EXPERTS in film production have views as divergent as the numerous types of films in existence but all seem to concur that there is no other short form medium (video) that has the ability to reach millions of viewers like a music video.
In an interview with Patriot Arts, film award winner and director William ‘Slimaz’ Magombedze said local musicians have to take music video production seriously as it can either make or break them.
Music videos remain an important component of the music industry.
According to music critic Tsitsi Zigomo, video is critical to the growth of a musician.
“Every artiste, without exception, needs something bigger than an album to get noticed. Every musician needs powerful visuals to give him/her a competitive edge over his/her peers,” said Zigomo.
An artiste like Jah Prayzah is one local musician said to be serious when it comes to video production.
“Whether one likes his music or not, he is a good example of a musician who has made his visual impact powerful. A video forms a large part of an artiste’s general creative vision and output,” she said.
There is no doubt that in videos of tracks ‘Watora Mari’ and ‘Mudhara Achauya’, Jah Prayzah has put a lot of effort in meeting ‘international standards’.
Queen Vee has also done well, producing a video for the track ‘Mari Mari’ which was popular on DSTV music channels such as MTV and Trace Africa.
But musicians, like popular dancehall star Winky D and others in the genre, have been castigated for not doing justice to their music when it comes to video production.
For instance, fans were not impressed by the video to the popular tune ‘Disappear’ by Winky D.
And the video was produced a year after release.
“Musicians should not compromise; low value productions are costly on many fronts,” said Magombedze.
“Music videos are important. I might fail to remember the cover of an album but I will remember the video.”
Despite the song being a year old, it could have been revived by a well-made video.
“A bad video can suck the life out of a song, and a good video can make a song become a hit. Take the example of DJ Snake’s ‘Turn Down For What’ — that song had been out for a while, but it took the video directed by The Daniels to turn the song into a complete smash.
“Another good example would be ‘Gangnam Style ’ —  that video certainly left the audience remembering the song,” wrote Sarah Boardman, head of Music at US-based Pulse Films.
In the music industry, Magombedze said, a good video could make an unpopular musician popular.
“A good video connects an artiste to viewers,” he said.
Many musicians have become more popular because of videos that did a better job of telling the story of the song.
In the 1990s, videos made by local musicians for songs such as ‘Mai Vadhikondo’ composed by Rephias Tachi and Prince Tendai Mparutsa’s ‘Character’ boosted the popularity of the artistes.
The late Utakataka frontman Tongai Dhewa Moyo is also an example of a musician who was catapulted to stardom by captivating videos.
Gospel queen Olivia Charamba’s video to the song ‘Rute’ increased its popularity.
The videos have stood the test of time and made the songs remain relevant despite the passage of time.
Magombedze said it was important to engage professionals when making videos.
“Local musicians often fail to come up with good products as a result of ‘jumping’ the professionals, valuing quantity at the expense of quality,” he said.
Over the past decade, there has been significant growth in the development of music videos.
New technologies have empowered artistes to come up with novel productions that are not limited by budgetary constraints.
There is no doubt that American musicians such as the late Michael Jackson and Madonna mastered the art of video production and it helped turn them into mega stars.
The video to the famous track ‘Black and White’ by Michael Jackson remains unforgettable.
According to Forbes Magazine, the 11-minute video was premiered at the same time on all music channels such as MTV, BET, VH1 and on FOX in 27 countries, with an estimated 500 million people watching
For Madonna, it is the track ‘Die Another Day’, nominated for the Grammy Awards while it is rated as one of the most expensively produced videos.