associated with the pop genre. This will include looking into how key microfeatures are used and applying them to my music video. Also because the music I am using does not already have a music video to go

with it as it is part of a musical production, I will need to use my own creativity and initiative to present similar ideas and concepts as the musical production. As a comparison, I will be using “Shut Up and Dance”

by Walk The Moon to help identify key characteristics of a pop music video.

Page 4: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Mise-en-scene“Shut up And Dance”

■ Multiple scenes and situations as well as some costume changes to match.

– Shown in the shot of a wedding sequence where both are dressed in traditional wedding clothes (See image 1 on next slide).

■ Themed throughout the video.

– Although the music video was released in 2014 they have heavily implemented an 80’s aesthetic with the haircuts (specifically the mullet haircut), clothing and vibrant, over the top colours and effects (see image 2 on next slide). Especially pixel/8 bit items like the boxing glove and heart.

■ Typical pop genre storyline – love, relationship and the idea of losing someone to another.

■ A common location for very upbeat and dance style music is in a club/party which is used in this music video as it also fits with the style of music and the lyrics being mainly about meeting at a club/party.

– The entire video is shot featuring this club/party scene however also uses exaggerated effects and colours which are common in this kind of location.

■ In a lot of the shots, both of the characters are scene together or generally interacting with each other. A lot of the scenes in the music video show a romantic attraction based around relationships and wanting to be together, paired with the generally happy expressions (see image 3 on the next slide) and storytelling of falling out of love before getting back together (see image 4 on the next slide).

How I will apply it■ The music video I will be producing is based around the pop genre,

however because the music is from the musical stage production of “Dear Evan Hansen” I have the opportunity to include both pop and my own aspects and features into the music video to match the themes and ideas presented in the musical.

■ Because I will only be using one location, I will be needing to use a similar filming style to the one used by “Shut up And Dance” where I use multiple angles, shots and movements to create interest for the audience.

■ Unlike the “Shut up and Dance” which uses an 80’s theme throughout the music video, I plan to use a more teenager and upbeat theme as well as incorporating key aspects of the original musical production.

– These aspects will be by representing a character as an animated ‘ghost/spirit’ that interacts with the live action characters. I will design this animated character to have similar/the same clothing and appearance as the character in the musical production.

■ The point of the song I will be using – “Sincerely, Me” – is meant to be a comedic and light-hearted song with one of the characters – Jared Kleinman – making jokes and playing up wild possibilities that involve Evan Hansen and Connor Murphy. This song, as well as the other in the musical, match this dark contemporary territory that addresses teenage suicide and familial angst. I want to show some of these concepts in the music video I produce to keep it as true to the original musical production as possible.

■ When it comes to representing the characters, I will need to keep in mind the key aspects of their clothing and style, this will mainly apply to the two live action characters –Evan Hansen and Jared Kleinman.

Page 5: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Page 6: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Cinematography“Shut up And Dance”

■ In much of the music video to “Shut up and Dance” the shots focus on close ups of the face (sometimes shoulders) and long shots that show the full body. It often also combines the two, like for example image 5 (see next slide) where greenscreen editing may have been used as well as a mirror effect to show the main singer’s face but also have context to the relationship storyline in the middle which uses full body shots.

– Fully body shots would be used for this kind of situation in the music video as it gives more context and looks better rather than using medium shots where only half the body is showing.

■ A wide medium shot is used in the beginning of the music video which starts as an establishing shot however keeps the focus on the main singer which a long or crane shot wouldn’t do very well in a club/party setting (see image 6)

– However the lighting and production effects contribute to this focus on the main singer as many of the background figures are blurred out by the smoke or the lighting not showing the details of the face and clothing.

■ Before the music video actually starts, a short scene that supplies the viewer some context to the scene as a whole and the attitudes presented by the character. It also includes a title in the centre of the frame featuring the song and band name.

– Overall from the short introduction the main singer/character is presented as awkward/shy through his way of body posture looking uncomfortable and saying ‘Hi’ to people that pass him who immediately ignore him. This idea of an awkward character is shown and emphasised by putting him in the centre of the frame with a medium wide shot that show him alone in a large crowd (see image 7).

– A small framing technique is also used in this shot with how the shadows of two people either side of the camera also emphasis the focus on him (see image 7).

How I will apply it■ Because of the enclosed space I will be using as it is all in one location to match the

original musical production, I will be using various dynamic and interesting shots to match the beat of the song as well as keep the audience interested.

– For this I will be using close up shots and possibly extreme close ups with the aim of showing emotions and reactions to key parts in the song. These ‘reaction shots’ could be used to show how Evan Hansen reacts to Jared Kleinman’s jokes or the wild possibilities and assumptions he puts forward.

– Another key aspect in the song is the upbeat chorus and the dance that is associated with it from the musical with how all the characters come together to sing it by the end. A good way to show this is by using a long shot as it also established the location and where the characters are in relation to each other.

■ I have the opportunity to use the beginning before the lyrics start to use an establishing long shot which can show the location, characters and give any extra details about the situation.

– Using this establishing shot I hope to present the key concepts associated with the original musical with showing a teenager’s room, items commonly linked with them and the attitudes and personality shown by the character’s body language, style and clothing.

■ By finding the script before the song starts in the original musical, I could possibly include a similar aspect that is used in the beginning of the “Shut up and Dance” music video where context is given to the audience and the characters are briefly introduced. This addition to the music video will need to use a section of the script to be preformed during filming which can help give more context and show the personality of the characters.

– However after looking at the script that includes the section before the start of the song it features a part that isn’t really relevant to the song as it is a scene that focuses on the suffering relationship between Evan Hansen and his mother. But, there is a part before this where both Evan Hansen and Jared talk about what to do about the letters that don’t exist, although another character is included in this conversation they do not provide much context to the situation or contribute to the song “Sincerely, Me”. There is also some parts of this conversation that are not relevant so I will need to cut parts out to match the context of the situation but keep the same idea. This conversation can be used at the beginning of the song to establish the situation for people who do not know about the musical or haven’t seen it and need context. See the next slide for the script I will be using.

Page 7: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Script that will feature before the start of the song:

EVANThey invited me over for dinner they wanted to know

more stuff about me and Connor…about our…friendshipJARED

What are you going to tell them!?EVAN

I mean, the truthJARED

The truth? Really?EVAN

Well what do you expect me to do? Just keep lying?!JARED

I didn’t say lie! All you have to do is nod and confide and whatever they say about Connor just nod your head and say ‘Yeah that’s true’. Don’t contradict and don’t make

shit up! It’s fool-proof. Literally nothing I tell my parents is true and they have no idea

EVANThey were so sad, his parents, his mom was just...(long

pause)…I’ve never seen someone so sad beforeJARED

Well good thing you’re about to tell her the truth about your fake letter, I’m sure that will cheer her right up

[Cue ‘Sincerely, Me’]

Page 8: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Editing“Shut up And Dance”

■ The order of the shots in the music vide to “Shut up and Dance” present the storyline of the music video.

– Starting with the main singer being awkward and feeling out of place, to finding a girl he goes “head over heels” for and the life they beginning to live together or what he hopes will happen. However, it also shows a lack of love or falling out and the ‘competition’ with another man to win back the woman’s love.

■ The first encounter shots within the first few seconds of the music video cut between both the main singer and the love interest. These shots are mainly from their perspectives and lead to a build up and establish a relationship between the two.

■ Another effect that is repeatedly used in the music video it the continuity shots that show the main singer being hit with an oversized boxing glove in time with the beat (see image 8) which then shows him moving from the direction of the boxing glove towards the girl as if he’s just been hit (see image 9).

– This concept is used repeatedly throughout the music video in different shots.

■ During part of the music video (which is not featured in the track itself) there is a long shot duration which can link back to the awkward and somewhat clumsy personality of the singer’s character shown in the first part of the music video. This adds to the narrative and relates back to the beginning of the music video, it can also link to the storyline in how the woman ‘fell in love’ with the character’s clumsy and awkward personality (see image 10).

How I will apply it■ The way that the lyrics are set out and the location I have decided for

my music video to take place I have the option to include a lot of editing techniques that will add interest to the music video as a whole.

– Because the music video also includes talking which breaks up parts of the song where Evan and Jared are joking or messing about that add to the character’s personalities I could include a similar editing technique to the ones used in “Shut up and Dance”. This would be the part where the main singer in “Shut up and Dance” begins acting awkwardly in front of a large crowd, this breaks up the song and part of the music video for comedic effect. I feel this kind of technique will work well with the style and characters featured in “Sincerely, Me”.

■ There is a lot of back and forth between Connor, Evan and Jared throughout the song, this means I can use a similar technique in which I cut back and forth between the characters (mainly with medium shots and some close up shots if I want to show reactions of facial expressions for certain parts of the video).

– This is an aspect I particularly want to use for the breaks in the song where the characters are talking or correcting themselves/each other.

– These kinds of attitudes and behaviours are commonly associated with teenagers or typically awkward characters and I would like to be able to represent that in how the characters act and are portrayed in the original musical

Page 9: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Page 10: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Semiotics -“Shut up and Dance”

11 - Little black dress: The “Little Black Dress” (LBD) represents or is

mainly used for seducing men at social engagements (in this case at a

club/party). In the video the woman uses this dress to show off and a lot

of the time she radiates confidence that is often associated with the

LBD.

12 – Wedding/vows: Weddings and wedding rings are often associated

with the idea of eternal love and bonding between two people through

marriage. This scene shows both people looking very happy and excited

about their wedding day before leaning into a kiss which usually seals

the wedding. Vows can be used as promises to the other person for

example to look after them through tough times they may have had.

This type of symbolism can add to the symbol of romance and love that

is consistent throughout.

13 – Heart: A common symbol of love or romance is the use of the heart

in this rounded and unrealistic design. The action to use this symbol

multiple times throughout the music video can emphasis the love and

romance that is clearly shown throughout. Although an actual heart is a

core organ that pumps oxygenated blood around the body, the symbol

of the heart being used to represent love didn’t come about until the

15th century, becoming more popular in the 16th century. A large portion

of the hearts used in the music video are in an old 8-bit/pixel style which

can relate to the 80’s style the music video presents overall.

Image 11 Image 12

Image 13

Page 11: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Semiotics - Dear Evan Hansen –Sincerely Me

■ How I will apply certain semiotics:

– Arm cast: The idea of a broken bone (mainly in dreams) can be a way of symbolising the loss of power or control someone has in their life. Evan Hansen breaks his arm by falling out of a tree, that’s what he tells people, however the reason for why he fell out of the tree was because of a suicide attempt. The cast wrapped about his broken arm can be a symbol of this and a consistent reminder of his failed attempt which can be shown as both a positive and negative impact on Evan’s life throughout the musical.

– Ghost character (Connor): Ghosts and especially ghosts who have a relation or friendship with the character can be a way to express guilt and at multiple points in the musical Evan talks to the ghost of Connor Murphy. However, Connor does mention later in the musical that Evan can always just “get rid of” him so it shows that it is Evan that is keeping him around but also brining him motivation in order to keep Connor’s memory alive. Overall the use of a ghost character can symbolise the expression of fear for Evan has he falls into more of his own lies that only causes him more panic overall.

– Letters/emails: Usually a symbol of communication and forming/maintaining relationships the fake letters/emails that Evan makes up to try and make Connor’s family happy builds is the kick starter to Evan’s lies and trying to give a false solution to the problems surrounding Connor’s suicide. In the context of the musical, although letters/emails show communication and relationships, the musical contradicts this idea because of the letters/emails being written by Evan to give to Connor’s family because of a lie he told Connor’s parents about them both sharing letters to each other.

Page 12: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN THE LYRICS, MUSIC AND THE VISUALS

The relationship between the lyrics and visuals in a music video can be separated into three categories for how this technique is applied: amplified, illustrative,

contradictive. Each show different ways of representing the lyrics through visuals or completely ignoring them entirely

Page 13: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

AmplifiedBy amplifying the way the lyrics are represented through the visuals of the music video it often shows a more exaggerated and over the top aspect of the lyrics. The music videos will try to take the lyrics as literally as possible and amplify what is said to create emphasis and to wow the audience with extragenetic gestures, actions or effects.

An example of this kind of technique of amplifying the lyrics is using special effects during the lyrics repeating the word “Roar” in Katy Perry’s music video of “Roar” which creates the image of a tiger roaring above Katy Perry’s persona in this situation. This scene is dramatic and can be considered over the top for how the character is portrayed and how powerful the scene is as a whole.

Page 14: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

IllustrativeThis type of music video that uses an

illustrative type of link between the visuals

and the lyrics sets up a very clear and

simple relationship between the two. The

use of this style of music video makes it

easy to follow for the viewer and often

applies visual objects or actions to match

the lyrics.

An example of this style of relationship is

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ music video

of “Thrift Shop”. In this video the character

quite often points out purchases he’s made

or is interested in. At one point saying in

the lyrics “they had a broken keyboard, I

bought a broken keyboard” before

gesturing to said item in the cart next to

him.

Page 15: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

ContradictiveThe contradictive technique for linking the

visuals to the lyric can often be quite surreal

and sometimes random in terms of not

having any obvious link to the lyrics entirely

the most music videos do.

This technique can be shown in the music

video to Ed Sheeran’s song “Thinking Out

Loud” which does not have much in terms

of visual links or representation to the lyrics

however does portray a theme of love and

longing which is also presented in the lyrics.

The music video as a whole is a dance

performance by Ed Sheeran and Brittney

Cherry (a professional ballroom dancer) to

perform a very intimate and romantic

dance routine to illustrate the love theme in

the song but without the aim to create

illustrative visuals for the lyrics.

Page 16: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

How I will apply a

relationship between visuals,

music and lyrics

I feel as though it will be fairly easy to show a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics in the music video I will produce of “Sincerely, Me” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen. The main object included in this music video will be the concept to the letters/emails that Evan Hansen and Jared Kleinman start writing in the song. I can include this either in a physical or digital form or possibly present the transition from digital to physical in a way that would seem interesting to the audience as well. The music video will follow closely to the musical performance however will take a more illustrative and contradictive approach to the visuals and how they will link to the lyrics. This will be a similar to Ed Sheeran’s music video of “Thinking Out Loud” where it is mainly action and character based to tell the story however will also include aspects of the illustrative technique, like in “Thrift Shop”. I will include the characters singing the lyrics and conversing following the original lyrics to the song in a similar style to “Thrift Shop”. As the shots for the music video will be more focused on the character’s actions, movements, reactions and their part in the song rather than specific objects like in “Thrift Shop” I feel as though my music video will be enjoyable and hopefully realistic in terms of how the characters are played and their relation to the lyrics.

Page 17: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

THE DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL ARE MET

To bring a unique style to the video and appeal to the audience, featuring the artist of the song the majority of the time. Goodwin referred this to be a key part of a music video as shows how they are

portrayed to the audience through the costumes, body language and appearance. Multiple shots (usually close up) of the main artist is vital to promote the artist and their style to their target audience.

Page 18: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Shut up and Dance

• In terms of making a consistent and recognisable style that the audience can recognise from the singer, Walk The Moon singer, Nicholas Petricca, has a similar hair style (a mullet) in the majority of the music videos produced by Walk The Moon. This style is manipulated in colour and style but keeping the same appearance that contributes to Andrew Goodwin’s theory of meeting specific requirements to meet record label demands.

• This includes how throughout multiple of the videos, close up or mediums shots of the singer to attach certain styles and appearance aspects to this character so it can be used in other music videos to link them.

• Another key aspect that can relate to the singer style is the clothing but also the clothing of the band as a whole and some of the background characters. This is because a lot of the music videos include some extravagant and over the top styles and clothing choices. This is especially relevant to the music video to “Work This Body”

Page 19: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

• A key aspect that I will be including in

my music video which links to

Goodwin’s theory of meeting the

demands of the record label will be

incorporating certain clothing styles

that are similar to the ones used in the

official musical production.

• It may be better to create design sheets of the clothing and styles I want to use for the characters and a character sheet for the animated ghost character. This character sheet will include the design concept, clothing, key expressions and movements.

• I will need to use a lot of mid shots for this music video as the recognisable features of the main character (Evan Hansen) like the stripped shirt and cast with the text “Connor” written on the side. To be able to include these in multiple shots I will need to use mid and close up shots.

Dear Evan Hansen

Page 20: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

THERE IS FREQUENT REFERENCE TO THE

NOTION OF LOOKINGThe notion of looking can link to both the action of the singer looking into the

camera, but also includes the ‘Male Gaze’ and seductive shots of a male/female body. It can also include the use of props and effects that increases the impact of it

and can include some voyeurism.

Page 21: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Notion of Looking ■ The notion of looking can include the

singer/main character in the music trying to involve the audience by making eye contact with the camera on multiple occasions of the music video.

– The direct gaze from the artist can encourage the viewer to feel more involved and as if the artist is talking to the audience.

■ Using props can also influence the reference of looking, these can include:

– Mirrors

– Television screens

– Cameras

– Telescopes

– Binoculars

– Magnifying glasses

■ A key aspect involved with the notion of looking is inclusion of voyeurism in most modern music videos, it is widely used for sex appeal to benefit sales and views.

– The majority of the time, it is a women performing or acting seductively, men in similar situations do not act the same way or are presented similarly.

Male Gaze■ Linking to many music videos including

voyeurism and similar aspects it can link to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory.

■ This theory points out that in many modern music videos which are very sexualised, the viewer must watch from the point of view of a heterosexual male.

– This is especially back up by how the camera in music videos often “linger” on the curves of the female body.

– This can reduce women in music videos to objects and be seen as being exploited in some music videos and can force female viewers to experience the music video in a second narrative –through the eyes and identification of a man.

Page 22: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Dear Evan Hansen and the relation to the notion of looking

■ In terms of including the notion of looking, I will only be including aspects of looking into the camera and some of the ‘male gaze’ features for comedic effect as the song is not serious and is presented as the most light hearted and comedic song in the musical as a whole and I want to present that through using these features.

– I can use shots of Evan Hansen, Jared Kleinman and/or Connor Murphy looking directly into the camera through a means of presenting reactions and body language that will represent the character’s personality and how they feel about the situation. Overall I will only be using this action of making eye contact with the camera to act in a similar way to a live studio audience of a comedy show (like Mrs Brown’s Boys) or in a similar way to the official musical production which has a live audience which can laugh and react to the events in the musical.

■ I will briefly include a shot that can be associated with the male gaze however keep the comedy portrayed by the characters and lyrics.

– This will with the lyrics “My sister’s hot” which is part of the joke that Jared Kleinman puts in to tease Evan Hansen about liking Connor Murphy’s sister. For this I may include part of the male gaze where I focus on the curves and appearance of the female body which is portraying Connor Murphy’s sister in the music video.

Page 23: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

THERE ARE OFTEN INTERTEXTUAL

REFERENCESIt is not uncommon for direct references through the visuals or lyrics of a song to another

media or subject presented in media. This is often used to encourage and engage a particular type of audience and provide them with the satisfaction of recognising it

Page 24: Andrew Goodwin’s theory and music videos

Inter-textual references in Dear Evan Hansen, “Sincerely Me”

■ Although I will not be using inter-textual reference in the music videos I will be overall representing and referencing to the original musical production.

– Firstly, there are often inter-contextual references throughout the official musical production to other media, this is because the characters are portrayed as being older teenagers which makes it common for them to have a lot of knowledge about media, Tv shows, films and music.

■ However, I could include some inter-textual references through subtly visuals like through background posters, items and clothing that refer to the original media text. Like for example a Iron Maiden T-shirt or a TARDIS model referring to the TV show Doctor Who.