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The music video became established as a form in the 1970s, as record companies began to release a visual accompaniment to help promote a new song. Music videos were shown on television programmes such as Top Of The Pops and became an important part of the marketing and promotion of singles. MTV was launched as a specialist music video channel in 1981, allowing music videos to reach a much wider audience. Now music videos can reach an even bigger global audience online, through platforms such as Youtube. If yo don’t know what Top Of The Pops was – either ask your parents or look it up online.Music videos often use cutting-edge technology that create products that look very contemporary at the time they are made, although as time passes these effects can appear dated and old-fashioned. The use of technology adds to the aspirational value of the the video as a promotional tool. For example , The band A-Ha combined animation and live action footage in the video for ‘Take On Me’. This video explores the boundaries between fantasy and reality as the female character imagines that the lead singer comes to like from a cartoon strip.Most music videos , especially mainstream artists’ videos will include an element of performance The singer will usually be filmed lip-synching the lyrics; band members might be shown playing instruments The performance might be at a live concert, in a rehearsal room or filmed on location There might also be choreographed dancing , depending on the genre of the music This helps to sell the music and establish a connection with the audience.Many music videos also have an element of narrative, usually interwoven with performance footage. It is unlikely that a music video will contain a complete narrative due to its length, but there might be elements of narrative or images that communicate stories, themes and messages The video usually reinforces the star persona, the image of the artist designed to appeal to the target audience and promote the artist and their music The artist might appear as a performer (on stage , in the rehearsal room) The artist often directly addresses the audience , creating the impression that they are singing directly to the viewer In some music videos the artist or band does not appear. This tends to be the case in independent or alternative videos, where there is less of an emphasis on the star personaThere are a range of filming conventions used in music videos : A range of shots is used, including multiple close ups of the artist The video is edited to the beat of the music; often fast paced Narrative sequences might use techniques of continuity editingINTERTEXUALITY Artists are often influenced by other musical genres or bands as well as by other forms of popular culture such as television and film As music videos are very short products , intertextual references can provide a shortcut to communicate a message quickly and clearlyMadonna’s video for ‘Material Girl’ in 1985 directly references the film “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds’ from 1953 starring Marilyn Monroe.An audience familiar with Monroe would recognise the physical similarity to Madonna , and those who had seen the film would appreciate the links between ‘Material Girl’ and the iconic scene where Monroe sing ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’. There is a consumerist message in both songs relating to the value of material possessions, which also reflects the context of each product : the 1950s and the 1980s were periods of economic success