History Of Music Videos - Miss Georgiou

A music video is a short film that accompanies an artists song, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Music videos represent a very important part of the the music industry. They have become a venue where music artists are given a chance to impress the public not just vocally but visually with their looks or moves. Music videos help widen artists fan bases, as some may become an instant fan because of the music videos that they see on TV. Over the years music videos have changed rapidly and improved, changing the ways audiences watch them. The ways in which music videos have changed is primarily because of the development of technology that gives the modern era to enhance the way they create a music video. Due to the development of technology, this has affected the way audiences watch music videos for example Youtube, TV charts and iTunes etc. Also there are a variety of genres nowadays compared to the past due to the creativity with the new technology that allows artists have to expand their music videos. 

The music industry simply consists of companies and individuals making money by creating and selling music. The individuals and organisations that operate within the music industry are: the musicians who compose and perform the music; the companies and professionals who create and sell recorded music, those that present live music performances,  professionals who assist musicians with their music careers and those who broadcast music e.g journalists and musical instrument manufacturers. The role of the music industry is simply to entertain audiences with music. The music industry has developed since the advent widespread of digital distribution of music. Back then the way people would listen to music were through CD's, but now because of the rise in technology, the largest music retailer in the world is now digital:Apple Inc's iTunes Store.

The ways in which people consume music has differed throughout the years, from the jukeboxes 1920 to the CD albums and music videos to this present day. The music industry has evolved into a wider platform where artists can distribute their music vastly. Before, people would listen to their artists songs on radios, jukeboxes and record players. Nowadays people can consume their music in different ways for example audio distribution sites such as Soundcloud and Spotify, youtube (video sharing platform - music videos), CD albums and iTunes e.g. All these destinations of listening to music or watching them are available on different platforms of devices such as smartphones, computers/laptops and tablets. With the accessible availability of consuming music, this has enhanced the ways in which artists create and sell their music to their audiences. This involves the way artists illustrate their music videos, with the use of TV charts for music videos creating competition 



The first music channel, MTV (music television) broadcasted the first music videos on it's first day, August 1, 1981. MTV are owned by Viacom Media Networks which is a conglomerate that operates many television channels and Internet brands, including BET, Comedy Central, Nikelodeon and Vh1. The first music video ever to be aired on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by the Buggles. As you can see in the video that its not as advanced as videos are these days due to the lack of technology. The budget for the music video was $50,000, which nowadays is not primarily enough for music videos created today. What was relied on in the video were basic special effects such as overlapping silhouettes in the beginning and also cartoonish filters. In comparison to the video, I found that will.i.iam ft Nicki Minaj song samples from video killed the radio stair. The song was released on September 3, 2010 and appeared on Nicki Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday. What I found from the video is that it included a range of special effects for example fast duplicates of the dancers and coloured Chinese writing popping up in the background. There were similarities within the video for example will.i.am shown cartoonish, this is also seen in the video killed the radio star video. However, you can see the clear distinction of how the effects are seen as will.i.am cartoon filter looks more sharp and believable. Furthermore costumes are developed as in the check it out music video, the concept was to capture Korean culture through the costumes. This is evident as we see dancers and both artists will and Minaj wear futuristic Korean culture attire. The use of this is beneficial for the artist and record label as it attracts a new audience (Koreans) as it shows that the artist appreciates their culture. Its beneficial for the record label as the bigger the artist get, the more recognition the label will get as audiences will want to find out they're background details and what label they belong to and so on. Also it is beneficial for the audience because the new wider audience will be intrigued and feel more involved in the artists life because they see apart of their culture.

Youtube is a video sharing website that is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. Founders for the site are Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim and it launched in February 14, 2005. The worldwide site has become a popular platform for people all over to broadcast themselves by simply uploading videos. With 76 language versions available through their suer interface, theres no reason to why anyone couldn't be able to share themselves. Media corporations such as BBC, Vevo and Hulu etc. showcase some of their material via YouTube, as part of the YouTube partnership. Vevo is one that is vital for music artists from two of of the biggest music companies; UMG and SME that want to share their music videos on the vevo service. Most music videos are released via Vevo due to its 75kHD  videos, exclusive original programming and live concert performances from artists. This is beneficial for the audience as they can watch streams of music videos on different platforms such as smartphones (apps), laptop, TV apps etc, this keeps them connected and informed with whats been released. 

Most Watched Music Videos

Here is the top 10 most watched music videos ever on youtube. The most watched music video as of June, 2015 is PSY - Gangnam Style which has views of 2,355,766,836 on youtube. The video was uploaded on July 15,2012 and belongs to the pop genre due to its elements of instruments, comical theme and performance styled video. I believe the reason why its at the top of the list is because the song itself is catchy and radio stations played it frequently. Increasing its popularity the music video complimented the song well by showcasing a signature dance move which applies to the song which made many copy. Due to its combination of Korean and english, this widen the audience for the song and also created a sense of fun togetherness with everyone. The uniqueness and popularity of the song and its music video is understandable as the pop dance song features many conventions that appealed to many especially through the humour included in it. 

Music Budgets

Here is a list of the top 10 music videos with the highest budgets. At the top is Michael Jackson ft Janet Jackson with "Scream" which was directed by Mark Romanek. The music video was produced on a budget of $7,000,000 and aired in 1995. The scream music video was a mixture of performance and concept as both artists were dancing and singing. The concept was based on the bad press Michael Jackson was getting in the media at the time and he's reaction to it. A reason to why it was so expensive could be for the video containing 11 different sets to film. Also CGI included in the video to convey the spaceship theme was needed to make it realistic and to a higher standard. This is beneficial for the audience as they will feel a sense of escapism through the CGI and enjoy watching the video, which helps build a relationship with the artist because they provide that escapism feeling for them. Even though the video has the highest budget ever, this does not mean it is the most viewed video. A reason to why it was given the highest budget is because of the time period it was made, as back then technology was developing but it was expensive and because of Michael being highly known and even known as 'king of pop' , the high expectations put into the video would have required large amounts of money. Compared to the music videos now and the great development of technology this supports the argument of it not being the most viewed as in the present day there are different platforms for audiences and artists to release their music videos e.g youtube and iTunes etc. where these are accessible on many popular devices such as apple products and android. 

The number of views that music videos gain has changed over the years due to the technology increasing as well. A reason for this could be because of the availability and access consumers have to watch music videos has become more easier. With the rise of smartphones, people are able to download apps which are useable with an internet connection to access the music videos e.g YouTube , Vevo, Tidal etc. Furthermore, not only is the access easier, the promoting of the music videos are more seen due to the wide range of social networks music artists are on which connects them to their audiences. Social network sites such as Twitter and Facebook especially are vital places for promotion, as artists advertise their music videos on there where audiences can share their thoughts and opinions and also create a buzz for the music video. 

The variation of music genres have changed massively over the years where as some are slightly none existent in todays era. From the 50s - 70s rock was popular then especially in the 50s with Elvis Presley renowned as ' The King of Rock'n'Roll'. Additionally in the 60s Motown and disco genre were popular genres. However when it came to the 80s some of these genres started to disappear due to the introduction to pop genre with some of the iconic artists of all time such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Whitney Houston etc. But now in the 21st century there are a number of new genres that have taken over, music is now more diverse and artists are more like individuals with their own styles. Furthermore there are sub-genres for main genres such as dance, R&B, pop and rock for example indie-pop, dance- pop and PBR&B (Hipster R&B).

This research will assist me when planning my music video, as it has given me more knowledge and background on particular genres and how they have developed. Also, I've learnt that the budget of a music video is not primarily important and a tool for success as the highest budget music video Scream is not the most viewed on YouTube. In addition, I've learnt that technology is really important in the music industry especially in the making and promotion of music videos as they give a variety of platforms to be distributed from. When planning my music video, I will look back on this post and re evaluate the key points that will assist me with my music video such as what technology to use such as cameras, and how I will advertise my music video. Moreover, due to the discovery of how scream is not the most popular song but has the highest budget, this has inspired me to consider making a narrative/performance styled music video in the indie-pop genre. This is because I wish my music video to convey a story rather than a performance,  because I believe I can assist the conventions of the indie-pop genre well when making a music video as its mostly about realism.

What Is A Music Video - Miss Miller **

A music video is a short film that accompanies an artists song, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are numerous of purposes that music videos have for example; give listeners a better understanding of the song, entertain viewers, sell CD's and DVDs to viewers and for marketing purposes. The 3 different styles of music videos are performance, narrative and concept. 

Performance - This type of music video features the artist/band/group performing the song through most, if not all of the video. They could be either singing or dancing etc. 

Narrative - A narrative based music video consists mostly footage that attempts to tell a story through the moving image. This usually includes actors and the story is sometimes linked to the lyrical content. 

Concept - This style of music video is based around a single concept or idea. the video tend to be fairly unusual or make use of a particular editing or filming technique. 

The artist I will be analysing is Lana Del Rey who is an indie-pop artist. The reason why I chose to analyse her video Summertime Sadness, is because I believe the video uses a lot of visuals to help convey a story that also links to some of the lyrical content. 

As the video is mostly a narrative styled based music video, with a couple of performances (singing).The purpose I've gathered from it was that Lana wanted to share a story that could represent a part of her life, this enables the artist to further represent themselves as being normal and relatable to the audience. Furthermore, a reason to why she has a narrative styled music video is to create more of an understanding of herself as an artist and also what the song is about visually. This is because the video is a story which involves Lana mourning the end of a relationship with a woman, this helps build a relationship between the listeners and the artist as well as encourages the audience to buy into her lifestyle. This is conventional to the indie genre, as they usually like to express themselves through stories so that their audiences can relate to them. Also, narrative style based music videos represents the artists as creative because it captures their creativity through the stories being told in the video. 


Moreover the music video includes brief glimpse of Lana's romance during good times,and then cuts into the darker scenes of the relationship for example her lover committing suicide.

Clouds in the beginning 

Another example of how the music video is a narrative styled video,is from the beginning where it opens with a time lapse of clouds moving from 0:00 - 0:15. During this we hear dialogue from a female voice telling her lover" Remember, I'll always love you bye". Then it shows Lana Del Rey singing the opening verse before jumping from a cliff overlooking a waterfall. This foreshadows a glimpse of the narrative of the music video, as it suggests someone close to Lana is leaving. Also, it represents Lana as vulnerable and fearless as she is jumping off a cliff which looks suicidal. This representation of the the artist makes the audience sympathise with her, as she is showing how she feels about her situation and how dangerous it is. This could also represent her as unhappy, due to her risking her life, which her target audience may understand through her music as their generally about love loss, and heartbreak in relationships. The use of the clouds being shown whilst the recording is heard could imply that this person is dead or the end of their relationship. This represents the artist as someone who likes to remember all the things in her life, even the bad things that's happened. This is through the filter used in the clouds that makes them look dark, and could mirror the artist as being dark as well. 

Lana walking toward the camera 

Alongside with the analysis of the summer time sadness video being a narrative styled music video, the music video is shot in a old aged filter throughout. This could convey the artist as being open on sharing a part of her life to the audience, which also lets them understand more about her more as a person rather than an artist. In the screen shot, we see a mid shot of Lana slowly walking towards the camera in front of a large gate.This could also make the video seem more personal to her, and indicate to the audience that she's allowing them in to her story. 

Good times in the relationship

The narrative styled music video shows a short clips of the good times in their relationship. However, also the dark outcome of the relationship. This is evident when we see both women committing suicide and falling through white smoke. This enables the artist to represent herself as unafraid and affectionate as she is jumping with her lover. The white smoke could symbolise the artists innocence and feeling of completeness, especially when she is with her lover. Shows that the artist is devoted when she is in a relationship, and shows how she puts relationships first in her life because she's risking her life for it. Iconography is also used to represent her in this relationship as being toxic for example after falling down the white smoke with her lover we see a red glass fall and shutter in pieces. Red connotes love, passion and danger and the use of this could symbolise how the relationship is broken and it cannot be repaired, representing the artist herself as broken due to her loss in the relationship. 

Beginning of 'National Anthem'

Indie Pop is a genre that is characterised by pop conventions and structure,and a melodic, light hearted sound. The performance side of Indie Pop music videos include live performances from the artist which makes the audience focus on the talent the artists has. This could also be a promotion tool where it enables the artist to showcase themselves and how they are in concert, which draws more audiences in. A performance is not in the summertime sadness video, however in Lana's other music videos there is usually a performance of singing on stage. For example Lana Del Rey's  song 'National Anthem', she sings in front of the 'President' (A$AP Rocky) who plays her husband in the video in the John F Kennedy inspired music video. 

Another convention for Indie Pop is a Narrative used to tell a story by using a sequence of images and videos related to the song;not literal. This enables the audience to understand why it was given a certain narrative and may also help the audience understand the lyrics more in a visual aspect. Due to the development of technology, Directors are able to enhance music videos by making them more interesting with special effects to engage audiences attention. This links into editing where Indie Pop genre music videos often have Filters over the top of clips or the entire video to give a certain idea to the viewer for example in Summertime Sadness this was a memory of Lana's love life in the music video. The music video adapts to the narrative well as there are series of different clips shown of Lana and her lover just being affectionate and doing things in their normal everyday life. Also fast and slow editing is conventional to the Indie Pop genre as it reflects the pace of the music, creating the atmosphere of the music video.

Close Up 

Close up seeing her emotions

Cinematography in Indie Pop includes extreme close ups to introduce the artists, long shots and establishing shots are used to show the setting of the video and sets the character which helps the audience understand the message behind the video, Handheld shots are often used to show a memory and also tilt and pan shots to either move along the scene or cut into another scene. An example of a tilt shot is seen in Summertime sadness music video at 1:18. The use of this shot establishes the artist sharply which engages the audience into the video but also makes her seem shy as it is done very quickly. In addition, close ups are evident in the music video as seen in the screenshots. These are used to convey the artists and the lovers facial expressions e.g the lover is seen looking angry and crying through the close up which emphasises her emotions of not being happy in that moment. The use of this shot follows the convention of the indie genre as it showing the characters emotions and indie songs tend to be quite emotional as artist share in their music whats personal to them. 

Editing in Indie music videos are generally simplistic and used to further showcase the realism in the narrative or concept. In this music video, the editing style, filters are used. We see a sepia filter seen throughout the music video to convey the memories of her relationship and Lana singing. Sepia is an alternative to black and white, and gives a gentle feel to the music video. Also, the use of this sepia filter makes the music video more soft and memorising which conveys that it means something to the artist. The filter makes the video seem more sentimental than having a black and white filter as it shows the warmth in the video, and shows that even though their flashbacks, the artist still cares and mourns of the relationship. Sepia filters are conventional to the indie genre, as they help portray the past in indie music videos as they tend to be about past experiences of the artist. 

Also dialogue is convention to the Indie Pop Genre as music videos which are often used either at the beginning or the end to tell or conclude the story. For example, In Taylor Swifts ' I knew You Were Trouble ' video it begins with her telling the audience what she's learnt from the relationship she was in previously. In the summertime sadness video, dialogue is used in the beginning as mention before ' Remember I'll always love you', this introduces the audience to her story in her music video. Additionally, Diegetic sounds may be used in a Indie Pop music video, if it were to match the lyrics with the actions, but overall non-diegetic is always used for music videos. 

Car Scene 

Mise en scene in Indie music videos are often simplistic. The props, costume and makeup usually link to the scene. An iconography can symbolise or complete a scene as audiences are able to physically see what the character/artist are doing. For example in the summertime sadness video, we see a car used as iconography to convey Lana and her lover are in a car. This gives a sense of realism in the audience which is conventional to the indie genre, as artists usually showcase real life events so that they are relatable.The setting for Indie Pop music videos are known to be in studios, cities, parks, woods etc. These settings create a sense of realism as they're real locations where audiences can relate to the characters/artist or to create mysteries which makes them focus more on the performance. This is evident in the summertime sadness numerous of times as we see Lana in many different locations such as a house, forest and a bridge. These different locations are used to convey different parts of her life. This makes her allow her audience in which intrigues them to further listen and watch her music videos to find out more about her as a person as they see her in different locations. 

The music video 'Summertime sadness' appeals to a particular type of audience who are interested in visual understandings of particular songs and why they're made the way they are. Also, because of the narrative told in the music video, this could appeal to those that prefer visuals rather than just audios alone. Also the story told interests the audience but also informs them the realisation of relationships especially in young relationships. The target audience for her music video is for Indie or Sad core lovers who are aged between 18 - 28 years of the female sex as most females can relate to the video because its about love, tough break ups and shows how women deal with them badly. To conclude, the music video is creative, unique from 'normal' music videos as it gets the audience thinking and allows them to interpret it their own way. 

What I've learnt from analysing this video is the deeper meanings and reasons why indie artists, especially Lana Del Rey include certain things in their music videos. Also, I have gathered and developed more knowledge on the Indie Pop Genre and have learnt the conventions that are often used in music videos. Furthermore, due to Indie music being expressive, artists use music videos to help express further their songs to let audiences into their lifestyle or give more understanding of the lyrical content visually. I think music videos are very effective as they allow artists to express themselves visually which intrigues and draws more attention from audiences but also are used as a marketing tool which is beneficial to the artists and their label. The type of style and genre I consider creating for my music video is Indie Pop with a narrative styled music video because I believe this is the style that intrigues audiences more and helps create closer relationships with the artists and their audience.