As a Director of music, Goodwin formed a theory involving what he thought applied to most music videos and the basic structure that they used.
- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (with the visuals either illuminating, amplifying or contradicting the music). The editing might match the pace or tempo of the music.
- A particular music genre may have their own music video style and iconography (such as a live stage performance in heavy rock).
- There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist.
- The artist may develop their own star iconography, in and out of their videos, which, overtime, becomes part of their own star image. An example of an artist who has developed such an original, distinct and inspiring iconography is Lady GaGa, who stuns and fascinates her audience with her outrageous and quirky fashion sense and style.
- There is likely to be a reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screens within screens).
- There are likely to be intertextual references either to other music videos, films and TV texts.
I watched and analysed Florence + the machine's, Dog Days video according Goodwin's theory. The video showed some conventions but also involved different features, as the band have been styled purposely to attract a specific target market.
Florence + the machine - Dog Days
Within this video there are many examples of the features that Goodwin proposed in his theory. First of all, there was a distinct relationship between the visuals of the video and the audio. This helps emphasise the meaning within the song as you are hearing and seeing something that is to do with the same subject matter. The visuals of the dancers help amplify the meaning of the music as it gives the audience the visual interpretation of the lyrics. Also, as the tempo of the music gets faster so do the dancers and the editing of shots within the video, allowing the audience to form distinct observations between the different tempos. Moreover, Florence + the Machine have created their own individual iconography that separates them from other current bands, as they have crafted their music into a mixed genre of alternative indie-pop. This attracts a wide audience as it is original and unique.
