Goodwin Theory - Illustration,Amplification and Disjuncture.

The Goodwin Theory implies that there are three types of relations between songs and their videos, they are:

• Illustration - where the video tells the story of the lyrics, dance is also often used to express feelings/moods.

• Amplification - this occurs when the videos introduce new meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics but add layers of meaning.

• Disjuncture - when there is little connection between the lyric and the video or when the video contradicts the lyrics.

An example of illustration is You Belong with me - Taylor Swift:

 This clearly an example of illustration as the lyrics are told through the video. The mood of the song is also conveyed in the video, as the mood changes the tone of the video also changes with it which shows that this is an example of illustration.

An example of amplification is Smile Like You Mean It - The Killers



This is an example of amplification as the video allows us to understand the lyrics more effectively. The theme of the video is nostalgia, this explains why the band roam around in past memories in the form of ghosts, this links with the lyrics as the singer has gone back to his childhood and is addressing himself "Change your ways while your young, boy one day you'll be a man." At a glance the video seems to show random ghost like figures exploring a house, but when connected with the lyrics it is obvious that the singer is adressing himself and that the house represents his childhood.



An example of Disjuncture is To Lose my life - White Lies



This is an good example of Disjuncture as the video does not help us understand the lyrics, the video is extremely random and does not flow together, the different images of the wolves and the women as well as the man towards the end make the video confusing. The lyrics of the song are about love and the fear of dying without their loved one however the video does not interpret this at all the misc en scene is also not linked with the song, the singer at one point sits in a room full of dolls this shows that the meaning of the song is not being portrayed or amplified in the video.