PURPOSE OF MUSIC VIDEOS

Kerri Roberts

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS

The earliest films were filmed in the 1950s

In 1956, Tony Bennett was filmed walking along the Serpentine in

Hyde Park as his song Stranger in Paradise played. This was

distributed to TV stations in the UK and US.

Then, in 1964, The Beatles brought out their promotional video A

Hard Days Night which was considered to be the basic visual

vocabulary of todays music videos.

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS- MTV

The first ever music video to be aired on MTV was Video Killed The

Radio Star by The Buggles.

Several concepts for music video television programming had

been around since the early 1960s. The original purpose of MTV
was to be "music television", playing music videos 24/7, guided by
on-air personalities known as VJs (video jockeys). MTV was
launched on August 1, 1981, where they aired the first music
video.

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS- MICHAEL

JACKSON
Michael Jacksons video for Billy Jean was the first to

incorporate the idea of having a short film in a music

video.

HOW MUSIC VIDEOS HAVE CHANGED OVER

TIME
Music videos have changed a lot over the years. As we move through from the

beginning to now, music videos are very different. From quality, to message, to
narrative, sound and lyrics, to budget. Music is very different, which also shows in the
videos.

For example, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears, filmed in early

1985 features Curt Smith driving an antique Austin-Healey 3000 sports car around
various Southern California local areas. Combined with these clips are shots of the
full band performing the song in a London studio. The "Everybody Wants to Rule the
World" video had a big hand in helping establish Tears for Fears in America, due to
its heavy amount of play on the music video channel MTV.

HOW MUSIC VIDEOS HAVE CHANGED OVER

TIME
But a video such as Katy Perrys This Is How We Do,

clearly has a bigger budget even though it has been

filmed in a studio. The quality is great and the style is very
pop-art. Also, Katy is wearing more revealing clothes
compared to older videos. There isnt really any similarity
with the video and song, and is very simple.

WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT?

Creating a visual image- a visual image of a song really helps
the audience understand what the song is about and lets them
see it from the artists point of view.

Promoting- promoting the music video is one of the most

important purposes as the artists want people to see what they

have done and also hear the song.

Increasing the income- by creating a music video, it can be

aired on TV and uploaded to YouTube for people to watch. All
of this help increase the Artists income.

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

I believe music videos are important because it gives the
Artist a good chance to express and show the audience
the real meaning behind their song and how they want it
to be portrayed. It is also a good way to help them get
noticed through TV airing, YouTube and other social
network sites. Having a music video also increases the
Artists income, which also helps to increase their
popularity and get noticed.

CHANGE OF IMAGE
Some artists, who are new to the music industry, tend not

to be noticed straightaway. So a change of image is

widely recommended.

An example of an artist who has had a change of

image would be Taylor Swift. When she first came into

the music scene in 2008, she was seen in only cowboy
boots and long dresses. But, recently has begun to wear
more revealing outfits such as crop tops and shorts. This
has attracted a more wider fan base and also gave her
the bad girl name.

CHANGE OF IMAGE- TAYLOR SWIFT

PURPOSE OF MUSIC VIDEOS and CHANGE OF

IMAGE- FOCUS GROUPS
In the focus group, we discussed the main purposes of

music videos and change of image.

WHY IS CONTROVERSY GOOD?

Controversy is good as it helps to boast sales and views.

This happens because everyone is talking about it, so

people need to see it in order to believe that it is real.

For example, Eminem came under fire in 2004 when his

video for 'Just Lose It' was taken down from BET after
complaints were made by Michael Jackson. As well as
scenes showing MJ with his hair on fire and the rapper
being sick on him, the song also featured the lyrics, 'Ive
touched on everything but little boys/ That's not a stab at
Michael/ Its a just a metaphor, I'm just a psycho.'
Despite the controversy, the video went on to be
nominated for Best Rap Video at the MTV Awards.

JUST LOSE IT- EMINEM

WHY IS BAD PUBLICITY GOOD?

Negative publicity can increase income and popularity when an

artist or label is relatively unknown simply because it stimulates

awareness about that certain artist.

For example, the Miley Cyrus music video for Wrecking Ball

received a lot of bad press and talk as Miley was known as

Disneys good girl. But when she released this video, everyone was
shocked and surprised. It received a lot of bad press due to its
visual content, which in the end, helped promote and boast sales
as people wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Wrecking Ball now has over 700 Million views on YouTube.

WRECKING BALL- MILEY CYRUS

DOES SEX SELL?

Yes sex does sell because it draws in a wider audience

and also gets people talking about it. When people

show off their bodies in music videos, a lot of people
want to see what the fuss is, so watch it. Also, most songs
are about sex so the music videos usually revolve around
this topic.

An example is Nicki Minajs Anaconda which shows

half naked woman dancing and shaking their butts in a

jungle. This was viewed as a very sexual video, and so
received a lot of press which drew people into seeing
the video.

ANACONDA- NICKI MINAJ

OUTLETS
Outlets, such as YouTube and Vimeo, allow unknown

artists to gain popularity and acknowledgment by

publishing their music videos on the site.

A good example of this would be PSY with his song

Gangnam Style. After publishing it in July 2012, in

December 2012, it became the first music video on
YouTube to reach 1 Billion views. Because of the
opportunity social networkings sites gave Gangnam
Style, PSY won Best Video at MTV Europe Music Awards,
and also led him to possible future collaborations with
well known artists, such as Lady Gaga.

GANGNAM STYLE- PSY

OUTLETS
Another example of an Artist who was able to gain
popularity and acknowledgment via social networking
outlets was Justin Bieber. He became a hit after being
discovered on YouTube and then releasing his first
music video One Time on his own YouTube account in
2009. In just 6 months, the video had already been
viewed over 300 Million times.

BRANDS
Product placement used to be useless in music videos as

MTV had a ban on obvious plugs. But as the internet and

social media has progressed, music lovers had a reliable
destination to watch videos which gave advertisers
and labels a chance to benefit by working together.

Back in 2010 American firm PQ Media revealed that

revenue from product placement in music videos had

doubled in the past ten years, and had increased by
$5 million in 2009 alone.

BRANDS
For example, Lady Gaga, in her duet with Beyonc, Telephone, there

are at least ten different brands featured in the video. For example,
Gaga's own Heartbeats headphones; "Beats Limited Edition" laptop; HP
Envy; "telephone" partner Virgin Mobile; Miracle Whip; Wonder Bread
and Diet Coke. The video received reactions from the Huffington Post,
The Guardian, Jezebel, Rolling Stone and Interview Magazine, which
gave a list of all the brands - including fashion and accessories - that
make appearances. The video broke all Vevo single-day traffic records
and had already generated close to 4 million views on YouTube in less
than 24 hours.

Mr. Carter told Ad Age that several of the brands were Gaga's ideas

and did not pay to be included. However, Plenty of Fish saw a 15%
increase in search.

PRODUCT PLACEMENT IN TELEPHONE

BRANDS
But there can also be times when celebrity

endorsements dont work out. For example,

Britney Spears was signed for around $7
million to endorse Pepsi and feature in their
adverts, but was caught out multiple times
drinking rivals products such as Diet Coke
and Sunkist. After reportedly a few stern
words and warnings, Britney was dropped
by Pepsi, losing out on the deal and
replaced by Beyonc.

SYNERGY
Synergy is the process in which a song or artist is able to gain more

popularity through films, TV shows and adverts.

For example, the song My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion which

was the main theme song to the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic.

Originally released in 1997 on the Titanic soundtrack album and

Dion's album Let's Talk About Love, the romantic song went to
number 1 all over the world, including the United States, Canada,
Ireland, United Kingdom and Australia.

The song became Dion's biggest hit, and one of the best-selling

singles of all time, and was the world's best-selling single of 1998.
The music video was directed by Bille Woodruff and released at
the end of 1997. So far, the video has had over 42 Million hits.

MY HEART WILL GO ON- CELINE DION

PRODUCER- WHO IS THE PRODUCER?

1. The major label
2. The independent music label

3. The self produced artist

PRODUCER- THE MAJOR LABEL

The major label is for mainstream artist, such as Sam

Smith and Taylor Swift. Their music is mostly mainstream,

with it being in a popular genre such as RnB and pop.

These artists are generally high in the chart; do big tours

and sell a high amount of records, as well as

merchandise.

Their music videos have large budgets as they are

expected to earn it back through their large fan base

and catchy songs.

For example, Sam Smith is signed to Capitol Recordswhich is a very well known major label.

PRODUCER- PROS AND CONS- MAJOR LABEL

Pros

Cons

Excessive amounts of funding

Harder to give attention to all

Bigger budgets

Higher chance of success

due to networking and

connections.

Reputation

the signed artists.

May risk losing a lot of money

with an artist.

PRODUCER- THE INDEPENDENT MUSIC LABEL

An independent record label is a record label running without the

funding of other organisations such as major record labels. Many

bands and musical acts begin their careers on independent
labels.

Independent labels have smaller budgets and tend to market the

niche genre, e.g. folk and indie.

These types of music videos are often quite experimental with the

technique, equipment and narrative being quite different

compared to mainstream videos.

FOR EXAMPLE:
The independent record label Epitaph Records signed

the post-hardcore band Our Last Night in 2007. Our Last

Night are widely known on YouTube and post regular
hardcore covers.

PRODUCER- PROS AND CONS- THE

INDEPENDENT LABEL
Pros

Cons

Loyal fan bases as it is a niche

Smaller budget

genre.

Artists get the rights to their

music.

More personal relationship

with artist.

Doesnt attract a mass

audience/ fan base

Less power within the industry

due to its size.

PRODUCER- THE SELF PRODUCED ARTIST

A self produced artist is one that produces their own

music videos and songs. These are then used to help

promote themselves and build a fan base, and if
unsigned, can give them the chance to sign with a
label.

Self produced artists produce their own videos mainly

because of budget limitations. But, this also gives them

the opportunity to show their visual artistic side and also
may be easier for them to access, produce and
distribute with the use of affordable equipment.

PRODUCER- PROS AND CONS- THE SELF

PRODUCED ARTIST
Pros

Cons

You are in charge

Smaller budget

Your ideas

Harder to get noticed due to

Create music how you want it

to sound.

small budget for marketing

and promoting

VIDEOS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED

Some artists, once successful, decide to change their music videos

to a more professional and higher budget one. This gives them the
chance to attract a new audience as well, although changing a
music video is rare.

An example of an artist who changed their music video is Tupac.

The first version was inspired by the film Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome, and takes place in a desert in the year 2095. It ends
with the cliffhanger "To Be Continued". The second version is that
the desert scenes of the previous videos were just a nightmare
2Pac was having. When he wakes up, he finds himself in his bed
beside a woman. The rest of the video is set as a house party.

VIDEOS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED

First Version

Second Version

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS (STYLES)

In concert and as live
Animation
Interpretative
Narrative
Impressionist
Surrealist
Pastiche
Parody

Homage
Influence of commercials

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

In concert and as live- Live Performances are used in music videos to mainly give the

fans a chance to appear in their videos as a way of saying thanks, and to also give the
allusion that they are performing the song there and then.

For example, The Strokes Last Night, the band are in a studio where they are performing

the song live. They aren't playing to anyone in particular, just the camera which gives the
effect that they are performing to the people watching the video. Due to this, it makes it
a live performance video. Multi-image is mostly used in studio based music videos,

they use multi-camera to get different shots of the band, but also multi-image is
all the different shots that are in the whole music video. In this video, they use
multi-image as they have the use of lots of different cameras in the set.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Animation- Animation music videos are simply partially or entirely animated

music videos. This style of music video is usually cheaper to produce since it is
entirely digital, and props, venues, cameras and other equipment aren't
needed, except the use of green screen. This style of music video can also
compliment a song as it may suit its mood and can attract their target age
group. For example, Miss Atomic Bomb by The Killers.

Interpretative- Interpretive music videos are when the lyrics for the song match

the music video. For example Lonely Islands ' I'm On a boat' is all about them
being 'On a Boat' and the lyrics describe what is going on in each shot of the
video. Also, in this music video they are singing about being on a boat
throughout most of the song, so are stood on a boat. They also use more
interpretive imagery in the music video, for example in the song he sings, 'Ive
got my swim trunks and my flippy floppies' and then it shows him sat down
waving his flip flops. In the video, there are a lot of different shots, such as a high angle
and low angle shots; close ups; mid shots. There is also an establishing type shot, which
shows the audience that they are on a boat in the ocean.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Miss Atomic Bomb by The
Killers

I'm On a boat- The Lonely

Island

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Narrative- A narrative in a music video is where the video has a storyline and has a story behind it.
For example Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Into The Great Wide Open. This song is fitting with
the lyrics as it is almost like a storybook narration being told about 'Eddie's' escape to Hollywood.
When watching the video with the song, you understand the lyrics and what is happening by the
way it is being told. So you are able to, in a way, gain an emotional connection as you know what is
happening. When watching the video, I became more focused on the video as it was able to show
us what was happening while the song acted as a narration.

Another example would be the song Janies Got A Gun by Aerosmith. The song is about a girl
named Janie who takes revenge on her father after being sexually abused by him. The narrative of
the video really expresses the meaning behind the song as we are taken through this storyline in the
video with the characters. We are able to see from Janie's point of view of why she did what she
did. When watching the music video, I was more focused on the video and how the lyrics matched
what was happening on the screen.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Surrealist- Surrealist music videos are very abstract, and may or may not have a

relation to the music itself. They are also very artistic and creative and usually
contain a mixture of live footage and animation to add surreal effects or
distortion. They give the impression to be influenced by visions or dreams. An
example of this would be Mister Heavenly Bronx Sniper.
Parody- a parody
music video is one
that takes an original
song and then
changes the lyrics to
make them funnier.
They also remake
the music video to
match the new
parody lyrics.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Impressionist- A impressionist is where they take inspiration from lots of different

sources in the media, or just an idea that they have on something. For example
in the music video by The Beastie Boys 'Sabotage, they use the inspiration of
70's style police and they give their own interpretation of 70's police to make the
music video. They do this by dressing up the characters in long brown hair wigs
and wearing big mirrored sunglasses, which is a symbolisation of 70's police.

This video is also cut to the beat, and is especially noticeable at the beginning.

Cutting to the beat is when the editing matches the beat of the song.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Pastiche- A pastiche is where the music video is dependant on a different media

product. They create a parody of the media product and without the official media
product then the music video would have nothing to compare to. For example in the
music video 'Walk' by the Foo Fighters, this music video is where they depend entirely on
the film 'Falling Down' which is about a man who has a mental breakdown whilst sat in
traffic. The music video created by Foo Fighters is a copy of that film but made with
more humour. They use close ups in the music video at the beginning to show the
characters emotion, they also do this in the film, because the beginning scene is where
the breakdown begins. The music video also has different camera movement, for
example tracking shots and tilts.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Homage- Homage is acknowledgement from something from the past. For

example, The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars. This video uses locations, themes and
iconography from the popular classic horror film The Shining. The band
perform in a hotel very similar to The Overlook hotel featured in The Shining and
the lead singer sits at a typewriter just as Jack Nicholsons character who is a
writer does in the film.

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS- STYLES

Influence of commercials- This is when a music video uses commercials to

influence the music video by giving a reason for doing something. For example
in the video for The Black Eyed Peas 'Where is the love, they use the idea of
branding in their music video by handing out leaflets, putting flyers on walls and
showing a picture of a question mark to ask where is the love? This uses
advertisement strategies to create their music video as there whole video is
about them advertising something.

Also, in this song there is the use of miming/ lip syncing. This is usually done by

the artist themselves, but can also be done by different people like in this video.
They use miming well in this video as they have multiple people miming in the
song, and they have kids and adults singing the song which is not very realistic
but gives the music video a good effect.

TECHNIQUES- EFFECTS
Effects are mostly used in music videos to add to the narrative of the video. It

helps to add to the storyline and also makes it more visual to the audience. Effects
are mainly used in the major record company's music videos because they have
more money. For example in the Dr Dre video 'I need a doctor' they used the
effect of a Ferrari crashing. This would have cost the record label a lot to make
this effect as they would have had to create the scene more than once, which
meant they had to pay more.

REFERENCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV

https://a2whitelqegs.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/how-have-music-videos-have-changed-over-time/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Heart_Will_Go_On

http://www.blogzimbalam.co.uk/brand-and-product-placement-in-music-videos/

http://www.gigwise.com/photos/64434/Eminems-Top-10-Most-Shocking-Music-Videos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Time_%28song%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangnam_Style

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_Like_the_Wolf

http://madamenoire.com/312879/music-artists-multiple-videos-song/4/

http://juliaaacaa.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.virgin.com/music/top-5-surreal-music-videos

REFERENCES
http://www.quora.com/What-was-the-first-music-video-ever-produced

http://www.history.com/news/the-music-video-before-music-television

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/21/michael-jackson-thriller-changed-music-videos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_videography

https://30yearsofmusicvideos.wordpress.com/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19zfkyXkKk3rWZxlA5ZOJlbKfRhuRqIuao_r6cNupuCA/edit?hl=
en_US&pli=1

http://jordankhan.blogspot.co.uk/

https://benray95.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/purpose-styles-and-conventions-of-music-videos/