2. GOODWIN’S KEY FEATURES OF A MUSIC VIDEO
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristic (for example stage performance in
metal video and dance routine for boy/girl band).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close -ups of the
artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual
style).
5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens,
telescopes, etc…) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos,
etc…).
3. FEATURE ONE.
• The artist immediately shows some singer songwriter
characteristics in the clothes she is wearing. Dressed in casual
jeans and a top, Colbie is showing the most common singer
songwriter characteristics of dressing how you like.
• The video shows a typical singer songwriter characteristic of
the artist playing a guitar, which is very common for this genre
to play an acoustic guitar or piano within their music.
• The song’s meaning is about love and someone who Colbie
has fallen in love with. Because the song is about a past
experience in the artist’s life – in this case someone she has
loved – this is another typical singer songwriter
characteristic, because artists within this genre tend to create
songs about a past experience in their lives.
4. FEATURE TWO.
• Due to the song being about Colbie’s lover her lyrics are
about how he makes her happy ‘Every time I see your
bubbly face, I get the tingles in a silly place’. With these
kinds of lyrics there are shots that crop into the video of
her lover which are therefore in relation to the lyrics.
• The scene where Colbie and her lover are outside in the
rain she sings the lyrics ‘Under cover staying dry and
warm’, this is in relation to the shot of them outside in the
rain with a sheet over their heads.
• The artist also sings the lyrics ‘every time you hold me in
your arms’ and ‘holding me tight’, this is in relation to the
visuals which show Colbie’s lover cuddling her in his
arms.
5. FEATURE THREE.
• The music throughout the entire song is very happy and
relaxed, which altogether shares relation to the visuals of the
music video which shows love and people caring for each other.
• The main instrument used in the song is an acoustic guitar, this
also matches the visuals because there are shots put into the
video of an acoustic guitar either standing or being played by
the artist.
• Towards the end of the song the music begins to slow down
slightly, at the same time the visuals change by jump cutting to
different scenes of either the artist by herself or to her and her
lover in a shot. This makes the visuals in relation to the music
because as one slows down the other speeds up.
6. FEATURE FOUR.
• Lots of close ups are used on the artist mainly throughout the
video, this denotes that she is the centre if attention at all times
which is vital in a singer songwriters music video.
• Colbie tends to use the same motifs when being in the camera
view on a close up, one being she always looks happy and is
smiling and another being that she tends to look away from the
camera instead of always looking directly into it. These motifs
may be used to promote the artist as a happy, shy artist with no
attitude and soulful music.
• The close ups of the artist tend to have a nice
background for example (1:18) there is a summers view
of a crop field in the background of a close up, this may
promote the artist as being summery and associated with
relaxed environments which audiences may be attracted
too.
7. FEATURE FIVE.
• The notion of looking is mainly through the camera itself, however due
to the song being about flash-backs to Colbie and her lover together,
the notion of looking changes now and again to looking through the
artist’s mind when she flashes back to when her and her lover were
together. It is clear when this happens, because there is a tendency
for the colour of the visuals to be of a black and white shade,
suggesting the past is being shown.
• There is no voyeuristic manner in
this video of a woman, in fact the
complete opposite.
8. FEATURE SIX.
• The song and music video together both tell a classic love story, involving
two lovers and show moments they have spent together. This could be
considered an intertextual reference to a love film which the video is very
similar too. Therefore most audiences will be able to relate better to the
music video if they have watched some kind of love film following a similar
storyline.
