Editing in the Eighties

In 1981, MTV debuted their first music video, Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. This video is the perfect example of a typical 80s music video. The Buggles used several key video elements that represent the look of an 80s video.

After watching the video, off the bat, I noticed the editing techniques. First was the overlapping of different video images. In particular shots of the lead singer overlay shots of a little girl by the water, and in the far background shots of the moon are present. This type of overlapping became very prominent at this time. It gave the illusion of a futuristic world. It can be seen in other hit videos from the 80s like Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams, and .

Another technique that was quite popular in the 80s, also seen in A-ha's, Take on Me, is the use of black and white mixed with color. In Video Killed the Radio Star, the shots of the lead singer are in black and white but the video underneath is shot in color. Again this type of editing technique is presenting a futuristic feel that hadn’t been seen before. However in the video Take on Me, the black and white shots are mixed with color shots. Combining the two creates a unified look making the viewer believe it is one overall shot, instead of layers. 

Take on Me completely innovated the music video. Besides the use of color, Take on Me was the first of its kind to use computer-generated graphics with live-action footage. The video became one of the most popular music videos of the 80's, and completely changed the face of music videos.

Using black and white shots with color shots also became very popular for rock bands in the 80s. One particular example would be Poison’s, Every Rose has its Thorn. This video shows real life images of the band while on tour. Each clip is from a different time on the tour so depending on what type of camera was used, some shots are in color and some are in black and white. In combining different shots like this, it’s easy to differentiate between staged footage and real life footage. In a video like this, the audience is able to connect with the band on a personal level because of the real life footage.

 

The 80s were definitely an eccentric time for pop and rock. Editing techniques were all about innovation and creating a persona for the artist or band. In my next post I plan on discussing the 80s further with, what I think the most popular type of music video from the 80s, THE ROCK BALLAD VIDEO. Also coming up look forward to posts on the fashion from the 80s, and the ever influential, Thriller video. And later, I plan on moving into a time period more familiar, the 90s.

Miss MV