Research into Goodwins Music Video Theory - Miss Georgiou

Goodwin's theory is important to consider when analysing music videos because it provides a clear checklists of the aspects that make a music video conventional and typical to it's genre. It's explains what makes a successful music video and can relate to the audience, the audience is used to music videos that follow this theory and therefore understand them more. When videos do not follow this theory they risk being too confusing for the audience and therefore becoming boring.

The first point in Goodwins theory states that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. 'Summer' by Calvin Harris demonstrates characteristics from the dance genre because it features attractive women,  race cars and is filmed in an exotic location. This is typical of a dance music video as they tend to feature expensive items and places to portray luxurious lifestyles.  This expresses the fame and party lifestyle that the dance artists live due to their music which appears to make them famous, popular and wealthy. Their fame and popularity means that being surrounded by attractive women in music videos is conventional. Also their wealth means being able to afford expensive cars and exotic holidays conventional to be seen in a music video. Also the video is conventional as it features a performance of the artist at the end. He is on stage playing the song in front of a large audience.  This is conventional because dance music is often played in club or party settings and so the artist is expected to be seen in locations like this the majority of the time either playing their music or listening to other similar music and dancing etc. This will engage the audience as they desire the popularity, wealth, expensive items and party lifestyle so would like to identify with the artist and buy into his lifestyle. Also the performance at the end has a personal effect as it creates the feeling that the artist is performing for the viewer directly.

In 'Summer' there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals; when Calvin Harris says "You act so innocent now but you lied so soon", a girl is shown lying by herself in bed while she stares at nothing in particular. This suggests that she is thinking and also that the artist is singing about a breakup. the fact that the girl is lying by herself looking sad and that the artist states she lies, implies that the breakup was the girls fault. The theme of heartbreak is conventional to a music video as it is relatable for the audience as many would have experienced it or seen others experience it. This makes it easier for the audience to sympathise with the characters in the video and may make them reminisce on their own past experience and so attach their own emotions to the meaning of the song. This makes them engage with the song more as they feel they can completely understand how the artist feels when he sings the lyrics. This means that the audience will believe that they have experienced similar things to the artist and therefore feel they are similar and build a relationship with them.

There is also a relationship between the music and visuals as the visuals match the pace of the song. When the artist stops singing and the music speeds up, the race cars drive off faster down the road. this creates slight suspense when the artist stops singing as the audience is waiting for the pace of the music to speed up and become energetic. This will create a buzz around the song as it creates a wild and free atmosphere which makes the audience want to dance. This is conventional of a dance music video as they tend to change the visuals as the beat progresses and pace quickens. This emphasises on the change of pace and beat which makes it more dramatic and fun for the audience.  Using the fast cars with the louder more upbeat part of the song engages and excites the audiences as the sudden change in pace and visuals will capture their attention and make them interested in what will happen next. Cars have connotations of speed and being free which is will make the audience feel happy and carefree when listening to this song.

Close-up of the artist

Characters having fun in the summer

Characters dancing at a party

The demands of the record label often include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist. This is seen when Calvin Harris is walking down the same road in which the cars drove down but this time it is completely empty and the whole focus is on him as he sings for the relatively calmer parts of the song. This creates contrast and allows the audience to see more of the artist and his personality which in turn allows them to build a relationship with him through believing they know him as a person through listening to and focusing on his personal lyrics. This is heightened by the fact that there are no distractions in the shots and so the audience focuses only on the artist. This is conventional to the dance genre as it shows the artist strolling down a long road in hot weather which portrays him as relaxed and laid-back. This is conventional to both the song and genre as the song is called 'Summer' which has connotations of being relaxed and chilled with people only focused on having fun. This is shown in the music video with a lot of young people having fun around a swimming pool or partying. The dance genre overall has conventions of having very laid-back artists as they are very familiar with the party lifestyle and club scene and so in a sense it is like summer all year round because they are constantly playing dance music and having fun. Therefore this means dance genre artists are very laid-back and relaxed overall due to their lifestyle.

The first voyeuristic shot shown

There is frequent voyeuristic treatment of the female body. One of the first shots is of a girl standing on the balcony in lingerie while the camera is behind her. This creates the effect that the audience is spying on her and that she does not know she is being looked at. This could relate to the theme of heartbreak and how the girl is not trusted so her former boyfriend would be spying on her as she "lied". Furthermore there are several similar scenes like this. The same girl is seen laying on her bed in only her underwear and there are several girls in revealing clothes such as hot pants at the race car scene, a girl is shown in a bath and several girls are pictured in bikinis around a swimming pool. Having voyeuristic shots of female models is conventional to the dance genre because it advertises the dance music and club lifestyle. Dance genre artists portray themselves as popular with the opposite sex due to fame which is why there are often several attractive women in their videos. This encourages the audience to listen to dance music and buy into the party lifestyle because it makes them believe that they will meet attractive people through doing so.


There is intertextual reference in this music video as several car brands are shown via stickers and signs on the cars before they race. Cars have connotations of being free and energetic much like dance music as they provoke powerful associations in the audiences mind. This ill make them feel more energetic and passionate about dance music and want to have fun and listen to it more often. Cars are also very stereotypical and representative of males as they enjoy sports such as racing . Also the females in this scene are all wearing minimal clothing which creates stereotypical gender roles for each gender. This is conventional to the dance genre as the music videos from this genre often focus on a romantic or sexual connection between male and females whether it is about a relationship or meeting at a party and having fun. This emphasises on the relationships between males and females by dividing them into their stereotypical gender roles.

The artist singing about the woman

This video is primarily narrative based. It tells a story about a break up between a couple through the mans point of view. The artist sings about the girl while she is oblivious and sits in various rooms in her house. This engages the audience through the story of the couple as the audience watch him explain the breakup and may wonder why and what happened between the couple. This subject of heartbreak is conventional as well as relatable for the audience which will allow them to build a relationship with the artist. This is conventional to the dance genre as the target audience for this genre is particularly young and therefore would be able to relate to themes such as heartbreak and love. This is why it is the common theme for most dance songs because they know that the audience can identify with the theme and meaning of the songs and therefore are more likely to listen to and enjoy the music.

The woman oblivious at home

Analysing Goodwins theory has assisted me in planning my own music video because I am now informed on the seven guidelines I need to follow if I choose to make my music video conventional and this theory provides me with some guidelines to follow when I do so. I would like to include several styles of music video in my music video because I found the narrative and performance parts of this song very effective and believe my video will be more effective if I can include all three styles of music video. i will also like to include close-ups as it will help my audience build a relationship with the artist.