Goodwin and Dyer Theories:

Goodwin’s Theory of Music Videos: Is the basic steps of what makes a good music video and the styles and conventions needed to make it effective, and appeal to audiences. This is done through genre characteristics, Lyrics and visuals, Music and visuals, Close-ups and Motifs and Intertextual references.

Dyer’s Star Theory: Richard Dyer decodes his Idea of the star blueprint. He says there are three things that make a star a star. 1. The star is manufactured to entertain audiences and constructed to please audiences as well. 2. The star becomes a commodity and becomes a product that people constantly buy into through CD’s, merch etc. 3. The star represents an ideology that there audience simultaneously aligns with. 

 Laufey: Snow White

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeG3jPeeMec

Goodwin’s Theory in Snow White by Laufey:

Genre characteristics is shown through the melancholic mood kept throughout the music video and how Laufey is known for her soft, yearn full music which is kept and filtered throughout all of her songs. Lyrics and Visuals are shown particularly when she says then line ‘But mirrors tell lies to me, My mind just plays along’ and she simultaneously hold up a mirror and looks at her own reflection which amplifies the meaning of that lyric. Music and Visuals are shown with the frequent close-ups on Laufey particularly when talking about her mind and aspiration, as if the audience is looking into her mind. In terms of Close-ups and Motifs throughout the music there is constant reference to Laufey looking at her reflection which reflects the meaning of the song and the message she is trying to convey. Lastly, with Intertextual references the song as a whole is called ‘Snow White’ and is a reference to the first Disney princess is said to embody the idea of ‘perfectness’, this is shown through the lyric “Her skin is so fair” which is reference to the story where Snow White is said to have skin “as white as snow”. Furthermore while Laufey is saying this line she is lying against the snow.

Billie Eillish: My Future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm9Zf1WYQ_A

Dyer’s Theory in My Future by Billie Eillish:

Dyer argues that there are three things a person/celebrity must do in order to become a ‘star’. 

1. Is the person is carefully manufactured to entertain and relate to audiences; When Billie Eillish first debuted at the age of 13 she had represented the brand of being a ‘real’ teenage girl which was atypical as she didn’t try to make herself seem perfect but rather relatable which seemed to appeal to her target audience f teenage girls more. 

2. Then the star is presented as a commodity, meaning they are effectively sold through their merch and music. We see this through Billie with her perfumes, her clothing, vinyls etc. 

3. Lastly she is represents an ideology of accepting ourselves and living as our true selves and not conforming to societal expectations. 

Dyer argues that there is something called ‘The Paradox of the Star’ where the star must be ordinary and relatable as well as extraordinary so they look like a star. This is represented through Billie Eillish song ‘My Future’ as the lyrics “I just wanna get to know myself” and “But aren’t I someone”; make her seem relatable to her target audience of teenager girls. But simultaneously the fact she is an artist with 89.9M monthly listeners makes her seem so great and extraordinary.