Music video

A music video shows a song with moving pictures.

It can be a cartoon or a real film. Some videos show people dancing.

Others show people acting out the song. They help people find new music to buy. Long ago, people used still pictures to show songs. Now, we see them on the internet. They make music much more fun to watch.

A music video uses moving pictures to show a song.

These videos help people find and buy new music. They can be many things. Some are cartoons. Others use real people. Some show a band playing live. Some use art like animation.

Music videos have a long history. In 1894, people used a magic lantern to show still images. This was an early step for music videos. Later, artists made short films. Some were cartoons. Max Fleischer made Screen Songs. These let people sing along. In the 1930s, Soundies were short films for jukeboxes. They often had dance scenes.

Many famous artists used these ideas. Madonna made a video that looked like an old movie.

Michael Jackson made the famous "Thriller" video. The Beatles also helped change music videos. They made films to show their songs on TV. This meant they did not have to be there in person. These films used new tricks. They used slow motion and bright colors. Now, we watch many videos on the internet.

A music video is a special kind of film. It joins a song or an album with moving pictures. People make these videos for many different reasons. Some are made to help sell music to new fans. Others are made just to be artistic. You might see them on music TV or on websites like YouTube. Sometimes, they are even shown in movie theaters. These videos use many styles. Some use animation or cartoons. Others use real people in live-action scenes. Some look like documentaries. Some even use abstract art that does not tell a story.

There are many ways to make a music video. Some videos show the lyrics of a song through pictures. Other videos use a theme to set a mood. Some videos do not have a big plan at all. They might just film a band playing a live concert.

In the past, artists used different tricks to make videos fun. For example, some used a "bouncing ball" in cartoons so people could sing along. This is very much like a modern karaoke machine. Other artists used slow motion or reversed film to change how things look. They might also use bright color filters to make the scene pop.

The idea of music and pictures together is very old. In 1894, two men named Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern wanted to sell a song. They hired an electrician named George Thomas to help. He used a magic lantern to project still images on a screen. This happened while people performed the music live. This was called an "illustrated song." Later, in the 1930s, short films called Soundies were made for jukeboxes. These often had short dance scenes.

Historians say these were the ancestors of the music videos we see today.

Many famous stars helped shape how music videos look. In 1959, a singer named J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson used the phrase "music video." Tony Bennett also claimed to have made an early version in 1953. He was filmed walking in London's Hyde Park. In the 1960s, the show Top of the Pops became very important. It helped artists show their music to millions of people.

The Beatles also made many famous films. Their video for "Help!" used many different camera angles. They even used color clips for songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever." These videos helped them promote music without traveling to every show.

Music videos often borrow ideas from older movies. Many videos look like the big musical films from the 1930s to the 1950s. For example, Madonna's 1985 video for "Material Girl" looked like a classic movie scene.

Michael Jackson also used ideas from old musicals. His famous "Thriller" video from 1983 is a landmark in music history.

Even the famous film "West Side Story" influenced how dance fights look in videos. Today, music videos are a huge part of how we experience our favorite songs.

A music video is a visual work that integrates a song or an album with imagery. These images are produced for either promotional or musical artistic purposes. In the modern era, music videos function primarily as marketing devices. They are designed to promote the sale of music recordings to a wide audience. You can find these videos on music television or streaming sites like YouTube. Occasionally, they are even shown in movie theaters. Various terms describe this format, including "video clip," "promotional film," or simply "video."

Technically, music videos use a diverse range of production styles and contemporary techniques. Some creators use animation, while others rely on live-action footage. Documentary styles and non-narrative approaches, such as abstract film, are also common. The way a video interprets a song can vary significantly. Some videos use scenes that directly illustrate the song's lyrics. Others take a thematic approach to match the mood. Some videos have no specific concept and simply film a live concert performance.

The history of combining music and moving images began long before modern television. In 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern used an electrician named George Thomas to promote a song. Thomas used a magic lantern to project still images during live musical performances. This method was known as the "illustrated song." By the 1930s, "talkies" and musical shorts became more common. Max Fleischer created "Screen Songs," which used a "bouncing ball" to help audiences sing along. This technique is very similar to how modern karaoke machines work. Other early examples include John Logie Baird's Phonovision discs and Walt Disney's musical animated films.

Between 1939 and 1947, a specific type of musical film called "Soundies" was released. These were produced for the Panoram film jukebox and often included dance sequences. Music historian Donald Clarke refers to these films as the "ancestors" of the modern music video. In 1959, J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson is credited by the Internet Accuracy Project with coining the phrase "music video." Another singer, Tony Bennett, claimed to have created an early version in 1953. He filmed himself walking in London's Hyde Park to the song "Stranger in Paradise." This clip was later sent to television stations in the UK and the US.

The 1960s saw the rise of popular music television, which changed the industry. In the late 1950s, the Scopitone served as a visual jukebox in France. This led to many artists producing short films to accompany their music. In 1964, the British series "Top of the Pops" began broadcasting. The show created a high demand for frequent artist appearances. Because many artists were busy touring, they began providing pre-recorded "promotional videos" as substitutes for live performances. By the 1970s, "Top of the Pops" reached an average weekly viewership of 12,500,000 people. This helped establish the promotional clip as a crucial tool for launching new records.

The Beatles were also pioneers in using filmed inserts to promote their music. In 1964, their film "A Hard Day's Night" used musical sequences that became models for future videos. Their 1965 film "Help!" used rhythmic cross-cutting and varied camera angles. By 1967, their color clips for "Strawberry Fields Forever" used avant-garde techniques. These included reversed film, slow motion, and dramatic lighting. Many modern music videos also draw inspiration from classic Hollywood musicals. For example, Madonna's 1985 video for "Material Girl" modeled its staging on the 1953 film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Michael Jackson's "Thriller" from 1983 remains a landmark in the medium.

Music videos connect various artistic fields, including film, dance, and graphic design. They bridge the gap between recorded sound and visual storytelling. Through the use of animation, live performance, and experimental editing, they continue to evolve. They remain a primary way that artists communicate their vision to the world.