Final MV Analsysis: Can't Catch Me Now (Oliviva Rodrigo)

 Can't Catch Me Now

- Oliva Rodrigo - 

Release date: November 13, 2023

Duration: 3:36 (3 minutes 36 seconds) 

(Co-)writers and/or producers: Dan Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo

Genre: Indie/Folk Pop

Style of Music Video: Narrative/Concept-based with Intertextuality element to the film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes". 

The overall meaning: 

Written for the sequel of one of the most successful dystopian films, The Hunger Games, "Can't Catch Me Now" by Olivia Rodrigo captures the core message of the movie "Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" - Even if I'm gone, you can't control me, silence me or erase my impact.  

Through the context of the "The Hunger Games" franchise, the song holds a deep meaning of rebellion and channels the anger and sense of oppression from underrepresented or disciminated communities toward figures in power. The perspective of the main character of the film Lucy Gray Baird was utilized to give the song a stronger emotional core, embodying Lucy' spirit - refusing to be broken by the corrupted minds and manipulation of those with authority in the society of "the Capitol". The song reflects Lucy's resilience and escapism; her longing of freedom and reclamation of justice for those she represents. Additionally, the song was composed with an intention of evoking a sense of lingering and haunting, addressing that even though she is gone, her persona still stays in the back of people's minds in the form of guilt, or a dark memory that they would have to live it for the rest of their life, which overall gives the song an eerie resonance. 

How the message of delivered through cinematography: 

The music video starts with an establishing shot of a wooden house surrounded by dense trees and grassland, encoding a naturalistic setting and, as a result, separating the audience's perspective from their modern environment to immerse them in a completely different ambience. The bright sunlight shining through from the right also encodes the time of day (morning to noon), and at the same time, gives the setting more values (contrast in dark and light areas). The song doesn't start right away; however, a diegetic sound effect (possibly Foley) of a wind chime. 

A wind chime is similar to a bell that is made from a cluster of resonant pieces that are moved and sounded by the wind, or, in other words, by an invisible presence. The melodies created by a wind chime are often referred to as being delicate, almost ghostly, like they were being played by a supernatural being. By adding this sound right from the introduction, the music video sets a haunting, eerie tone that foreshadows Lucy Gray's spirit - the remnant of her physical form that lingers along the storyline of "The Hunger Games" - and how it symbolizes the idea of being present even in absence. 

The camera slowly zooms into the entrance, which can be encoded as the viewer being visually guided into the track. Simultaneously, the artist's name ("Olivia Rodrigo") appears at the center in a subtly cursive font, hinting at a sentimental yet cultivated theme. This was quickly followed by the title of the song in the same font, which shows the production team's intention of keeping the message consistent throughout the sequence. 

The song starts 13 seconds in with a slow but rhythmic guitar strum - non-diegetic - that reinforces the chilling sensation. In the same oneshot, the camera continues to enter the house, exposing the audience to the wooden furniture - wood connotes a connection between us and the earth, or the forest, which, according to the Hunger Games, tightly aligns with Lucy Gray's character, who is deeply tied to nature, encoding another indication of the protagonist's influence on the song. The camera pans to the left, where a wind chime can be seen hanging above what seems like a kitchen table; this brings us back to the sound of the wind chimes at the beginning of the music video, encoding a solid relationship between visuals and audio. Tracking technique was used to go around this object, depicting a closer view of the decoration of the chime piece: a bird. This is a deliberate intertextuality to the film in which the song was produced for; the image of the bird was taken from the "Songbirds" in the name of the movie. The tactic there surely had some sort of promotional motivation, facilitating the viewer's recollection of the franchise, specifically mutual fans of Olivia and the series. 

Subsequently, Olivia is introduced (still in the first and only shot up until this part - [0:33]). She is sitting on a bed while lip-syncing to the lyrics and playing a guitar; her presence in the sequence follows Andrew Goodwin's theory 4: clear demands from the record label, which is to give the audience a clear way of remembering the artist's face for marketing purposes, to increase Olivia's chances of being recognized in other media forms and products. 

Despite the setting seemingly mimicking the film's as being set in near-medieval conditions - included in the books and films "The Hunger Games" - similar to the "districts" (places where the lower classes are forced to live in as opposed to the "Capitol", where the wealthy and spoiled live and entertain themselves by exploiting those from the districts by pressuring them into realistic, cruel, survival games), Olivia Rodrigo's outfit provides a juxtaposition as it has more contempoary elements to it with details that align with voyerism - serves marketing schemes, perhaps portraying Olivia as more attractive to the audience. This helps highlight that instead of Olivia trying to mix herself into the actual story and becoming an extra part of the narrative, her appearance should be taken more as a subjective view from Lucy. 

As the sequence progresses, Olivia is actively taking steps out of the house, leaving the darkness and coldness of the internal setting (encoded through the limited sources for light to encompass) then stepping into the sunlight. This can be decoded as Lucy Gray's (the main character) mindset in the film, trying to escape from the unfair domination and constraints of the rich and vicious, exposing them to the light and therefore releasing herself into the warmth of the sunlight, or can be understood as freedom. However, despite not truly overthrowing the ones in charge by the end of the story, Lucy Gray definitely created a major impact among the society of Panem (the world of "The Hunger Games" franchise); this detailed is emphasized in the lyrics: 

"There's snow falling over the city

You thought that would wash away

The bitter taste of my fury

And all of the messes you made

Oh you think that you got away..."

This verse connotes the expectation of the ones that held in their hand the power but used it for their own selfish needs that as time passes by Lucy's impact and the effects she had caused would fade into thin air - "snow falling over the city washing away my fury" encodes the passing seasons (snow from Winter melting in Spring); "the taste of my fury and the messes you made" encodes her rebellion and the wrongdoings of the opposing side. 

But I'm in the trees, I'm in the breeze

My footsteps on the ground

You'll see my face in every place

But you can't catch me now...

This verse, on the other hand, directly reputes that expectation by stating that even though her body is beneath the ground, her spirit lives on, hanging in the leaves and in the atmosphere; who she was will alway continue to be alive in the deepest corners of the hearts and souls of the corrupted and that no matter how hard they try, they'll never truly be able to "get rid" of her anymore. 

There isn't any intentional or additional narrative-based content from the music video production, but instead the sequence took advantage of small clips and cuts from the film itself (which can be considered a convention for soundtracks of texts in cinematography). 

This part shows the scene where character Snow (who later betrays Lucy) looks at a white rose intensely - taken directly from the movie - as if it reminds him of something. Later, we get to see the reason behind this. Snow associates the rose with Lucy, and even though she wasn't there, he was reminded of her through the beauty of nature. 

Shot-reverse-shot editing is used throughout the music video of Olivia Rodrigo's lip-syncing and cuts of the actual film, encoding a direct, emotional correlation between the two components. 

As the song comes to an intense buildup, the fast-paced cuts start to slow down to a more moderate tempo, where Olivia can be seen walking in a meadow at a wide-angle, extreme long shot. Following this, the video cuts to a medium close-up of Olivia, positioning the camera horizontally to her face to give the composition more value. 

Olivia's facial expression seems almost frustrated, encoding her indulgence of Lucy's character and feelings within "The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." 

As the lyrics repeat the phrase, "You can't, you can't, catch me now; Coming like a storm into your town; Higher than the hopes that you brought down", each time adding more layers of harmonization to increase the depth of the sound, the camera tracks Olivia running through the field. Her flowy, white dress further accentuates the chaotic movements in which she is making while speeding through the grass. The scene cuts to a somewhat similar scenery in the film where Lucy is sitting beneath a tree and Snow comes from behind, as if was watching her from afar - this raises curiosity of the viewer who may then wonder about the relationship between the characters and may want to watch the film; this detail reveals that marketing could sometimes work both ways in a music video, not only that it is building upon the brand of the artist but may also create discussions of other products. Slowly, the camera moves upward into a high-angle shot. The pacing picks up as more cuts and scenes of the film are shown, most of which are quite disturbing or unsettling: Snow drops what looks like a deceased body into the water; Snow pounding on a container to project his anger; crows, which often connotes bad luck, flying in all direction with no organization at high speed, could potentially mean something bad happens in the film. 

By the end, the song comes to a soft outro with only the strings of the guitar as the instrumental part. The camera pans upward, zooming close into Olivia's face as her expression seemed more relaxed and calm, as if she is now free like Lucy Gray. A diegetic sound of birds singing is heard as the sequence fades into black, encoding the survival or reproduction of Lucy's spirit. 

MARKETING SPECIFICS: 

The Music Video can be interpreted as a cross-promotional marketing device for both Olivia Rodrigo and the Hunger Games film. By aligning her identity with a globally successful franchise, Olivia is therefore exposed to a massive population, both her existing fanbase and those intrigued by the movie - the haunting element of the song not only markets the film's theme of rebellion and resistance to power, while simultaneously promotes the song. This detail may help drive up the amount of digital streaming and possibly downloads by listeners because it is common knowledge that once the audience leave the cinema or movie theatre they would immediately search up the song on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube, especially if they find themselves attractive by the melody. Another reason that could explain this phenomenon is because as human we associated our senses to memories, in this case the song itself may remind the watchers of the viewing experience of the film, bringing them a sense of nostalgia to the narrative. This is further supported by the extremely visible connection between Olivia’s lyrics and the emotional core of the film, portrayed by the protagonist: Lucy Gray. 

The music video, instead of creating a deeper narrative or meaning to the song like other narrative-based musical sequences, amplifies the actual story of the film, giving the audience little peaks into the cuts and clips, which makes the video more memorable since it then feels more like an extension of the Hunger Games story rather than just an individual track. By having Olivia’s image in coordination with the film’s clips, the music video encourages an ideology in the watchers’ mindset that the 2 are related to each other, giving them more of a motivation to include her name on searches on social media as well as in products of textual poaching, namely TikTok edits or fan-made trailers. All this “noise” could result in more people becoming intrigued by Olivia Rodrigo’s persona and biography, leading to a bigger exposure and awareness of her artist’s reputation. 

The collaboration between Rodrigo and this big series elevates the artist's image beyond any other ordinary singer. She can be seen as a cultural vocalist tied to a major narrative who successfully uses her skillful lyricism to capture such a complex set of emotions in one of the most mentally powerful characters. This positions her as a writer with versatility and cultural relevance, capable of getting into the film and soundtrack side of the music industry.

Cross Media Convergence

 

BRANDING AND CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE

──★ ˙ ̟ Access the table of cross-media convergence: CLICK HERE!

Artist Social Media Analysis

 

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS

1. Conventions for Social Media of music artists - INSTAGRAM. 

    As niche as an artist's social media page can be, showcasing their individualism and personality, there are still quite a few similiarities between singers or bands' account in terms of the type of content that is published or promotion campaigns. The more influential the figure, the higher the chances of their social channels to be managed by a marketing team; therefore, they may be a lot more curated and meticulous. 

To begin, the avatar of an artist's page is usually their face to ensure the recognition from the viewers, or sometimes (more marketing purposes) they would replace it by the cover of the performer's newest album. Next, in the biographical section, 2 things are most likely to appear:  "[Name of recent album] out now" - advertising for new product (in this case a full album); A link to a different web page - what the link guides to isn't fixed but varies, for example: a page that allows for purchase of artist's merch, tour/concert tickets, exclusive versions of products (deluxe, limited albums), new music videos, etc.

Regarding posts, these are the conventional content that would frequently appear: 

      - Photoshoots with Magazines or brands - Usually enhance fashion and status of the artist (especially when it is a luxurious brand). 

        - Promotion to artist's personal events - Schedule for international tour, concert arenas, official setlist for performances, other creative projects (movies, interviews, behind-the-scene or rehearsals). 

        - Use of Cross Media Convergence - E.g. links to the Youtube video with other entertainment corporates. 

        - Show recaps - Photos from shows at different cities or countries. 

        - Highlights of accomplishments - Award nominations or wins, streaming records. 

        - Product branding - The artist's own brand (perfume, makeup, merch) 

        - (Occasionally) Daily life content - Sometimes the viewers get to have a "peek" into the artist life (funny photos of their friends, working in the studio, going to parties, etc)

1. Analysis of existing artist's Instagram. 

Link to Billie Eilish's Instagtam: Click Here!

Her avatar follows the conventions stated above as it uses the cover to her newest album "Hit Me Hard and Soft" - which is also mentioned in the biography section with the phrase "Out now", indicating the availability of the album for streaming, meant to urge the audience to check it out. Along with that, a Linktree is also on display - Linktree allows for the creation of a customizable page that consists of all the links that one would like to share with his or her audience. 

Within the Linktree, all of Billie Eilish's media accounts are collected and presented: from all her social media (TikTok, Instagram, X) to Youtube and Spotify. Right below are more direct links: Hit Me Hard and Soft title track "Birds of a Feather" Official Music Video, along with 2 other "MVs" - "Chihiro" and "Lunch". This serves the purpose of accentuating Billie's latest work to music listeners.

Following those are links to her shopping website of the "Hit Me Hard and Soft" or all official merch, "THE TOUR" or concert tickets as well as a place for fan member to sign up to be a part of Billie Eilish's mailing list - to get news and updates from the singer's team themselves through email. 

Overall, the inclusion of the link not only speaks to Billie's major impact in the industry of having a strong presence across different platforms in media but also gives the audience an idea of her "Global Indie-Pop Star" status. 

The first three pinned posts are teasers, or visualizers, of the "Hit Me Hard and Soft" album. This helps create stir within her fandom, raising awareness to boost interaction once the album was released. 

[At the top row]

We could see multiple photoshoots and covers Billie has done and featured in with well-known publishing companies, namely VOGUE. This signifies the effects of collaboration within media conglomerates, in this case is her record label and Vogue. 

[Bottom row] 

Numerous of her achievements as an individual as well as with her partner in music (Finneas - her older brother) are also shown. The photos show the 7 Grammy nominations "Hit Me Hard and Soft" the album received, as well as Billie and Finneas receiving their Golden Globe and Oscar award for their winning track "What Was I Made For" - Barbie (2023) soundtrack. This emphasize Billie's talent and skills, reinforcing her image of a person who persevered with dedication and real techniques. 

Additionally, as Billie Eilish is a global Indie-pop icon and goes on numerous tours every few years, particularly after a successful album release, lots of "recap" posts can be seen of her performances at different arenas and stages - interacting with fans, images of the huge crowds. 

PROMOTION & MARKETING CONTENT

Billie’s page also includes posts that serves the purpose of promoting and advertising her products, namely her fragrance line - “Eilish”. 

The remaining posts are mostly of Billie's daily life, or often referred to as "Photodumps" on Instagram - it is commonly understood between social media users as a post that consists of random photos that doesn't necessarily have any connections between each other and is shared for fun:) In general, the captions below each posts on Billie Eilish's account are kept fairly simple and straightforward. However, there are certain exceptions where it seems as though Billie herself crafted the lines to the content which is uploaded, indicating how those events can be seen as somewhat more significant to her.

｡｡｡｡｡｡｡｡｡｡⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆｡｡｡｡｡｡｡｡

Link to Gracie Abram's Instagtam: Click here!

Unlike Billie Eilish who has been a part of the mainstream line of musical artists and considered as one of the A-listers for quite some time, Gracie Abrams, despite having her own successes and hits in the industry, is still considered a more niche artist with a smaller fandom. As a result, there is a clear difference in the level of curation between Gracie's and Billie's Instagram account - as Billie's posts are exposed to a much larger population and therefore higher risk of negativity if there is a slight mistake in what is disclosed. Her avatar isn't her album cover, but it still follows the convention as her face is almost completely visible which ensures that people can recognize, or distinct her as the singer through her face. 

<= Following the convention stated beforehand, Gracie Abram's biography section composes pretty much the same materials as Billie Eilish's: Direct reference to her newest album ["The Secret Of Us" out now] - immediately draws attention to her product; a link to the album's Deluxe version and affiliated sites for the user to make purchases. 

Looking through her feed, it can be observed that it is more casual, with less high-quality photography and more "iPhone-photos". A lot more daily content is visible, intertwining with more professional, promotional posts - She posed as the model for Vogue Mexico and took part in multiple photoshoots with the Magazine company and other brands (e.g. Chanel) 

Concerts recapitulation from her tours around the USA, indicating her impact as an artist as well as the love from the audience in the crowds. Images of Gracie holding her awards are also published, reflecting her recognitions from professional critics and adoration from the public (fan choice awards) - the caption always make sure to have Gracie's persona to express her gratefulness to her supporters which potentially keeps her reputation positive in the eyes of the viewers. 

At the same time, the Instagram page is also used for marketing purposes for Gracie's personal events - her own concerts and tour schedules or dates. 

<= the captions on each posts are long and more elaborated, signifying Gracie's dedication to express her gratitude at all times. 

We can also see how the background photo for the "The Secret Of Us Tour" in the UK as well as Australia and New Zealand is the same, while the deluxe tour is different. This is to make the post more prominent as deluxe album is often associated with being more "special" or exclusive. 

Gracie's page also re-uploads her live performance from other platforms (mainly YouTube). This not only help spread the word of her talent - beating "lip-syncing allegations" which is increasingly becoming more of heated debate on social media of artists not being able to perform without playback (or back tracks) to support their supposedly "weak" vocals - but also create motivation for viewers to tune into Gracie's works on other sites. 

Same practice on official music videos (this is the snippet to the chorus of the title track "I Love You, I'm Sorry"). 

Moreover, Gracie Abrams is an artist known for her beauty and fashionable outwear, which explains the inclusion of many behind-the-scenes of Gracie getting ready for important events, such as award ceremonies, Magazine interviews or fahshion shows - putting on outfit, close-up on makeup looks and pictures with her "glam-team", or her stylist and makeup artist. 

Digipak Analysis

PROFESSIONAL DIGIPAK ANALYSIS

Digipaks are generally known for their inclusion of an album's CD or DVD with the entire compilation of all tracks, along with some additional goods. This form of aristic product remains in demand despite the rise of digital streaming in the industry. One way this could be explained is through the existence of many communities that take part in collecting activities of artists merch. Digipaks are now considered to be a more "exclusive" option. 

Source: Pinterest

Things that are expected in a digipak: 

            🧸Front Cover: 

                                       + Name of the artist

                                       + Image of the the artist

                                       + Content warning

                                       + Name of the Album

            ⏳Back Cover: 

                                       + Tracklisting

                                       + Credits (Record Label, Producers, Copywriters,etc.)

                                       + Barcodes

                                     

            ⏳Inner Sleeve: 

                                       + Photoshoots

                                       + Lyrics to all songs

                                       + Graphic Designs

                                       + Image visualizers

                                        

Lana Del Rey: Ultraviolence

Ultraviolence Digipak by Thảo Nguyên

Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft

Hit me Hard and Soft by Thảo Nguyên

Practical Research: Green Screen Challenge

Greenscreen Challenge

The task was to produce a sequence with the involvement, or the usage of a greenscreen. The video was recommended to be between 30-60 seconds, with the chorus of the song (lipsyncing, and maybe also playback). I decided to partner up with a friend and we collectively chose an upbeat, pop track to really emphasize the cutting-on-beat feature, as well as to keep things entertaining:).

Song choice: APT (Róse ft. Bruno Mars)

Brainstorming: Below, you'll see my sketches and notes of my visualization for the filmography between my friend and I (the friend: Emma) in front of the greenscreen. We were taking in the thought that our background (the greenscreen) was to be removed and brainstorming what could be replaced in empty spaces later on at the same time. 

Theme: The styling, cinematography and aesthetics of the original MV evokes strong essence of the 90s - 2000s era: a blend of MTV design and contempoary tunes. Emma and I discussed and together we figured that going along with the theme would be the best option as the song itself is already way to recognizable and the melody is way to reflective of the determined aesthetic. This leads to more specific decisions of mise-en-scene, particularly costume. 

In the Music Video with the original artists, the main type of material for the clothings were black leather. However, to make it more "teenager" vibes, we made the choice of having jeans as the dominant fabric. To neutralize the pallette (as we were planning on making a vibrant background sequence to replace the greenscreen) we paired the jeans with white tops - a much more basic shade. 

For the background - to make things a little easier:) - I used CapCut to create transitions while adding alternative settings and covers according to the beat. Furthermore, to enhance the "chaotic" feeling (as well as for some more comic elements), I made the additional gesture of attaching animated stickers, as well as manually drew my own to make it more personal. 

(Background for greenscreen challenge - RAW)

FINAL PRODUCT

Andrew Goodwin's Theory & Application

 ANDREW GOODWIN'S THEORY

(From "Dancing in the Distraction Factory")

    The theory states the seven key factors that provide the essential frameworks for understanding and producing a music video. These elements often appear to facilitate the shaping of genre, theme, and overall aesthetics. 

1. Strong links between genre and visuals - this first factor mentions the use of stereotypical genre conventions (depending on the representation of music type in which the song falls).

2. The existence of a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals - Goodwin stated the necessity of having the video add further meaning to the song. 

3. The video will contain voyerism - Goodwin argued the proposition that music videos often exploit the idea of looking and being looked at. This commonly involves the sexualized portrayal of artists, usually female (done through revealing costumes, provocative choreography, and other choices of media language)

4. Demands of the record label can be seen. The label of an artist's main goal is to promote their name and strengthen their marketing, or branding campaign - use of star image and collaboration (e.g., product placement)

5. Intertextuality - music videos usually make references to other films and television shows.

6. Follow one of the main forms: Performance, Concept (interpretive), or narrative-based.

7. The video will reflect the music in tone, atmosphere, and pace - e.g., cutting-on-beat.

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ Application to analyse music videos: 

꒷ 🍰 ˙ Ceilings  - Lizzy McAlpine𖦹˙—

"Ceilings" follows the indie folk/pop genre, which was mirrored through the minimalistic and naturalistic visuals - scenes taken at a meadow area, then at a conventional apartment where the 2 lovers are shown sharing a bed. The color scheme is presented as earthy with warmer hues. This reflects production's intention to avoid flashy effects and extravagant set designs to keep the muted tone of the music video aligned throughout the sequence. This adheres to the first key factor, "connection of visual and genre."

Subsequently, a correlation between visuals and lyrics can be decoded. In particular, as the song comes to its instrumental peak near the end, a juxtaposition can be witnessed in the disappearance of the male character compared to the beginning of the music video, as the lyrics state "but it's not real, and you don't exist", referring to Lizzy's realization of her daydream. In addition, the scene where the 2 lovers are seen sitting next to each other, laughing and having a great time, the line goes "lovely to sit between comfort and chao," - presenting the physical act of sitting down while hiding a secret message of how the reality is much more disruptive. 

Complying with Andrew Goodwin's 6th rule, "Ceilings" conform to the categories of being a combination of concept and narrative-based. The music video explores the mentality of being stuck in a dreamlike environment while also keeping the audience aware of the harsh reality. At the same time, the storyline follows a linear timeline: Lizzy began by being accompanied by her boyfriend, evoking comfort and love; at the end, her partner disappears, revealing the fantasy she had been painting all this time. Additionally, the tone and atmosphere of the music video are intensified by the cutting-on-beat editing, with flexible pacing according to the flow of the song (abiding by Goodwin's 7th element) 

──★ ˙ Risk - Gracie Abrams 🍓 ̟ !!

 The music video of Risk (by artist Gracie Abrams) belongs in the indie-pop category, and it complies perfectly with Goodwin's first key element of adhering to the genre's conventions. The video uses muted colour palettes, which amplifies the indie feature of the genre, while adding a pop of vibrant colours to create more dimensions and heighten the trait of pop. Similarly to "Ceilings", "Risks" focuses on more casual set designs and editing - suburban street and messy bedrooms - aligning with the authenticity commonly associated with indie. 

Relationship between lyrics and visuals: As the lyrics state, "I'm gonna take (the risk)...", Gracie can be seen wandering through her room, contemplating whether the risk was worth it. This heightens the song's theme of stepping into vulnerability and allowing her intrusive thoughts to win over her consciousness. Furthermore, at the beginning, where the line states, "Look at me now, say I wouldn't do i,t but I hunted you down," was supported by the image of Gracie "stalking" the man, which not only directly reflects the obvious meaning of the line, but also consolidates the darker, almost comedic element of the song. 

The editing and cutting of the music video reflect the tempo and pacing of the song - long, lingering shots between verses as Gracie's voice echoes in the track, then quicker cuts as the song builds up and Gracie's behavior becomes more chaotic. 

Demands from the record label can also be observed through the heavy amount of close-up shots of Gracie's face, cementing her brand and image in the audience's minds. While there are numerous background actors and characters, the spotlight and central framing remain on Gracie, reminding the viewer of her influence on the song and the storyline, shining on her identity as an original singer/songwriter

Lastly, "Risk" also conforms to another of Goodwin's rules of being based on a certain narrative while having conceptual details to enhance the story. The linear development of Gracie's "insanity" as she gradually becomes more infatuated by the mysterious man to the point where she crashes a stranger's party and completely disregards her reputation shows a sharp and short plot line. At the same time, the music video includes several scenes of Gracie breaking the fourth wall, which act as conceptual elements of raising her authenticity: making it seem like she is directly addressing the audience and confiding in them. 

࿔🍵⋆｡°° Back to Friends - Sombr🍡°⋆.*:･

Another Indie-pop song: Back to Friends by Sombr. By following its genre conventions, the music video included numerous abstract, symbolic elements, which play into the video being a combination of interpretive and performative. [1st and 6th key factor from Goodwin's theory]

Back to friends' visuals seem to focus more on adding deeper meaning to the lyrics rather than giving the viewers a physical interpretation of the words, which makes it more conforming to the indie genre. The incorporation of surreal images (mantis, lava, locust) represents fragility and destruction metaphorically, which deepens the song's resonance. 

The editing rhythm matches the tempo and fluctuation of the song, which conforms to Goodwin's theory of the video reflecting the music's tone and atmosphere: softer moments are associated with longer, slower cuts, while more intense build-ups are accompanied by sharper, abrupt cuts at a quicker pace. Moreover, a large proportion of the music video was filmed in slow-motion, which further enhances the emotional depth of the song. 

Star image (or demand from record label) was also an important component of the sequence. Sombr appeared at the very beginning of "Back to Friends", solidifying his identity as the owner of the track and the main focus of the sequence. In addition, in the performance scene, Sombr is seen wearing a greyish suit, making him stand out as the "star", the artist, making it easier to determine him apart from the band with their black dress code. 

⊹ ࣪ ﹏﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

MUSIC VIDEOS THAT SUBVERT THE THEORY BY ANDREW GOODWIN

— 𝜗𝜚. * • Yellow - Coldplay⊹˙∘•💫ᯓ

The music video rejects almost all of Andrew Goodwin's conventions, as the only thing appearing in the sequence is the main singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin, lip-syncing to the whole song at the beach at sunrise. The shoot seemed to be filmed with a sped-up track to "Yellow", and so when slowed down to match with the original tempo of the song, Chris Martin's movements looks more slowed and "delayed" while still being on beat, which could potentially be a contribution to the 7th rule from Goodwin: reflects the tone and atmosphere of the song, which is more laid back and sentimental. Another arguable aspect is being able to see the demand from the record label, as Chris Martin's face is the most recognizable from Coldplay across the media,  and therefore, having him as the main and only subject seems to reinforce that statement. Apart from that, the music video of "Yellow" shows no visual connection between the lyrics and what is being observed through the screen; following that, there is also no exposure to voyerism or links to genre conventions. 

— 𝜗𝜚. * • Elastic Heart - Sia ⊹˙∘•💫ᯓ

"Elastic Heart" music video proves to be another strong subversion of Andrew Goodwin's theory. Sia, the singer, does not appear anywhere in the music video, and the only thing that may remind the viewers of her is through the wig that Maddie Ziegler (the child dancer) is wearing: a signature look of the vocalist herself. 

It is said that Sia wore this wig for a long time to hide her face from the public as a method of protecting her personal identity and, therefore, life.

The choreography, despite being the main attraction of the music video, seems to be more of storytelling and highly interpretive of the deeper meaning of the theme through physical movement to contemporary dance instead of directly mirroring the lyrics and following the exact beat or tempo through modern-hop-hop dance - this goes against Goodwin's 7th rule. Moreover, as a product from the sub-genre of pop (electropop), the Elastic Heart music video does not include glamorous or flashy images frequently associated with the genre. Instead, it takes place in a raw, minimalistic cage setting.Regardingg Voyeurism, even though bodies are on display, the portrayal of the humanphysiquess isn'tmeant too provoke sexual ideas but to emphasize the nakedness of vulnerability,  which is further strengthened by the unsettling and primal choreography- opposing Goodwin's statements.