Music Television History x

Austerlitz, CH2 Historically, enjoying music=experiencing the performance. Recordings changed this The broadcast industry pushed for music television, NOT the recording industry (radio) Recording industry followed in this sense

Goodwin, CH2 What is music television? How and why did MV emerge? What are the defining properties of MV? Commodity(ies) and Performance; the MV completes the “package of meaning” 1980s MV had a lasting effect; promos ephemeral

Goodwin Cont'd How and why did MV emerge? 1. Digital means of music production changed what performance was (not instruments), lip synch, etc. 2. New attitudes towards marketing and manufacturing image Increased demand in programming (in general), and cheap programming Coincided with labels becoming “rights exploiters” instead of commodity producers The changes in the music industry allowed for the success of the MV MV is an “extremely complex and unusual cultural artifact, for it seems to both exceed and contain the commodity it advertises.” (Goodwin pg. 47)

Early Music Television(s) Jazz Singer, 1927 Musical numbers in Hollywood golden age films Animations by Fischinger “Study No. 8” (1931), “Composition in Blue” (1935) Soundies, 1940-1947, played on the Panoram “jukebox”; visual archive of African American music of the time Ad for the recording; also relied on the “flesh”

Early Music Television(s) Cont'd French Scopitones, 1960s Dancing, kissing, bodies, flesh, and sexual revolution Rebel Without a Cause, Jailhouse Rock, etc.

“Motion Painting No.1” Oskar Fischinger, 1947 Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no. 3, BWV 1048 Animation process took 9 months of filming each brushstroke

“Pas de Deux” Norman McLaren, 1968 Part 2 Used visual effects Layering Neighbours (1952) Pixilation: humans in stop motion Oren Lavie “Her Morning Elegance” (2009) Extreme “Rest In Peace”

Promotional Clips “Promos” Largely started in the UK w/ UK bands Aimed at play in record stores, some theaters, and as some content on music television programs Created so artists didn't have to travel and perform on TV shows

Hard Days Night The Beatles, 1964 Dir. Richard Lester (“godfather” of music video) Full length film, but opening sequence helped to define the visual grammar of music video Metric editing Quick cutting Hand-held cameras British Free Cinema French New Wave

“Subterrean Homesick Blues” 1967, Bob Dylan's Don't Look Back Dir. DA Pennebaker Use of graphic/text Disinterested Dylan “Underground film” Not clean like promo clips Google Instant INXS “Mediate”

“Strawberry Fields Forever” The Beatles,1967 Dir. Peter Goldman Model for concept video Film effects Stop motion animation Jump-cuts from daytime to night-time Symbolism “Penny Lane”

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen,1975 Dir. Bruce Gowers First notable “pop promo” First to actually promote a song Looked like a MV Top of the Pops In camera special effects Ushered in “MTV Age” “Killer Queen”(1974) “Under Pressure” (1981)

Other Early Promo Film Clips The Who “Happy Jack” (1966) Rolling Stones “We Love You” (1967), Dir. Peter Whitehead Play on 1895 trials of Oscar Wilde Pink Floyd “Instellar Overdrive” (1967), Dir. Peter Whitehead From Tonite Lets All Make Love in London Rolling Stones One+One (1968), Dir. Jean- Luc Godard The Velvet Underground & Nico (1966), Dir. Andy Warhol

“Whip It” Devo, 1980 Dir. Jerry Casale Self-funded, $15K Postmodern bricolage Subversive Major rotation at MTV

“Ashes to Ashes” David Bowie, 1980 Dir. Bowie and David Mallet At time, most expensive MV made Solarized color and harsh B&W Became HUGE MTV video Most expensive MV at time “Lazarus” (2016)

Elephant Parts Michael Nesmith, 1981 “Rio” (1977) “Cruisin'” (1981) Of The Monkees “Rio” (1977) “Cruisin'” (1981) Started PopClips Nickelodeon 1979