History of Music Videos

  • BESSIE SMITH-ST.LOUIS BLUES

    This is one of the earliest examples of music videos that we are farmiliar with today. It was shown in theatres in 1932, however we are able to accecs music videos almost anywhere now and shows how much technlogy has changed.
  • TONY BENNETT-STRANGER IN PARADISE

    Tony's song "Stranger in paradise" was filmed in Hyde Park, London and was played across UK and US television stations. However, Bennett later claimed that his music video was the very first. This was the first example of using music videos on TV, this would lead on to create channels like MTV and Top of the pops.
  • THE BEATLES-A HARD DAYS NIGHT

    The crutial moment in the development of music videos was the Beatles "A hard days night", influencing the filming of music videos that all/many contemporrary artists use today.
  • THE BEATLES-PENNY LANE

    The Beatles took music videos to another level with their next video and started using the codes and conventions that modern post productions teams know today, such as dramatic lighting, unusual camera angles and rhythmitic editing.
  • THE JACKSON FIVE-I WANT YOU BACK

    The 1970's saw the music video change with more emphasis on just the artist singing. This style lead to music videos to the "Cross-Cutting" stage where the song would portray a story that accompanied the lyrics and "cross-cuts" to the artist singing it. However the key to this innovation was the edting process, dealing with more professional techniques like "Chroma-Key".
  • DEVO-THE TRUTH ABOUT DE-EVOLUTION

    This was early example of a self-made music video, this started the devlopment of the music video genre "Experimental". However this music video was seen as the first 'Long-form video production'.
  • QUEEN-BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

    This style started a whole new era for the music video and the introduction of "Top of the pops" which would promote the music and then created a competion between artists for the first time.
  • THE BUGGLES-VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR

    In 1981 it was the introduction of "MTV" and the first video aired was "Video killed the radio star", it was a real break-through in the evolution of music videos and as you can see it was a very high-budget video in which we can see more devlopment in editing such as "Over-laying". MTV was responsible for the succes of artists like Madonna as it played a centeral role as marketing.
  • MICHAEL JACKSON-THRILLER

    This video was the pioneer of the 'Storyline' video which has a plot, almost like a 'mini' movie. It contains sophisticated visuals and it took the music industry to another level. Now music videos were really being seen as promotion and made into high-budget productions.
  • A'HA-TAKE ON ME

    The comic book/live-action combination is called rotoscoping and took 16 weeks to complete. This just shows how the song relies on this type of promotion, mainly because it was the only the form of marketing for a song in the 20th century.
  • WU TANG CLAN - WU TANG CLAN AIN'T NUTHIN TA F WIT

    This video was shot on a very ow budget and depicts other genres using music videos, other than pop. This video is very gritty and shows street life.
  • NOTORIOUS B.I.G - HYPNOTIZE

    This was a very high budget hip hop video, which was a first. Opposed to the gritty street videos of Wu Tang and NWA, it shows a rich baller lifestyle.
  • EMELI SANDE-NEXT TO ME

    Music video enthusiats often like the aesthetic appeal of them and often watch them muted. Moden artists like Emeli, whose contemporary 'soul' music needs to have their music video reflect the genre and many artists do this.
  • IGGY AZALEA-WORK

    In the current music video era that we live in today the adoption of the 'Sex Appeal' of females has monoplised the music industry, rather than choosing the more traditional methods becuase they are less profitable