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A Journey Down Memory Lane

History Of Music Videos

Everything we see as media today was invented at some point in history. (I mean obviously...) Even though it may be something completely different from its original form (first form) in today's age and time, this is primarily due to advanced technology that they did not have previously. (I wish I could have explained it better, but my last two braincells aren't working.) Not to mention that the previous music videos may not be to everyone's taste and preference (like me for the most part). Not to lie, the earlier music videos may not be to everyone's taste and preference (including mine, for the most part). But as I've learned more about them and watched more videos, they've grown on me.

The first time music and film collided was in 1894, when a sheet music publisher hired electrician George Thomas to sync a live performance with a magic lantern that displayed projected images. This was very popular at the time, and if you ever have the opportunity to see a magic lantern in a museum, you will not be disappointed. Glass plate photography is still far superior to any digital projection available today.

Following this, in the 1940s, the concept of short films combining live-action footage of the performer was introduced. It was shown in theatres prior to the main presentations. So you no longer needed to see a full-feature talkie to hear music and sound; instead, you could see the performer playing in short segments of music! (Tadaa...Magic!)

If you were working in Hollywood in your late twenties and thirties, your life was bound to change. The silent era of cinema was coming to an end, and an entire industry that was still developing its own language had to reinvent itself and start from scratch in terms of how sound could be integrated into the films. Many film theorists at the time claimed that cinema ended at this point. Others saw this as a necessary step in trying to understand how sound could affect the moving image. The Jazz Singer was the first film to use audio-visual synchronisation (Don't worry I wasn't blown away either!) This meant that, for the first time, you could actually see a non-live music performance! You could only hear your artists, see a picture of how he looked, or be lucky enough to see them live up until that point. This was a huge step forward in how we now view music videos. Psychedelic audiovisuals were created during this time period. Classical music was juxtaposed with moving abstract shapes. 

Short musical performances were very common in the 1950s, but they were not considered important until they appeared in films. Short clips of musical visuals were occasionally inserted into the films, and musicals, which were music-based films, were also produced. The 1958 iPhone. If you've ever wanted to watch music videos outside of a movie theatre, inventor Serge Gainsbourg has the latest gadget for you: the Scopitone! During the 1960s, these jukeboxes began to appear in bars and nightclubs throughout Europe and the United States.

In terms of film language, the Scopitone added an intriguing dimension that is heavily linked to the video era and small screens such as our iPhones- framing and preparing for a small screen. We see almost no wide angle shots and instead focus on more medium to close-up shots of the artist playing, which had to be planned because the screen will be crammed in a corner with a large crowd surrounding it.

This is not an exhaustive list of pre-MTV music videos, but we will highlight significant music videos from this era in this section, and we will do so by era. According to my observations, the majority of the early adopters of music videos were French and British musicians.

Before The Beatles; Elvis Presley appeared in a slew of music videos. He wasn't just music; he had an entire image and marketing campaign behind him. In 1963, Kenneth Anger directed Scorpio Rising, an experimental gay/biker/occult film that some claim was the first drama film with a rock and roll soundtrack. There is no dialogue, only music, and the soundtrack includes 13 songs. He frequently used pop/rock music in his films, making him one of the most influential music video directors during the MTV era. Some consider him to be the "Father of Music Videos."

Everyone's life changed forever on August 1, 1981 (is it really that profound?). MTV, the world's first music channel, debuted. This marked the beginning of a 24-hour music trend. The first video played was "Music Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles (ironic, no?). There was no turning back after that. From The Little Lost Child to Michael Jackson, we've come a long way. 

The Beatles were not only musically influential; they were also a band that branched out into music videos and feature films, with all of the members appearing in films on their own. Without a doubt, they deserve their own section. Sure, Elvis made movies before The Beatles, but The Beatles took it a step further by inspiring their contemporaries to star in and produce their own films for example, made Ferry Cross The Mersey in 1965. If you still have any braincells left after reading this lengthy history post please go and watch one of their best-known songs is "Strawberry Fields Forever," which was featured in the film Magical Mystery Tour. Following this was one of Queen's (if not THE) most popular songs, "Bohemian Rhapsody" (it's my favourite song, and it better be yours too, or we won't be able to talk!)

Despite the fact that MTV brought music videos to television, Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim had a far more creative/ technologically advanced idea that they launched on February 14, 2005 under the name "Youtube." With this launch, fans had much easier access to music videos and could watch their favourite artists whenever they wanted. Youtube is still in the lead because there hasn't been a more advanced and standout idea like this.

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