Goodwins Theory Tested

Goodwin claims of six element which appear in every music video. I have tested goodwins six elements using Plan B's music video 'She Said' to see if is appears true that a video should contain every element.

• Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. For example stage performances often appear in rock videos.

Being an individual artist, with a hip hop and rap genre, Ben Drew is represented in a chart narrative video. This type of video demonstrates the genre characteristics of the music that him and similar artists create.

• There is an instinct relationship between lyrics and visuals.

This relationship is very obvious in this video. The artist sings lyrics such as 'so now up in the courtspleading my case from the witness box', while standing in the 'witness' box. This relationship appears strongly between lyrics and visuals through out the video. We see it once again when he sings 'as my girl cries tears from the galleries' as a female figure is crying in the court room. This video is very much narrative. The video silently tells the very same story as the lyrics individually.

• There is also a relationship between music and visuals. Visuals would be affected by tempo, beat, speed, pitch, etc. (Relationships could amplifie, contradict or illustrate.)

This is another relationship that is signified very strongly in the video. A good Example of this is right at the start of the video when people in the court room began to click to the beat in the music. Each charater is so in sync and the technique is seen very cleverly by the audience.

• The demands of the record label include lots of close ups of their artists and developed motifs which recur across their work as well as promotional methods. These demands give the band an identity.

This video includes alot of close ups of Ben Drew, Plan B's singer. Alot of profile shots are used as well.

• There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particulary voyeuristic treatment of the female body

This reference can be seen right at the start of the video, when the singer is seen being led out of a lift by a girl. He looks the girl up and down after the pair are viewed kissing.

• Videos also often use intertextual reference, to TV, Film etc.

Scenes from this video could be compared to Police TV dramas. The mise en scene and use of characters shows comparisons, it also correlates to the meaning of the song.

My research into Plan B's video has proven Goodwin's Theory to be correct. All of his six elements have played some part in the making of this video, and are shown clearly.