Clip

A clip (or video clip , video clip , video musical - in English promotion and music video ) is a multi-media, mainly audio-visual and commonly short work, carried out at the beginning of a music. Clip is an “extracted” meaning word of English origin: to clip something off , to cross. The clip is still presented in the form of a part of a broader whole: the significance passes by the setting in report/ratio of each fragment with those which surround it. This manner of considering audio-visual flow is to be connected directly to the Soviet avant-gardes years 1920 like Dziga Vertov and Serguei Eisenstein.

The clip generally makes the promotion of a group or a music, in fine of an album, sometimes even of a film. It takes part in the construction of the image of a group or an interpreter. But the clip quite simply meets the need to bring an image where only the music remains. Following the example small pockets of discs, it occupies “a fuzzy zone between marketing and the experiment Esthétique”. The clip is a combination, on the same support, data of various natures like the sound, the image and, when there is, of the words or the text. “It is the interaction various mediae which defines the multi-media one”, written Nicholas Cook. Michel Chion likes to speak about “audio-logo-visual” when the audio-visual one includes language in written and/or spoken form. It puts forward, just like Carol Vernallis, that the situation is generally triangular and nonduelle: “thus a video clip combines not image and music, but of the words, music and images”. The importance of the context is consequently crucial: the direction of each element ‑ that it is sound, visual or different ‑ is function of its context.

During the Years 1960, many pop musicians used the image in films which constitute as many compilations pre-clip, such as for example the Scopitone S French or the films of the Beatles when those decided not to make rounds more. Always at that time, television creates regular musical appointments: Signal off the Pops, ED Sullivan Show, Hullabaloo… But the history of the clip goes back to the beginning of the cinema. Thus, it is often known as that the clip was born in 1975 with Bohemian Rhapsody from the London group Queen, but it is an error due to a too literal translation of the term video ; Bohemian Rhapsody is indeed the first video , pusic it is the first clip turned to the video format, but it was neither the first clip, nor what precipitated the arrival of MTV. Certain historians, like Pete Fraser, with the risk to oppose certain prejudices, make go up the relation between the music and visual the fifty years earlier, with the experiments of Oskar Fischinger, as of the years 1920. Giusy Pisano watch that the relations between the sound and the image are quite former to the inventions of the gramophone and the cinematograph. There exist also clips in " voice off" i.e. that the singer or the group does not appear in the clip.

History

Before 1895

Song Slide (glass plates illustrating of the songs).

Towards the standardization of the processes of synchronism of the sound and image (1895-1929)

Since its beginnings in 1895 the cinema was accompanied by music and sound effects by local musicians. In particular of imitative music. These accompaniments on line were saying is contaminated by inappropriate musics, performances of low quality and difficulties of synchronization with the image on the screen. Indeed, when a smooth talker did not take part, musicians or sound-effects men present at the time of the spectacle, helped by any kind of tools like the theater organs, were provided with a section of percussions and other accessories  : cymbals, grèle, clear case, large case, triangle, play of horn, siren of boat, noise of the sea, effect of storm, shoes of horses, small bells, xylophone, vibraphone, sometimes toothing-stone and even piano.

Contrary to a priori concerning the silent film, the experiments of musical cinema such as the Phonoscènes Gaumont does not seem a marginal phenomenon. See for example Anna what awaits you . Some of these processes were presented during the World Fair of Paris 1900. Around 1914, certain Lordier presents films ( the Marseillaise , Madelon ) by inviting the spectators to take again in hearts the verses.

Standardization of the “talking films”

In 1926 is presented by the Warner brothers the first sound feature film: Don Juan , of Alan Crosland, decorated music and of sound effects. The process employed, the Vitaphone, developed with the Electric Western, is based on the synchronization of a disc with the projector. One year later, in October 1927, the Singer of jazz , always of Alan Crosland, will be the first sung and spoken film. This film comprises actually very little voice and essentially remains dumb, but he is regarded as the historical point of reference of the passage of the dumb man with speaking. In 1929, the recording of the sound by optical copying process lays out, finally, the sound beside the image on same film. The Cinéphonies of Emile Vuillermoz are an example offered by these new technique possibilities. The cinema was the privileged ground of the relation between the sound and the image with its musical comedies, its musical illustration, its various appearances artists, its documentary ‑ showing popular practices like Woodstock of Michael Wadleigh ‑, its entertainments ‑ Fantasia (1939) and the Silly Symphonies , of Walt Disney ‑, its experiments ‑ Colourbox (1937) of Len Lye and Caprice color (1949) of Norman McLaren ‑, etc the clip is only one obvious result of the experiments binding the sound to the image.

Soundies

In 1940, in Chicago, the Millets Novelty Company ‑ larger manufacturer of Juke-box S of the time ‑ and James Roosevelt create the Earth-Millets Production with an aim of building and of selling jukeboxes Panoram. The insertion of a coin, these machines out of wooden played and projected on their small screen, by a system of lenses and mirrors, the film of a song of approximately three minutes in black and white called Soundies.

Scopitone

In the years 1960, a “monstrous news machine” ‑ terms used by the magazine Time in 1964 ‑ called Scopitone appears on the French market, then American. It is a juke-box comparable with Panoram. It is equipped like him with a screen and plays, in contact with a part, a musical short-measuring. Two improvements will make however pass Scopitone like an innovation without precedent: the fact that its small films are color and the direct passage of each song with the help of 5 francs - considerable nap for the time, where the Juke-box as the Flipper cost only 20 centimes.

MTV

The mythical advent of the clip goes back to 1981, when the American chain MTV (Music Television) inaugurates its antenna with the traditional one and symbolic system Video Killed the Radio Star , of the Buggles. But it is neither the first clip nor that which launched the kind. MTV makes the bet diffuse only clips and success is with go. The chain extends on all the continents. The principle, as for publicity, is to sell spectators with the advertisers: in this case, the advertisers are the recording companies, which produce the clips and, sometimes, pay to diffuse them.

The clip Thriller of Michael Jackson, from a format unusual (14 minutes) and turned on a support film (35 mm), will contribute to make emerge the kind, by limiting it more to “filmed song”. Consequently, a true scenaristic construction is set up. The image is not used any more a development for the music, these two elements are useful mutually. Following Jackson, many artists will invest in their clip, which will become the required passage of the launching of any album. One does not speak any more of the last title, but of the last clip, in particular for certain emblematic artists like Buzy, Mylène Farmer and Madonna.

The appearance of the chain MTV in August 1981 shows the use of the televisual medium and the appearance of a format standardized, short and gravitational, in constant transformation for better sticking to the air time. Television did not await MTV to diffuse musical performances or promotions, when the artists could not move. The cinema very had already early been interested in the pop music MTV, moreover, was not the single chain to diffuse clips, but it on the other hand appreciably impregnated the system. “What is really important about the clip, writing Andrew Goodwin, is emergence in years 1980 of a routine method to promote the individual ones. ” The history of the chain is marked, at the beginning, by an indifference posted for the vidéos black artists who, increasing their budget, finally will supplant the rock'n'roll like forms dominant. Artists as Madonna used the clip in an original way, abrasive of tightened choreographies and plans, supporting the presence of the female artists on the chain. After its repurchase by Viacom in 1985, the chain will diversify, as well on the plan of the styles, with the creation of chains specialized, as on the geographical level, settling a little everywhere in the world ‑ in Europe in 1987. It will also diversify the kinds, opening the way with programs centered less on the music than on the style. Today, with an extremely on a worldwide scale concentrated music industry, MTV determines the televised market of the clip. This year, the chain, which celebrates its 25 years of existence, launched out with the Microsoft company in the trade of the online music for still unknown results.

Let us recall that, in addition to the commercial aspect, and in the need for being perceived as being always “up to date”, MTV regularly showed itself with the point of televisual art while supporting, inter alia, motion design and animation through its preparing of chain. At all events, the clip, diffused or not on television, became a required passage. Warp thus borrowed it, not without renewing the kind and its means of diffusion.

The digital age

The market of the music having changed much (the passage into radio operator also made to him following agreements between labels and radios), the clip was more restricted with only one medium, television, and is offered now on CD, DVD, Internet. Realizers such as Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze or Chris Cunningham left a compilation their clip in DVD. Its principal goal always remaining to make the promotion of groups. The clips are increasingly numerous, and the festivals of short-measurings show some more and more.

As opposed to what one could fear, the video clip undoubtedly did not die: the passion of the public for the musical DVD (including for DVD devoted to realizers of clips) of it is the proof. The video clip makes it possible to supplement the universe of the musicians, it is also the occasion to produce images which, within another framework, would be judged like experimental cinema. Even if the market of the clip and its mode of diffusion changed and undoubtedly did not finish doing it, one can take the bet which the kind did not say its last mot.

See also: Motion Design and Video jockey

Chronology

  • 1927: The Jazz Singer (silent film with preregistered sung sequences)
  • 1939: Fantasia (Walt Disney Pictures)
  • 1941: Introduction of Jukebox Panoram and Soundies
  • 1956: A wave of films rock' roll does not start in Hollywood ( Rock Around the Clock , Don' T Knock the Rock , Shake, Rattle and Rock , Rock Pretty Baby , The Girl Can' T Help It , and famous films of Elvis Presley). Some of these films integrated musical numbers into a history, others were musical productions.
  • 1962: British Television invents a new form of musical diffusion. Emissions like Signal Off The Pops , Ready! Steady! Go! and Oh, Boy promoted groups and created enormous successes.
  • 1964: American television adapts this format. Hullabaloo one of the first American emissions of the kind, is followed Shindig! (NBC) and American Bandstand ; The Beatles are the high-speed motorboats of has Hardware Day' S Night
  • 1966: The first conceptual promotional films are diffused: Paperback Writer and Rain of the Beatles, followed into 1967 of Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever .
  • 1968: The Rolling Stones collaborate with Jean-Luc Godard on Sympathy for the Devil .
  • 1970: The industry of the disc realizes that these television programs are a great opportunity for the promotion of their artists. They concentrate on the realization of short promotional films which start to replace the televised performances.
  • 1974: ABBA upsets the static side of the clip, in there integral of the visual effects innovating for the time.
  • 1975: The video " Bohemian Rhapsody " of Queen mark the beginning of the video era and founds the language of the modern videos.
  • 1979: Devo carries out The Day My Baby Gave has Me Surprise , which was the first video one to include virtual animations with traditional animations.
  • 1980: The video Ashes to Ashes is turned by David Bowie.
  • 1981: MTV, the first music channel diffused by satellite uninterrupted, is launched. Initially supported by operators of cable television, she was quickly a major success and became a cultural icon.
  • 1984: First French clip turned with the means of a feature-length film: Adrian of Buzy (réal. Hilton McConnico) diffusion in the cinemas Gaumont
  • 1984: Publication of the short-measuring of Michael Jackson, Thriller , which changes the concept of the clip forever. Making off Thriller leaves also this year and is the first making off of a clip of the history.
  • 1986: The video clip unloads in France, thanks to court-measurings of Mylène Farmer ( Plus To grow , Libertine …), which encourages the chain TV6 to create emissions dedicated to the clips.
  • 1989: Madonna makes scandal with the clip of Like has Prayer , followed the following year of Justify My Love , which will be censured.
  • 1992: MTV starts to credit the realizers with clips.
  • 1996: Creation of m2 (which will become MTV 2, then MTV Hits).

Complements

Music channels

Chains diffusing of the clips:
  • Study Bureau
    • Study Bureau J
  • BlankTV
  • Blastro
  • Bubble Hits
  • C4
  • Chanel [V]
  • Chanel [U]
  • CMT
  • Fuses TV
  • GAC
  • IMF
  • Juice TV
  • Kerrang! TV
  • MCA
  • MTV
    • MTV2
    • MTV Australia
    • MTV Japan
    • MTV Asia
    • MTV Brasil
    • MTV Chi
    • MTV Desi
    • MTV in Español
    • MTV Puerto Rico
    • MTV Europe
    • MTV Hits
    • MTV India
    • MTV Jams
    • MTV K
    • MTVU
  • Music Choice
  • MuchMusic
    • MuchVibe
    • MuchLOUD
    • PunchMuch

Often quoted clips

It is often known as that the first group to have popularized the video clip with large scales is Queen, in 1975, at the time of the exit of Bohemian Rhapsody (resulting from their 4th album has Night At The Opera ). The success of the song was so large that the British group could not make any more the round of all the studios to play in playback, they thus decided to turn a video clip (with the fakings included, most expensive at the time) which avoided to them moving each time.

By their sophisticated realization, certain clips made date, and were gathered for this reason in anthologies on DVD.

It is first of all advisable to quote Thriller , of Michael Jackson, who gives truly to the kind her international significance. Indeed, for the first time, a video clip is used for promotion of an album. To see on this subject the analysis of Yves Gautier in the book " Michael Jackson of the Other with dimensions of the Mirror " who in addition analyzes in detail the scenario of the clip.

Come then Owner off has lonely heart (Yes), Take one me (Have-ha), Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel), Weapon off choice (Fatboy Slim), Money for nothing (Dire Straits) and Video killed the Radio stars (Buggles).

Certain clips even had their pastiches. Microsoft took again Weapon off choice to make of it a clip of promotion of internal use, Windows off choice . Besides Weird Al Yankovic was made know by its various pastiches of famous clips.

Among the clips French, impossible not to quote those of Mylène Farmer, considered as true court-measurings ( Provided that they are soft II exceeds the 17 minutes).

Some outstanding personalities of the clip

  • Laurent Boutonnat. The type-setter of Mylène Farmer carried out several of his vidéos, of which: Libertine, Provided that they are soft, Désenchantée, Without counterfeit, the words, TRISTANA, I love you melancholy, Ainsi is I …

  • Steve Barron . Realizer for Have-ha, Joe Jackson, Tears for Fears, and well of others. For the anecdote, Barron is the realizer of “Electric Dreams”, a film very marked “Années 1980” in which a computer, shorted-circuit with champagne, becomes in love with the friend of its owner.

  • Chris Cunningham . Is considered before just like an artist multimedia. Its unhealthy and perturbing environments strongly marked the public: its clips of Aphex Twin in particular, but also Frozen (Madonna) or “All is full off coils” (Björk).

  • Florence Deygas and Olivier Kuntzel. Authors of “Crowned French” and “Very Stylish Girl” (Dimitri from Paris), “Photo Girl” (Poperetta), “Red rose” (Ludovic Navarre aka Holy Germain), “The Sssound Off Mmmusic” (Bertrand Burgalat) as well as vidéos for Sparks.

  • Quentin Dupieux. Known as musician under the name of Mr. Oizo, Quentin Dupieux carries out strange court-measurings. Presented by his father, mechanic, with Laurent Garnier, it produced clips for Alex Gopher, Laurent Garnier and itself.

  • David Fincher. The realizer of Fight Club and The Game passed by the video clip after having left company ILM of George Lucas. He is the founder of Propaganda, production company specialized in the creation of video or advertizing clips with which collaborated Michael Bay, Alex Proyas, Michel Gondry and well of others. Realizer for Madonna, Michael Jackson,…

  • Marcus Nispel . Realizer of famous the Runaway (Janet Jackson), Killer/Papa has Rolling Stone (George Michael), XXL and Moment X (Mylène Farmer), Shy Guy (Diana King), Believe (Elton John), Spice up your Life (Spice Girls), Love is all around (Wet Wet Wet), Ready gold not (The Fugees)…

  • Jihad Kahwajy. Swiss realizer going up. He creates a technical concept with his company JKP STUDIO which privileges environment and the light. For lower costs, its image competes with the large current productions: Clip of Manizao Junior - My Switzerland , Solodos - If You Supieras are the latest to date. It will not fail to make speak about him in a near future.

  • Jonathan Glazer . Realizer of “Sexy Beast” and “Birth”, it turns for Jamiroquai, Radiohead, Blur or Massive Attack. In spite of a videotex very limited, its clips among are quoted (with the image of “Rabbit in your Headlights” of UNKLE where a man is made reverse by cars in a tunnel)

  • H5 . Collective including/understanding Ludovic Houplain, Antoine Bardou Jacquet (founders), Herve de Crécy, Rachel Cazadamont, François Alaux and Fleur Fortunate. One owes them “The Child”, for Alex Gopher - a typographical city - and “Remind me” (Röyksopp)

  • Pleix. Collective.

  • Jean-Baptiste Mondino. In addition to the famous one and removed from rim the dance of the words , It is initially its black and very pictorial white which will make known it with sentimental clips such as “another world” (Téléphone), “Cargo liner of night” (Axel Bauer), “Russians” (Sting)… With “Servant boys off summer” (1985), from Gift Henley, it will receive “MTV Music Video Award” of the best clip of the year. Later, Mondino will pass to the color for Rita Mitsouko, then Prince, Madonna, Alain Bashung, Björk, etc

  • Garth Jennings : realizer of “The Hitchhiker' S Guides to the Galaxy”, it is also famous for his clips for Fatboy Slim (“Right young stag, Right now”), Blur (“Coffee % TV”), R.E.M (“Imitation off life”) or Badly Drawn Boy

  • Diane Martel. Many achievements in the Hip Hop. Author moreover several clips of Mariah Carey.

  • Olivier Megaton. The realizer of “Exit” and “the red Siren” is author of various clips for Fabe, Assassin, the Green Négresses, Silmarils, Sens Unik or Jean-Louis Aubert.

  • Sophie Muller. Of Eurythmics to No Doubt while passing by Sade, Sophie Muller is the traditional director of clips. Its manner, apparently pass key, are extremely effective in the feeling of proximity which it installs between the musicians and their listeners. It maintains in addition long employment relationships with the artists of which it puts the music in images: 7 clips for No Doubt, 15 clips for Eurythmics/Annie Lennox, 9 clips of Shakespeare sisters, etc

  • Nick Park. Become famous thanks to Sledgehammer of Peter Gabriel (MTV Music Video Award of the best clip in 1987), he is today the realizer of Wallace and Gromit.

  • Tim Pope . The realizer of “The Crow 2” is also the author of the clips of Talk Talk, of “singing in the shower” (Rita Mitsouko + The Sparks), of Soft Concealment, and, especially, of traditional of The Cure.

  • Stephan Sednaoui. French artist, touches has all, and resident has New York, Sednaoui and so known for its photographs of report and mode that for its work of realizer. he realized to date more than 50 vidéos, in particular for NTM (“the world of tomorrow”), Björk, MC Solaar, Neneh Cherry and Youssou Dour, Garbage, Tricky, U2, Mirwais…

  • Shynola . Collective, it produces clips or animation takes an important dimension. Among the artists having had recourse to them, one can quote Radiohead (“Pyramid Song”), Queens off the Stone Age (“Go with the flow”), Blur (“Crazy Beat”, “Good Song”) or Beck. They will work, thereafter, with animations of the Galactic Guide in film of Garth Jennings

  • Tarsem Singh . Realizer of “Losing My Religion” (REM) and of the film “The Concealment”. Its principal activity is the realization of publicities.

  • Julien Temple. Realizer of many clips of David Bowie, Rolling Stones,… and of the film “Absolute Beginers”

Occasional realizers of clips

Videotex

  • Warp Vision: The Videos 1989-2004, DVD, Warp Records, 2004.

Compilation of the clips vidéos of the label Warp
  • Zen TV, DVD, Ninja Tune Records, 2003.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the label Ninja Tune
  • the Alternative, M6music, 2004
Compilation gathering of the clips diffused on M6 in the emission " The alternative"
  • The Work off Director: Michel Gondry, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2003.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Michel Gondry
  • The Work off Director: Spike Jonze, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2003.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Spike Jonze
  • The Work off Director: Chris Cunningham, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2003.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Chris Cunningham
  • The Work off Director: Stephan Sednaoui, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2005.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Stephan Sednaoui
  • The Work off Director: Romanek mark, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2005.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Mark Romanek
  • The Work off Director: Jonathan Glazer, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2005.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Jonathan Glazer
  • The Work off Director: Anton Corbijn, DVD, Palm Pictures, 2005.
Compilation of the clips vidéos of the realizer Anton Corbijn

Television channels devoted to the diffusion of clips

  • Black Entertainment Television (BET), Study Bureau (the USA)

  • C4TV, (New Zealand)
  • Chanel V, Chanel V (Australia)
  • Chanel V, Chanel V (India)
  • Chanel V, Chanel V (International)
  • FUSES, FUSES (the USA)
  • Hit Chanel, Hit Chanel (Italy)
  • Juice TV, Juice TV (New Zealand)
  • MCA, MCA (France)
  • Melody Hits, Melody Hits (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine)
  • MTV Asia, MTV (Asia)
  • MTV Brazil, MTV (Brazil)
  • MTV Canada, MTV (Canada)
  • MTV Clouded, MTV (Clouded)
  • MTV Europe, MTV (Europe)
  • MTV France, MTV (France)
  • MTV Germany, MTV (Germany)
  • MTV Italy, MTV (Italy)
  • MTV India, MTV (India)
  • MTV Japan, MTV (Japan)
  • MTV Latin America, MTV (Latin America)
  • MTV Russia, MTV (Russia)
  • MTV the U.K., MTV (the U.K., Ireland)
  • MTV the USA, MTV (the USA)
  • MuchMoreMusic, MuchMoreMusic (Canada)
  • MuchMusic, MuchMusic (Canada)
  • Music max, Music max (Australia)
  • MUSIC ONE! TV , MUSIC ONE! TV (Japan)
  • MusiquePlus, Music More (Canada)
  • Ground Musica, Ground Musica (Spain)
  • SPACE SHOWER TV, SPACE SHOWER TV (Japan)
  • TMF, TMF (Netherland)
  • TMF, TMF (Belgium)
  • TMF, TMF (the U.K.)
  • TV K-LUMEA, K-LUMEA (Romania)
  • TVM3, (Switzerland)
  • VH-1, VH-1 (the USA)
  • VH-1 the U.K., VH-1 (the U.K.)
  • VIVA, VIVA (Germany)
  • VIVA Italy, VIVA (Italy)
  • ZTV, ZTV (Sweden)

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