Media Theory - Andrew Goodwin and John Stewart

Media Theory

Andrew Goodwin:

Andrew Goodwin’s theory behind a successful music video is that the music video has to have certain key features or a majority of the features. These key features consist of:
· Demonstrate genre characteristics
· Relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visuals of the video
· Relationship between the music and the lyrics of the song
· Lots of close ups of the artist or the vocalist of the band
· There is frequent reference to the motion and action of looking
· Often intertextual references (usually to other music videos, films, and TV programs)

Coldplay – The Scientist (music video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqWLpTKBFcU

Lyrics for Coldplay – The Scientist

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are.
I had to find you, tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart.

Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions,
Oh lets go back to the start.
Running in circles, Coming' in tails
Heads on a science apart.

Nobody said it was easy,
It's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be this hard.

Oh take me back to the start.

I was just guessing at numbers and figures,
Pulling the puzzles apart.
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart.

And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start.
Running' in circles, Chasing' tails
Coming' back as we are

Nobody said it was easy,
Oh it's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be so hard.

I'm going' back to the start.

Ohhhh oooooo
Ahhhh oooooo
Ohhhh oooooo
Ohhhh oooooo

This music video demonstrates genre characteristics because the lyrics are very emotional just like the video is; which links in with the genre of the song, as it is quite an emotional rock band music genre.

The title of this Coldplay song is called ‘The scientist’. The lyrics of the song relate to the title of the song e.g. I was just guessing at numbers and figures, Pulling the puzzles apart. Questions of science, science and progress, Do not speak as loud as my heart. These lyrics both relate to love (emotions) and to science, as he is suggesting that life is a puzzle and that he doesn’t speak as loud as his heart. Even though the lyrics and the title of the song link in together, the lyrics and the visuals of the video also link in together. This is because the lyrics of the song are extremely emotional just like the actually visuals of the music video. The lyrics of the song are quite difficult understand, all you really know is that he missing his love of his life, and that he wants to go back to the start; when he was happy. The video shows that there was an accident where his love of his life dies, and throughout the video he travels back to the start; before the accident when he was happy. So from listening to the lyrics and watching the music video, you understand exactly what is happening and what did happen. This shows that there is a massive relationship between both the lyrics of the song and the visuals of the music video.

When you listen to the music of the song and the lyrics of the song, you understand that there is a very emotional relationship between the two of them. At the start of the song the lyrics are telling a story, which links in with the music as the music is quite quiet; it doesn’t overpower the lyrics. But near the end of the song the music gets more powerful when Chris Martin goes back to the start. The lyrics start to make more sense e.g. the visuals show before the accident when Chris was happy, and that is when the music is more powerful because the main character is more powerful and happy; not heartbroken. This contrast between the lyrics of the song and music of the song show that there is also a massive relationship between the two of them.

The visuals of the music video show that the whole video itself, focuses on the main character; Chris Martin. Throughout the video there are many close ups, long shots and tracking shots of the main character who is also the vocalist of the band; Coldplay. This shows and reminds the target audience of the video who the band is; because Chris Martin is a huge musical icon throughout the world, so everyone knows who he is and what band he is from. If one of the other band members solely featured in the video then not as many people would know which band is performing the song, but if the video focuses on Chris Martin then everyone knows who the band performing is because he is a global musical icon.

Throughout the music video there is many different types of camera angles and movements used in order to represent the video and to show the main character telling his story. The main character throughout the video is travelling backwards in order to get to the start; when his life was happy. This adds clever and interesting detail to the video which gives the video its own unique touches.

Throughout this music video there aren’t any intertextual references such as other music videos, TV programs or films. This is rather unusually as most music videos involve intertextual references, but in this case; this music video doesn’t need any intertextual references due to the video having its own unique feel to it. This is because even though the video doesn’t involve any intertextual references, it is still very successful because it is such a clever and creative video because of the ideas used.

John Stewart:

John Stewart as a person was incredibly interested in the concept of intertextuality within various music videos. Stewart’s theory behind a successful music video was that he believed that the majority of visual references come from three areas which consist of: fashion, cinema, and art.
· Examples of fashion included in music videos include: Robert Palmer – Addicted to love
· Examples of Cinema included in music videos include: Will Smith – Men in Black (Men in black), Chase & Status featuring Plan B – End Credit (Harry Brown), Aerosmith – Don’t wana miss a thing (Armageddon), Celine Dion – My heart will go on (Titanic), Bryan Adams – Everything I do (Robin Hood), Elton John – Can you feel the love tonight (Lion King), Faith Hill – There you’ll be (Pearl Harbour), Paramore – Decode (Twilight), Madonna – beautiful stranger (Austin Powers), Whitney Houston – I will always love you (Bodyguard), and Whitley Houston – I have nothing (Bodyguard).
· Examples of Art photography included in music videos include: George Michael – Freedom

Paramore – Decode (Twilight)



Lyrics for Paramore - Decode

How can I decide what's right?
When you're clouding up my mind
Can't win your losing fight all the time
Not gonna ever own what's mine
When you're always taking sides
You wont take away my pride
No not this time
Not this time How did we get here?
I use to know you so well How did we get here? Well, I think I know
The truth is hiding in your eyes
And its hanging on your tongue
Just boiling in my blood,
But you think that I can't see
What kind of man that you are
If you're a man at all
Well, I will figure this one out on my own
(I'm screaming "I love you so..." But my thoughts you can't decode)
How did we get here?
I use to know you so well
How did we get here?
Well, I think I know
Do you see what we've done?
We're gonna make such fools of ourselves
Do you see what we've done?
We're gonna make such fools of ourselves
How did we get here?
I use to know you so well
How did we get here?
Well, I use to know you so well
I think I know
I think I know
There is something that I see in you
It might kill me I want it to be true

Out of the three key concepts of intertextuality within music videos, Cinema is used throughout the Paramore music video for their hit track Decode. This is because the Paramore song was used in the Twilight film and has gained global recognition because of the song being used in a famous and epic film. Twilight started out as a romantic fantasy novel, but as it gained an awful amount of attention, it then got created into a brilliant film by director Catherine Hardwicke.

The music video for ‘decode’ by Paramore, includes a lot of footage from the film Twilight, but at the same time a lot of performance. The footage from the film is instantly recognisable because Twilight is a globally recognised film and the film won both the Scream: Best fantasy film, and MTV: Best movie award plus nineteen other awards from such award ceremonies such as: Bravo’s A list awards, MTV movie awards, Young artist awards, Teen choice awards, and Scream awards. This information shows that Twilight was an instant global success grabbing awards at each award ceremonies the film was entered in. Throughout the film there is a massive amount of band performance which is a very different to other music videos which involve film footage; this is because music videos which involve film footage mostly focus on the film rather than band performance. So this already shows that the music video for Paramore – Decode is incredibly unique.

The music video itself involves a high amount of band performance which is extremely different to current music videos which involve footage from existing films. This is because music videos such as Elton John – Can you feel the love tonight (Lion King) has near no performance and involves mostly footage from the film, and Chase & Status featuring Plan B – End Credits (Harry Brown) which has a fair amount of singing involved but includes a majority of film footage and on scene footage.

The Paramore music video for their hit track ‘Decode’ includes a healthy amount of band performance which is why the video itself is so effective and unique. The band performance which is included within the Paramore music video consists of various angles and shots ranging from: close ups of lead guitarist, panning shots of lead guitarist, panning shots of the drummer, close up of lead singer, hand held shots running through forest which is located in the film Twilight, zoom out shots of band members, high angle shots of lead singer, dolly shots of band members, straight cut shot of Paramore band, low angle shot of lead guitarist, dolly shot of drummer, dolly shots of lead singer, Close up of lead singer strolling her hand through the forest which parts of the film Twilight is filmed in, close ups of drummer hitting symbols, close up of lead singer appearing to be travelling backwards, high angle shot of band members, close ups of lead singer appearing to be travelling forwards, tilted angle shot of lead singer, over the shoulder shot of lead singer singing with drummer in background, low angle shots of Paramore band, and high angle shots of Paramore band.

The effective and creative band performance is combined with extremely good shots of the footage which is taken within the film Twilight. The footage which is taken and imported within the Paramore music video is well executed filming and goes with the footage within the Paramore music video. This is because the scenes included within the footage go with the correct scenes within the music video e.g. close ups of the lead singer of Paramore when she sings the verse: ‘I use to know you so well’; this verse is an extremely important verse during the whole song, and during the music video the lead singer really goes for it when she sings that specific verse.

This analysis of this Paramore song shows that John Stewart’s theory is correct in that the majority of visual references come from a certain area which includes Cinema. This is because the Paramore music video involves a high amount of footage from Twilight, which is why the song is featured within the film, Twilight. This shows that specific music videos are made up of a certain visual reference e.g. fashion, cinema, and art photography.