History of the Music Promo

Help! - The Beatles

'Help!' by the Beatles was one of the first music videos of its era to use the basic conventions that can be seen in todays industry. As well as using group shots (such as the one above) there are various close ups of the band playing instruments and a predominant focus on the lead singer. The editing consists of fast past straight cuts that are in time with the music itself which has become conventional to many contemporary music videos. Also because it is in black and white it creates a 'timeless' effect which has also been used in other videos through all eras, however in this case it could be due to the technology at hand. Additionally the lyrics are in sync with the singing. With regards to Mise en Scene it appears as though they are performing in a studio and each member has their instrument which gives the effect that they are doing a performance for the audience and therefore makes the band more accessible to people who might not have a chance to the see the band live.

The Beginning of MTV

MTV was founded in 1984 and created by Nickelodeon. However the idea was first conceived by Michael Nesmith a former member of the manufactured band, 'The Monkees' (In light of the popularity of the Beatles) who originally had  Their own TV series.  Although MTV has now expanded down various avenues and has a range of different channels it began as one channel which purely aired music videos. As well as allowing an increasingly broader audience to watch their favourite artists on TV it also gave a chance to emerging British artists to get noticed in America and from this moment music videos became very important and so the budget and level of creativity both increased in the production of music promos.

Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

A good example of the type of videos that began to emerge after the creation of MTV is 'smooth criminal' by Michael Jackson. Firstly there is a large narrative element incorporated along side dance routines which is another common feature of Michael Jackson videos which has become a major part of some contemporary music videos (usually dance music).  Also the budget appears to have dramatically increased which can be seen in the Mise en Scene as it takes place in a relatively more realistic looking location which appears to be some form of a club. It can also be seen in the editing through the introduction of the use of effects such as slow motion however the editing is still always in sync with the song and lyrics.

It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube (1993)

Alongside the growing popularity of Hip Hop and the acceptance of Black artists of music channels there was a serge in Hip Hop videos. Ice Cube's 'It Was A Good Day' is a typical example of such a video. It is interesting as there is effectively a 50/50 split of narrative and performance and occasionally a crossing over of the two, also within the narrative sections the lyrics seem to coincide with the images on screen (e.g 'looking in the mirror') which has also developed into a widely used convention in contemporary music videos. Also as shown in the second screen shot the idea that realism doesn't have to apply in a music video is also shown by the fact that the location clearly isn't real and is more than likely filmed in a studio as well as seeming to be at a peculiar angle.