Head Over Heels: Goodwin's Music Video Conventions

Head Over Heels
Tears For Fears

'Head Over Heels' is a New Wave song with a performance video (with some aspects of narrative). Contrary to Goodwin's theory, 'Head Over Heels' does not develop motifs which occur across the artist's videos; while this is lighthearted, Tears For Fears tend to have solemn and melancholy videos.

There is often an illustrative link between the music and the video; at 0:31, when the singer places a stack of books onto the counter the verse starts with a bass-line. There is then a shot-reverse-shot between the man and the woman, which changes perspective after a line of lyrics and during a couple of piano notes. These quick edits happen throughout the video, usually after the singer takes a breath after singing a line. 

When the chorus is introduced at 1:11 the singer's movements become ridged and stiff, and he moves in time to the beats in the music. On the second chorus at 2:22, however, the singer appears to be floating around the library with a panning shot following him. This chorus includes a constant close-up of the singer, fitting Goodwin's convention that the record label will demand lots of shots of the singer/band.

At 2:15, the lyrics directly correspond with the video as the singer holds a fake gun while singing 'it's hard to be a man when there's a gun in your hand'. This contradicts with the rest of the video, which largely consists of random and irrelevant images which have no correspondence with the lyrics. For example, at 2:05 there is a man in a gas mask reading a book and at 2:03 which shows a chimp reading in between a man and a woman. This demonstrates New Wave genre characteristics which was a movement going against generic attributes of 80's pop.

Another case where the lyrics link to the video is the ending at 4:06, where the line 'funny how time flies' is accompanied by a flash-forward to an aged singer and his wife - ending the video.

Music Video Song Possibilities

"Torn" - Alan Lewis

http://richerunsigned.com/album/alanofficial/#tracks

Strengths:

• Catchy chorus
• Clear lyrics (makes lip-syncing more possible)
• Dynamic and textured; lots of possibilities for elements in a music video

Weaknesses:

• Slow verses may limit possibilities
• Music video may become slightly generic due to the "sad" sound of the song (will need to be about love/breakups/relationships etc.)
• Very long

"Lifeline" - Alannah Moar

http://richerunsigned.com/album/alannah-moar/#tracks

Strengths:

• Fast tempo; music video can utilise jump cuts and other fast-paced editing techniques
• Clear lyrics

Weaknesses:

• Recording is slightly poor

"Make my Day" - Mealla

Strengths:

• Clear lyrics
• Good buildup with verses
• Catchy chorus
• Dynamic and textured; video possibilities
• Not too repetitive or bland

Weaknesses:

• Quite long
• Abrupt ending

"Looking at You" - The Tartan Rascals

Strengths:

• Clear, catchy and interesting chorus
• Verses aren't dull or too long-lasting
• Genre (alternative rock) would make for an original music video
• Clear lyrics

Weaknesses:

• Slightly repetitive 
• Blunt ending

Our Choices:

Under the Bridge: Goodwin's Music Video Conventions

Under the Bridge
Red Hot Chili Peppers

The music video for 'Under the Bridge' by RHCP fits many conventions outlined by Andrew Goodwin in his framework. It is primarily a performance video - however, there are elements which point towards it being a mix between performance and conceptual; for example, many of the images could be seen as metaphors for drugs and addiction.

There is an illustrative link between the lyrics and visuals in the video; for example, at 0:42 the line in the lyrics 'the city I live in' is accompanied by a superimposition of a city filled with tall buildings. Furthermore, the lyrics 'I drive through her streets' has a similar superimposition of a camera moving through the streets of a city, as if from the view of a car.

Throughout the video, there is also an amplifying relationship between the music and visuals; as the chorus is played for the first time at 1:26, there is an extreme closeup of half of the singer's face which is accompanied by another image of the singer from the chest-up. This is an example of an amplifying relationship because as the music becomes more intense with a more powerful guitar riff and louder drums, so do the vibrant colours and images. In this first chorus there is also images of the guitarist, bassist and drummer superimposed over each other at 1:37; therefore adding to the chaos and intensity of the chorus. At 1:45, the drummer is reflected onto himself, creating a symmetrical image which further adds to the wild, out of control nature of the video. The second chorus at 2:30, while having no shots of the drummer, guitarist and bassist, shows the singer performing with the images of a cheap looking house and the fret board of a guitar superimposed over him. There is also a vibrant background consisting of bright lights set against a dark sky. All of these images contribute to the sudden shift in tone of the music; from slow and melancholy to intense and polyphonic.

As a rock band, Goodwin's conventions regarding visual style and genre characteristics are relevant to Red Hot Chili Peppers. The music is powerful and slightly psychedelic, hence the video is filled with chaotic images and vibrant colours. RHCP utilise similar visual style in many of their other music videos; for example, 'The Zephyr Song' uses very psychedelic imagery and dark, purplish colour filters like in 'Under the Bridge'.