Applying Goodwin's Theory-Florence and the Machine 'Spectrum'

Andrew Goodwin has a theory of 6 applied rules to the features a music video contains; i have chosen Florence and the machines's 'Spectrum' to demonstrate and analyse Goodwin's theory on.

  

Rule 1: Music video demonstrates genre characteristics
Florence and the machine is classified as having many different genres, which include rock and soul. Florence and the machine's video's are identified through the fact that everyone of her songs and videos includes a theatrical dance sequence; which usually expresses the narrative of the song. These are indications to the rock genre.   

Rule 2: There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals 
There is a very clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals of this video. This is something that is shown through all of Florence and the Machine's video. Although the video doesn't have the clearest of what may seem like a narrative, the Mise-en-Scene and staging of each shot of the video had an obvious connection with the lyrics. Many of the artist video's lyrics and visuals are amplifying, as the meaning of her lyrics are much deeper than seen. These are some of the lyrics from the song, which i have analysed to demonstrate the relationship that the visuals have.

And when we first came here
We were cold and we were clear

This is the in the first verse of the song, the visual for these lyrics are the artist sitting amongst the colour scheme green with lights and mirrors. This shows the clarity and coldness of the people and atmosphere.

We’ll be dressed up all in blue,
With the ocean in our arms,
Kissing eyes and kissing palms.

In these lyrics Florence is in a blue setting, the ballet dancers are in white but have blue beaming lights on them. The setting which the artist is in has created an artificial ocean relating with 'the oceans in our arms'. Her action match those of 'kissing palms'.

With metal on our tongues,

In the same staging as the previous lyrics, the characters amongst the artist are dressed in Eygptian armor that have literal metal tongues in their mouths.  

And when we come back we’ll be dressed in black!  
The visual of these lyrics is the artist draped in a floor length all black material, which is then flung off of her. 
Rule 3: There is a relationship between  music and visuals 
The artist video's usually without fail has an impecible relationship between music and visuals. As the artist genre is soul, her songs have very powerful moments with the lyrics. The visuals of the video have a real connection with the music, in the timings of the shots and changes of the shots. The interesting feature of Florence and the Machine's video is that she has as much energy and input as the dancers have surrounding her. They all have a big enthusiasm in the powerful moments within the music, where all the instruments and lyrics are higher in volume. These moments are usually in the chorus of the song. 

Rule 4: Demand for close-ups of artists, may develop motifs which recur across their work
This rule is clearly seen and demonstrated throughout all of Florence and the Machines video's as all of her videos have a close-up or and extreme close up of her face expressing the emotions of the lyrics or just performing, as an artist does so. This of the artist face is definately as motif that is seen across all of Florence and the Machines work. This clearly states how the artist is recognised and seen to the audience due to these particular shots. 

Rule 5: Frequent reference to notion of looking, particularly voyeiristic treatment of the female body
This is something that has not been used in this video but the could said to be done in a less obvious way. As part of the video there is a younger Florence character that is seen. This could be notion of looking but just looking through a different perspective.; in a younger view and perspective of life.

Rule 6: There is often intertexual references
David LaChapelle, the music video director, has used the ballet as a reference to intertexuality. This ballet is a vital aspect of the performance in the video/ It is used to express the narrative and emotion of the song as many different types of dance would. The Mise-en-Scene, props and clothing also seem to have an indication to different eras in time, relating to the lyrics of the song.