Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin’s theory expresses that the structure of music videos are significantly different to other types of media like films and dramas. For example, in pop videos the artist normally plays the role of both the narrator and the character. The artist is made to look directly into the camera in order to entice and draw the audience in, making them feel more involved in the performance. This is very different to TV dramas and films where the performers do not look at the camera giving the audience a more passive approach.

Repetition plays a large role in pop videos mainly because it allows us to become familiar to the genre. When it comes to marketing, the song would be played on the television and radio to help broadcast the hit. Advertisements would be extremely similar to the video in order for us to make a connection between them. This method of marketing works very effectively, especially when introducing a new artist. I have provided a screen shot from a music video and an advertisement to show this.








There is normally a pattern of repetition or a climax at the end or during a video. Additionally some videos may use euphemism to imply a deeper meaning to what appears in the surface. Goodwin suggests that there are three types of relations between songs and videos; Illustration, Amplification and disjuncture.



This video exhibits illustration as it is very narrative. In the lyrics, Beyonce speaks about how she would act if she was a boy. The video shows Beyonce dressed up as a male character and pursuing what she is singing about and therefore there is a direct link to the lyrics. At the end of the video, the element of disruption appears when her role as the selfish male ends and she once again becomes the feeble woman in her male dominant relationship.




This video represents amplification. Christina Aguilera’s lyrics are attempting to encourage everyone that they are beautiful. However, the video is full of people who do not necessarily fit the stereotype of beauty. On a deeper level, I have identified that the video suggests that regardless of stereotypes we are all beautiful in our own way.



This video shows disjuncture as there is no relevance or link between the lyrics and the video.