Andrew Goodwin's 5 Key Aspects

Andrew Goodwin, a director of music and also an organist for 37 years, composed a theory which outlined that there are 5 key aspects when it comes to analysing a music video:

1. Thought Beats (seeing the sound)
2. Narrative and Performance
3. The Star Image
4. Relation of Visuals to Song
5. Technical Aspects of Music video

Thought Beats:

This is when the video is edited in such a way that the visuals are in time with the beat of the music, resulting in the imagery matching the message of the song to give the audience a clearer understanding of it. These visuals can also be repeated throughout the song, for example during the chorus to hold emphasis on this message.
This aspect is common in music videos, and is effective as the video tends to make more sense with the lyrics.
An example video in which this can be seen is Weak by AJR, in which it is repeated a lot in the chorus to give us this shaky effect, referencing to the meaning of the song which is about being weak and that nothing is wrong with that.

Narrative and Performance:

Goodwin explained that the artist should become a part of the story of the music video to avoid a traditional narrative. By doing this the artist can perform as well, and this lip syncing creates a clear connection between the story and the role that the artist has in it, also making it more believable and relatable for the audience.
An example video that shows this aspect is Heathens by Twenty One Pilots, in which there is a narrative due to the song promoting the film "Suicide Squad". The artists, Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph feature in this narrative and its setting, a prison, but also have a role in the performance of the song, still taking place in the same location.

Star Image:

The star image is believed to hold a vital role in music videos, as the effect that they have is that the video is made more interesting to the audience and can be what initially catches their attention to watch it. The way in which the star is also portrayed can also make the video unique, as well as creating a public image in which the artist can use to promote their music and become easily recognisable.
Within the music video, close-ups and/or repeated shots of the artist show this star image by putting them at the centre and being the main focus, which is shown in the example below: Havana by Camila Cabello. The is the main star in the music video and is in most of the shots, making the story more interesting.

Relation of Visuals to Song:

This principle suggests that the audience should be able to see a clear relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visuals of the video. There are 3 ways in which the music video promote the song:

1. Illustrate- the video can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics to create a better understanding for the audience. It is the most common method used.
2. Disjuncture- This is when there is no relation between the lyrics and video, and the meaning is completely ignored.
3. Amplify- The meanings of the song are manipulated so that they are shown constantly throughout the video, and drummed into the audience's vision.

Technical Aspects:

These aspects hold the music video together, via camerawork, mis-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects.
Use of camera- consists of the speed, movement, editing,cutting and post production of the video.
Lighting and colour- creates and sets the mood by holding emphasis on important aspects of the video.
Mise-en-scene- is vital in order to make the video realistic for the audience.
Beat- the cuts fit with the rhythm to entertain the audience, as it sounds better to them when this technique is used.

This theory has helped me and I hope to apply it to my own music video by using all 5 aspects, as I want my artist to have a lot of star image and to be on camera a lot, for the action of the video to match the beat of the song, there will be both narrative and performance, and I would like to illustrate the meaning of my lyrics using conceptual imagery to get it across to the audience.