Research: History of music videos

Music videos have changed immensely over the years and become more diverse, recognizable and enhanced. The videos have improved digitally, visually, and concept wise. Music videos today portray different themes and ideologies than they used to. In today's society creating something controversial or something that will attract audiences is more important than the themes put across by the audience. Also the visuals don't necessarily have to match the lyrics anymore as audiences now watch videos for visual pleasure as well as for the song, as the video may be something they idolize, relate to, or want. Moreover, old music videos had simple and basic editing with star appeal as the star would appear in the video, however no narrative. However over time This changed and music videos became more and more supplemented to match audience demand and time line.

1929

• Bessie Smith appeared in a two reeled short film called 'Saint Louis Blues' in 1929
• It featured a dramatized performance of the Hit song
• Although it is far off from the music videos today, it can still be regarded as one of the first atempts of creating a music video.

1940

• Walt Disney released 'Fantasia'
• Fantasia was an animated film based around famous classical music pieces.
• The film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopard Stokowski

Between 1920-1940 many films were accompanied by moving images, especially animations, However some may say these weren't considered as music videos as it was only a series basic editing of images to films and musicals which had a massive demand at the time.

1956

• Tony Bennett- Stranger in Paradise
• Tony Bennett is filmed walking in Hyde Park London for his single 'Stranger in Paradise'
• The video was distributed on US and UK television which then made its mark as the first ever music video made.

1964

• Key moment in Music History and The Beatles carrier
• Their music video based the basic conventions and structure of today's music videos
• This influenced a vast number of musicians to similarly create moving images/videos to accompany their music 

1966-1968

• The Monkees was a boy band which was active between the 1965-1971
• They had their own TV show on NBC called 'The Monkees'
• Each episode include a short film like segment to accompany their songs.

1966

• The birth of Top Of The Pops
• Top Of The Pops is a music charts television show originally made by BBC 
• Every week new music singles would be aired live, however places on the show were limited which meant groups and artists had to compete for a place.

MODERN ERA OF MUSIC VIDEOS

1975

• Queen created a music video to replace a live performance for their hit song 'Bohimian Rhapsody'
• Queen were the first people to create a video specifically for a  song to be played on TV.
• Bohimian Rhapsody was the first official video made in the typical video format artists use today.

1970 to 1980 was the era of songs and moving images combination. The key development of modern music videos was video recording and the editing process. High quality video tape recorders and portable video cameras enabled most artists to produce promotional videos. However by the mid 80's releasing a video to accompany a new single had become popular and a standard. Artists were using high budgets to create these videos to attracts audiences, for example 'The Jackson 5'.

1981

• MTV is launched and the first video to be aired is 'Buggles- Video Killed The Radio Star'
• In the mid 80's artists started to use more sophisticated editing and effects. Also most videos had a storyline to it which made them a narrative based video.

1984

• Michael Jackson-Thriller was released
• It was in the concept of a short film, which means it had a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• Michael Jackson's thriller was one of the first of its type which is why it took the music video concept to another level and intrigued audiences.
• Top Of The Pops started to censor certain videos which meant a new alternative had to be made so an edited version was released due to demands.

1980

• By the mid 80's, music videos were a popular way of distributing and marketing the artists new single
• Huge artists today owe their success to the release of their appealing video. For instance 'Madonna' owed her enormous success to the well constructed and seductive appeal of her videos along side her singles.
• Although most people see MTV as the golden era of music videos, some may disagree as it made audiences depend on physical aspects visual pleasure to enjoy a song, rather than the sole sound of the music. 

Research: Genres

A genre is a category that things with the same characteristics fit under. For example a similar type of music, film, literature, art etc. Within the music industry, genre refers to the style of music and its targeted audience. Music is produced dependent of different factors to give it success, for example, it considers who the artist is, who the song and the audience targets, but most importantly it takes encounter the popular themes and genres for successful marketing techniques. Music with the same genre are likely to fall under the same category video wise as well. There are Traditional genres such as POP, Rock, R&B, Blues, however, not all music videos can be categorized under the classic genres which is why there are sub genres such as alternative R&B or Indie Rock etc. This is due to the fact music is changing over time as audiences want something more original and different, and for the artist to market their product smartly, they need to conform to what the audiences like. Fresh interpretations and perspectives are being born each year, so artists need to alter their style - or entirely new artists need to come forth/ be discovered - to keep audiences interested and satisfied. Audience demand is the biggest impact on the creation of music and the artist, which is why there is a huge range of genres to choose from, as if there wasn't such a huge range of genres the product wouldn't sell at the same huge rate as it does today as not all audiences would be interested in the product.

Examples of Genres AND common conventions within them:

Hip-Hop & R&B: 

Key Conventions:

•  Low angle shots to imply the artist has power over the audience and is more superior. Close up shots to show their importance within the frame. 
• Women in the videos to show how desirable the hip-hop and R&B artists are. Also the fact that there is more than one female in most of the music videos shows how irrelevant they are as the camera hardly concentrates on them for more than a few seconds, showing this genre of music objectifies women.
• A crowd dancing showing the song is a hit and everyone's enjoying it which gives credibility to the song
• Mainly features Men as the artist. The men are also often from a black background (conventionally) 
• Glamourised lifestyle and expensive jeweler/clothing showing the wealth of the artist through the use of mise en scene. Wealth signifies status which is what Hip Hop artist supposudly have in the videos.
• The Men in the video are usually pictured with his 'clique or group' to again show their status and highlight that their not a social outcast.

POP:

Key Conventions:

• Often has high key lighting and an eye catching costume or object with vibrant colours to attract younger/youth audience which are the target audience.
• Costume used is generally up to date and fashionable, as fashion is important to teenagers and younger audiences as well as the artist it self to keep their look attractive and desirable.
• The videos can often include a love narrative as teenagers are obsessed with the thought of falling in love, however pop songs can be about anything as long as it attracts audiences. 
• The pop genre doesn't have a conventional gender as there is a range of female, male, and group pop artists
• The artists and other characters in the music video are commonly young and good looking as they can sell their music through their appearance which the audience is immediately attracted to
• Pop artists often choose an item of clothing, a symbol, or a dance move which makes them distinct and helps audiences recognize them through it.

Rock:

Key conventions: 

• Music is often produced by a band of 4 members, however could be a smaller or bigger group as well as solo rock artists.
• Artists in the music videos commonly wear similar costumes which is often black clothing, and they will wear black clothing in most occasions.
• Male/female Rock artists can be seen wearing dark makeup accompanied by their depressed and pissed off facial expressions, along with piercings and tattoos (conventionally not always)
• Often the music videos will have a low key lighting to represent the mood of the song, however if the song is upbeat, humorous, or energetic, it can be high key lighting.
• Setting for the video will usually be kept simple and it would include the band/artist performing in the video. This is so audiences concentrate more on the music and performance rather than whats going on in the background.
• Some Rock Music videos may be narrative based.
• While singing or performing artists in the music video commonly use their facial expressions effectively to portray their emotions in the song.
• Editing is used often depends on the pace of the song
• many closeups to the artist or characters faces are used to show their emotions aswell as long shots to show what going on around them and to show band performing.

Country:

Key conventions:

• Commonly country music videos follow a narrative to portray the story-line behind the lyrics.
• The story line usually runs through the lyrics.
• The Country artist conventionally features in the music video as the main character
• The videos are usually set in Western America including Cow-boys and Cow-girls, and some sort of nature involved whether in a farm or just including nature.
• Often has a romantic element to the narrative and may involve a love story
• Country artists usually have live performances within the video
• Medium shots are used to show the setting of the video as well as the narrative and the characters facial expressions.

Jazz:

Key conventions:

• Often live instuments played within video, i.e. drums, trumpets, or chello 
• Close up shots on the artists face to show them expressing their emotions within the song
• Editing could be more classic and slow, or black and white
• Setting is usually on stage in a bar or cafe, however may change to a more crowded setting like streets or rundown places, or even houses.
• Old Jazz artist Costumes are often sophisticated attire, so men mainly wear suits and women wear dresses, however modern jazz has changed so the clothing they wear is commonly comfortable attire depending on the song and setting.
• However due to Jazz being an old genre, famous and highly respected artist such as Frank Sinatra don't have videos, but the audience are still able to hear the different instruments played in the background and here the positive vibes in his voice.
• Target audience usually older generations

Latin/Spanish:

Key conventions:

• Salsa dancing/ Dancing
• An exotic holiday setting, or a club with a crowd of people, however may be in an isolated place, or a house depending on the mood of the song
• The narrative may include a love interest especially if it is a slow song
• It is a globally recognized genre with huge target audiences around the world, however its main audience is Spanish and Latino people,
• Includes classic Spanish music n the background
• Attracts both genders
• Can be classed as holiday music due to the positive vibes and fast pace beat
• Costumes are often revealing for the women, may even be a swim suit, however male characters usually wear a various stylish outfits.
• Camera is usually concentrated on the female characters in the video which objectifies them and attracts more audiences as the females are all good looking along with the males

It is important to follow generic conventions within the music industry and videos as it helps audiences recognise the genre faster and stick with it if they enjoy it. Moreover if the audience enjoy one type of song and video in a certain genre, they will be a demand for similar music types

This has helped me with my research as i now know what typical conventions to follow while filming the music video for my genre of music which will help audiences identify the genre immediately 

Research: Institutions

What is an Institution?

Music video institutions are companies who help produce and fund music videos for their signed artists. Most, if not all popular artists/bands are signed to these credible companies. Having an institution signed to you can contribute to your success because they are accountable for the artist success and downfall which can help new coming artist gain many opportunities to get their name heard. Moreover these companies have an expectation from audiences as they are mainly a well established and known company who is recognized for a certain genre of music. For example, universal signed Alicia Keys and her  career started with Sony believing in her and signing her, which then followed on with many opportunities given to her such as Album releases and Single releases along with other liberties on different media platforms which boosted up her fame and made her the hugely successful artist she is today. 

The 4 leading Music Institutions:

Sony Music Entertainment:

• Provides contracts and music labels for international artists 
• Used to be known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment, however changed its name in 2008
• Offers a range of music genres including pop, rock, hip-hop, country, grime, etc.
• Labels include Arista Records, Colombia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, RCA Victoria Records, RCA Records, Legacy Records, Sonic Wave America and others.
• Colombia Records was created 1887, and then branched out and Sony evolved.
• Artist signed include, Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson, Elvis,Wham, Kid Ink, ASAP Rocky, Miley Cyrus.

EMI Music: 

•     Successful International Institution and one of the most leading in the world.
•     Labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue note, Capital, Capital Latin, etc.
•    Offers a range of music genres including POP, Alternative, Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, Latin, Pop-      Rock, House music, Elector Dance.
•    Artists signed include Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Queen, Coldplay, Beatles, Cher, Ice Cube,        David Guetta, ACDC

• 
  

Warner Music Group:

• ·     Not as popular or big as the other Major Music Institutions, however is an international institution. 
• ·     Help artists achieve long term creative and financial success by providing consumers with the highest quality music content available.
• ·    Labels include Warner Bros, Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Maybach Music, etc 
• ·       Artists signed include Bruno Mars,Wiz Khalifa, Madonna, Major Lazer, Ed Sheeran, Prince, Plan B, kid Rock, etc. 
•      Offers a Range of Music Genres including POP, Dance-hall, Dance, Hip Hop, Tropical House, House music, Country, Funk

Universal Music Group Inc. (UMG) :

•         World’s Largest Music Content Company.
•          Recorded music business discovers and develops recording artists and then markets and            promotes their music across a wide array of formats and platforms.
•         Successful Company on a different platform which determines Profits both ways
•         Labels include Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Def Jam Recordings,         EMI, Decca, Island Records UK/ Island Records US
•        Artists signed include  Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Amy Whineshouse, U2, The Weeknd, Lana Del Ray, Kendrick Lamar, James Bay, Drake, Bruno Mars
•       Offers a range of genres including Hip-Hop, Soul music, Funk, Pop, Indie Rock, Pop Rock, Jazz
• 
  

Research: Mulvey's male gaze

                                      

                                                     Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines

How do you think heterosexual men view these women?

I think heterosexual men look at these women with lust due to them being naked and almost symbolizing the perfect woman and perfect body. However, they may also view them as weak and vulnerable, as they have exposed them self fully for the audience to see everything including their flaws which brings out their insecurities. This video also objectifies women as the men are fully clothed and smartly dressed, almost putting them selves higher in the hierarchy, than these women.

* A short survey we conducted,showed that after watching Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines, and Miley Cyrus- Wrecking Ball, the majority of audiences were not able to identify and answer simple questions such as 'what colour shoes was the girl on the wrecking ball wearing?' This is due to the audiences, male and female, looking at more explicit parts of the  female, which again supports Mulveys Male Gaze. 

Mulvey’s Male Gaze

How audiences view the women presented?

                For feminists, it can be thought of in 3 ways:

•                       How men look at women

•                       How women look at themselves

•                       How women look at other women.

 Audiences 'view' characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.

She believed:

Men look at women for visual pleasure

Active male/passive female 

In music videos that sexualise women, men are also present, however more dominant than the women through the use of mise en scene, such as costume, lighting, and facial expression. Audiences (especially men) are almost taught to enjoy videos  sexualising women as they objectify women as a sexual figure. This shows the male is active and the female is passive.

                              
                                                          Eric Prydz- Count On Me 

FEMALES 

        From the female on screen’s point of view, they see themselves as sexy. empowered and strong as they are confident within themselves to show off their body to the world through music videos disregarding the judgement they are going to receive due to the controversy, which adds on to their dominance and makes them feel powerful, This may be due to them making money by showing off their body asserts they are proud of. This shows that these women's opinions are binary opposites to men.

      Despite this, from another female’s point of view, they see these women in the music videos as promiscuous women that do not respect their bodies and have no morals in life, This makes them against the way they make money as they view it downgrading for all females.

    

  MALES

   heterosexual males point of view of these women are simple, as they just watch them for pleasure and gain sexual connotations from it. Although the video above may be aimed to do this, it is a bias opinion as it is only meant for the heterosexual male eye.

Critisism of theory:

·   -The theory is only for heterosexual male’s eyes, going against/not considering gay or lesbian people. 

·  - Excludes cultural, social and religious views.

·  - The theory says men cant be presented as 'sexy' and 'promiscuous'

·  - Some women enjoy being looked at.

· - Doesn’t portray female empowerment clearly enough as a male figure is always overpowering or appearing

· - Exposing to younger generations.

· -Different females preview the video differently which is going to alter their overall opinion on females

Research: What is a music video?

What is a music video?

A music video is a short film that accompanies as song or a sound track. The soul purpose of a music video is to promote the artist and sell their life styles which attract audiences and increase record sales. Music videos were created in the 1920s, however Betsi was the first singer who added images to her music. In the modern era we live in it is very rare that a song is released without a music video as it is used as a marketing device and the song may not be heard of on more than one platform without a music video, such as TV and Internet, which may cause it becoming less successful and popular for the music charts.

What is the purpose of a music video?

There are many purposes of a music video which help the success of the song as well as the star as again, it can be used as a synergy technique to bring in audiences.

A few other purposes of a music video:

                                               

To attract audiences to the song and to entertain them- Music videos can entertain audiences in many ways as it connects the audiences to the star and makes them feel apart of their lifestyle. Music videos are viewed around the world so a music video that is able to entertain the audience can cause a commotion and which can increase the artists popularity. If artist didn't make music videos, it may take viewers longer to find out about the song and audiences may loose interest in the artist 

                                                       

For Attention and Publicity- As well as entertaining, some music videos can attract publicity and viewers using its distinct and maybe controversial content. Controversial videos are bound to have more attention around them as audiences are attracted to them due to the use of synergy, i.e. promoting it on TV, magazines, Internet, and radio. Artist can gain fans through their controversial videos as they're usually never before done, for example Madonna 'Like a Prayer' had a lot of critics have a lot negative views on it due to her use of religious iconography (burning crucifix) and a interracial Jesus which offended and shocked the religious public. However despite this, she also gained many fans that appreciated her distinct video and her confidence for doing it, which is one reason Madonna is such a big star today. Videos like this still attract attention today such as Kanye West 'Famous.'

Madonna- Like a Prayer

To sustain relationship with audience- Maintaining a relationship with the audience is important to the artist because the image of them selves they put across to the audience determines how it sells them self as a brand while promoting their lifestyle and persona. If they were to not create music videos, audiences may loose interest in the artist because; today, appearance is equally as important to the viewer as the music created, such as the sweetheart lover boy look Shawn Mendes and One Direction has; or the pimp, gangster look 50 cent poses due to the iconography of gold chains and the setting of his expensive lifestyle. All three of these artist attract different audiences however are all highly successful.

To promote a movie- Artists that are asked to make a sound track for upcoming movies often make music videos to promote their song aswell as the film. The video may include snippets from the new upcoming movie which excites the audience and encourages them to go watch it, which can be classed as double promotion as it advertises 2 products at the same time. An example of this is Imagine Dragons ft Lil Wayne , Wiz Khalifa, logic, Ty Dolla Sign ft Ambassadors - Sucker for pain. The song had  major fan appeal as it had different successful artist attracting audiences which also attracted them to the film.

Imagine Dragons ft Lil Wayne , Wiz Khalifa, logic, Ty Dolla Sign ft Ambassadors - Sucker for pain.

COMMON CONVENTIONS OF A MUSIC VIDEO:

Music videos can be categorized under three subheadings, narrative, performance, and concept  All music videos have certain classical conventions depending on the genre of the song, that are expected to be evident in every video.

Rock music: The rock genre is often in the performance category as rock and punk rock music is usually band based and they perform in their videos. Common conventions in performance videos are iconography of instruments, costume that are similar to each other, and a number of close up shots to the face and long shots to the whole band. Moreover a lot of fast pace editing is also visible. An example of a video would be 'Green Day' a punk rock group

Green Day- American Idiot

R&B and Hip Hop:  The R&B and Hip Hop genre is usually based around the narrative and performance category as the songs can have a story behind it, or the video could be to promote their glamorous life style to the audiences. Common things to expect from the music videos are expensive jewelry, big houses or mansions, branded clothes, and a glamorous life. On the other hand if the video is narrative based, They can be about a love story or attraction between 2 people,this is mainly visible in old R&B and Hip Hop videos.

Nelly ft Kelly Rowland- Dilemma

Pop Music: Music videos made for pop music are generally in the concept and performance category as the video is often made to attract audiences and entertain them. However in some cases they can put across messages, such as in Megan Trainor- All About The Bass, she was trying to emphasize size doesn't matter. However commonly the videos can be based on anything or be influenced by the lyrics. For example, Ariana Grande- Side to Side is a concept and performance pop video, mainly created to attract audiences through the use of attractive females and eye catching and revealing costumes, which lures in both female and male audiences.
                                                 
                                               Ariana Grande ft Nicki Minaj- Side to Side

Techno Electro: Techno and Electro music videos have fast pace editing to match the beat of the song. This almost pumps up the audience to feel the beat even more as the visuals accompany the song and have a big impact on it. Also, Moreover Techno + Electro music videos are usually taken from a concert the DJ's (This music genre is commonly produced by DJ's) have performed in which also excited the audience. Also videos taken live from concerts make audiences feel closer to the artist as the artists are constantly interacting with audiences which makes them seem normal as everyone else.

                                             Major Lazer ft Justin Bieber & MO - Cold Water

Synergy.

The release of an artist’s music video is only one of many, strands of their multi media campaign of  their promotion. One reason for this is because the single that is initially released is often to promote an upcoming album, and can be seen as a sneak peek to the rest of the artist album, However the music video accompanying the video is used to gain publicity and fandom. The music industry has a strong relationship with many different other media platforms. This can be  TV, print media, radio, film and the internet. For example, Simple Minds- 'Don't you forget about me' in the film Breakfast club was not only promoting their new single but was also promoting the film. The single was also promoted in adverts, concerts and helped gain the film and the artists a lot of publicity, and many may say; was it was a break through song for Simple Minds as it is recognized as one of the most typical 80's songs of all time.