RESEARCH: HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS

RESEARCH: HISTORY OF MUSIC

The Evolution of Music Videos

Over the time music videos underwent a massive development and overtime drastically evolved together with the technology and audiences. Modern videos have become a way of polysemy and help the artist to sell their work to global audiences. They are visually more appealing and technically advanced in contrast to traditional, basic videos. This allows artists to experiment with different editing techniques to enhance their image or narrative of the video.  Today’s music videos can have a variety in terms of location. Many music videos will constantly jump from one setting to another in order to keep the viewer interested and alert. This is also done through costumes and other aspects of mise en scene. In addition, music videos now use many cinematography techniques to add variations to their music videos. In the past the artist could only afford few similar shots using basic equipment. However today artists utilize cranes, dolly shots, hand held cameras etc to get the best angles/ shots of themselves. Furthermore, today there is more variation in the types of music videos, which helps to appeal to broader audiences. There are different genres and types (concept, performance or narrative videos) to fulfill even the most refined tastes. For example, now the viewer has a choice between approx. 1, 264 genres whereas before only the popular artist got to create music videos that got aired and consumed by audiences. In terms of consumption, modern music videos are accessible on different platforms whereas before TV was the only way to see a music video. This allows even the niche audiences to see videos of their favorite artist. Simultaneously, today’s music videos have different purpose then before. Today a video can be used as a way of film promotion, advertisement or product sell. In contrast the music videos in the past were commonly just to entertain. These are just some of the key examples of the development in the music video industry over time and simultaneously shows how they are under constant development.

Music Video Timeline

1929: Bessie Smith, Saint Louis Blues – The song remains a fundamental part of jazz music to this date. It is considered to be one of the first music videos ever and was. The video includes Bessie who sings by the bar, thus inventing the primary idea of a music video and lip sync. The video was shot with simple cuts and shots due to the lack of equipment and knowledge about videos. The video is actually a part of a film with Bessie. The video applies Goodwin's Theory through the performance and lip sync which could classify 'Saint Louis Blues' as a music video. 

 

1940: Walt Disney, Fantasia. Disney created an animated film which is accompanied by classical music. The soundtrack was recorded with multiple audio channels. It was the first film to be shown in stereophonic sound. Fantasia was partly classified as a music video due to the visuals accompanied by sound which are conventions of a music video. In addition, it was breakthrough for its time to have visuals and audio together. Fantasia has a narrative and there is a relationship between the music and the visuals, as proposed by Goodwin. However, Walt Disney didn't create Fantasia to serve the purpose of a music video but a movie. 

1950-60: Tony Bennett, Strangers in Paradise. Tony filmed ‘Stranger in Paradise’ in Hyde Park, London and was distributed across both UK and US television. Despite Bessie Smith performance and her video, he claimed that it was him who created the first ever video because he intended on using his song specifically for a video rather than a film like Bessie and his work got distributed on television. There is a clear star image, performance and genre characteristics which supports Goodwin's theory and classifies Tony's work as a music video.

1964: The Beatles. This was a crucial moment in the development of music videos. ‘A Hard Days Night’ by Beatles was released and is argued to be the basic set out and beginning of contemporary music videos. It had included a narrative with fast paced cuts and a variety of cinematography. It has set a new era of videos and artist tried to come up with narratives and attract audiences. 

1966- 1968: The Monkees. It was a TV show aired for two years from 1966-68. Every episode had a short film which was created to accompany songs by Monkees. This helped to develop the fundamentals of today’s music videos and allowed practice for artist who made videos.

 

1966: The Birth of ‘The Top of the Pops’. Top of the Pops was a TV program created by the BBC. Its purpose was to promote singles. Due to the limit the show had, artists had to compete in order to be aired which meant that only famous or popular musicians were shown to the audiences.

1967: Videos utilize Cinematic Techniques. Yet again The Beatles took initiative and drastically changed the look of music videos. In their video ‘Penny Lane’ they utilized effects similar to cinema and film making. Elements like dramatic lighting, camera angles or rhythmic editing. This started the era of edited music videos and professional film making to accompany songs which is still continued today. These new features also support Goodwin's Theory of popular music videos. 

1975: Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody.  Bohemian Rhapsody was the first ever video specifically made to replace live performances on TV. Despite previous videos made by Beatles, it was Queen who made a video for the purpose to be aired on TV to their song. It was the very first video to be made on a video format and set an example for other artists who started to create music videos more frequently causing a large supply. The visuals matched the song and there was a clear star image and genre characteristics. 

1981: MTV Launch and development of music videos. to match the large supply of music videos a full music channel was launched. The introduction of MTV caused more artist to air their music video and people were able to see more of them.  The Buggles released their video called ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ and it was aired as the first ever on MTV. It was a high budget production and used ‘over-lay’ which was deemed as complex editing.  

1984: Micheal Jackson, Thriller.  Thriller has developed the concept of music videos. It had a beginning, middle and end and simulated a short film. It is still considered one of the best music videos ever made. The ‘Top of the Pops’ began to censor video that had controversial content, which is where censorship began and is still continued today. Duran Duran’s ‘Girls on Film’ was censored due to explicit clothing and promiscuity.

1980’s: MTV and Music Success. 80’s was the time of rise in music videos supply. Most for the artists made videos for their songs and debuted on MTV. Madonna began to sell her music through politically and socially controversial content which gained her global recognition and success. Many directors started working on music videos in order to breakthrough in the film industry.

How have Music Videos Developed Over Time?

Over the decades, music videos went through a drastic change and underwent various stimulus. These are some of the causes for such radical evolution:

• ·         Technology/ Equipment Advancement: Over time the technology has developed and there were new inventions which helped to improve the quality of music videos. today you can view videos in HD quality because the filming equipment has improved and artist are able to purchase them. However, before there was only one type of camera and the quality was less effective. Furthermore, today artists are able to edit their videos professionally and have special effects through the use of green screens. They can create surreal imagery or experiment with the variety of effects or corrections. Whereas back in the day the technology was not advanced enough and people didn’t have the knowledge to create such effects. For example, bands like Coldplay utilized a series of green screens and special effects for their concept video Up and Up. The video is visually spectacular and appealing due to the excellent use of technology. Lastly the audio has also improved. Artist work in professional studios with high quality audio equipment and are allowed to edit their sound too.
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• ·         The Distribution and Consumption: The distribution and consumption has also developed over time. there are various polysemy and synergy techniques which can help to promote a video but there are also many ways to distribute/air the video. Modern music videos are can be distributed across different social medias, including sites like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, which also promotes the video/ artist. This is an example of synergy. In addition, a music video can be aired on various music channels like MTV or VIVA but also viewed on YouTube, Vevo or Vimeo where the audience can see the video for free.
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• ·         Star Image and Representation: Over the time artists, especially in popular culture, have underwent changes and generations of performers have changed the way they portray themselves in the music videos. This also depends on genre. For example, today most him hop artists will try to sell the rich lifestyle through their music videos. ‘Candy Shop’ by 50 Cent portrays expensive cars and jewelry in order to attract a particular audience and show off his lavish lifestyle, whereas in the beginning, artist did not have certain representations as the audience didn’t have formed their expectations of each genre.
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• ·         Purpose of Music Videos: There are many purposes to a music video. At the beginning many artists created music videos to simply entertain the audience and breakthrough, however today there are many more ways a video can enhance one’s career. It can be a way of maintaining a bond with the audience or establishing yourself as a solo artist. On the other hand, it can also be an excellent tool to sell the artist’s music. Many modern videos use controversy to gain publicity through their videos, like Robin Thicke in ‘Blurred Lines’. This is a way if polysemy and have gained Robin global media attention and cheap publicity. Lastly a video can also be used as a promotion for another media, like a film. Alicia Keys created a soundtrack for Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014) ‘It’s on Again’ with snapshots of the film.

Conclusion

After researching into the history of music videos I have a good understanding of the developments the industry underwent throughout the years. I gained essential knowledge which will help me with the general context and understanding of the industry. Overall it is obvious that there are still debates on who created the first video and people have different views. I believe that Tony Bennett was the first one to create an official music video. This is because his ‘Stranger in Paradise’ video had elements that classify as a music video. The clip also follows some of Goodwin’s characteristics like star image. It was also distributed to UK and US which what today’s artist do when distributing their works. The history of music videos also allowed me to see how the those influenced modern artist and how it continues to evolve. 

FINAL PRODUCT: MUSIC VIDEO

FINAL PRODUCT: MAGAZINE ADVERT

FINAL PRODUCT: DIGIPAK

EVALUATION: Q4) HOW DID YOU USE NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH, PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?

Question 4 from Natalia

EVALUATION: Q3) WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

EVALUATION: Q3) WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

Demographics:

Demographics are traits, which a person cannot force/ influence. They are characteristics often used do evaluate groups of people. After looking at the different demographics and analyzing their psychographics (interest, hobbies etc.) I was able to see what groups of people are drawn into what genre of music. This helped me to establish my own target audience and the demographics for my product.  

This are the key elements, which helped me to identify my target audience:

• ·         Genre: The genre of my music video is indie jazz/ blues. The original song (‘Syrup and Honey’) is performed by a Welsh singer, Duffy.
• ·         Gender: The music video targets all genders. Although one might think that it aims at females due to the female lead, I have targeted all genders because everyone can relate to the themes and issues which the artist struggles to cope with.
• ·         Age: Targeted at people aged 15-35
• ·         Ethnicity: My products target all ethnicities because every ethnicity is able to relate to the issues displayed, and at some point, anyone could experience similar emotions/ feelings as the artist. The video can help them feel less alone.  
• ·         Occupation: E1 to C1: The target audience of my product is the working/ middle class. This is because, similarly to them, the artist is also of lower class and the audience will be able to relate to the character.
• ·         Hobbies and Interests: My products are unique and original therefore can be more appealing to people with niche hobbies, interests, and those who are ‘different’ from the mainstream. However, everyone is welcome to enjoy my products.

My product aims to attract people of mixed gender and ethnicity, and generally anyone above the age of 15. This is a large target audience however; it is evident that the indie genre will only appeal to certain tastes and selective people. Most indie tracks aim to target anyone yet only some will truly enjoy it and appreciate it due to its unconventionality and originality. The themes of mental health, drugs and isolation are also universal which could help to attract wider audiences as anyone will be able to identify with these ideas. Despite the main character being white I reckon that ethnic audiences will still be attracted to my product because I am not promoting any ethnicity but trying to convey a different issue/message which all races will be able to identify with.

Why is it Important to know about audiences when creating a music video?

Before creating a music video, it is important to know about audiences as it gives an insight into their interests and expectations. It is also important to find out about who your target audience is and what they like. If you are familiar with this then you will be able to make the music video relatable to the audience, and create it according to the audience’s expectations. An audience is extremely important, as they are the consumers who can make my music video successful, as their viewings will determine how popular a music video is. If the music video was made accordingly to the audience demand / needs, it is more likely that it will be received well and consumed by larger numbers. This results in financial success.  In order to find out about your audience, it is suitable to collect primary and secondary data, such as various internet research and questionnaires. Over the course I have created, a few questionnaires, which I handed out in order to receive direct feedback. I recorded this information on graphs and charts. These methods allowed me to find out about the audience in a more personal way and understand what kind of conventions they would expect to see in a music video. 

Questionnaire and Graphs:

In order to get an understanding of audience expectations I decided to create a questionnaire. This was at the beginning of the planning stage. I handed it out to 20 people and gained their feedback. The focus of the questionnaire was the indie genre. This allowed me to explore what the audience expects to see in my final music video so I could come up with our definite plan. From gathering relevant audience feedback using the questionnaire, I created graphs to make a visual representation of the feedback and opinions regarding the Indie/ Blues genre. Creating these graphs was important because they have helped me to organise the feedback neatly, therefore allowing me to decide what the audiences’ recommendations are. Overall, the responses I received allowed me to find out what the audience wants therefore I was able to create a product. The primary evidence, which I collected, were used to examine what will be suitable for my music video. After completing the questionnaire, I was more confident with my production because I was always able to go back to the feedback I received and use it as a guide. I was able to rely on my audience feedback, which is important in the industry as a production cannot be successful without the audience input.

I have distributed this questionnaire:

The following results were vital to my overall product:

These questions are standard demographics in order to get to know the people I receive the feedback from. It also helped me to establish what age group I will aim my product at and the gender that am I likely to appeal to. It is clear that I have a variety of ages and genders, which will aid my knowledge as I will gain a mass feedback across different people and am likely to appeal to at least some. The feedback shows that there is a clear diversity in my audience, which gave me unbiased answers.

This pie chart shows whether the audience are expecting a performance, concept or a narrative based video. It is clear that the audience is quite indecisive which gave me more room to experiment. Because of this audience feedback, I have created a music video with a clear performance; some narrative and concept combined which made my product unique and original as well as appealing to a larger audience.  

This pie chart shows whether the audience would prefer a male or a female artist. Overall, the indie genre is known for promoting gender equality and many bands are mixed gender. From these responses, it is clear that the audience do not mind the gender of the artist, which allowed me to experiment more and use either one. This audience feedback allowed me to decide on a female artist in the final production.

How did this help you make Decisions?

The questionnaire and graphs helped me make decisions regarding my product. Some of these were the basis of my product. For example, the question about the video and its structure allowed me to realize that I am free to experiment with the idea of concept, narrative and performance therefore my end production was unique and original. In addition, the question about the gender of the main artist has also helped me to establish the basis of my campaign. From this audience feedback, I ended up with a female artist. Without the questionnaire, I would have no feedback and it would be tougher to establish the campaign successfully as I would not be aware of audience demands and expectations.

The Focus Group:

After completing my music video and the ancillary products, I held a focus group. A focus group is a small number of people who are brought together to discuss a product before being launched into market. They can criticize as well give positive feedback in order to help you measure your success. I decided to have a focus group concerning my music video and both ancillary tasks in order to measure my success and see whether I fulfilled the audience’s expectations and if they think there is room for improvement. I also wanted to check whether I have created a proficient product and if I have addressed/ attracted the right target audience. The people that I gathered for my focus group were young adults. I have made sure I asked media and film students in order to receive feedback concerning the technical aspects of my production.

I took these images during the viewing from my focus group.

 Sound Cloud (Some Audio Feedback from my Focus Group)

Why did you put your work on YouTube?

I uploaded my work on You Tube for various reasons. First off, it is a globally recognized video platform, accessible for anyone from anywhere. This allowed me to distribute my product on a mass scale and reach a wide audience thus securing my success. In addition, from You Tube I was able to place my final music video on my blogger post. In addition, You Tube allows users to comment on videos; therefore, I will be able to receive feedback through the comment section on You Tube. It allows producers to gain audience feedback from all over the world and see what all these spectators have to say about the product.

Images from Social Media Sites:

Why did you put your work on Social Media?

Social media allows to connect with people from all around the world due to its accessibility and pace of work. Sites like Facebook or Instagram were a great way to share my work with others and find more audiences on a global scale. It brought people with common interest together and most could enjoy the video and share it with wider audiences, which benefits me. Furthermore, today, social media is a great promotional tool, which is free for anyone to utilize. Many small companies and upcoming artist use it to access their audiences in order to market themselves free. Therefore as I had minimal budget, social media, was an invaluable way to share my product and advertise my artist, which worked effectively. Social media allows communication through comments, likes and shares, which can help to measure my success. People began to comment on my work, which showed me how effective my video and ancillary products were.

Comments I received on Facebook:

What did you learn from all this Audience Feedback in terms of whether you created a Conventional and Successful Music Video?

From looking at the various audience feedback I received, I learnt that the general response to my product was positive and the consumers were happy with what I created. This includes my target audience. This feedback showed me that the music video used conventions effectively and therefore affected the correct audience, as otherwise it would not appeal to the consumers. Despite having, some negative comments I know I have created a conventional and successful music video because the negatives came from people who were not the intended audience like elders and the masses. This also shows that I have followed Hebdige’s subculture theory as the people who responded positively to my product can be classified as niche in some sense, which fulfills my overall plan.  

Conclusion:

To conclude I have learnt a lot of useful information from my audience feedback. It was an effective and easy way to measure the success of my products. The fact that I have used different platforms to gain the feedback allowed me to access opinions from a diverse group of people, which only showed more validation and allowed me to draw credible feedback. It was important to share my products on sites like You Tube, Facebook and Instagram. Despite being primarily social media sites, they allowed for quick distribution of products and a free way of marketing which was useful, knowing I had no budget for my production. In addition, they are interactive webpages, which allowed me to draw more feedback from the audiences on a global scale. I thought the focus group was also particularly effective s I was able to observe the raw and initial responses to the music video and ancillary products live and see how people reacted which was also useful to measure the success of my work. Overall, I believe that my music video and ancillary products are successful and attract the correct target audience through an effective application of conventions.  

EVALUATION: Q2) HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?