So as Ruby has already said, we've now finished our thriller unit and therefore we're moving swiftly onto the next unit - Music Videos! To begin this unit our teacher has asked us to research an iconic music video from before we were born - I've chosen to look at the music video to 'Video killed the radio star' by The Buggles.




The Buggles are a British New wave group, they released 'Video killed the radio star' as their debut single on the 7th of September 1979. It was also one of the songs from the album 'The age of plastic'.
The song topped the music charts in several countries - this was most likely very much due to the music video helping to promote the band.
One reason it was an extremely iconic video is because it was the first music video ever to be shown on U.S MTV; it was shown at 12:01am on the 1st of August 1981 and was the first sign that MTV was going to be successful.

The song itself has a very straight forward narrative - that video killed the radio star - the song itself seems to explain a singers career cut short due to TV...it means that due to the advance in technology and the ability to create music videos and share them on means such as television, the radio will no longer be an important factor in creating stars and musicians. The lyrics also suggest that although radio has been such an important factor in so many peoples lives, any generations below them will not appreciate radio and will not understand how much of an impact it had on so many people. "I met your children..What did you tell them? Video killed the radio star. Video killed the radio star. Pictures came and broke your heart."
When interviewed, Trevor Horn (a member of the band) exclaimed that he felt 'an era was about to pass'.

The song became an instant hit around the world, and since then has been used in numerous films such as 'Take this Waltz' - 2011 and also it's one of the songs on the hit game 'Just Dance'. Not only this, it's been used in the video game 'Grand Theft Auto'. The obvious success of the song could be partly down to the fact that it had such an iconic music video, used in such an iconic way.

The video was directed by Russel Mulcahy, who before this video had mostly shot entirely performance videos, as this was the norm for music videos around this time. He worked with the band to create an abstract narrative for the video. He went on to create many other music videos for various artists including Elton John, Duran Duran and Billy Joel.

The video includes a variety of 'Goodwins 7' theories about stereotypical music videos - this is perhaps iconic due to the fact that this video was created near the beginning of music video history therefore helping to manufacture Goodwins 7. The most noticable theory that 'Video killed the radio star' sticks to is the numerous close ups of the main singer - often due to the demands of the record label. From the beginning of the video the main singer is usually in the clip - and the camera shot is usually a close up on him. There are other shots of the band but not frequently and they are usually only shown for a few seconds. 

The video also incorporates the theory that there is a link between lyrics and visuals, as this music video is loosely a narrative one. At the beginning when he is singing about tuning in on a radio to listen to music there is a small girl tuning a radio - therefore linking the visuals that we see and the lyrics that are being sung.
There are of course intertextual references throughout this song as the lyrics are all about popular culture, television and radio. 


I think this music video is an extremely interesting one, as it was so iconic in the fact that in it's time it was linked to exactly what was happening in the music world and in culture and technology in general. I also think it's so iconic as it was the first music video ever shown on MTV - and it's quite an ironic video to show to start off MTV's career due to the fact that it's not really glamourizing music videos, more like saying it's a shame that they are becoming so popular!

Beginning of our A2 Music video unit!

So, we have now completed our thriller film, research and blogging process! I'm sure we'll put marks on here as soon as we know them! But for know, lets start with music videos!

So I'm going to analyse a very iconic music video from the 70's/80's (Not sure which, my guess is eighties). I'm going to study Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video. Firstly, some background info on the production of the video. It was directed by John Landis, a very famous film director, who Jackson recruited to direct this music video. It features a heavy reliance on prosthetics and make-up, as the cast are made up entirely of 'the living dead'. At the beginning of the video, there's a scene with former playboy centrefold Ola Rey, and a voceover by Horror voiceover veteran Vincent Price. The video is thirteen and a half minutes long, and has won two grammy awards and four mtv awards. It is considered one of the 'Most influential music videos in pop culture', as it began the trend of merging film-making and music videos. The red jacket Jackson wears is an iconic piece of clothing, and when fans or society for that matter, sees the red jacket with black stripes, they immediately associate it to Thriller. The dance performed by Jackson and the 'living dead' has also become a wordwide phenomenon, with people dancing along to it all over the globe. It is one of Jackson's most iconic songs, and the music video is also another of Jackson's many triumphs in that of the music industry.
So, firstly, I absolutely adore this video! I've always loved listening and watching when it comes to this song and video since I was very small, and has influenced me in many ways. The actual song Thriller has been a favourite of mine ever since I was little, mainly because It's a very upbeat tune to dance to, but also because of the music video. I have to admit, when I first watched the video, it scared me, especially when Michael turns into a zombie! But now I can dully appreciate the aspects of this music video that make it iconic and world-renowned.
I'm going to do it via bullet points, because it helps me make more concise points so I don't waffle on for hours :)
Good points:
-The storyline. Absolutely genius! It was partially Michael that wrote the screenplay, and partially the director John Landis, and when combining the two, it makes a fabulous zombie music fest! I think that using the concept of being 'inside' a horror movie is a brilliant one because I think it is every kid's nightmare to be trapped inside house full o' zombies. So this attracts the younger generation straight away because they want the thrill of schadenfreude, the feeling you get when you're watching something you don't want to happen to you, but is entertaining to watch someone else go through it. I also find the use of the actual 'living dead' characters very exciting to watch because they are genuinely scary! Especially when dancing the horrific dance and singing along to a song about being scared, its sure to scare anyone watching it!
-The dance. I thoroughly enjoy watching the fantastic dance routine performed by Jackson and the zombies. Those dance moves have become iconic on dancefloors all over the world, and is rated one of the top five dance routines in music culture of all time.  I always love dancing along whenever I hear the iconic chorus.
-The prosthetics, make-up and costumes. I particularly like these because they really bring the piece together and make it a true 'horror' music video. Especially, make-up wise, when Michael transforms into a zombie, the change in his face is horrific! That really scares me whenever I watch the video, because it is one of my greatest fears, being turned into a zombie. Also with regards to clothing, I researched this video and found out that the iconic red jacket with stripes own the side, is a gift given to Michael by the directors wife, Deborah Landis, to make him look more 'volatile'. I think the use of very deep red connotes blood and death, which is definitely an overarching theme in this piece.
-Lastly, the setting. I adore the setting of the spooky haunted house because in old horror B movies, they're always set in old spooky houses, which helps the video fit the stereotype of B movies. I enjoy this feature because the setting is actually quite scary to look at, especially as its dark and its deserted, a typical set-up for horror movies.

So, there you go. Thats why I love this music video and this song.

 Now here's the full-length video for you to watch and enjoy!




Thank you! :)