Applying Goodwins theory of music videos, Kendrick Lamar - i

I will be applying Goodwins theory of music videos to the song "i" by Kendrick Lamar. One of the features of Goodwins theory is that videos demonstrate genre characteristics. The music video to i features a performance / narative which is typical of rap music videos. Shots of Kendrick performing are interlinked with shots him walking through Compton and witnessing the tribulations of everyday life for people living in the ghetto.

The second part of Goodwins theory states that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. This is present in the music video as when Kendrick mentions police in his song there is then a shot of a man being arrested by the police. Although its not directly the lyrics, the video changes it tone as the tone of the song changes. When Kendrick is rapping about negative things the tone of the video is darker and more saddening, we are shown hardships and struggles, where as when the song gets to the chorus, the video is much more upbeat and positive with people dancing with Kendrick in the streets, symbolic of the idea that life always gets better and this represents the hope that Kendrick provides to Compton, showing the people that you can be whoever you want to be in life. The lyric "I love myself" is repeated in the happier shots. When the tone of the song completely changes with Kendricks last verse, the beat and instrumental becomes much more chaotic as does the video with Kendrick then hanging out the window of the car and with the camera becoming unstable.

Goodwins theory claims that the record label will want many close up shots of the artist and that artists may develop a motif that stretches across all their videos. The video features so many shots of Kendrick at different angles and ranges so the video fits that criteria. Many of Kendricks videos are similar to this with them being performance videos also featuring other content, for example King Kunta which I have written another blog post on.

Finally, the theory states that there are often inter-textual  references to other medias, the video features many things which are present in Kendricks other videos and also other rap videos such as low rider Impalas.

How do music videos use media language?

I will be exploring how different media language is used to create the imagery of old school rap videos in the music video to King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar. The video itself features typical characteristics of old school rap videos and plays on these genre typical features, in context tho, this is done purposefully as non of Kendricks other videos are like this. Its satire in the way that people who don't listen rap/ hip hop typically perceive the genre to be all about money/women etc when in fact its much deeper than that.

Mise en scene is used in the music video to establish the video as a typical "gangster rap" video. The video starts with a shot of a sign saying Compton and is followed by a shot of a low rider car, a vehicle present in many rap videos from the late 90's/ early 2000's.

 This immediately helps set the tone of the video and establishes what content will be present. By starting the video with this shot of the Compton sign we know that the video is shot in Compton, where Kendrick grew up. Showing where your from in rap videos has been done in rap videos since they were first made as there is a lot of rivalry between rappers from different parts of America.

 This leads onto the idea of costume. The majority of people in the video are wearing red in some part of their outfit, this is because the area of Compton where Kendrick grew up in is Pirus Bloods territory and this is represented through the use of the colour red. In contrast to this, Kendrick is shown wearing neutral colours and even a blue hat at some point, this signifies that even tho Kendrick could of easily got caught up in the gang culture, he kept his head straight and with hes fame he is trying to reduce the conflict between the two gangs of Compton, Crips and Bloods. Many other rap videos feature. The mise en scene in the video fits the genre, it focuses on material things like, low rider cars, big chains and barely dressed women, you can see these features present in the majority of old school rap videos like Dr Dre's "Still Dre" and "Nothin but a G thang". Kendrick uses these features to make it clear that the video is imitating previous videos.

The editing of the music video creates an upbeat and energetic atmosphere which matches the energy of the song. From the start, Kendrick raps on video in sync to the lyrics from his song. This makes the viewer focus on him throughout and is used to progress the music video. By having the video cut to the beat of the song, its creates a much stronger link between the two and makes it more enjoyable to watch. Instead of using tripods and steady shots, the video features a mix of professional, steady, well framed shots and a bunch of shaky,handheld almost amateur shots. This is done on purpose to mimic the handheld shots used in old school rap videos as Kendrick is trying to mimic them. This is also achieved through using a 4:3 aspect ratio instead of modern day widescreen shots, its all done to create the feeling and atmosphere of old school rap videos.

Featuring many conventions typical of the rap genre, Kendricks video could be seen as a stereotypical gangster rap video. The video focuses mainly on him performing which is typical or rap music videos. It focuses on material wealth with many shots of material things like cars, gold chains and women.  It is easy to see the similarities between this video and other old school rap videos such as videos by Dre and Snoop.

Applying Andrew Goodwins theory of music videos

Many of Andrew Goodwins points listed in his theory of music videos are present throughout the music video in the song "Grapevine Fires" by Death Cab for Cutie.

There is a strong link between the story told by the music video and the story told by the song from the start of the music video. By having a music video which mimics the lyrics of the song, a much more stronger link is formed between them and this helps create a story more effectively. The music video features a dark and emotional interpretation of the songs lyrics with lyrics such as "we all burn" being constantly repeated and paired with visual images of a town burning. The lyrics tell a story which matches what is shown on the screen which helps create a more in depth and detailed story.

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals in the way that the music video cuts on the beat of the song. This helps create a link between the song and the video and is demonstrated as when the tempo of the song increases, so does the tempo of the music video, at the start there is a single character as the tempo increases more are introduced,  there are more cuts, and the song and video both become more intense. More imagery of fire is used as the video progresses which links to the tempo of the song as more destruction is being caused as it increases. This also links with how the music video gets darker and eventually peaks with one character catching on fire.

One of Goodwins points is that artists may develop a motif which reoccurs throughout their work. Death Cab for Cutie has a clear motif in their use of 2D animations to tell a story. The same thing as in this video is done in their other music video "Good help is hard to find" both videos also use the same type face and its clear that the band likes this type of music video.

The video contains frequent references to the notion of looking, the characters in the video look into a photo frame which acts as a screen within a screen, and then the video cuts to the scene from inside the photo frame.

In conclusion, the song "Grapevine Fires" demonstrates some of the points listed in Goodwins theory.