Research into goodwins music video theory

Goodwins theory is essential to consider when looking at how to make a successful music video, it consists of seven parts which are evident within the majority of successful music videos, this theory helps artists decide what needs to be included to make their video successful and help publicise their song and therefore themselves as artists, creating a wider audience




In Michael Jacksons 'thriller' there are many conventions of the 'pop' genre, for example there is constant dancing throughout Michael Jackson singing, by the artist himself, it also usually involves a female that he is trying to seduce, finally it has background dancers, all choreographed to dance in time from 8:28, this represents the artist as extremely professional and shows he puts a lot of work into his music, it also allows the audience to link it with a certain genre, helping them instantly know if they want to listen to the song and if they will enjoy it and the artists other work, also it allows the audience to follow the narrative easier as it is more organised and isn't confusing for the audience, this is conventional of the dance genre as the whole genre is based around performance and therefore it would be common for the artist to create a routine for the video which fans would be encouraged to copy.



In Michael Jacksons 'thriller' the visuals and lyrics closely relate to each other, for example when the song quotes "creatures crawl in search of blood" at 6:38 linking into the visuals of the zombies as they first get out of their graves on screen, this is also showing the care the artist puts into his work and makes sure that it all links and makes sense for the audience, making it overall, more enjoyable and therefore more successful as a whole, this allows the audience to link the song to the music video easier and memorise it easier, making it more likely to be successful and memorable, the narrative is a lot easier to follow for the audience as the lyrics are almost telling the story, it is conventional in the genre as it allows the audience to follow the narrative and makes the lyrics understandable, a relationship is created with the audience as they become fearful of the situation and see the artist as super human, meaning he stands out from other usual artists.



There is also a relationship between the music and visuals, the dancers move in time with the beat, changing each move in time with the beat or a new verse from 8:28, this allows the video and music to be linked together, making it easier to memorise for the audience and therefore gives the song more chance of succeeding, along with the artist getting more publicity and becoming popular, representing him as an organised, professional artist, also it shows the artist is organised and cares for his work, trying to make it look as neat and tidy as possible, making for an enjoyable experience for the audience, this is conventional as artists want their dancers to be in time with them to look professional and create a routine that everyone can follow.



In Michael Jacksons 'thriller' there are multiple close up shots of the artist (Michael Jackson), throughout, when he is watching the film at 3:50, when he is starring in the film, when he is walking down the street, and when he is a zombie, all these close ups represent the artist as vain but confident in his appearance, this allows the audience to memorise the face/recognise him from previous music videos, this helps promote the artist and his song, by showing the audience his face in a lot of detail he can become recognisable to a wider audience and therefore will promote his future songs as well as his current one and just himself as an artist, making him have more chance of success, this is usually insisted of by the record label to try to 'sell' the artists face, if they recognise his face in videos they will be more likely to watch future music videos with him in, again helping future success and popularity, this is conventional as artists/record labels feel that the artist needs to make sure they are associated with their work and the audience can recognise the artist.



Another part of goodwins theory is that the artist will have recognisable motifs or iconography throughout their work, for Michael Jackson his sharp dancing and flamboyant clothing was a common part of his videos, he does this at 4:44 making him recognisable for the audience, this is helpful for the promotion of his songs and himself as an artist, helping him become more successful as he stands out and doesn't blend in with the other artists, this increases his chances of becoming a big success as it individualises him and makes people like him and become fans of his music, these characteristics become associated with him and become a huge part of his music/music videos, giving him something that can differentiate himself from other artists, this is conventional of artists as they need something that will make them stand out from other similar artists and get them a wider audience and gives them a trait other artists cannot copy, helping represent him as an important and successful artist, also it allows the audience to associate these things with him and build a relationship with him as if they know him on a personal level.




The women are both fairly covered up (0:53 and 4:48), although there is a clear sexual desire on Michael Jacksons end but the woman are not voyeuristic, this helps the audience focus on the artist himself, keeping the attention away from the others and making him the main person, this will help the audience memorise his face, and therefore make him more successful and gain him a wide group of fans, also it represents the artist as talented and proves he doesn't need half naked woman to publicise his song, and that he is actually really talented and makes the audience appreciate the artist for his singing purely and not need woman to attract an audience, this is subversive of the genre as they often use sex to sell music and not use their true talent of singing to its full advantage.

The final point is that there will be references to film or television, this is done at the very beginning, Michael Jackson is watching a film in a cinema whilst on a date at 3:42, this allows the audience to almost relate to the song as it is showing everyday things and is not showing unachievable success like in some other artists videos, this helps the artist build a relationship with the audience and therefore get more fans and become more successful, as it represents him as more down to earth and is not a figure in which it would be impossible to mimic which makes him more likeable .



Analysing Goodwin's theory has allowed me to fully understand the concept of each point and understand how artists use it and why, this means I now fully understand how I will include each point into my own music video and how it will help improve my music video as a whole, I would like to include as many points as possible, although I feel the key parts to include of Goodwin's theory are close ups of the artist, allowing the audience to recognise their face and therefore publicise the artist, also I think the music and visuals and then the lyrics and visuals should match, allowing for the music video to seem well organised and tidy, promoting the artist in a good light, making it appear they really focus and care for their work, this will make the audience appreciate the artists work and really see their talent