Applying Goodwin's Theory to: Kayne West-Gold Digger

Goodwin's theory of music videos: Gold Digger by Kanye West Ft. Jamie Foxx.

 I looked at Goodwin's six features and applied each of these features to this music video:
1. Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals:

In the music video when Kanye West is rapping he says: “From what I heard she got a baby by Busta” In this specific example the lyrics are connected to visual on screen lyrics whereby a girl stands underneath them. This, referring to the audience the use of the word ‘she’ in the lyrics helping them to identify her.

Then in the music video when Kanye West continues to rap, he says "18 years, 18 years, she got one of your kids got you for 18 years, I know somebody paying child support for one of his kids." Whilst he is rapping this a little boy appears on screen in a red devil costume. This use of costume and colour in the mise en scene shows the sign of evil and represents a visual metaphor for the lyrics.

2. Relationship between the music and the visuals

At the very beginning of the video we see Jamie Foxx singing and then there is a fast paced beat that kicks in, with this it is edited in a quick flash of images. This is done within 1 or 2 seconds at 0.20-.0.22 into the video. There is also a number of times within the video were visuals are repeated as lyrics are repeated. The visuals are a collection of images of women with minimal clothing and are shown really quickly as there are a number of the images. One of the images is a woman wearing extreme green eye make-up, which conveys a jealous, money-greedy look in her eyes. The idea that it represents the conception of wealth and money suggests the title of the song ‘Gold Digger’ and this is people who seek for money and expenses in other people.

3. Genre characteristics:

The genre of "Gold Digger" is put into the categories of R&B/Hip Hop, but slightly sides more with R&B as is noticeable through the beats of the music and the lyrics. Some of the typical conventions of R&B and R&B music videos are connected with partying and dancing in clubs or in general. And also a convention which I feel is one of the biggest and most common convention is the portrayal of women and their body parts which noticeably almost always are sexually referenced.

 

4. Intertextual reference:

Throughout the music video, the audience are given short snippets of women on the front of male magazines. The texts on the magazine give a suggestion of men’s perceptions of the women’s bodies saying that they are ‘red hot’ and ‘fresh hot’ signifying that the women have good bodies.

 

5. Demands of the record label:

In the music video Kanye West can be recognised through a specific trade mark of his. In parts of the music video there are mid shots of Kanye West dancing and it is noticeable that half of the shirt he is wearing is tucked into his trousers and the other half of it is hanging out. This is something he does in a lot of his other music videos as a way of creating a trade mark sign for his audience and also artist competition to look out for.  

6. Notions of looking:

The women in this music video are sexually referenced through the lyrics of the song and also visually through the video. They are used as an imagery of sexual connotations which then becomes a way of promotion of the music video to specifically male audiences.