Research into Goodwin's theory- Miss Georgiou

Within this post I will be analysing the importance of the Goodwin theory, when applied to music videos. Within the theory, Goodwin covers seven main sections on the subject of music videos:

1) The music videos show genre characteristics. (Pop/folk/accoustic) plays the guitar with the cat, genuinely hangs out with the cat, the whole 'different lifestyle' being fresh etc
2) Shows the artist (frequently shows ed, before this he wasnt in a lot of  his music videos, excites the audience/fans, his life story)
3) Relationship between music and visuals (quite a fast beat, the use of transitions as the music changes and setting etc)
4) Relationship between lyrics and visuals (he drinks the beer, thinking about a girl 'i wanna be drunk when i wake up'
5) Shows women and their bodies (shows girls dancing, and a face doesn't exploits, sort of fits to the songs, fans admire him for it
6) Other references such as TV/film ------
7) The choice between performance, narrative or concept.(the idea of a narrative, he goes on a journey to try and forget about a girl, audience can relate)

Within this post I will be discussing Ed Sheeran's 'Drunk' music video.

Within this video there are many genre characteristics as Ed Sheeran plays pop/folk/acoustic music. This can be seen through the way he plays his guitar with the cat/generally spends time with the cat. This represents himself as an artist and the type of music he creates as fresh and new to the music industry, and shows a different kind of lifestyle. This highlights that the artist is intelligent and is talented as he learns to play the guitar and highlights to the audience that he takes his work seriously. This reflects positively to fans, as they see that he creates the music himself and his talent and further excites fans of the genre and introduces a new type of talent.

As well as this, the artist is shown through the video, usually by the use of closeups. Sheeran is frequently shown, promoting himself and the song further. Ed Sheeran's previous music videos have not featured him specifically, however, this video highlights him as being the main star. This makes his fans excited as he is seen in one of his music videos the whole way through for the first time. The artist's life story is shown throughout the video giving his fans a larger insight which is conventional to the indie genre.

Relating to Goodwin's theory, this video also includes a relationship between music and visuals. This is because there is quite a fast beat playing and in synchronisation, there are transitions used in the video and the setting changes along to the beat. This element causes the audience to easily follow the story, therefore, the audience finds the video more enjoyable and artist/audience bond is created as the artist highlights his broken relationship with his fans that they may be able to relate to and appreciate.

Next, there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals. At a point in the video, the lyrics are 'I'll be drunk again, to feel a little love' and the visuals that correlate are Ed taking shots from a tray and flashbacks of a girl that he once loved. Throughout the video, he drinks and tries to forget about a girl whilst images of her face continuously show through the video. This causes him to include his target audience of teenagers whilst conforming to the indie genre. The use of this also, helps the audience understand the lyrics, makes the video more interesting, and provides them with visuals to remember the lyrics/song.

Another one of Goodwin's elements is the exposure of women. The 'Drunk' video goes against this idea as girls are shown dancing however, their bodies are not exploited. Also, flashbacks of memories with an ex girlfriend are included. These images fit to the song and genre as it isn't a rap artist's video relating to getting money and the female body therefore, Sheeran is admired by his fans for the lack of exploitation, which makes him appear the perfect idol.

There is also a clear choice between performance, narrative or concept. Through the video, the song plays and he doesn't perform. Therefore, the visuals follow the lyrics of the song, creating a story and the idea of a narrative. The artist is going on his own journey to try and forget about a girl. This is a positive tool, as the audience gain an insight into his life and they can relate to what he does and his life experiences.

From this analysis of Ed Sheeran's 'Drunk' music video and my research into Goodwin's theory, I have found that the whole concept of the theory and points mentioned strengthens a video itself and sells the song to the target audience. Within my own music video, I am looking to include points from the theory. Such as, the link between the visuals and lyrics for the audience to become accustomed to the lyrics and video. As well as this, I think the idea of narrative is more important than a performance as the audience would be able to build more of a bond with the artist. Lastly, I would include genre conventions so that the song/artist could be easily identified.