Movement is an essential part of a music video, as it usually complements the song. This can be achieved through physically moving the camera or by the people who are featured in the video moving and dancing to the rhythm in the song. A music video may also be narrative. This is when the storyline relates to the lyrics in the song.
An example of this is:
Most artists/bands are featured in their music videos as it helps to sell the song. the artists normally perform either by dancing or lip syncing. A lot of artists tend to act in their videos nowadays, the music video could be a combination between performing and acting. Sometimes artists are represented in more than one way in their music video. For example in Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication the band members where represented as characters in a video game.
As music videos are a very established genre, producers in the past have made direct references to other music videos. For instance in the Blink 182 video for All the Small Things, the band members re-enact scenes from other popular music videos. This is commonly known as intertextuality.
The main purpose of a music nowadays is to sell products, normally the song that's featured. Some music videos tend to feature other products, for instance merchandise from the artists website or upcoming tour. Music videos are an unusual marketing tool as the audience get to sample the song before they buy it, you wouldn't be able to do this with any other product.
Before the digital age audiences were only allowed access to songs where the record company had approved, e.g. Top of the Pops. Now technology has developed meaning music videos are now more widely accessible. Video hosting websites such as YouTube allow videos to be uploaded and viewed using portable media devices meaning the song can be listened to anywhere, anytime. This is convenient for the audience however this has caused some problems. People are now less likely to purchase a psychical copy of the song as they can listen to it online for free. At first record companies attempted to stay away from using these kinds of sites and prosecute people who do uploaded songs to YouTube for copyright infringement. Most record labels have come to realise that this is time consuming and very expensive.
In order for record companies to control their artists' video they have a link to iTunes where the song can be download legally. Some artists have their own channels on YouTube which are less controlled e.g. Muse. In America, three of the major record companies have come together to create 'VEVO', a website which hosts only music videos. The content of VEVO is syndicated to YouTube in the UK with YouTube and Google receiving a share of advertising revenue for directing users to the official versions of music videos rather than those uploaded by a third party.
Bands such as The Beatles started to make mini feature films including their songs during the 60's. You could say this was the start of music videos. Their promotional videos became a hit and each time they shot another more and more effects were used. Over time technology improved meaning it was a lot cheaper to own televisions which meant people had access to watching music videos.
The Beatles - Help:
Above is one of The Beatles promotional videos. As you can see it was filmed in black and white, it also pretty static however due to technology this was the best they good produce at the time. As the years went on the quality of these promotional videos improved, the later ones were shot in colour.
Today music videos are completely different, back in the day it only really mattered that the music was good. Nowadays the music videos need to be at the same standard or even higher. Music videos alone have a big influence on the record sales of a song. For example the reason Gangnam Style became viral was due to the video and the dance moves featured in it.
Top of the Pops was a massive show when it was aired, before individual music channels, Top of the Pops would be the place you'd see your favourite artists/bands. This programme was very influential in the way we watch music videos, now there's loads of channels across the world that just broadcast music videos. Music videos are now accessible on different media platforms such as the internet. YouTube features music videos from artists/bands and often puts age restrictions if deemed unsuitable. Some artists/bands want their videos to get banned for publicly because if your not meant to watch it, it makes people want to see it. This generates a lot of interest around the song and video.
During the 80's music videos started to change, artists/bands began to include story-lines to give it a more sophisticated feel. 'Thiller' by Michael Jackson was a big turning point and took the concept of a storyline to a new level. The music video was classed as a short film at 14 minutes long. Everybody associates this song to its iconic video.
Like Top of the Pops, MTV was a big influence to music videos. Some say this period of time is the 'golden age' of music videos however others argue that MTV has hurt the music industry by promoting the physical appearance of the song rather than the content.
Most expensive Music Video to date:
Michael and Janet Jacksons music video for 'Scream' is the most expensive video to date. It cost a staggering $7,000,000 to produce. The video was made in 1995 and no one has spent nowhere near the amount they did on this music video. Computer animation was used throughout and as this music video was made in 1995 it was quite costly as it was cutting edge technology.
There are several ways in which an
artist can promote themselves as well as their music. The majority of artists
tend to do this through a music video, digipak and/or a website.
Music
Video:
Artists/bands make music videos
to co-inside with the song their releasing. The main purpose of a music video
is to
help promote and sell the song. It can also bring a new understanding of the song as some
videos tend to be narrative. Some artists/bands prefer to include
themselves performing in their video in order to showcase their talents or to
attract their target audience (common in pop videos). Artist with established
fan bases count down the days until their favourite artist releases their music
video online. Nowadays there’s more pressure to create an original music video
that is completely different to those of other artists. This is why record
companies spend a lot of money on creating music videos for the artist signed
to them.
An example of a music video:
Digipak:
Artists/bands use a digipak in order to promote their album. A digipak is laid
out differently to make the CD more
eye-catching and interesting. Artists/bands tend to use a recurring theme
throughout to keep to their corporate identity. Digipaks give an insight into the
musician and the background/message of the music. They can also hold additional
promotional in the sleeves e.g. booklets and posters. Digipaks are popular
amongst dedicated fans as they tend to collect artist memorabilia and want the
extra features.
Website:
A homepage of a website allows the ‘fans’
to navigate around and find the content their after. Websites for artists/bands
normally include tour dates, photos, videos and news. The purpose of having a
website is t allows their fans to keep up to date and interact with their
favourite artist/band. Often websites have a section where their merchandise is
displayed which encourages sales to be made. It can also be a create way to
promote upcoming singles and music videos. Most artist/band website has a
section where ‘fans’ can write a message or
