Goodwin Music Video Analysis

Andrew Goodwin, in 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' (1992, Routledge), identified 6 key features in order to analyse a music video. The analysis of Green Day's punk rock video American Idiot using Goodwin's theory is below.

Genre characteristics (punk rock):

• Spontaneous - performance, empty warehouse set, filming the film equipment - making it look raw and gritty
• Focus on guitar/drums playing, jumping up and down and around
• Dress code - ties, shirts, skinny jeans, vans, guyliner, floppy black 'emo' hair
• Rebellion - draining the flag's colour, trashing the set

Relationship between lyrics/visuals:

• References of America (Stars and stripe flag in background adapted to green theme, saluting to flag)
• Connection to the idea of being brainwashed my the media (miming suicide/facial expressions etc.)
• Rebellion - lyrics about fighting the system while the band trash the set in the visuals

Relationship between music/visuals:

• Fast paced track with matching fast paced editing
• Illustrative relationship between the two - relatively debut band in the mainstream market, needed to establish their punk rock music through strong visuals

Demands of record label:

• Money shots of each member of the band - multiple of CU of Billy Joe - emphasises and selling his punk persona

• Iconography of bands image of black shirts with coloured ties
• Reference to the Green Day motif of the hand holding the heart grenade used on their album cover
• Promoting their visual style of having a green theme (the flag and paint)
• Trademark of 'guyliner', which is shown particularly in the money shots

Reference to the notion of looking:

• Filming the monitor of the footage - frame within a frame
• Direct address shots from lead singer - connecting messages of lyrics with audience, including them in the rebellion

Inter textual references:

•  Being the 'new punk', Billy Joe references/bases his style of playing, performance, image and singing on Sex Pistols front man Johnny Rotten