Goodwin’s Theory in Practice

Goodwin’s Theory in Practice.

I am going to analyse two music videos using Goodwin’s theory. My first video is Vogue by Madonna and the second will be ‘Rusted by the Rain’ by Billy Talent.

‘Vogue’ by Madonna

Multiple points of Goodwin’s theory are shown throughout this video. Point 1 of Goodwin’s theory (genre-related style) is shown in this video as Madonna is a pop artist and her video represents this by the dancing and the acting. It’s very ‘cheesy’ and over the top, like in most pop videos. Point 2 of his theory is also present; the visuals correlate with the lyrics. One example in this video is when Madonna sings about ‘It makes no difference if you're black or white’ and her video is in black and white and the costumes that are worn in this video are black and white. Also point 3, having a relationship between the music and the onscreen visuals is shown in Madonna’s ‘Vogue’.  This video is very much in the genre of pop and the onscreen visuals clearly shows this, with the upbeat music and the over the top dance routines. The visuals illustrate the music. Point four of Goodwin’s theory (The record label’s demands, shown through close ups ect.)  is a big part in this video as Madonna is given many close ups. This links well with point 5 (voyeurism) Madonna is known to ‘sell’ sex to the average population through her music and especially her videos. This video is no exception; she wears provocative clothing and dances sexually with the male dancers. Also in this video are pictures and statues of naked women. Point 6 is not so prominent in this video, however this video was inspired by the Hollywood golden age and the magazine ‘Vogue’. In the video Madonna sings about famous actors  ‘Greta Garbo, and Monroe, Deitrich and DiMaggio, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean On the cover of a magazine’,  showing where the inspiration came from, the video is also in black and white like the movies in the golden age of Hollywood.  All points of Goodwin’s theory are shown in this video, whether it is a little or a lot.

‘Rusted by the Rain’ by Billy Talent

Some of Goodwin’s points are present in this music video. Point 1 is clearly shown as Billy Talent fall well into the rock genre, in this video its shown as the band are playing there instruments, there’s no dance routines and the video is fairly dark. Point 2 is again present in this video, as there is a relationship between the lyrics and the onscreen visuals. The band are playing in a metal scrap yard and the lyrics are ‘I’m rusted from the rain, the sun will shine again’, also the other story within the video is of a homeless man collecting rusted and scrap metal. So there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Point 3, there is a relationship between the music and the onscreen visuals. The music is loud and hard because it is a rock music video, the relationship is shown as the video is fairly dark and you can see the band playing there instruments. Point 4, is partially present in this video because there are some close ups of the band members however this is not to create a motif. Points 5 and 6 are not relevant with this video because of the genre.

Comparison

The two videos are very different as the genres are almost opposite. Madonna uses her videos to gain increasing popularity and to sell herself; this is the same with most pop artists.  Whereas Billy Talent only appeal to a limited audience and these types of bands are usually trying to send out a message. Andrew Goodwin’s theory points are more relevant when analyzing pop videos and artists.