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Period: to
HISTORY OF THE MUSIC VIDEO
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Len Lye - A color box (1935)
• There’s a direct link/ relationship between the music and the imagery- upbeat, fast music alongside upbeat rhythmic imagery; shapes and lines
• Upbeat fast faced music with distorted lines, colours; Fast paced changing shapes and colours. The music correlated directly with the visuals.
• Main line/ squiggle following the notes played by the saxophone- straight to wiggly etc
• Drums represented by the zooming/hitting dots/ dotted patterns against the screen- highlights and emphasises the drums -
Len Lye - A color box
• Drums represented by the zooming/hitting dots/ dotted patterns against the screen- highlights and emphasises the drums role in the music piece
• Follows the basic concept introduced by Andrew Goodwin- illustration; the imagery illustrates the music -
‘Soundies’ of the 1940s ;Soundies: Jazz, Swing, and Bebop Legends in PBS Documentary
• Most music videos in this piece cut from a long shot to a medium shot, this showing the beginning of how the cameras focus on the artist/lead singer. In this way experimenting with shots, using a very simplistic/ basic idea of what a video should look like- this pushing towards the invention of a ‘beauty shot’ -
‘Soundies’ of the 1940s PART 2
• Key Starr and Jimmy Dodd – stop that dancing: the singer plays as part of the narrative: the woman is sitting down, mouthing the lyrics to the phone- fits the narrative by setting up the location and the props etc
• Mise-en-scene is thought about and used (lamp)
• This fits Simon Firths idea of incorporating narrative into the music video and have the main star be the main actor -
‘Soundies’ of the 1940s PART 3
• Tracking forward into piano player (showing the importance of him) also underlines the importance of performance and makes it very authentic and believable
• This concept is still used to day however it’s much more developed and creative – a more recent music video where this idea was used was in Taylor Swifts video ‘ Never Getting Back Together’- where she’s pretending to talk on the phone while mouthing the lyrics -
'Soundies’ of the 1940s PART 4
• Videos of the 40’s involving the audience- engaging them by having them dance etc
• Uses the idea of woman being delicate, beautiful and sensitive- usually standing next to the men/ behind them- still used in R&B songs today -
Scopitone 1960s -Copacabana
• On location music video
• More sophisticated
• Uses dance moves
• Women in the background- standing behind the man/singer: not sexual but aspirational> many women dancing behind, plane behind him implies the recent changes: package holidays where people went abroad- shots of the beach/palm trees -
Scopitone 1960s -Copacabana PART 2
• Plane (birth of the package holiday -1960’s) Location being shot and used (beach) comes across as aspirational and advertises new inventions
• Grabbing the two girls- aspirational- women objectified, used as puppets to entertain people
• Woman dancing – used as an aspiration (man with woman dancing around him)
• Sex on the beach
• Taking 2 woman into the plane (aspirational) -
Scopitone 1960s - Copacabana PART 3
• Emphasises on certain body parts that are revealed – such as the ankles/legs… focuses on the bare parts of the body (limited amount they could show at the time) camera tracks the women down, from head to toe- playing around with the idea of extremely mild voyeurism -
Developments in the 1960s- Subterranean Homesick Blues
• Lyrics on a piece of paper- the imagery matching the lyrics
• One location, one shot
• Engages you- you’re constantly reading the lyrics- really simple but effective
• Bits of lyrics written down onto cards and them simultaneously shown when the music is played.
• Keeps the audience entertained as you want to see the next card -
Developments in the 1970sQueen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
• Playing around with effects- overlapping shots
• Close up of the lead singer- more beauty shot, advertising the performer- having this intimate connection with them
• Performance shots- authentic- playing the piano and bass
• Experimenting with lighting
• Andrew Goodwin- illustration- the silhouette part- the lyrics visual imagery
• Performance based- fits in with the genre of rock
• No specific narrative
• Playing around with effects and transitions fading singer faces..etc -
Developments in the 1970sQueen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' PART 2
• Performance shot- piano
• Performance and conceptual ideas
• Experimenting with lighting and the composition where we can only see performers faces
• Live performance –playing the guitar -
Developments in the 1980sThe Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star PART 2
• Shots of the artist playing the piano makes it feel authentic
• There’s an idea behind the video from the lyrics- such as the use of a weird radio/TV etc using semiotics and props that represent certain things/ represent the lyrics
• Pink colourful wigs and costumes attracting attention- incoparating more colour into the music video, this constant idea of experimentation with
• Women in tight costumes, dancing in tubes- once again put on second plan/second set just to compliment the artists -
Developments in the 1980sThe Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star PART 3
• Different costumes- The idea of including more than one costume change. This is now seen in contemporary music videos where the performer has around ¾ costume changes
• Live performance (piano)
• Weird narrative and Conceptual
• Experimental effects -
Developments in the 1980sThe Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
• Using two or more pieces of footage and having it overlap
• Effects such as the cartoonised singer
• Different angle and shots- from close ups and medium shots to cantered angles etc
• Strange costumes- interesting mise en scene
• Engages the audience- fantasy world- would attract the kids. The video is experimenting with different ideas, it’s a bit strange and weird but in this way attracts attention gives an insight/ aspiration for the future
• Quick camera movements
