THEORY 1 Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin Theorised in his book Dancing in the Distraction Factory(1992) that there were 6 key concepts to any music video:

1. Music video demonstrates genre characteristics
2. Relationship between lyrics and visuals
3. Relationship between music and visuals (illustrative, amplifying or contradictory)
4. Demands of the record label requiring close-ups of the artist and/or recurring motifs
5. Frequent reference to a notion of looking, particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
6. Intertextual references

In The 1975 - Robbers, all 6 components are seen.



Plot Synopsis: A young man (played by The 1975’s lead singer) and his girlfriend are the focus, the video, which follows their relationship through various scenes as they team up in a small town and rob a shop, partaking in recreational drug and alcohol use with their friends along the way.



1. Genre Characteristics

The 1975 are an indie rock band and there are many signifiers of this throughout the video:

• Representation of the artist as ‘edgy’ (tattoos, drugs, working class backgrounds, boots, leather jacket, ripped jeans)

• Natural locations are used for filming (a diner, streets, a hotel room), as these are cheaper and more accessible

• Recreational drug and alcohol use in public locations

• connotes a sense of rebelliousness, stereotypical of the indie genre
•  Low-key or no lighting (naturalistic) is used, as the music video is filmed in the day
• Some performance is used, though as part of the narrative, showing the lead singers skill as a showman, and in one shot the lead singer is shown teaching his girlfriend to play guitar
• A look connoting individuality and uniqueness (long hair, clothing) - more under point 4

2. Relationship between lyrics and visuals

The lyrics are relevant to the narrative of the music video, so no disjuncture is created, instead there is amplification and illustration.

‘Her balaclava is starting to chafe’ references the bandanas the couple wear when they rob the shop



‘One more line’ - the woman is doing a line of drugs



‘If you never shoot you’ll never know’ is heard when the lead singer is holding the gun



‘Now shoot him if its what you’re worth’ is heard before the music fades out to hear the sound of a gunshot from within the shop

‘We’re driving past my old school’ as the lead singer and his friend are driving away from the crime scene

‘She says ‘babe, you look so cool’’ - in the scene in the diner the girl gives her boyfriend a note with the same words written on them




3. Relationship between music and visuals

• The lead singer of the band is seen lip-synching, amplifying the vocals
• Cutting to the beat
• Short, fast cuts as the pace increases
• The music fades out for 20 seconds as the couple enters the shop, so that the shouting and gunshots can be heard to (diegetic sound), which increases suspense

4. Demands of the record label requiring close-ups of the artist and/or recurring motifs

• There are many close-ups of the lead singer (Matt Healey), as he is the frontman of the band

• No attention is drawn to other members of the band, as the lead singer is the most famous
• The lead singer is seen taking drugs, drinking, and wearing ripped black skinny jeans and a leather jacket - part of his image and recurring motif (of when this music video came out several years ago, the band's motif has evolved since)

5. Frequent Reference to a notion of looking, particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body

• Both the male and female bodies are framed voyeuristically,
• both the male and female gaze theory may be applied

• In the scene where the lead singer is performing, the microphone is held against his girlfriend’s mouth, creating a phallic image

• The use of the gun, which is only ever seen in the lead singer's hand, never his girlfriend's makes for an interesting point on guns and masculinity, be it a toxic relationship, and also a phallic object, although a point is made on this in the video, as initially he is seen playing with it, and later is shot. The band has made note on regretting including the gun, as they are now notoriously anti-gun.

6. Intertextual references

The music video concept is based off of the film True Romance(1993), directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, and the plot follows the story of an Elvis fanatic and a prostitute, who kill the prostitute’s pimp and steal a case of cocaine, and end up on the run.
The plot of the Robbers video is similar, and many shots very directly reference scenes in
the film, and the letterbox format of the music video also makes it look like a film

Side by side shots of True Romance and Robbers to show the references

...