Music VideoAn audio-visual feast

Think about this...

When watching a music video, what has more identity? The song, or the video?

What does this mean to you?

But what is a “Nickelodeon?”

Nickelodeon• “Nickel” for the

currency

• “Odeion” greek for “roofed-over theater

• Popular from 1905-1915

• Popularized the idea of matching sound with imagery

Early On

•Started in 1894 with a musical slideshow referred to then as an “illustrated song”

•Talkies became big in the late 1920’s

•Cartoons were the most common form of media paired with sound/music

An Early Art Form...

•The invention of the Scopitone in France in the late 1950’s helped promote music, and consisted of videos made by local artists.

...Which lead to Cinema

• Popular musicians used the medium to their advantage to promote album sales

Promotional Clips•Defined careers for big acts:

•The Beatles

•The Rolling Stones

•The Who

•Bob Dylan

•David Bowie

There was still no means to showcase this material nationally or globally...yet

Music Television

•Hee Haw (1973) - USA

•Countdown and Sounds (1974) - Australia

•Top of the Pops (1979) - UK

•Video Concert Hall (1979) - USA

•MTV (1981) - USA

MTVMTV was a 24 hour music television network

August 1st 1981, 12:01am

“Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.”

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A new playing field...

• Video’s were cheaper to make and produce, sometimes costing on a few hundred dollars.

• Smaller musicians and bands could become recognized nationally

• Helped the record industry grow exponentially

• Growth continued for several years until...

Michael Jackson Took Over the

World•The music video for “Thriller”

raised the stakes for what could be done creatively within the spectrum of a music video

•Most expensive music video at the time at$1,000,000

Thriller

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Culture

•Culture became accustomed to a new style

•Attitude, style, and physical appearance were more important than ever

•Music video’s helped build a following

•Creativity was more important than ever

•Led to the birth of mainstream experimental video

Avant-Guard•Avant-Guard: An innovative or

experimental style of art work (cinema, performance, etc.) that push the boundaries of the norm or status quo.

•Video allowed for more creative expression

•Low financial cost meant more accessibility

•“What if we did this...”

Avant-Guard

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Hands?

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Narrative•Think of stories in terms of

“capsules”

•of a life

•of a person

•of an event

•Follows the same story narrative structure

•Exposition, inciting incident, conflict, climax, resolution

•Can still have a creative style

Creative Narrative

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Abstract Narrative

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Production Side

•Nobody said simple isn’t effective

•Still needs to have a style, feel and tone

•Should reflect not only the style of music, but also the attitude of the band/artist

A Classic

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Simple yet effective

For Your Consideration

•Pushing the boundaries of expectations and norms is a good thing

•Don’t be afraid to tell a story

•Build an idea that fits the tone of the song

•Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best

The Sky is the Limit

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