History of Music Videos

Steph Dagg

Definition of a Music Video

A music video or song video is a short film

integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic

purposes.

The First Music Videos

• During the 1950’s and 60’s artists began to put visual elements with their music.

• Short feature films which could be viewed in the cinemas showed popular artists of the time playing themselves or characters in documentary style or narrative films.

• Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and The Beatles

Example of Promotional Film

• The Beatles – A Hard Days Night (1964)

• Filmed in a documentary style the members of The Beatles are playing themselves. This was their first promotional film and was filmed in black and white, because this was the most economically available option at the time. The use of fast-paced editing in the film is a convention of modern music videos. This film was only shown in cinemas, as people didn’t have televisions. The films being played at the cinema were viewed by all ages because going to the cinema was often a family outing. Therefore when the artists made the films they had to be conscious about how things would be perceived by the wide range of viewers. The Beatles often portrayed themselves as mischievous and anti-establishment but were still loved by a lot of people.

Example of Promotional Film

• Cliff Richard – Summer Holiday (1965)

• Cliff Richard also starred in promotional films for his music. He had a wide range of fans, all the family liked his music and persona. This was often because of the way he was presented in his films.

• This promotional film could be seen in the cinema. The song which was a part of the narrative was a happy song that related to all ages and this was a way to draw people to see it.

• This promotional film included many conventions we see in music videos today. For example, lip syncing, the visual imagery reflecting the lyrics and faster paced editing. The use of back projection and iconography in the video to give the audience an indication of where the narrative is taking place suggests that artists and directors didn’t have as much money to invest in making music videos. For example road signs that read ‘Paris’ and people wearing striped shirts and berets tells the audience clearly they are in France. The varied use of cinematography is also an element that can be found in modern music videos today.

Development of Promotional Film

• The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

• The Beatles had become extremely popular by this point, after appearing on popular TV shows in America their fan base had grown significantly. Because of this new found popularity they no longer had to make full films to promote their music. Short promotional films were now used. Magical Mystery Tour was produced for television, it was only an hour long and played at prime time on Boxing Day 1967. The Beatles previous films had been shot in black and white, but because of their recent success they were able to film MMT in colour. However, even though most people now had televisions in their houses, they weren’t in colour. The special effects and colour film did not show. The Beatles who were loved by all ages used this short film to promote ideas that went against the establishment. The proliferation of hardware like TV’s and radio’s now meant that artists could express these ideas to a mass audience. Even though this film was different to what had been seen at the time some conventional features could be seen such as montage editing, a band mid-shot and close-ups.

Overview

• Promotional films were practically the only way that audiences got to see their favourite musicians at this time. Although artists did live performances ticket and travel were expensive and therefore this was not an option for many people.

• Creating these promotional films meant that artists could now more easily promote their music overseas. For example, The Beatles often sent clips to popular US talk shows, so they didn’t actually have to make an appearance, but their music was still being heard in different places around the world by mass audiences.

Bob Dylan – Don’t Look Back (1967)

• The documentary was directed by Pennebaker and it followed Dylan on his 1965 UK tour.

• Although part of a documentary/film, the introduction to Bob Dylan’s Don’t Look Back is often considered the first modern music video. The introduction to the film is Bob Dylan standing in the right third of the frame, holding cue cards in the centre which have the lyrics to his song Subterranean Homesick Blues. This was arguably the first time a song had been put with music which wasn’t part of the narrative in a promotional film, but was completely separate.

• Even though it is considered the first music video, it does not use hardly any conventions that we see in music videos today. It uses one continuous shot throughout the song and the performer is not in the middle third of the shot like we usually see today. The positioning within the frame is significant because using the rule of thirds the lyrics are centralised, therefore stressing the importance of what he is saying, over him as an artist.

• Often in music videos the use of iconography helps the audience to have a greater understanding of where things are taking place. Although this was shot in London there is nothing to show the audience that it is. No icons of the city are presented in the video to tell the audience where it was shot. Filmed in a back alleyway it could have been anywhere in the country, this suggests that the location is not important. However this use of this mise-en-scene can be linked to the lyrics of the song as they are anti-establishment and the dark and dingy atmosphere of the alleyway reflects this.

Development of Modern Music Video

• The Beatles – Hello, Goodbye (1967)

• A separate music video that was not part of a promotional film. Although this music video contains more conventions that we expect to see in a music video today it is a poor video. Containing performance elements the video lacks diversity and is boring. Even though there is more editing than the Bob Dylan ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ it is still lacking, the first edit comes at 18 seconds in. There is bad framing throughout, and even cuts off someone’s head. The video does become more interesting at the end as there is use of faster paced editing that matches the beat of the song. A cultural reference to Elvis Presley also makes the video more entertaining and the audience can now identify with something.

Development of Modern Music Video

• Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)

• At its original release the song didn’t too well in the charts, however after the release of the video the song spent 9 weeks at number 1. This showed that the accompanying video to the song was becoming very important and was linked to the success of the song.

• This music video included most of the elements we see in music videos today. Various camera angles and movements made the video interesting. The different range of mise-en-scene such as locations and costumes added diversity to the video. The amount of editing also increased as the video was edited to the beat throughout the song. The use of special effects also showed the development of technology and because it was being used in music videos it show how more artists were taking videos seriously and realising how important they were becoming in relation to their music.

• The video also included a performance element which we often see in modern music videos. The use of props within the performance set made it believable. For example, stage lights, dry ice, microphones and instruments all helped to create a genuine looking environment which therefore allowed the overall video to look more professional.

Overview

• The proliferation of music videos had significantly increased the quality of them. Because the video was becoming just as important as the song artists put more effort and more money into making them.

• Top of the Pops had been launched by this point and popular music video’s were played and therefore would be seen by mass audiences. Because more people were hearing the music an seeing the videos TOTP’s and similar shows were giving artists another platform to show and promote their music. Creating accompanying videos was a great way to get audiences interested in the music new artists were creating.

• Throughout this period we can clearly see the development of the music videos. Promotional films were no longer relevant and the proliferation of hardware and technological advances enabled artists to create more professional videos that were more interesting and intriguing for audiences.

The Impact of MTV

• Launched in 1981, MTV was the first TV channel dedicated solely to showing music videos 24/7.

• The proliferation of hardware meant that by the time the MTV channel launched nearly everyone had a television at home so having easy access to a range of music video was a popular idea.

• At the start of broadcast in the early 1980’s although the videos played were varied there was a focus on rock and metal music. Bands like Blondie, Bon Jovi and DefLeppard were all on rotation.

• There would often be a black screen between the music videos because someone at the TV station had to put the new video tape in to be played.

• The launch of MTV also lead to the ‘Second British Invasion’. With more artists creating videos to accompany their music, MTV was a great platform for new artists to have their music heard by mass audiences. British acts were often featured on the channel with popular videos from The Who, Rod Stewart and Robert Palmer being on rotation.

• MTV allowed iconic images to be created. Artists often become known for their videos rather than their music. For example new dance sequences created crazes, and the moves seen in popular music videos could be seen being recreated by the public in nightclubs.

The Impact of MTV

• Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer (1986)

• At the time of release the visual effects in this video were groundbreaking. It showed viewers that now music videos were being seen as an art form. Artists and directors could experiment with visual imagery and it reinforced the idea that now the video was becoming more important than the music. A big production and lavish video showed he was a serious artist. Advances in technology allowed him to create a heavily edited video that used visual imagery to reflect the lyrics of the song in a new, fun and interesting way.

• Madonna – Vogue (1990)

• Varied cinematography, fast paced editing that matched the beat of the song, lip syncing, dance sequences and performance elements were all included in this video and these are all conventions of modern music videos. She used iconography from old Hollywood to give the viewers something to identify with. This video supports Michael Shores theory that media texts use recycled styles.

The Impact of MTV

• MTV has become part of popular western culture and although it has received criticism in the past for racial discrimination it did help to launch the careers of many successful artists we know today.

• For example, Michael Jackson’s Thriller:• Once Jackson’s musical career had been established he received a lot of

air time on the channel. Successful artists were able to employ successful directors to produce their videos. John Landis, who directed this video also directed the horror film ‘An American Werewolf in London’. With a similar theme, the experienced director was able to use the same special effects as the ones from his film. Shot as a short film, this created a video in the horror genre. The video which is 12 minutes long was the most expensive music video ever made at the time. Music videos had now become a global industry, and artists realised that the more money and effort put into videos the more successful their music would be and companies realised that videos were becoming a great advertising platform.

Overview

• Technological advances meant that music videos were becoming more complex and therefore more interesting for the audience. Mixtures of narrative, performance and animations elements in videos were all becoming more popular.

• MTV had made the music video important, you could now see that the success of the videos had a direct link to how well a song would do. Music videos played on MTV launched careers and they were now being seen as an important marketing method.

• MTV developed a full awards show dedicated to music videos. The VMA’s, showed that music videos were now being seen as an art form and musicians and directors were being recognised for their work on music videos.

New Platforms

• New technological developments have enabled music videos to be shown on many different platforms. The rapid development of the internet means we can access music videos whenever and wherever we want. The proliferation of apps means we can download video players like YouTube onto our phones and watch them. Viewing music videos on YouTube is now the most common and popular way to watch music videos. Having hundreds of thousands to choose from all in one place is convenient for audiences. In comparison to music video TV channels, the audience is now in control of what they want to watch, rather than waiting for hours to see one video that they like.

• Last year American music chart ‘Billboard’ started including data from US YouTube views on music videos. This shows the success of videos is significant in comparison to how well songs do in the charts.

• Music videos are a great form of advertising, product placements and artist endorsements means that labels can make money from videos too.

Development of New Platforms

• YouTube:

• YouTube allowed video viewing online to become easy. Millions of videos stored all in one place meant that the viewer is in control of what they want to watch. Labels can still make money from the videos as adverts played before, and placed on top of videos produce revenue.

• A physical view count of views also helps labels, audiences and other creators to see what is popular and doing well.

• Essentially a social media site, it can be used by anyone. Therefore new creators now have the tools to be able to create their own music videos and have be on a platform with millions of potential viewers.

• iTunes:

• The Apple iTunes store also allows customers to by music videos as well as or instead of just the single. All adding to sales figures, the available purchase of music videos reinforces the idea that now the quality of the video is linked to the success of the song.

Development of New Platforms

• YouTube:

• Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball• Linking to Richard Dyer’s ‘Star Theory’, musicians today often create

controversial music videos that keep them relevant and in the public eye. Miley Cyrus, who was first famous for being a Disney kid, left that labels and signed to Sony, one of the big three. With new management they were able to spot gaps in the market and then develop her to be a person they thought the music industry was missing. Performing songs and performing in ways that went completely against what she was previously seen as, allowed her to create controversy and therefore kept audiences talking, creating more views and more sales.

• The video for her single ‘Wrecking Ball’ held the record for the most views in the first 24 hours after its release, and it still holds the record for being the fastest video to reach 100 million views on Vevo. Before the video was released the song reached number 50, on the American charts, but after the video release it charted at number 1.

Conclusion

• The continuing development of hardware and technology has enabled the music video to grow and develop over time. The differences between a 1960’s promotional film and a modern day music video posted on YouTube are easy to see. The advances in technology have made videos better quality, in both the way they are filmed and their content.

• Over time music videos have become more about pleasing the audience. Rather than linking to the theme of the song, they are linked to the song in terms of release and promotion. Fans of artists get excited about video releases. As consumers we now see videos as part of the package when musicians release new music. We have come to just expect artists to produce them. Music videos allow the audience to see the artist in person, and this allows the artist to create an image for themselves and means the audience can decide whether or not they like the person the artist is being presented as.

• Music videos have always reflected society, they have become a great way to see the social changes within society.