Research into Goodwin's theory

Goodwin's theory in relation to Devlin's Let it go ft. Labrinth

1) Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

Devlin is known as a British rapper yet accompanied by Labrinth, an R&B artist, the song 'Let it go' features characteristics of both the rap and R&B genre. The rap genre has a convention of touching upon realistic topics that are mainly considered as difficult. The song itself consists of references to inflicting pain, anger, arguing, and violence, all of which are used to portray the relationship. These conventions are displayed through both people in the relationship arguing, smashing glass and being forceful. The negativity of the relationship is also reinforced by the dark lighting featured in the video.

2) There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

The visuals seen in a music video are most commonly used to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics. If certain images are constantly repeated throughout the video, they amplify the lyrics. This is used to exaggerate a certain meaning or concept. In some cases, the meaning of the song is completely ignored which is known as disjuncture. This creates a contrast between the on screen visuals and the lyrics overplaying the scenes. 'Let it go' involves images that are parallel to the meaning of the song and so the music video clearly illustrates the song which makes 'come to life' for the viewer. The lyrics expressing a turbulent relationship are illustrated by the artist and his 'girlfriend' in a domestic environment. Sat by a table which typically conveys unity, they are seen arguing which leads to items being thrown of the table due to anger; a clear portrayal of the lyrics 'A relationship defined in violence'.

3) There is a relationship between the music and visuals

The music aims to express the emotions and reasons for letting go i.e. when good relationships go bad. When referring to the visuals,the instability of the handheld camera reflects the turbulence of the relationship. This is an empactual way of illustrating the faults of the relationship as the viewer is able to see how an unstable relationship emotionally wrecks two people to the point where they feel constantly shaken up.

4) Demands of the record label will include the need for close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work

The camera often pans around the artist as he makes eye contact with the viewer which almost creates the idea of Devlin directly expressing his pain and emotion. This is able to create a relationship between him and the audience which is is revealing himself to. As he is often at the centre of the frame, it is made clear that he is the main focus of the video. The close ups allow the audience to focus on his facial expressions which are very exaggerated in terms of pronunciation placing emphasis on the lyrics. This is a convention of rap music as the lyrics provide the audience with an understanding of what the artist is trying to convey.

5) There is a frequent reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body

Voyeurism refers to observing in order to gain sexual pleasure. The woman in the video is sexualised due to limited clothing. As she walks up to the camera, almost towards the bed she is wearing nothing but a top which emphasises her figure. Further on in the scene, she is seen in her bra which once again is emphasised through the use of a close up. This is a common representation of females who are typically presented in a sexually appealing way.

6) There is often intertextual reference (to films, television programmes, products etc.)

The music video to ‘Let it go’ is set in a domestic environment which instantly restricts its ability to intertextualise. As both Devlin and his on-screen ‘girlfriend’ aim to illustrate realism of an abusive relationship, they aren’t dressed in clothing that could potentially be of a brand yet simply clothing that ‘normal’ people wear indoors. The only brand seen is Adidas, a logo on Devlin’s t-shirt. The brand being inexpensive presents Devlin as an ordinary working class individual. It allows the viewers to realise that money is not the focus of the video yet it’s simply about the experiences and emotions in the lyrics.

7) Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each are used in it
The music video is mainly performance and narrative based. It does however illustrate the concept of what could potentially be an abusive relationship. It does however focus on the two aspects both mentioned. As Devlin is seen singing the lyrics of the song, the video is performance based. Due to Labrinth only having a performance purpose in the song, it is clear that the performance aspect of the song is the one that is featured the most. Devlin singing is however accompanied by the visuals of him and his 'girlfriend' fighting which involves acting and is therefore a narrative used to illustrate the song.