History of pop videos - From Bing to the Beatles

Bing Crosby 

Bing Crosby was the 1940's biggest pop star. However, as there were no music videos at the time, fans could only see him through television shows and film. Famous films include High Society featuring fellow star Louis Armstrong and White Christmas; a song which he would become globally known for. 

Frank Sinatra

However, Bing Crosby was soon out-shined when a new younger singer by the name of Frank Sinatra came on the scene. Frank Sinatra became the 1950's biggest star. However, there were still no music videos so fans still had to wait until he appeared in television shows and films to see him. 

1946

1954

Elvis Presley 

The 50s was also the birth of rock and roll star Elvis Presley. The only way international fans saw Elvis was to watch him on tv and in films. 

The Beatles - global superstars by the 1960s.

The Beatles also promoted on television and film to allow fans to see them. BBC1's Top of The Pops allowed British fans to regularly see their pop idols and The Beatles used this show as a platform to share their music. 
By 1966 the Beatles were so popular that they were tired of performing to wild screaming fans.
This prompted them to create their own music videos and send it all over the world instead of appearing live. These short films were used to promote their new double sided single "Paperback writer" and "Rain". The clips were made in one day at Kenwood House. The video tried to echo the lyrics; a clear example  is being shown images of the sun after the lyrics mention the sun. 

Evaluation - Elton John Exercise

Filming

The sequence was filmed numerous times from alternate angles. We chose to film the song all the way through instead of choosing angles for a particular section of the song. Shot types included, close ups, wide shot, medium shot, side shot and dolly.

Editing 

To ensure that the sequence matched the music, I first muted all the filmed clips and input the music so the lip syncing would always be the same. I tried to ensure that no shot was on screen for more than 5 seconds to make it interesting. 

Mistakes

The floor that the dolly was used on was not a smooth surface, which made it hard for it to be used efficiently. Also, the lip syncing was not perfect as the lyrics were not correctly sung. The editing could have been smoother as sometimes it appears rough. As the songs were not always sung outloud, the lip syncing did not always seem realistic. 

What will I be applying to my final production 

I have learned that it is best to film the sequence all the way through to make room for errors. Also, unless the footage is monitored it is better to take two takes of a shot angle before you move on to ensure it is perfect. As well as that it is best to have the lip syncing done out loud as it more realistic. In terms of editing it is important to alternate between angles and shots to capture the audience's attention. 

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Purpose of a music promo video

Music videos are used to promote the artist and their music single and album. Music videos enable companies to make money and increase their sales; as they persuade the audience to purchase their music. This raises the audience awareness or profile of the artist/group.

Synergy 

However, music videos are just a small part of the multimedia campaign. 
Radio, Print Media, New Media, Film and TV are also used.

One of the most popular forms of synergy with music videos are films. 
There are many types of synergy that can be made with music videos. For example there is product placement music video synergy. This can be clearly seen in Miley Cyrus' video where she promotes a Beats Pill.

Another interesting example involves Aziatix and their synergy for the Toyato Corolla (car). This music video not only promotes the car and gives it a cool image but also promotes the group.





Bryan Adams (Everything I do) I do it for you
For film -  Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves. 
The film went on to becoming the second highest grossing film of its release year. The song spent sixteen weeks at number one on the UK singles chart and was also an enormous chart success becoming one of the best selling singles of all time.

Wet Wet Wet - Love is all around
Four Weddings and A Funeral 
It was a huge international success and spent fifteen weeks atop the British charts. The song increased the film's popularity and revenue. 

The music video features white screens on which clips from the singers and film alternate. 

Elton John - Can you feel the love tonight
Soundtrack for The Lion King 
Gained popularity for the artist and the film, proven by the numerous awards won including Golden Globe, Academy Award, Grammy awards.



Whitney Houston - I will always love you
The BodyGuard 
The song charted in numerous countries for several weeks and even took the record from Bryan Adam's Everything I do, I do it for you. 

Eminem  - Lose yourself
8Mile
First rap song to win Academy Award for best original song



International example:

Another example of synergy with music videos are Korean Dramas. 
OSTs are used as the drama soundtrack and promote both the artist and drama. 
This music video for the song "stand up" features clips of the drama "To The Beautiful You"as well as the artist J-Min performing the song. 

Foo Fighters - The Pretender

The task and what was learnt 

The task was to analyse the first 40 seconds of the Foo Fighters' music video for their song 'The Pretender' and story board each shot change to form an animatic.
This enabled me to see all the different shot types and editing that goes into a music video. 
As the video continued it became increasingly difficult to storyboard as the speed of editing increased in pace. The alternating of shot types made the video visually captivating and kept the audience's attention.
The first 40 seconds of the video alone contained a vast amount of angles and shots, such as wide shots and close ups. 

Once the first 40 seconds were drawn onto the storyboard they were then transferred onto the computer in order to create an animatic. Along with the animatic, the music video plays just to emphasise the precise and quick editing displayed in the music video. 

From completing this task I have learned that a combination of various shot types and angles will increase a music video's quality. Alongside the right style and speed of editing, even simple shot types can make a music video visually appealing. 

Thriller vs Music Videos

Editing a music differs from a music video. Unless there is an action or dialogue scene, the speed of editing in a thriller can be slightly long, however in a music video the shot is changed quite frequently.Although, it is important to have a sharp eye when editing a thriller, for a music video the editing must be even more precise as the shots need to match the music. 

Foo Fighters Animatic

Types of Music

Artists can be divided into two clear categories 

Organic

Music that has already established its desired genre; for example the Beatles. 

The Beatles formed the group themselves, wrote and composed their own music and played their own instruments. These artists can then use a label to promote that music usually to a niche market but can also be marketed to the mass. 

Dora Martin 

  

A smaller example of an organic artist is the British duo Dora Martin. This group was not put together by a label but by their friendship and involvement in music. Dora Martin is an independent act that write their own music, create and decide on their own cocepts and produce their own videos. 

http://www.dora-martin.com/   

Synthetic  

Music that is purposely created; in most cases in order to make money. 

The monkees are a good example of a group that was manufactured to exploit the gap in the American music industry.The Monkees were not only put together but at the start of their career they did not write their own songs or even play their own instruments. Through their weekly TV program they were able to capture the hearts of fans, as well as promote their music. This helped their music to go straight to the top of the charts upon its release.

One Direction

One Direction is a modern developed artist who were put together to make money. Although they individually auditioned for the X-factor, they were put in a group and managed to earn commercial success with the general public. This synthetic group has sold millions of albums and singles. One direction did not have any creative input, such as song writing or instrument playing, at the start of their careers but followed the concepts that their record level gave them. 

Music Labels

Major record labels

Major music labels are multinational corporations.
Such companies include Universal, Sony Warner Brothers and EMI
These companies receive financial backing from conglomerates with stakes in other industries such as film, TV and electronics. These labels often include globally known artists; such as Beyoncé.


Major Independent Labels 


Labels such as Columbia, Island, Syco, RCA and Virgin are a series of smaller subsidiary companies owned or licensed by major labels. These labels are established to appeal to different audiences in various genres.

Syco contains several British artists such as Ella Henderson and Olly Murs.  
                 Whereas Columbia Records includes artists such as Adele and John Legend. 

Independent Labels

Independent labels receive little or no financial backing from other labels and companies. These labels usually only cater to a small number of acts within special niches in the industry. Many labels begin independently, then are bought by a major label and become major independent labels.

Domino is one of the longest running and most successful independent record labels in the UK. The label has also seen recent increased success from the released work of their artists the Artic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. 
Behind the Label: Domino Records (YOUTUBE LINK)