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The Jazz Singer
Half silent movie, half musical, the first talking movie. Many people enjoyed soul/jazz music, but did not like the black people who performed it. Therefore, Al Jolson painted his face black so it almost gave the audience the experience of listening to black music, but it was actually performed by a white man -
The Gold-Diggers
Elaborate production in 1933, there was more thought put into the choreography as the women in the production had set moves to follow and props to carry. Also the set was designed to fit with the meaning of the production, so it was based on money, which linked with the Great Depression. This production tried to glamourize life, by saying 'we're in the money now' giving people hope that the economy would recover. -
Alexander Nevsky
Soviet Russian propaganda film. This was the first time a soundtrack was specifically commissioned. The action in the video was set with the soundtrack, for example the soundtrack made it easier to establish who the good and the bad guys were in the clip. -
Disney 'Fantasia'
This was arguably the first music video. Walt Disney was trying to engage his audience with classical music, however this proved to not be successful. In modern times, there have been remixes of 'Fantasia' in places fit for raves, perhaps something Walt Disney did not intend for. -
Gene Kelly - Singing in the rain
This focuses on dramatic context, by using chorography in a film as well as singing lyrics. This can be seen as the peak of musical films. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis released 'Jailhouse Rock'. He was different as his music was entirely inspired by black artist. People were outraged by the video that was released as prisoners were dancing with prison guards and engaging in activites against the norm. -
West Side Story
A staged musical based on a modern 'Romeo and Juliet', it was a well established production. -
Ready Steady Go!
This show consisted of live performances to sell the band to the public. When appearing on the show, bands would often mime their own songs, but in 1964 this changed. Record labels began to realize they could make a profit from selling the band as an image as well as for their actual music. Therefore, the bands image was put more thought into than ever before. -
Top of the Pops
This was a show dedicated to promoting bands, so record companies would try really hard to get bands on the show. Music videos began to become more important as without one, this showed that the band was not big enough to be on Top of the Pops. Originally, this was where people would find out which band was at number 1 in the chart. -
The Animals
The first music video which looks similar to what we would expect in modern day. This was suited the the artists with particular angles which enhanced their image. -
The Monkees - Daydream Believer
This music video started to show signs of good production and that thought had actually gone into the product. It also suggests how much control the industry had over the artists, the Monkees were one of the bands that wanted to be more independent and develop their own style, however this did not work out for them and lost their fame. -
David Bowie - The Jean Genie
David Bowie originally started off his career as a mime artist and then progressed to being music artist. He created a completely new direction for music videos as he let creativity flow and caused controversy as he did not confirm his sexuality. -
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
This video broke the convention of the expected video length. The video also contains special effects which would have been difficult to create back in the 70's. At this point, the video became just as important as the music as an artistic creation in its own right. -
MTV Launched
This was the first music channel dedicated to music videos and the promotion of the artist. It had an significant impact on popular culture and has massively contributed to the importance of the music video. However more recently, MTV has less focus on music videos and more on reality TV shows such as Geordie shore, and Ex on the beach. Perhaps this is because as more music video channels came along, it lost its selling point -
Michael Jackson - Thriller
One of the most iconic music videos of all time, which broke boundaries for music videos. It was landmark merging of film making with the combination of a music video. This music video exceeded 13 minutes, meaning it was possible for artists to make almost a mini film. -
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
Peter Gabriel himself sat behind a glass screen for 16 hours, whilst Nick Park the creator of Wallace and Gromit directed the music video. This was completely original as no other artist had attempted to make a animated music video before, this again broke music video boundaries; showing other artists how creative they can be. -
Beyonce
Beyonce released a whole album without promotion or advertising on YouTube via music videos before the physical release. She had created a visual album for her fans, this is massively significant and has never been done before.
