Goodwin's Theory: Latch

We can apply Goodwin's theory to the genre of music videos that I will be researching for my coursework. The first video I am going to look at is Disclosures - Latch. This is a perfect example of how Goodwin's theory can relate to any music video.

Do the lyrics match the visuals?
In Disclosure's - Latch, there are several examples of the visuals from the music video matching the lyrics of the song. The lyrics of the song are about couples, embracing eachother, in a state of love and affection. This is then reflected in the music video.

This high angle shot showing a man looking up at what is assumed to be his girlfriend shows up when Sam Smith sings the line "I think we're close enough" This is represented visually as the woman is on top of the man embracing him. Showing how close they are physically and romantically.


This next scene that follows of a close up of two women leaning in for a kiss appears when Sam Smith sings the line "I wanna lock in your love" This shot represents this line visually as the two women have their eyes locked in on each others eyes, embracing one another, showing a great amount of love and passion between the two.


Does the music match the visuals?
The music to that accompanies the lyrics to 'Latch' definitely matches the visuals of the music video. Before the chorus the music builds up with the verse. This shows a building emotion or tension that is going to lead to an explosion of passion. The music video illustrates this by having the actors slowly move towards their partner. As the chorus hits the couples begin to kiss, the beat of the song kicks up showing how the tension has been released and the emotion is now over flowing. As the chorus finishes, the music slows back down to a regular pace. The couples then stop kissing showing that they are moving back into a position of embrace rather than being connected with one another. The editing used in the video also parallels the song well as each shot is cut onto the beat of the song. Keeping at a regular pace that is easy to follow and is engaging.

Are there any elements of voyeurism?
The entire concept for the music video 'Latch' is based on the notions of looking and the idea of couples embracing one another no matter shape, size, colour or gender. The music video plays with sexuality in a way that is not distasteful. Close up's are used on the actors face and body parts to show a sense of intimacy. It also focuses on the fact that the actors are specifically looking at their boyfriend or girlfriend, emphasizing the notion of looking.

Are there any inter textual references?
There does not seem to be any intertextuality within the music video. This could be because the artist's, Disclosure, have a tendency to keep their videos unique, fitting of their own style.

Are there any noticeable elements of the genre in the music video?
The genre of the song is Deep House, which is the genre i will be doing for my coursework. I have researched typical elements of House music and found that many of the videos show regular people typically having fun and enjoying themselves. The setting is usually a club, or a place where the song would most likely be played, e.g - a bar or house party.

This is one of the first locations given to us in the music video. We can clearly see that it is set in some sort of bar or club. We can tell this by the party clothes and the bottle of alcohol. The colour of the shot is quite saturated and warm. This could have been used to demonstrate that love is in the air at the club. The small fairy lights in the background also add pops of vibrant colours to represent fun and excitement.

I have also discovered that quite a lot of house music videos include female actors shown in an innocent or sexualised manner. 'Latch' is no exception as this female actor takes her shirt off we get a wide shot showing off the back, behind and legs. The man in the shot is also staring at her body showing notions of looking and voyeurism.