Research into the industry

Music videos

Oskar Fischinger Fischinger was a German-American abstract

animator, film maker, and painter.

He is notable for inventing abstract musical animations many decades before the appearance of computer graphics and music videos.

To many, Fischinger ‘got the ball rolling’ in terms of music videos creation.

Karl Pilkington Oskar Fischinger

‘Soundies’ ‘Soundies’ were an early version of the

music video, between the years 1940-1946.

These were three-minute long musical films, often including short dance sequences.

‘Soundies’ were displayed on the Panoram, a coin operated ‘film-jukebox’ or ‘music-machine’.

The Beatles’ film The Beatles’ film, The Yellow Submarine,

was based on the musical work of the group.

The animation film was widely praised by many for bringing more interest into animation as an art form.

Here’s the link to a news article on, “How the Beatles' Yellow Submarine gave rise to modern animation” : http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/nov/19/beatles-yellow-submarine-simpsons-shrek

MTV MTV, launched in 1997, is a general

entertainment TV channel.

The channel was set up with the purpose to provide its audience with local artists and more relevant music content.

MTV, most notably its ‘spin-off’ channel “MTV Music”, televises music videos both current and classical, as well as live performances and interviews with musicians and singers.

Purpose of the music video

1) To promote the product: creating a music video can give the artist a chance to promote their song via internet sites (eg. YouTube), and through music channels which would appeal to their audience.

2) To develop an image: the video can give the artist an image that can appeal to many and gain admirers, hence LMFAO’s well-known image as ‘Party Rockers’.

3) Money money money: quite simply, a good music video will generate attention from viewers who will purchase the video, or watch via YouTube and the artist will gain revenue through advertisements on the page.

4) Recognition: more and more often, songs are becoming popular based on their music video rather than the lyrical content of the music, helped by the fact that many music channels display entertaining music videos, and so people recognize and become attached to their favored videos.

5) Entertainment: music videos are designed with the purpose to entertain its audience, and help to ‘boost’ the songs popularity.