Goodwin's Theory

Goodwin's theory identified 6 conventions of music videos, it said that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, such as performance if it's a rock or metal song, as well as acoustic, or a dance routine for a music video by a pop boyband. Another convention in music videos is that there is usually a relationship or link between the lyrics or the music either amplifying, illustrating or contradicting the visuals in the video. Close ups of the artist are often used, as well as recurring motifs that the artist developed to create a visual style. Another convention is the notion of looking, which can include screens within screens or telescopes for example, and a voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Intertextual references are often used as well, which includes referencing TV programmes, films, other music videos etc. This theory can be applied to music videos of various genres. 

This can be applied to is the music video for the song 'Come to Daddy' by Aphex Twin.

In this music video there is a relationship between the music and the visuals, for example, at 2:21 where a little girl is dragging a stick against some metal bars, which is an action that matches the song at this point. This applies to the convention of a link between the music and the visuals, as it illustrates the music at this point in the video. 

There are shots throughout the video of the artist's face, which could be to promote the artist and create a brand. The images of the artist on the TV in some shots, or even as masks on the children's faces, is distorted and grotesque and could be to establish the artist's style, as well with the logo displayed at the start. It could also be to emphasise the style or genre the music video is taking inspiration from. The video demonstrates horror genre characteristics throughout. The almost monochromatic blue colour palette is reflective of the horror genre and emphasises the visual style of the video and the artist. The location of the video also links to horror, as it is set in an abandoned, run down building, with dirt and rubble everywhere. This makes the video look grungy and unrefined, reinforced by the quick cuts, shaky camera movements and odd camera angles, which illustrate the distortion of the vocals in the song. 

The grungy aesthetic and colour scheme is a convention used in other products of the same genre across different medias, as this takes influence from the horror genre. Technology and modern locations are used, which is a common convention in the horror genre, especially in films such as 'Ringu', set in modern Japan. This film also has a scene where a girl climbs out of a television, which is similar to the monster that climbed out of a television in Aphex Twin's video. The video may not have been referencing the film 'Ringu' on purpose, as the film came out a year after this video, but the video might have been referencing Japanese horror. Many Japanese horror films centre around creatures similar to monsters, demons and spirits, and are often about how the creatures interact with technology to torment the victims in those films. So, the monster climbing out of the television in 'Come to Daddy' could be an intertextual reference to Japanese horror.

Another music video which demonstrates conventions of music videos, according to Goodwin, is Paramore's video for 'Pressure'.

This music video is mostly a performance video, which fits with Goodwin's convention that music videos display characteristics of the genre of music. In this case, the rock band uses a performance based video, with lip sync and rock instruments. The band most likely made this choice to promote their live performances, to make them look exciting and appealing to rock fans. In addition, the performance and the narrative in the video are set in dirty or every day places, which make the whole video look low budget and grungy, which displays characteristics of the rock genre as well as possibly establishing the band's style. Paramore's brand is established mostly by their look in the video, with frequent close ups of the artist's face to create recognition, as well as the grungy aesthetic of the video.

Another convention identified by Goodwin displayed in 'Pressure' is the video amplifying and illustrating the music. For example, the shaking camera at various points in the video to amplify the intense parts of the music, such as the chorus, which uses slight camera shakes and constant movement in the performance to amplify the energy of the song.