Andrew Goodwin- 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory'

Andrew Goodwin, often described by those in the industry as 'the professor of pop' theorised six key aspects that videos should meet in order to ensure a successful music video. These were summarised in his publication, 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' as:
  • Music videos have genre characteristics, for example a boyband might have a choreographed routine whereas a metal band would follow a stage performance.
  • Relationship between visuals and lyrics- this relies on the use of semiotic meaning, used frequently throughout the film and media industry."semiotics is the study of signs, their meanings and interpretations, meaning that semiotic imagery in this case would be relative to the lyrical content of the song, so for example if the word 'cat' was to be used, an image of a cat could appear on screen signalling the viewers relation between the image of the cat and the word, even if that particular semiotic is not directly related to the lyric as a whole piece.
  • Relationship between visuals and music- again this is reliant on semiotic imagery to present to audience with a visual representation of the atmopsphere and emotion surrounding the music itself, an example of this could be through the use of lighting in the video, for example soft, beauty lighting with the use of bright colour would be preferred over harsh split lighting and dark colours for a happy and upbeat piece of music as brightness and colour is associated with lifting spirits and happiness (for example primary colours invoke certain childhood memories due to them being related to childhood toys or experiences of learning). This can be either illustrative, amplifying, or contradicting to the music, depending on what the director aims to achieve through the signifier or signified.
  • The demands of the record label will include the need for close-up shots of the artist and the artist may develop recurring motifs that span across their body of work, this is recognised as star power and should be included within the production in order to convey the artist in a particular light to the audience. 
  • Notion of looking- "The notion of looking can include many techniques and is something that is present in almost every music video."(Alice Nunn, 2016). This can be achieved by the character, or artist/ band members will purposefully look into the camera or sing to the imagined audience on the other side of the camera (direct address), or not look at the camera (indirect address) to invoke feelings of distance and vouyerism to their audience. This is often achieved through the use of props such as mirrors, displaying a screen within a screen, telescopes and a particularly vuyeristic approach to the female body.
  • Intertextual reference is another feature which Goodwin identified to being key to a successful music video, this intertextual reference could relate to films, books, tv programmes and even other music videos. This plays on consumerism and recognition of one product within relation to another, thereby making the music video more relateable to it's intended audience and the atmospheric value that the director intends. For example, showing images of requiem for a dream in a music video for a song about addiction could prove to send a powerful message to the audience which is relative to the lyrical content about the damaging affects of drugs and their use on an individual's life.

Applying the theory:

Applying the theories and key points laid out by Goodwin in his 1992 publication 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' ensures that the criteria for a successful music video is applied and met within every production; in short, this means that each video gives the music and artist more relevance within relation to the time that the music was released, the morals and ethics surrounding the genre that the music and artist fit into, all whilst delivering a final product which is appeasing and interesting for both the artist and their audience and also ensuring success.

In order to do this, I decided to look at the music video for 'In Bloom' by Nirvana. From the very beginning of the video, we can identify key features of Goodwin's theories which can be applied to the production; the video opens with footage which emulates or parodies popular old television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show. By using an old, monochromatic film camera and setting up the audience-host situation, the director here is conveying the band Nirvana to be following in the footsteps of stars before them such as The Beatles; this also acts to rebel entirely against the entire precipices and foundations on which the music industry was formed on, as it directly opposes the lyrical content of the song, the beliefs of Nirvana as a band, and the underground movement which they were a huge part of. Further to this, using the format of a late night television show displays the directors regard to the genre of the music being promoted by the video as it still allows for the performance-based video which is common to punk rock generally. Therefore tying the semiotic meaning of rebellion relative to the lyrical content of 'In Bloom' and the moral standpoint of the band, and the stereotypical formatting of the genre actually proves to be an incredibly clever use of semiotics and inter textual reference on behalf of the director and the production team. 
      After the host introduces the band, we are presented with a long shot, placing the band in it's entirety at the centre of the screen so that we see them begin the song as an entire piece. Next, the camera jump cuts between shots of each band member, each lasting a couple of seconds so that the audience can see each individual and the instrument that they are playing as the song builds up. This is meeting the needs of the record label, as the close-up shots used within this sequence are done so to introduce the audience to each individual member and their talent, which is promoting what is recognised as 'star power' within Goodwin's publication. Some of these close-up shots are also displayed to the audience through the use of an old-fashion, curved glass television screen, an example of the fifth key element of Andrew Goodwin's theory, 'the notion of looking'. This particular principle focuses nd plays on "the idea of gaze and the way someone in particular is seen" (OlderTibz, 2017), therefore, as previously mentioned, the director's vouyerism within this video conveys the band on a pedestal, which offers a direct address to the audience, but in a way that acts as a converse message to the values of the lyrics.
  Overall, I found that the application of Goodwin's six pivotal points to an actual music video works incredibly well, as the majority of productions do actually follow this agenda to success. Each of the proposed points do act to explain the precipices of the majority of modern music videos and their influences, however, I have also found examples which have been equally successful in the industry whilst not wholly following these guidelines. Goodwin's theories also tie in to other analyses on film and on the film industry as a whole, such as his ideas on Vouyerism, particularly when it comes to the view of the female body and the objectification of women through the lens, lends itself well to coincide with Laura Mulvey's publication 'Narrative Pleasure and Visual Cinema', which first brought about the theory of 'the male gaze' which Goodwin so heavily relies on to explain Vouyerism. I also feel that taking into account elements of 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory: Music Television and Popular Culture' within the production of my own video could therefore be helpful, however modernising certain aspects to fit the societal and technological shift since the publication of his wokr in 1992 would also be beneficial to my production process; elements of his theory do point towards the shift of Music Television to becoming scheduled programming rather than solely a platform to artists, however this does not account for the transition of popular music videos to online viewing over television viewing, which is something which I feel will certainly have to be accounted for when I am planning to produce my own video. 

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