22nd September 2008 - by Christopher Tang
Music Videos - What They Do to Songs
Music videos give a face, a look, a visual appeal to what is
otherwise an entirely auditory experience. Music videos started
probably as long ago as the television itself, and they have
gone a long way in popularizing artists. In fact, it is quite
interesting that television channels should actually be devoted
something that is only supposed to be listened to, not seen.
But the popularity and Television Rating Points of these
channels tell us that music videos can make or break a song or
artist.
Music videos are popular because they go a long way in
reinforcing an 'image' of a song or the artist. It is more
experiential than listening; hence people tend to relate to it
much faster. In the same way that watching a movie is more
'real' than reading a book about the same story. A music video
also gives a new dimension to the meaning or purpose of a song.
A song is an expression of a thought or an emotion. Although
lyrics are more than enough to help one connect to this
thought, the video defines this purpose more narrowly. The
purpose of the song becomes much clearer to most listeners
through the video. In fact, you might have observed that once
you have seen the video of a song, you will recall it every
time you hear the song.
Is creating a music video much different from creating a movie
or ad? Well yes, it is. When you see a video, the reason it
makes sense and appeals to you is because it reinforces what
the song says when the song says it. A movie is a final
product; everything else is ancillary - dialogues, set, lights,
et al. In the case of a music video, the video is ancillary. It
is to be made to fit onto the song after a song is completed;
it is not made with the song. This is difficult since the video
has to now be a perfect match with the song, its lyrics, tempo
and its meaning. And along with all this, the video must also
convey a story in most cases - All this within a span of not
more than 3 minutes.
Hard core music listeners or connoisseurs are often of the view
that music videos take the focus off the song and onto the
video. This often results in very mediocre songs becoming
popular just because they have videos that appeal to masses.
The song thus becomes secondary, and 'music' loses its meaning.
Judging a song by its video is probably what causes great songs
to remain unheard or forgotten. In fact, some are even of the
opinion that a great video is a marketing tactic employed to
promote not-so-great music.
Are videos really required? Well one cannot deny the fact that
they go a long way in making faces known. But the purpose of a
video is to reinforce a song, not overshadow it. Hence a fine
balance of creativity and honesty to the song are a must in
creating the perfect video.
Article Source:
http://www.megamusicsite.com
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