A little bit of research

Since deciding that I would definitely like to create a music video for this course, I thought it would be best to research the evolution of music videos in order to become familiar with both modern and older types of videos.

Music videos are often called promotion videos or simply promos, due to the fact that they are usually promotional devices. In the 1980s, the term "rock video" was first used to describe this particular form of entertainment, but the term is not used as regularly in modern day society. The earliest music videos were filmed in the mid 1950s. However, as early as the 1920s, films by animators were accompanied by musical scores, labelled "visual music". The early animated pieces of Walt Disney were built around music. The Warner Brothers cartoons were initially fashioned around specific songs from upcoming Warner Brothers musical films.

A poignant work in the development of the modern-day idea of a music video was The Beatles' first major motion picture, A Hard Day's Night in 1964, directed by Richard Lester. The musical segments in this film arguably establish the basic visual vocabulary of today's music videos, influencing a vast number of contemporary musicians, and countless subsequent pop and rock group music videos. The Beatles took the genre to new levels with their groundbreaking films for Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane, made in early 1967, which utilised techniques borrowed from underground and avant garde film - things such as reversed film effects, dramatic lighting, unusual camera angles and rhythmic editing. Created at the peak of the psychedelic music period, these two landmark films are amongst the very first purpose-made concept videos that attempt to "illustrate" the song in an artful manner, rather than just creating a film of an idealised performance.

The key innovation in the development of the modern music video was video recording and editing processes, along with the development of a number of related effects. The advent of high-quality colour videotape records and portable video cameras coincided with the DIY ethos of the New Wave era and this enabled many pop acts to produce promotional videos quickly and cheaply, in comparison to the relatively high costs of using film. By the mid-1980s, releasing a music video to accompany a new single had become standard. Acts like The Jacksons sought to gain a commerical edge by creating lavish music videos with million dollar budgets; most notable with the video for Can You Feel It.

In the UK, the important of the television show Top of the Pops to promote a single created an environment of innovation and competition amongst bands and record labels as the show's producers placed strict limits on the number of videos they would show - therefore a good video would increase a song's sales as viewers hoped to see the video again the following week. Queen's iconic Bohemian Rhapsody also started a whole new era for using music videos as promotional pieces. In 1981, MTV was launched, and the first video aired was The Buggles' song Video Killed The Radio Star. The American television channel has helped thousands of artists be discovered and showcased to the world over the last thirty years.

Nowadays, there are a lot of special effects used in music videos, and multiple filming styles are used to accompany singles that help reflect the artist's image, the messages conveyed in their songs, and to help identify the artist's musical genre.

I have discovered that music videos have greatly helped artists get discovered, sell records and even become known online, with video sites such as YouTube and Vevo showcasing talent all of the time, giving people easy access to music they love and potential new bands their chance to shine. I have watched all of the videos addressed above and have noticed significant changes when comparing them to modern-day videos, the most obvious improvement being the actual quality of the video's footage. I must make sure that my music is of the highest quality, to ensure that it looks realistic and fits with the style of music that I hope to use.