Goodwin's theory

Goodwin’s theory is the theory that music videos are built around the song that the artists have made. The videos use the artist often as a character in the video, or a narrator. The artist is always the lead character in the video. The singer also often looks straight at the camera to try and make the audience members feel as if they were a part of the video. The whole video is about creating the stars image.

The three types of narrative within music videos are:

1.Illustration – This is talking about how the music video quite literally illustrates the story being told.

Busted year 3000

Here are some reasons why this music video is an example of illustration:

‘Stood there was my neighbour called peter.’ There is a boy standing in their back garden. This shows there is a direct correlation between the lyrics and the imagery of the music video.

‘I’ve been to the year 3000, not much has changed but they live under water.’ The band are pictured driving in a 'time machine,' underwater which once again directly shows what the lyrics were saying.

‘Boy bands, and another one, and another one, and another one.’ The music video shows boy bands being made as if they were a product on a factory line which links to the lyrics of there being lots of boy bands.

2.Amplification – This is talking about how people may take on fictional roles within the narrative. Usually, the artists themselves takes on a role in the music video.

A team - Ed Sheeran 

Here are some reasons why Ed Sheeran's A Team is an example of Amplification:

‘Loose change.' This sentence mirrors how the woman in the video is holding a cup of loose change. However it isn't Ed that is re-enacting this, therefore it isn't illustration. Also, loose change could be represented in many ways, and in this case Ed has chosen a key phrase, and has created a image around this, which is another common technique with Amplification.  

‘Its too cold outside for angels to fly.’ The word 'angel,' could be represented in many ways, and in this case Ed has chosen to use the 'improving the Angel,' sign outside of the underground station, which is another common technique with Amplification as it puts emphasis on the word. 

‘Her face seems slowly sinking wasting.’ On this line we have a zoom of the woman's face and she is clearly upset. However this isn't illustration, because this line has already been sung before, and in that part we did not see her face. If it was illustration the video would exactly mirror what has been said. 

‘Go mad for a couple grams.' Like the example before, this image very closely matches what the lyrics are saying. However it does not show someone 'going mad,' for some drugs, it just shows an exchange in drugs, therefore it is more amplification than Illustration.

3.Disjuncture. – where there is little connection between the lyric and video or where the video contradicts the lyric.

Arctic monkeys- florescent adolescent

Here are some reasons why Florescent Adolescent is a disjuncture music video:

'Where did you go?' In this line there is an image of a clown beating up a man, which has nothing to do with the sentence the artist has just said. Therefore it is disjunctive. 

'You were just sounding it out.' This sentence does not match what is being shown. What is being shown are people fighting, some of them being dressed in clown costumes. Once again showing the music video is an example of disjuncture.

'Everything's in order in a black hole.' In this line a car is driving into a fence with a clown behind it. This has nothing to do with 'black holes,' and there is no mention of 'cars,' or 'clowns,' throughout the whole song.