Goodwin's Theory

Goodwin’s Analysis Theory (Applied to Alicia Keys- Falling)

·         

Music videos demonstrate ‘genre characteristics’- style & iconography

         The style in this video has an urban feel to it; this is also shown when she takes a walk through her neighbourhood. Alicia Keys falls in to the R&B/Soul category; the multiple shots of her performing the lyrics and playing the piano really reflect this. 

·          There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.

          In this video, the lyrics very much conduct the narrative we see on screen, there is lots of lip syncing especially at the start of the video where Alicia is playing the piano and singing.  At certain points in the song when she says ‘you’ she repeatedly looks directly at the camera which emphasises the point she is making.

 There is also a close up shot of Alicia at the point in the lyrics where she says ‘I’m confused’. This shot really accentuates the vulnerability of her at this moment and captures the atmosphere of the song.

 There is a relationship between the music and the visuals

     The video opens with shots of Alicia playing the piano which emphasises the melody we are hearing in the song, the pace of the editing also changes with the pace of the visuals. For example, when she sings ‘oh, oh,oh, oooh’ shots change with each ‘oh’.

          We also see shots of prisoners looking very desperate in a field where they are clearly doing hard labour work. They then all come together to sing, this is a very powerful shot and amplifies the atmosphere of the song.

The record label’s demands...

The opening shot’s really set the atmosphere for both the foreboding video and the audio we are hearing. Alicia Key’s is known for her incredible talent in her piano playing and her amazing voice; the opening shots and close ups are key to her brand image.

There are also powerful shots where Alicia is on her own performing the lyrics.

    

  Intertextual reference

At the beginning we hear another of Alicia’s songs playing through the radio,  this provides further gratification/ pleasure for her fans; also something for them to relate to Alicia with.

       Voyeurism not present...

          In this video, Alicia Keys is very much in control of her feelings and appears strong and is a good representation for women.

Music Video Analysis

A NARRATIVE PERFORMANCE...

This music video shows Kanye West’s journey through the time of his injury in his jaw which was a result of a car crash. The video includes a montage of images, memories and characters that supported him through this time, the lyrics very much explain the material we are seeing.

TARGET AUDIENCE?

This video very much proves the determinism of this artist despite having his mouth ‘wired shut’; this is therefore a thank you to his fans, followers and family who have supported him through this time and show them that nothing will stop him making music.

CHARACTERS?

The characters in the video are all genuine people that mean something to Kanye, for example there is shot of himself and his mother (clearly meaningful relationship to Kanye)  at a private domain in their own home. We also see close friends of Kanye’s and also clips of his fans, at various performances. At the very end of the video, we are introduced to a picture on the wall behind Kanye which is in fact the album cover for Chaka Khan, who’s song ‘through the fire’ was the sample for Kanye’s ‘through the wire’. He also looks directly at the camera at this point and the words ‘Thank you.’ Appear on the screen, this again shows this is a meaningful relationship to Kanye.

TYPES OF SHOTS?

At the beginning, there is a black fill on the screen with white writing giving a brief overview as to what the following video was about . There is a diary theme to the video, with a montage of clips/ photos explaining and remembering his journey ‘through the wire’. These clips consisted of support messages, friends comical messages covering the emotional side of the journey and lots of medical pictures and videos exploring the clinical side of the journey. At the end, the shot takes us away from the montage, Kanye appears as if he had been looking at the montage meaning we were seeing it through his eyes. Behind Kanye is Chaka Khan’s album cover which is the artist who sampled ‘through the wire’ with her own ‘through the fire’. This is reflected earlier in the video when fire burns out one of the diary entries.

LYRIC CONNECTION TO VIDEO? 
There is a strong connection between the song’s lyrics and the visual of the video. Kanye is expressing his emotions of this time both through what he is saying and what we as an audience see, both sources compliment each other. For example,Kanye says ‘if you could feel how my face felt’ and we see a picture of his swollen jaw.

BRAND IMAGE/ATMOSPHERE

Kanye West appears very strong and determined through the video as he battles with an obstruction that too many would leave them speechless. Yet Kanye manages to make light of the situation and record a song. There is a strong sense of determinism in this video on Kanye’s part; however the nature of the video is himself looking back over a certain period of his life.  He comes across proud and thankful that he pulled through and this therefore gives this video has a reminiscent atmosphere to it.

This video really showed me how clever you can be with a narrative and include hundreds of little twists to make up a great story. By using so many different clips and images along with different characters, you manage to keep your audience intrigued and wanting to see more- a key aspect to a music video.

Inspiration...

Most memorable music videos…Inspiring?

The video for Justin Timberlake’s ‘What goes around comes back around’ is one of my favourite music videos due to the film like nature of the video and was ranked as itunes fasted selling music video of all time. The video begins with titles slowly appearing on a black screen accompanied by eerie sounds, which sets the atmosphere and forebodes events to come later in the video.

Shortly after the titles, we see a short dialogue between Justin Timberlake and his ‘love interest’ of the video, which is played by Scarlett Johansson, this dialogue was written by Nick Cassavetes who successfully adapted the screen play in order to make this song in to a short film. Award winning Samuel Bayer directed the video and included the two minute interlude from the track of which he used to his advantage to create the climax of the video.

This video has really inspired me to have some sort of dramatic performance either side of the soundtrack to have more of a short-film feel to it.

                                                         

Inspired...

Justin Timberlake’s ‘what goes around’ has showed me that a music video doesn’t mean starting when the song starts, and ending when the song ends. It’s about beginning a story, creating a world and ending that story or even leaving open to interpretation. I really like the idea of maybe breaking the song in the middle for the climax of my narrative and then bringing back the song for effect.

Quest to find an unsigned artist…

At first I thought I would find an artist with no hassle, but the more I contacted, the harder I found it! Also, I think I may have too high expectations for the song, so I may need to just see what I am able to have and work with what I’ve got. After all, it’s not the lyrics that are being examined, it’s my creativity!