History of the music video - 1950's

Hound dog - Elvis Presley (1956)

This isn't a music video as such as it is more of a performance video with just Elvis Presley performing the song the whole way through. It is just black and white and there is no use of colour. The video is trying to sexualise Elvis with his dancing throughout. The camera mainly focuses on Elvis with no changes of camera angles or cuts although there is the occasional cut to close ups of the guitar player. 

Great balls of fire - Jerry Lee Lewis (1957)

Similarly to 'hound dog' this video is also purely performance with no use of colour. However there are more cuts to close ups and long shots used in this between the different members of the band, but these are always slow cuts. The cutting speed does speed up with the lyrics "mine, mine, mine" which adds effect and fits in with the music. 

Tutti Frutti - Little Richard (1955)

 Again this video has no narrative and is just performance based. It has an introduction to the song at the beginning before the song begins. The video begins with a long shot with the singer performing in the background, the dancers in the foreground and an audience at the side. The dancing and the reactions from the audience make the music seem fun and enjoyable to listen and dance to. There is then a cut to a closer shot of the singer with the band in the background showing they are also enjoying themselves. There are the different slow cuts throughout the video to different camera angles of the audience shown clapping and having a good time, the dancers who seem to be enjoying themselves and the singer who is entertaining everybody. Again, the whole video is in black and white.