How to create prop medication

I found an interested website a few weeks ago which I'd completely forgotten about until I came to uploading my test video...

How To Fake Medication

It's basically a DIY Film making website with loads of very useful tricks and hints on how to create the illusion of the movies for as little as possible. It will definitely come in handy for the rest of the year and even University Productions.

I hadn't thought of using food dye for the colouring. seems fairly obvious I know. So after I found the website about 2 weeks back I went into BOOTS and bought myself 20 Perscription Medication Pill Bottles and a lot of Tic Tacs and tested out the Tic Tac trick in the test video below.

I didn;t fill the bottles for the test video because they're meant to be empty to represent the extent of the characters addiction. (It's also a poor use of perfectly good Tic Tacs!) There are no labels on the bottles either, but the webpage also provides a mock-up label which I'll have to edit at some point to replicate the real information for various brands.

Mock-up bottle label:

Lip Sync Test Video/Experimenting cinematography

I decided to do a rough mock up music video, if you will, using Deja Vu to practise lip syncing and to see if it would actually look realistic if I decide to star in the final music video. (Not following animatics)

I had a few shot ideas in my head which I drew out and decided to film, just to experiment and see if they looked any good or actually worked at all.

Again, It's primarily a LIP SYNC test so that's why there are extended portions of me in the video feeling and probably looking like a complete dummy. (I decided to come over very enthusiastic)

The editing is a tad dirty around the edges because the editing IS NOT the main priority of the video (Filmed/editted in under 6 hours) Experimenting with angles and the syncing are what's important for me. I'm never going to find out what will ultimately work best if I don't try it first.

So if you do like the song, I just ruined it for you. haha!

Animatics

Treatment

PROGRAMME TITLE: Déjà Vu Music Video


DIRECTOR/
CAMERA OPERATOR: Mark Kipling
________________________________________



DURATION: 4.43
________________________________________



FORMAT: Mini DV
________________________________________



AUDIENCE:
________________________________________

Eminem fans/fans of rap music and a 16-25 age demographic, as a vast majority of hip hop fans are actually under the age of 18, the age commonly associated with and recommended when a Parental Advisory sticker is seen on a CD case.
This is also the age demographic in which many may experiment with drugs. although they may not be able to relate to the song directly, the effects of taking drugs no matter what form, is still a subject that will concern those in this age catagory to some degree.


STORY RESUME:________________________________________

The main character is a hip-hop artist. constantly being on tour and having to maintain a filming schedule along with a personal life is taking its toll., and so he turns to prescription drugs to help him sleep through short nights. After months of taking sleep medication(Nyquil/Ambien CR etc) he finds himself addicted and fully dependant on these drugs, convinced he is an insomniac. The video immediately reveals how this decision affects his family life with no resolve in sight.

CHARACTER RESUME:
________________________________________

The main character, a medastar in the hip-hop industry, finds himself addicted and fully dependant on sleep medication and other prescription drugs; to enable him to finction throughout the day and control his sleeping patterns. as the video progresses, the stresses of such an addiction have a dramatic impact on his home life; becoming unresponsive to his children, hiding pills inside video cassette cases and waking up every morning on the bathroom floor.

RESEARCH:________________________________________
• I was unable to find an unsigned rap artist who is creating the style of rap I am looking for in my video. I am looking for a deep story-telling rapper such as Slick Rick, Kool G Rap or Immortal Technique to give me the chance to bring their stories to life in my music video. I have been unable to find any who meet this criteria, so have decided to go with mainstream hip-hop artist Eminem with his song ‘Déjà vu’

• I will need to research into various different types of prescription sleep and anti-depressant medication.
I have no former knowledge of drugs beyond what I hear in songs such as how they work, the side affects they cause or how to differentiate between pills.
Areas I will need to research include: Names, sizes, shapes, colours, dosages, the bottles, how to use drugs safely, overdosing, hallucinogenic drugs, types of hallucinations, how drugs can affect your daily routine, rehabilitation, relapsing, insomnia, euphoria, clinical depression and severe over eating, and other lesser known side effects.

• I am potentially looking to invest in a ‘SnorriCam’ for a segment in the 2nd verse. It gives a very surreal angle as the background moves but the actors’ head remains in the same position at all times. This would be a perfect camera effect for my drug fuelled music video. I have no idea at this time how much one may cost so this is a huge and ambitious IF. (Ref. ‘Requiem for a Dream’ (2000))

DETAILS OF PLANS/SCHEDULE:
________________________________________
My primary concern is completing any and all outstanding pre-production paperwork before starting on my production schedule. Also renting equipment, I need to decide if I will need tripods or any other camera aids.


RESOURCES: ________________________________________
Film equipment:
• Camera
• Battery
• Tape
• Tripod
• Dolly
• Tripod/Camera bag


LOCATIONS: ________________________________________
My house
College classroom


ANY OTHER ELEMENTS:________________________________________
As the lyrics to the song directly talk about the affects of a drug habit on home life, it only makes sense that the majority of the video be shot inside a home; a location where people also tend to watch music videos. This literally hits home the idea that this could happen to your family right where you’re sitting at that very moment.

Song lyrics and timings

(intro)
Man:
D.M.C we have a mid 30’s male
found down unresponsive
possible over dose
substance unknown
pulse is 60 and ready
respiration is 8 he’s incubated
and were bagging him now
uuh B.P 90 over palp
patient cool, pale and diabetic
Exasperated
uuh G.S.E is 3
we’ll update in route
E.T.A is 10 minutes ---------------------------------------- 0.21

( Verse1 )
As I fall deeper into a manic state, ----------------------- 0.22
I'm a prime candidate for the gene to receive the drug addict trait.
Blood pressure climbs at a dramatic rate,
I seem to gravitate to the bottle of NyQuil then I salivate.
Start off with the NyQuil like 'I think I'll just have a taste'.
Couple of sips of that then I gradually graduate,
to a harder prescription drug called Valium like yeah that's great.
I go to take just one and I end up like having eight.
Now I need something in my stomach cuz I haven't ate.
Maybe I'll grab a plate of nachos and I'll have a steak.
And you'd think that with all I have at stake,
Look at my daughters face...
'Mommy something is wrong with dad I think!
He's acting weird again; he's really beginning to scare me.
Wont shave his beard again and he pretends he doesn't hear me.
And all he does is eat Doritos and Cheetos,
and he just fell asleep in his car eating three musketeers in the rear seat'. -- 1.08

(Chorus Begin)
Sometimes I feel so alone, ------------------------------------ 1.09
I just don't know, feels like I been down this road before.
So lonely and cold, it's like something takes over me,
soon as I go home and close the door.
Kinda feels like Déjà Vu, I wanna get away from this place I do,
but I can't and I won’t say I tried but I know that's a lie cuz I don't,
and why I just don't know..... ------------------------------ 1.31
(Chorus End)


( Verse2 )
Maybe just a nice cold brew, what's a beer? -----------------1.32
That's the devil in my ear I been sober a fuckin' year.
And that fucker still talks to me, he's all I can fuckin hear,
'Marshall come on we'll watch the game it's the Cowboys and Buccaneers'.
And maybe if I just drink half I'll be half buzzed for half of the time.
Who's that mastermind behind that little line?
With that kind of rational man I got half a mind,
to have another half of glass of wine sounds asinine, yeah I know.
But I never had no problem with alcohol.
Ouch look out for the wall aim for the couch I'm about to fall.
I missed the couch and down I go looking like a bouncing ball.
Shit must have knocked me out cuz I didn't feel the ground at all
Wow what the fuck happened last night? Where am I?
Man, fuck am I hungover, and god damn I got a head ache.
Shit half a vicodin why cant I?
'All systems ready for take off please stand by'. ------------ 2.16

(Chorus Begin)
Sometimes I feel so alone, ----------------------------------- 2.17
I just don't know, feels like I been down this road before.
So lonely and cold, it’s like something takes over me,
soon as I go home and close the door.
Kinda feels like Déjà Vu, I wanna get away from this place I do,
but I can’t and I won't say I tried but I know that's a lie cuz I don't,
and why I just don't know..... ------------------------------- 2.39
(Chorus End)

( Verse3 )
So I take a Vicodin splash it hits my stomach and ahh. ------- 2.40
A couple weeks go by it ain’t even like I’m getting high.
Now I need it just not to feel sick, yeah im getting by.
Wouldn't even be taking this shit if DeShaun didn't die.
Oh yeah there's an excuse you lose Proof so you use.
There's new rules it's cool if it's helping you to get through.
It's twelve noon ain’t no harm in self inducing a snooze.
What else is new? Fuck it what would Elvis do in your shoes?
Now here I am three months later, full blown relapse,
'Just get high until the kids get home from school holmes, relax'.
And since I’m convinced that I'm in-somniac,
I need these pills to be able to sleep, so I take three naps,
just to be able to function throughout the day let's see
that's an Ambien each nap, how many Valium? Three.
And that will average out to about one good hours sleep.
Ok so now you see the reason how come he
has taken four years just too put out an album B.
See me and you we almost had the same outcome Heath,
cuz that Christmas you know the Pneumonia thing?
It was bologna, was it the Methadone ya think?
Or the Hydrocodone, you hide inside your pornos?
Your VCR tape cases with your Ambien CR, great places to hide ain't it?
So you can lie to Hailie, I'm going beddy bye Whitney baby good night Elaina.
Go in the room and shut the bedroom door and wake up in an ambulance
They said they found me on the bathroom floor, damn! --------- 3.53


(Chorus Begin)
Sometimes I feel so alone, ----------------------------------- 3.54
I just don't know, feels like I been down this road before.
So lonely and cold, it's like something takes over me,
soon as I go home and close the door.
Kinda feels like Déjà Vu, I wanna get away from this place I do,
but I cant and I won't say I tried but I know that's a lie cuz I don't,
and why I just don't know..... ------------------------------- 4.17
(Chorus End)

(Fade instrumental outro) ----------------------------------- 4.43

Task 1 - Music Video Presentation

Music Videos

Eminem - When I'm Gone



Slick Rick - Children's Story

Brief Outline of Music Genre: Hip Hop

Hip-hop is a cultural movement that exploded in the early 1970s in the Bronx, New York. It draws
upon the dance, poetry, visual art, social and political legacy of African, African American,
Caribbean and Latino immigrant communities in the United States. Hip-hop began as an
independent, non-commercial musical and cultural form of expression. Nobody thought it would
ever make money. Rather, it was about enjoyment—or “rocking the party.”


Alternative Hip-Hop vs. Commercial Rap“Rap” is a term often used interchangeably with “hip-hop.” However, the term “rap” has a more
commercial overtone and is more often used to describe hip-hop music released and promoted by
major record labels and aired on commercial radio stations and Internet sites. Many artists,
especially those who are critical of mainstream rap, have preferred that the term ”hip-hop” be used
to describe the musical genre, with “rap” used as a verb for the act of singing, “spitting” or speaking
hip-hop lyrics or with an adjective such as mainstream, underground, conscious or alternative
placed in front of it.
• Mainstream and Commercial Rap
In the last 10 years, the record industry has consolidated from over 20 major labels to five.
Mainstream rap or hip-hop is that which is recorded on—or crafted to sound like it is recorded
on—one of the five major labels (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI
Group, Warner Brothers Music and BMG Entertainment). Gangster rap came into prominence
at the beginning of the industry consolidation as its use of violent, sexual and consumerist
themes proved highly marketable. Generally speaking, commercial rap has a highly produced
pop sound and more frequently contains violent, sexist, consumerist and homophobic
metaphors.
• Alternative, Independent, Conscious and Underground Hip-Hop
Alternative, independent, conscious and underground hip-hop describe recordings done on a
smaller scale with an independent label or in one’s own studio. This music prioritizes artistry
and content over commercial viability and crossover appeal. Conscious hip-hop is a subset of
the musical genre that explores social themes relevant to young people as a distinct
community, not just as individuals, such as: policing, poverty, militarism, reparations, the
representation of women, homophobia, among others subjects. The first record labels to
record and mass-produce hip-hop albums were small and black-owned.




The Four Elements of Hip-Hop

• MCing or Rapping: Stemming from the initials for “Master of Ceremonies,” rapping is the art
of saying rhymes to the beat of music. It draws its roots from the Jamaican art form known as
toasting. The influences of present day rap can be traced to artists like James Brown, The
Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron, along with old “dozens” rhymes and jail house jargon passed
down through the years and made popular by Black activist H. Rap Brown.

• Graffiti: The first forms of subway graffiti were quick spray-painted or marker signatures
("tags") of one’s crew, gang or nickname. Graffiti evolved into large elaborate calligraphy,
complete with color effects, shading and more. Graffiti is now recognized as a force in
contemporary visual art and is collected by major art institutions worldwide as well as
remaining an expression of rebellion and youth culture in public spaces.

• DJing: The art of “cuttin' and scratchin'” and the manipulation of a vinyl record over a particular
groove so it produces a high-pitched recombinant scatching sound is known as DJing. The
term also refers to the practice of selecting dance party records or other songs in a compelling
thematic sequence. This was invented by Grand Master Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore,
two popular disc jockeys from the Bronx.

• Breakdancing: The acrobatic style of dance that includes headspins, backspins and
gymnastic style flairs (long before Olympic athlete Kirk Thompson) is called breakdancing. No
one knows who New York's first break dancer was, but a group of youngsters known as “BBoys”
or Break Boys and original members of an organization called Zulu Nation
popularized it. At the same time breakdancing became known in the streets and dancehalls of
New York, Black and Latino communities in California popularized a style of dance known as
“Pop-Locking.” This particular West Coast form includes strutting, moon-walking, waving and
angular, staccato or robot-like contortions of the body. With the broadcast of Don Cornelius’s
dance-party television show Soul Train, breakdancing soon became a nation-wide
phenomenon.


Hip-Hop’s Fifth Element
Some members of the community have added a fifth element to the fundamentals of hip-hop:
activism. Many see hip-hop as a larger movement—more than just a musical or cultural genre.
While this means different things to different people, it suggests that hip-hop is a way of life with its
own ethical code, politics and aesthetics.

Slick Rick - Children's Story - Evaluation 2

Slick Rick’s self produced ‘Children’s Story’ follows in similar vein to Eminem’s ‘When I’m Gone’ in several aspects. Slick Rick is who is referred to as an ‘Old Skool’ artist in hip hop, meaning his music was recognised predominantly in the late 80’s and mid 90’s when hip hop as a genre was still relatively new.

Also known as ‘Ricky D’/’Slick Rick Tha Ruler’ he is considered the greatest storytelling hip hop artists of all time, being able to create fascinating stories which delve into the deepest, darkest or even most personal of subjects, including misogyny and degradation of woman, showcasing his aptitude for storytelling with a 3 minute raw-to-the-bone simplistic beat, quick flow and high tempo;

You would think with Rick creating a ‘pimpster’ attitude, always seen in video wearing gold chains around his neck along with an eye patch over his left eye, becoming his trademark star image motif, that it would be difficult for him to appeal to a a wide audience. But because of his pimp-like dress sense, ‘Children’s Story’ and himself as an artist were marketed as a product who could still deliver a hard hitting moral tale and manage to put a humorous and acceptable comedy spin to the main premise, delivering the deep story his hip hop audience looks for and creating something any genre fan wouldn’t be afraid to listen and dance too in a club.

Despite his audience possibly not being able to really connect to any of his music on a cultural level, his accent and unusual rhyme scheme become hypnotic and entrancing, producing music subject to a lot of repetition and mimicking over the past 20 years, leading him to becoming the most sampled hip hop artist. Accidentally creating his main star image motif though his his incredibly smooth and mellow English-American acsent and many catchphrases.


‘Children’s Story’ is 100% narrative based, beginning with two woman lying in a double bed either side of a male dwarf dressed in Pyjamas asking to be read a bedtime story, before revealing the irony of the title; ‘Children’s Story’ as not a story for children, but a story about tragic greed as a young boy is coaxed into robbing old people for money and being given guns and drugs; often being interpreted as a condemnation of violence and drug use.


‘Dave the dope fiend shootin' dope,
who don't know the meaning of water nor soap,
He said "I need bullets, hurry up, run!"
the dope fiend brought back a spanking shotgun,’


Once again there is no intended relationship established between the visuals and the music, despite a distinct beat running throughout. Strangely, despite both the visuals and the lyrics being very narrative driven and telling a complete story from beginning to end, there is also almost no connection between the lyrics and the visuals either. creating a piece which the auter has clealy had Amplification in mind, showing different stories, contradicting each other with only one main element; that being the small boy who ends up holding a gun. This goes back to Slick Rick being able to put a comedy spin on the most serious of subjects, with the visuals becoming one huge intertextual reference, mimicking the silent black and white cops and robber film. Parody becoming something his audience always expects to see in any new video.

‘Grabbed a pregnant lady and out the automatic,
Pointed at her head and he said the gun was full o' lead,
he told the cops "Back off or honey here's dead’

Visuals show a boy squirting a group of police men with a water pistol. Regardless of the mismatch, this is the only point within the main video segment that the two pieces, the lyrics and the visuals, justify the amplification mentioned earlier The boy does pull out an automatic gun and does point it at a ladies head, but she isn’t pregnant, nor is the gun full of lead as the lyrics claim. ‘

Slick's reputation and image to contradict or amplify a certain lyric is common, as shown in later videos such as ‘I shouldn’t have done it’ is a self confession for his attempted murder, yet the video says no woman would ever want him after he tells her about the shooting incident; glorifying their womanly figure to fit more sexual intentions.

Eminem - When I'm Gone - Evaluation 1

Eminem’s ‘When I’m Gone’ is directed by Anthony Mandler and belongs in the hip hop genre of music. It’s tough to find any real solid codes or conventions within hip hop because as the genre has developed, hip hop and rap has been frequently used to voice an opinion, or to announce your freedom of speech to simply to produce a good beat for a club. The two main categories are ‘Mainstream Rap’ and ‘Underground Rap.’ Both follow different rules and regulations and the conventions used vary drastically depend on the message the artist is trying to put across to their target audience. In regards to mainstream rap, there tends to be more of a party, feel good vibe to an album, whilst Underground rap centres more on an artists struggles to make a living, or their troubled childhoods.

In the case of Eminem, he tends to breach the boarder between the two ‘sub genres’ Being a white MC in a black mans game is his main star motif, already breaking the original codes and conventions that come along with the hip hop genre. He is a mainstream artist, but what has made him so respected and stand out isn’t his skin tone, but the deep, dark and extremely personal lyrical content and his storytelling ability within music videos; This is where Eminem, and his ‘When I’m Gone’ music video differ from everything and make him as an artist unique from a selling point of view. He is a mainstream rapper who doesn’t even follow a conventional beat in his songs, dedicated to predominantly, now underground, conventions within his videos.

The music video is almost 100% narrative and illustration based and centres around his daughter Hallie-Jade, mentions of his on/off wife Kim and her reactions to her father’s fame, desirability by the musical industry and his darker alter-ego ‘Slim Shady’ with no cultural refferences to Hip Hop or anything particularly music related.

There is no relationship between the music and the visuals, the only times in which cuts work along side the beat are purely coincidental, therefore allowing the audience to focus primarily on the lyrical ability, the story behind the words which Eminem fans are accustomed to. A very strong relationship between the lyrics and visuals as a storytelling piece, rather than a catchy club anthem. The intro itself is a segment created purely for the music video to set the mood which is to run throughout the entire song. After being convinced to come up and speak voluntarily Marshall, dressed in his recognisable bagging long white T-shirts and Jog Bottoms, says

‘Yeah...
It's my life...
My own words I guess... '

Immediately cutting to a home environment kicks off the illustration and Eminem is seen writing the lyrics to ‘When I’m Gone’ and the lyrics are instantly replecated visually to the audience when his daughter runs in asks where her mum is and also asks to be pushed on the swing. Eminem instantly, without second thought claims he’s busy writing a song.

There is a common tie between the lyrics and the visuals on screen throughout the entire song, occasionally in dream-like sequences such as

'She's piling boxes in front of the door trying to block it
"Daddy please, Daddy don't leave, Daddy - no stop it!"

As the visuals show Hallie literally piling boxes in front of the front door as Eminem tries leaving for work. To Eminem spotting Hallie in the front row of a concert he’s performing whilst in Sweden as the lyrics state

'I glance down, I don't believe what I'm seeing
"Daddy it's me, help Mommy, her wrists are bleeding,"
But baby we're in Sweden, how did you get to Sweden?

What’s interesting in ‘When I’m Gone’ are the use of close-ups, where the artist is looking or even WHO is singing the lyrics. This track isn’t being sold so much as another number one hit for the artist, but as the chance to tell a story about his life in a way everyone expects and can enjoy, yet allowing Eminem the freedom to express his life’s difficulties through the only medium he can get any satisfaction out of; Music.

There is also the conflicting matter of who he’s talking to as he raps the chorus straight to the camera. Is he talking to his fans hinting possible retirement, using the camera as an intertextual pathway to his fans? Talking to his Slim Shady alter ego before killing him off? Or to his daughter, apologising for not being around for her as she grows up?

Eminem is famous for his dark, controversial and highly personal songs so as you’re watching the video you begin to develop the sense that the song wasn’t written primarily for his target audience. The lyrics are far too deep for just our own glee and self satisfaction. The only time it feels as though Eminem is addressing any kind of audience or his fans is in the first few lines of the fist verse when he’s at the meeting;

Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?
Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?

revealing his arm Tattoo of his daughters face to the camera cutting to him practising the lyrics. From that point on, any time Eminem looks at the camera to sing is in the point of view of his Daughter, Hallie, or as he looks down and spots Hallie in the crowd at the concert, putting the viewer directly in the shoes of the people his own lifestyle is affecting most, very effectively making the viewers feeling the pain and emotion he has inadvertently caused by not being around. From that point on it's uncertain if the audience is committing voyeurism or not. He does acknowledge his audience and let us into the story but does that mean we're invited to see the rest the content?

Yet his is able to create on multiple occasions, intentionally or not, a very catchy beat with a heart felt story which has resulted in lots of repetition by his fans and seemt to always grow a reputation as his deepest and best songs.

There is a lot of back and forth ‘speech’ within the verses between himself and Hallie as she argues her disappointment at her fathers lifestyle and he tries, to no avail to defend himself as Marshall’s real daughter Hallie mimes her own words in the song:

This differs slightly from his previous music videos. Although he has a tendency to dress up as a woman or as the personality he’s making fun of in his videos. This is the first he has used the actual person he’s referring to; his real life daughter, going against his audiences expectations for slap stick parady.

Marshall’s higher than usual voice, In comparison to the more commonly deeper tone of a black rapper, creates another motif, as the voice is familiar enough for a fan to recognise as an Eminem track without seeing him. Rappers also have different ways of producing a flow, such as using different rhyming techniques. Eminem has the ability to change his vocal pace and style multiple times throughout a song without losing the beat, making his style completely different with a multi syllable sound.

Other common star image motifs shown in ‘When I’m Gone’ and his other music videos is his trademark bleach blonde hair, which intentionally disappears from time to time, switching with his natural dark brown colour within the music video to separate his Marshall Mathers home life from his Slim Shady stage show. Seemingly very self aware of how the public portray him and intentionally destroying and contradicting any star iconography he has in a single video. The distribution company appear so confident about the 'Eminem' label that completely destroying him wouldn't impact on overall sales in the slightest.

Target Audience/Genre/Star Image

Craig Davis

Illustration: Performance/narrative mixed together .
Denotations - often very literal
Lots of close-ups of props and actors etc



Amplification: Auter - single control over a music video (Director)
Lyrics/sounds are interpreted in possibly a surreal way. Connotive.
Taking a single idea or lyric/element and making it the main focus to the whole video. Still has relevance/links to the music.



Disjunctive: Abstract. No obvious link to any point of the song or lyrics.
Could be put in with clips of any band performance and still work with the music for a video.

Codes and Conventions of the Music Video

• The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
• The relationship betweeen the music and the visuals
• Lyrics
  
• Music (Tempo)
• Genre
• Camerawork
• Editing
• Intertextuality

The MTV Phenomenon

source - Wikipedia

MTV (Music Television) is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs.
On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV: Music Television launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by John Lack. Those words were immediately followed by the original MTV theme song
Appropriately, the first music video shown on MTV was the ironic "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. The second video shown was Pat Benatar's "You Better Run". Sporadically, the screen would go black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR.
The original purpose of MTV was to be "Music Television," playing music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, guided by on-air personalities known as VJs, or video jockeys. The original taglines of the channel were "You'll never look at music the same way again," and "On cable. In stereo." Although the concept of playing music videos 24/7 has long been abandoned, MTV still promotes and plays a limited selection of music videos on its TV channel and web site.

The early music videos that made up the bulk of MTV's programming in the 1980s were often crude promotional or concert clips from whatever sources could be found. As the popularity of the channel rose, and record companies recognized the potential of the medium as a tool to gain recognition and publicity, they began to create increasingly elaborate clips specifically for the channel.

MTV rejected other black artists' videos, such as Rick James' "Super Freak," because they didn't fit the channel's rock dominated format at the time. The exclusion enraged James; he publicly advocated the addition of more black artists' videos on the channel.
According to The Austin Chronicle, Jackson's video for the song "Billie Jean" was "the video that broke the color barrier, even though the channel itself was responsible for erecting that barrier in the first place." After airing Jackson's music videos, MTV, then a struggling cable channel, became very popular. Jackson's videos were credited for this success and MTV's focus switched from rock to pop and R&B. This move helped other black artists such as Prince and Whitney Houston break into heavy rotation on the channel.

Despite targeted efforts to play certain types of music videos in limited rotation, MTV greatly reduced its overall rotation of music videos throughout the first decade of the 2000s. While music videos were featured on MTV up to eight hours per day in 2000, the year 2008 saw an average of just three hours of music videos per day on MTV. The rise of the Internet as a convenient outlet for the promotion and viewing of music videos signalled this reduction.

Today, MTV still plays a limited selection of music videos, but the channel primarily broadcasts a variety of popular culture and reality television shows targeted at young adults and older adolescents. In 2005 and 2006, MTV continued its focus on reality shows, with the debuts of popular shows such as 8th & Ocean, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, NEXT Two-A-Days, My Super Sweet 16, and Parental Control.

Brief timeline of the Music Video

1941: A new invention hits clubs and bars in the USA: The Panoram Soundie is a jukebox that plays short videoclips along with the music.

1956: Hollywood discovers the genre of music-centered films. A wave of rock 'n' roll films begins (Rock Around the Clock, Don't Knock the Rock, Shake, Rattle and Rock, Rock Pretty Baby, The Girl Can't Help It, and the famous Elvis Presley movies). Some of these films integrate musical performances into a story, others are simply revues.

1960: In France a re-invention of the Soundie, the Scopitone, gains limited success.

1961: Ricky Nelson's Travelin' Man video is shown on television.

1962: British Television invents a new form of music television. Shows like Top Of The Pops, Ready! Steady! Go! and Oh, Boy start as band vehicles and become huge hits.

1964: The US-Television market adapts the format. Hullabaloo is one of the first US shows of this kind, followed by Shindig! (NBC) and American Bandstand; The Beatles star in A Hard Day's Night.

1965: Bob Dylan films Subterranean Homesick Blues as a segment for D. A. Pennebaker's film, Dont Look Back, with two alternate takes.

1966: The first conceptual promos are aired, for the Beatles' "Paperback Writer" and "Rain".

1967: The Beatles ground-breaking promotional films for for "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are released.

1968: The Rolling Stones collaborate with Jean-Luc Godard on Sympathy for the Devil

1969: Easy Rider features one of the first uses of rock music to accompany sequences in a dramatic film

1970: The record industry discovers these TV-Shows as a great opportunity to promote their artists. They focus on producing short "Promos", early music videos which started to replace the live performance of the artist on the TV-stage. Also, the Atlanta-produced Now Explosion starts a 26-week run in syndication.

1973: The first of forty-six different Schoolhouse Rock music videos begin airing during Saturday morning cartoons on ABC.

1974: the pop shows Sounds and Countdown premiere on Australian television; Russell Mulcahy makes his first music videos for Sounds.
Swedish group ABBA pioneer the use of "Promos" with their clips, directed by Lasse Hallström. These contain innovative effects, camera angles, and a less static look than is the norm at the time. The band continue using such videos throughout the 1970s.

1975: "Bohemian Rhapsody", a groundbreaking video released by Queen, marks the beginning of the video era and sets the language for the modern music video. The video is considered one of the first to use advanced video effects.
Tommy, the Ken Russell film adaptation of The Who's rock opera is released.

1979: Devo releases "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise", which is the first music video to include computer animation, as well as traditional animation.
Another 1979 video with computer animation is "Computer Games", by New Zealand band MiSex. UK filmmakers Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton direct the innovative animated clip for the single "Accidents Will Happen" by Elvis Costello & The Atttractions.

1980: "Ashes to Ashes", considered a groundbreaking video, is released by David Bowie.

1980: "Coming Up" All instruments on the video are played by either Paul McCartney or Linda McCartney.

1981: MTV, the first 24-hour satellite music channel, launches in August. Initially few cable TV operators carry it, but it rapidly becomes a major hit and cultural icon.
"Shock Treatment" is released in theatres.

1981: Michael Nesmith wins the first ever music video Grammy, for Elephant Parts.

1982: Pink Floyd The Wall is released in theatres.

1983: Night Tracks debuts on Superstation WTBS (later known as TBS) with up to 14 hours of music videos each weekend by 1985. This allows nearly all U.S. households with Cable TV to view music videos regularly, as MTV still isn't widely available at this point in time compared to WTBS.

1983: Friday Night Videos debuts on the NBC television network, allowing nearly all U.S. households to view music videos regularly. Michael Jackson's Billie Jean video is released on TV, and for the first time a black artist's video is featured in heavy rotation on MTV with the video for his Beat It hit single.

1984: Laura Branigan's video for her hit song "Self Control" is refused airplay by MTV, who demand certain cuts be made to remove content they find objectionable.

1984: Prince releases the movie Purple Rain, and its soundtrack is nominated for an Oscar. The soundtrack album sells 15 million copies.

1984: Michael Jackson's short film Thriller is released, changing the concept of music videos forever. The Making of Thriller home video is also released in 1984. It is the first ever video about the making of a music video and it becomes the best selling VHS to date.

1984: Van Halen's 1984 album comes out with famous video hit like "Hot For Teacher", "Jump", and "Panama". MTV presents its first Video Music Awards, hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler. The Grammys award Best Short Form Music Video, as well as Best Long Form Music Video.

1985: a-ha find instant stardom with their hit song "Take On Me", significantly due to heavy rotation play of the song's video, which features a combination of live action and rotoscoping animation. The groundbreaking video wins several awards and is consistently rated as one of the best for decades to come.

1985: Madonna's video for her hit single "Material Girl" is released. It is largely based on Marilyn Monroe's performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes A huge storm of interest explodes for the video. The video is considered one of the most memorable and always comes up in "The Best Videos" lists.

1986: "Sledgehammer", the groundbreaking video from Peter Gabriel, furthers the revival of animation in music video, utilizing stop-motion photography and winning several awards.

1989: MTV renames its "Video Vanguard Award" the "Michael Jackson Vanguard Award" in honor of the pop star's contributions to the art of music video.

1989: Madonna's controversial video for "Like a Prayer" is released.

1990: MTV bans Madonna's "Justify My Love" video. It is released as a video single, the first of its kind.

1991: Nirvana release the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, catapulting Kurt Cobain - and the grunge genre - into the American and Worldwide mainstream.
First use of the now-familiar morphing special effect in a music video, with Michael Jackson's "Black or White" (directed by John Landis), from his album Dangerous.

1992: MTV begins to credit music video directors.

1995: Release of the most expensive music video ever "Scream", from Michael Jackson's HIStory album, a duet with his sister Janet.

1995: TLC's video for their hit song Waterfalls becomes a groundbreaking video for Girl groups and received massive airplay on MTV.

1996: Pop-up Video is first aired on VH1.

1996: Smashing Pumpkins releases the video for their song "Tonight, Tonight", based upon Georges Méliès's A Trip to the Moon. This video was one of the first to be based upon an early film.

1996: M2 is launched as a 24-hour music video channel, as MTV has largely replaced videos with other content.

1999: M2 is renamed to MTV2. Making the Video, a series chronicling the production of a music video, premieres on MTV.

2001: Björk releases the video for Pagan Poetry which was controversial for its depictions of sexual acts and body piercings.

2002: MTV Hits is launched, as MTV2 is gradually showing fewer music videos (now virtually non-existent on MTV).

2005: Grandaddy fan Stewart Smith releases unofficial "Jed's Other Poem" music video online along with the source code that created it. It is the first open source music video and is later sanctioned by Grandaddy's label, V2 Records.

2007: Musicbox (URL: musicbox.sonybmg.com) is launched by Sony BMG. This online portal signifies the first free streaming effort owned and operated by a major label.

2008: The first 3D video ever is made by Dave Meyers and Missy Elliott for her single Ching-a-Ling / Björk also makes one for Wanderlust.

Another blog. It's like DEJA VU!!

I know, I know. We don't start our music video assignment until next term. Yes, I know that means 2010, and yes, I know it's only September 23rd 2009, but I was incredibly bored over several parts of the Summer Holidays and decided to get a head start with a bit of my own blog stalking and self research into codes/conventions etc. All the important jazz.

So lets get on with it.