Music Video History

The first major event in music video history was the experimental film movement, which started in the 1920s. At this point in time, few people were involved or interested in this genre of film making. The conventions of this movement went against the ordinary linear narrative, which was popular at the time. Instead they popularised the use of conventions such as abstract imagery, rapid editing and the out of focus shots. Although unappreciated at the time, it has now become its own genre of music video. Example below shows one of Andy Warhol's attempts at experimental music video making.




The next important event on our music video timeline is the invention of the Soundies. These were a type of coin-operated jukebox that combined sound and film, that were produced in New York, Chicago and Hollywood at the start of the 1940s. The three minute long black and white musical films, which covered a wide range of genres, became popular viewing in bars, clubs, restaurants and amusement centres. They were designed to attract wartime military personal on leave and often had patriotic messages such as 'We're all Americans' and 'When Hitler Kicks the Bucket'. Eventually in 1946 they had become less popular and unfashionable and production halted.

With the disappearance of the Soundies in popular culture, a gap in the market brought about the invention of the Le poinconneur des Lila (scopitone) by the French inventor Serge Gainsbourg in 1958. Like the soundies, it was a type of jukebox that played music videos, this time in colour. They became widely popular in Europe in the 1960s where they were coined as the Scopitone. By 1964, they were being installed in American bars and Diners. Like the Soundies they too became outdated, and by the 1970s they were no longer majorly used.