A music video, or a song video, is a short film consisting of a song and imagery; music videos are produced for promotional services. There are theories of music video, these can be narrative, abstract, performance and animation.
Many artists would project images, as they played live, this was seen as the first step to music video. An example of this would be Sheet music publishers Edward B. and Joe stern. They hired an electrician to project a series of still images using a magic lantern, whilst here were performing live, this was in 1894.
This is a recreation of "a little lost child" which Edward B and Joe stern performed live, with a number of projections on a slide, this video is a modern recreation of the slides that they used. The song was originally performed in 1894.
Music video then kept developing through this, until the next significant year which was 1927. 1927 brought the introduction of “talkies” these were short musical films. Talkies had narratives, through song. In the 1930's spooney melodies brought in musicals. Musicals were used to promote artists in the same which in which music videos do now.
Also in the 1930's music was introduced into cartoons. Popular music would play hit songs on camera during the cartoons. Classical music was shown through the famous Walt Disney film fantasia.
This is a clip of "yes! we have bananas" this was a screen song. These were created by Max Fleshier, screen songs were sing along cartoons. In the 1940's promotional clips were shown on visual jukeboxes these showed one song films. here is an example of a music promotion in the 1940's. This was made for a visual jukebox.
Heaven help a solider on a night like this was made as a soundie in 1940.
In the 1950's a scopitone (a visual jukebox) was invited in France. This helped the music video industry move along in different countries.
Also in the 1950s musicals turned into music videos, and example of this is Marilin Monroe's "diamonds are a girls best friend" from the musical gentlemen prefer blondles.
n 1964, top of the pops was introduced to Televisions, top of the pops allowed Artists to perform live to there audience watching the television. Such bands as the rolling stones and The Beatles preformed during the sixties, on top of the pops.
In the sixties, musical movies such as Elvis's Viva las Vegas this were published. This was published in 1965. Elvis stared as the actor and dancer within this music movie. It was a way of promoting the actor and the songs to people, like music videos. People would go to movie theatres to watch such movies.
subterranean homesick blues is a song by Bob Dylan, this song was organically realised in 1965 as a single on Columbia records. Subterranean homesick blues was notable for its video clip within the documentary “don’t look back.”
This Don Alan penebaker documentary, which was published in 1967 covers Bob Dylan’s 1965 concert tour of the UK. The video clip of subterranean homesick blues, was said to be the first ever music video.
This Don Alan penebaker documentary, which was published in 1967 covers Bob Dylan’s 1965 concert tour of the UK. The video clip of subterranean homesick blues, was said to be the first ever music video.
In 1967, radio one was established, this promoted artists in the same way in which music videos do, but without the images.
Dick Leaster made a film " A hard days night" in 1964, promoting The Beatles, through this film there were narrative music videos. The Beatles were very famous at this time, and by creating a film, where music videos where shown it created a direct relationship with the audience. This film showed what life was like for the Beatles.
Dick Leaster made a film " A hard days night" in 1964, promoting The Beatles, through this film there were narrative music videos. The Beatles were very famous at this time, and by creating a film, where music videos where shown it created a direct relationship with the audience. This film showed what life was like for the Beatles.
After the fist film was a success, the Beatles then went on to make another film a year later in 1965, this film also stared the Beatles performing through video. This film was called "Help"
In 1966, the Beatles had stopped touring this made there promotional videos highly popular. through this they were able to developed there promotional videos into colour, this made the videos more entertaining for the audience to watch.
In 1967, whitehead produced a promotional coloured video for the rolling Stone's single we love you"
soon within the early seventies these promotional video clips within short films, became out of date and musical fashion, music artists slowly began to prefer performing on TV shows.
In 1972 David bowie stared in a promo video clips, these clips were important to the development of music video's in the 1970's.
music tele-vision (MTV) was set up in 1981, the purpose of MTV, was to show music video's.
The first music video showed on MTV, was Video killed radio star, by the Buggles.
MTV promoted artists through their music video's through television. Went on to make their own music video's to promote themselves.
After MTV, music video's were still changing and developing but they were no real big developments. Over the years the Quality of music videos has increasingly become better, and now we things such as the HD which makes the Quality of the videos a lot better.
With new Video streaming sites such as you tube, which was set up in February 2005. Television channels such as "4music" and "viva" have began to show more reality shows rather than music videos. Music videos can be accessed through YouTube. 