History Of Medium

A music video is a short video that can be performance, narrative or abstract, lasting on average 3-4 minutes that integrates a song through the use of moving image.Song videos are produced for promotional or artistic purposes and helps boost stereotypes of certain genres through ideology. They have a wide variation of genres just like films and the individual music songs. Many interpret scenes and images in relation to the lyrics, some follow narrative just like an actual film incorporating professional actors and others rely solely on performance using choreography styled dancers.

The first ever music video was known as an illustrated song rather than the 'music video' term they're known to be today. The song was called "Little Lost Child" and it was an electrician called George Thomas who projected a series of still images using a lantern. This small project soon became a huge part of the media world when technology developed in 1926 and this idea of putting a video along side a song greatly expanded. As songs lasted a lot longer compared to now the videos, then known as "talkies" lasted up to 6 minutes long including animations and other artistic features.

Now a days there are karaoke's that allow the audience to sing along to their favourite songs as well as online videos on youtube that people have made putting lyrics with the videos. In the 1930s this was the next big thing in relation to new up and coming videos for songs, these where called "Screen Songs". This style of video enabled the viewers to quickly learn the lyrics to songs and promoted the artist on a larger scale.

In the 1940s, a man named Louis Jordan created a promotional short film which involved live musicians and the artists singing and playing instruments. It was called "Jumping at the Jubilee" and unconventionally to music videos these days there was dancers infront of the artists instead of what is seen now in relation to 'backing' dancers. Recently artits Will.I.Am took on the role of this old music convention by taking on styles and mise en scene from this old way of video. There was the instumentalists in the background, him sort of mid central and then a female dancer infront. This reinforces the equality that dancing and live music both shared and it looks as though Will.I.Am tried to bring that back into his music video.

Louis Jordan - Jumping At The Jubilee

Will.I.Am - Bang Bang

Music Videos became more popular when music films began displaying bold performance elements that contained lip sync, still used today. A good example of this is the film "Singing in the Rain" from 1952, although it seems very basic to music videos these days it highlights the main conventions that have been largly exapanded now and shows clear indication that this was were music videos began.

The era of "The Beatles" was when music began to turn more into an industry rather than an hobby as artists where now able to tour so more and more of their fans could see them live. The beatles brought out a film that contain sections where their songs where played and they would perform them. This boost the idea for music videos for artist songs as it allowed the audience to see them performing without having to go see them physically. The films they brought all helped to show the development of cinematography as close ups, zooms and pans for example where used to bring excitment to the audience. Special effects such as fades and montage editing was also used, they really set it off and these features are still used today so you can really see the impact they had on the music industry.

On the 1st of January, 1964, BBC1 launched the music show 'Top Of The Pops - TOTP'. Popular artists from during the week would perform their track live on a thursday night infront of a small standing auidence. 'Baby Love' was sang by 'The Supremes' on a small raised platform surrounded by the dancing audience who were only touching distance away. In terms of the audience watching at home they saw the action through basic cinematography. In the 2 minute 33 second clip of 'The Supremes' there was only 7 cuts and 1 fade, very different to music shows and videos today. There was a few tracking shots left and right but in contrast to shows today where they present through various different cameras, the audience at home was very limited to what they could see appose to the audience in the studio. Although this was a disadvantage to media viewers the show was revolutionary in the music industry at this point as it was the only TV programme of its kind so audiences loved it and it rapidly grew in popularity. TOTP helped to promote artists globally in a way that hadnt been done before, allowing audiences to consume music in a new way that excited them.

 

From then on more and more artists took on the challenge of making a music video to go with their songs such as Freddie Mercury in 1974, Wham in 1983 and Madonna in 1990 to raise their profile and gain popularity. Madonna introduced fashion into her video showing that anything can be combined to gain an audience as well as promoting themselves at the same time. It include her dancing weirdly but to the beat of the music and in connection with the edits. The song quickly grew popularity and was played largely around clubs where people would interpretate the moves seen in Madonnas videos.

As well as audiences artists soon copied by creating their own as they want people dancing to their music too, one of the most popular songs to come from this technique is Cha Cha Slide by Mr. C The Slide Man. This song is known by all ages and is very popular with teens even though they may of never seen the music video the popularity it caused they have just naturally learnt them as they so simply match the lyrics of the song.

Music videos have increasingly grown more and more popular and now it is rare for released songs to not have one. Features including animation, live action, documentaries, abstract, or arranged set dancing are all seen used in different ways but for the same purpose in the music industry. As stereotypes grow stronger it is becoming very predictable of what is to be expected in certain genres music videos. In relation to my genres stereotypical view the idea of cars, money, girls and alcohol is greatly expected to be seen at some point through the video. Video editing is something else that is increasing compared to when videos first started were it would be one full shot of the artist performing. Fast cuts and different lighting effects are all including but it all comes at a price. The most expensive music video created so far was recorded at $7,000,000 and was Michael Jacksons "Scream" although videos help to promote artists and make them more popular are the costs really that beneficial?

What started as a simple project for George Thomas has now grown to be an expectation from artists and not at all uncommon in the music industry. Youtube has been a great advantage for artists to promote their music videos globally, along with music channels on the television. A mainstream song without a music video is now very unusual and something that doesn't happen in the 21st century. It is the way artists gain their money through royalties based on amount of plays and how their icon grows through ideology of their video. They use it as a way to not only tell the story of their song but to publicise themselves and gain an audience. It is a successful and ever growing method of advertising in the music industry that i dont see is going to fade anytime soon.