History
The First Music Video made in 1894 by Joseph W. Stern
What was the First Music Video?
The First Music video was believed to be 'The Little Lost Child' by Joseph W. Stern in 1894 and was presented as a slide show and was released as as 'illustrated song'.
When it was released in America, Joseph W. Stern sold over 2 million copies even though the average American did not have the equipment to watch the recording.
But what was the First Music 'Video'?
The First Music Video was made in 1927 by and it was made by 'The Jazz Singer' and was for a song called 'Mammy'.
More about the History behind Music Videos
The first time Music merged with film was in 1894 when a Composer by the name of Joseph W. Stern and his Lyricist Edward B. Marks hired an electrician by the name of George H. Thomas to use a 'Magic Lantern' to match a live performance and project live images.
At the time, this was extremely popular and if you were to have the chance to see the 'Magic Lantern' in a museum then you will be astonished.
Stereopticon
Otherwise known as 'Magic Lantern'
The Stereopticon was the device referenced as the 'Magic Lantern' which was a projector like device. This was take images hand-draw or coloured and project them onto a surface.
To the right is an example of a Steropticon as is basic drawing design.
To the left is a more detailed example of a Steropticon and you really see how much we have developed the technology and now we have projectors half this size.
How did Hollywood react to this?
The fall of Silent Films
Once the news of this Music Video hit Hollywood this were certain to change. At this time Hollywood were in the business of producing Silent Films. This was was the Silent era of film. The whole industry began to fall but it was still developing in its own way to change itself and start from the beginning again but with sound in films.