RESEARCH: History of the Music Video

'The videos helped people articulate their own tentative feelings.'

Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Music Videos first came into prominence in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium, however their origins date back much further. 'In the early days of MTV’s domination, complained that music videos imprinted prefabricated images onto the shifting illusions of a song. When a music video strikes a nerve, it gives pop listeners a rare chance to interpret a song visually. And these ready-made mental pictures that came across on the TV screen could powerfully influence our own imaginings. Viewers learned how to dance, dress, flirt and dream.' 1

During the 1920s many musical short films were produced, these were known as 'talkies' and many featured bands, vocalist and dancers. In 1930 the first true musical video series was created by Spooner Melodies. Typically shorts were six minutes in duration and juxtaposed a performance by an artist with Art Deco-style animations and backgrounds. In more recent days music videos have been used as a source of uniting audiences and creating collectives, for example Metallica’s 'Enter Sandman' playlisted next to De La Soul’s 'A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays', turning on R&B romantics to the joys of Britpop. 'These examples of cross-cultural pollination were never-before-thought-of instances of visual democracy, true Pop. The popularity of music video derived from the new thrill of putting imagery to music, the surprise of making graphics out of the beat.' 2

Top: Madonna Material Girl Above: Marilyn Monroe Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Another precursor to the music video was 'musical films' which tended to imitate classic Hollywood musicals from the 1930s and 1950s. A well known example is Madonna's 1985 video 'Material Girl' (directed by Mary Lambert) which was inspired by Jack Cole's staging of Marilyn Monroe's 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend' from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Similarly many Michael Jackson videos show unmistakable reference to Hollywood musicals for example the Martin Scorsese directed 'Bad' which was heavily influenced by the stylised dance 'fights' in West Side Story.

A Hard Day's Night - 1964

The Beatles' influence was undeniably strong during the 60s and in '64 they starred in their first feature film 'A Hard Day's Night' directed by Richard Lester. It was structed in a loose musical fantasia, shot in black and white and presented as a 'mockumentary'. ' ... he influenced many other films. Today when we watch TV and see quick cutting, hand-held cameras, interviews conducted on the run with moving targets, quickly intercut snatches of dialogue, music under documentary action and all the other trademarks of the modern style, we are looking at the children of A Hard Day's Night.' - Roger Ebert (film critic) In 1965 the Beatles produced thier second feature, 'Help!' which was filmed in colour and of a much more elaborate nature.

Music videos have always placed thier viewers on the cusp of fresh sub-cutlures to reveal unknown worlds and lives, which intensifies the escapist attitude of many music video audiences. 'Music video watchers were thrust ahead of the cultural curve but were provided fresh insight into contemporary social issues—teased into using their political imaginations.' 3

All references http://www.nypress.com/article-16889-official-history-of-music-video.html