Research - Andrew Goodwin Theory

 According to Andrew Goodwin’s theory the traditional narrative structure does not really apply to pop videos.  This is not because they intend to push boundaries but they bring forth different approaches as to how they narrate in contrast to novels and films. This transformation made by the use of structure within the music videos (pop) is that they are built around songs therefore does not revolve around having a traditional narrative structure. The singer performs as the character and narrator. Also, unlike in novels and films it is quite common for the performer to make eye-contact with the camera (draws viewers’ attention/involve viewers)

 

 Intertextual references to other media texts may be present, accompanied by repetition with the use of images in time with the choruses. Another way in which music is associated with repetition is that it gets distributed through TV, the radio and promoted as soundtracks for films. In this way it would reach out to the audience who would become more familiar with it.

Even though this sudden change of structure has been discovered, music videos do still have a form of closure and ending and this may happen by the building up of climax or constant repetition before it fades away.

The visualisation of the song may not always meet eye to eye with its original meaning. For this reason Goodwin has categorized the three types of relations between songs and videos; illustration, amplification and disjuncture.

Example of illustration(when video tells the story of the lyrics):

Runaway Love by Mary J Blige Featuring Ludacris

This song was meaningfully written by Ludacris which the lyrics tell the different and unfortunate situations that happen in these teenagers lives.The repeated line ( Lisa, Nicole and Erica)'s "stuck up in the world of her own" creates the sense that they are alone, however, this song is used as a guide to encourage other teenagers, letting them know that they are not alone.  This is a literal music video as the characters in the video were acting along with the lyrics (almost word for word in each verse).

Example of Amplification(Adds layers of meaning to lyrics but doesn't contradict):

Paradise by Coldplay

             

 This song shows a man in an elephant costume, going around town and feeling free. This may cause confusion to the audience because the lyrics (as shown above) are about a girl. However this could also express the meaning of paradise, a man in an elephant costume makes it stand out from being so literal and allows it to expand on the title "paradise".

Example of Disjuncture(where there is little connection/contradiction between the lyrics and video):

Rolling in the Deep by Adele

 This is a personal song written by Adele as she sings from her own perspective. This video has been clearly identified as an example of disjuncture as it doesn't illustrate any connection between the lyrics and the performance. She performs seated on a chair in a warehouse with scenes of breaking glasses, smoke to sort of link to the emotion of the song.

Typical features used in pop videos are acknowledgeable such as women being presented as objects and of male desire. Artists such as Madonna and Beyoncé purposely attract the male gender and cease to be passive by their eye contact with the camera and sexual gestures. Finally, some videos appeal to appeal to a wide audience whilst some incorporate images from movies to include as their narrative