  a music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. although the origins of music videos date back much further, they came into prominence in the 1980s, when mtv based their format around the medium. prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". music videos use a wide range of styles of contemporary video making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. some music videos blend different styles, such as animation, music, and live action. many music videos interpret images and scenes from the song's lyrics, while others take a more thematic approach. other music videos may be without a set concept, being merely a filmed version of the song's live performance. ==history and development==  in 1894, sheet music publishers edward b. marks and joe stern hired electrician george thomas and various performers to promote sales of their song "the little lost child". using a magic lantern, thomas projected a series of still images on a screen simultaneous to live performances. this would become a popular form of entertainment known as the illustrated song, the first step toward music video. ===1926â1959: talkies, soundies, and shorts=== in 1926, with the arrival of "talkies" many musical short films were produced. vitaphone shorts (produced by warner bros.) featured many bands, vocalists and dancers. animation artist max fleischer introduced a series of sing-along short cartoons called screen songs, which invited audiences to sing along to popular songs by "following the bouncing ball", which is similar to a modern karaoke machine. early 1930s cartoons featured popular musicians performing their hit songs on-camera in live-action segments during the cartoons. the early animated films by walt disney, such as the silly symphonies sho
Advertising_by_medium Experimental_film Home_video_supplements Music_videos Popular_music Self-censorship Single_types Visual_music