Music Motions
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| Industry | Film production and distribution |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | 35mm music shorts ("Music Zaps") |
| Website | [// ] |
Music Motions was an American film production and distribution company specializing in 35mm music shorts for commercial movie theaters from 1984 to 1987.[1]
The first made-for-theater music short was Carly Simon’s “It Happens Every Day,” presented, produced and distributed by Music Motions.[2] The 4 minute theatrical presentation, rebranded as a “Music Zap,” was showcased on April 24, 1984 to over 300 movie theatre exhibitors and distributors at the National Association of Theater Owners Show South Convention in Point Clear, Alabama. The successful presentation engaged 60 theater companies to rent the short for exhibition at their respective theaters.
Although “It Happens Everyday” had already played theaters in Alabama accompanying 1984 summer hits “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Gremlins,” “Ghostbusters” and “The Karate Kid,”[3] the short had it’s official premiere at the Oaks Bluff Cinema in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts on June 29, 1984.[4]
Following the Carly Simon “Music Zap,” Music Motions’ expanded their catalog to include Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Jermaine Jackson’s “Dynamite,” Kool and the Gang’s “Misled,” Rick Springfield’s “Bop ’til You Drop,” Sade’s “Smooth Operator,” Barbara Streisand’s “Emotion,” and Ricky Skaggs’ “Country Boy.”[5]
Each Music Zap distribution was positioned as a cross-promotion tool between record companies and theater owners. Record companies Portrait, Epic, Polygram, RCA, Warner Bros., and Columbia participated to promote record sales, while theater companies viewed Music Zaps as a value-added competitive edge to help generate attendance. To enhanced Music Zap visibility, Music Motions provided theater owners with posters, ad slicks, buttons, press releases, and market specific promotion coordination involving local radio stations and record stores. On June 7, 1985 a test was launched in 132 theaters operated by circuits and independent theaters in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Nashville and major cities in the Carolinas, Arizona and other states. Music Motions catalog of Music Zaps appeared in front of summer hits “Rambo” “A View to Kill,” “Goonies” and “Perfect.”[6]
In less than a year of operation, the abundance of regular media coverage in trade media (Billboard, Variety etc..) increased Music Motions’ exposure, which caused the company to be nominated as the distributor for “Dancing in the Streets” performed by David Bowie and Mick Jagger to 5,000 theaters sponsored by Eastman Kodak[7] It was the official Live Aid Video, and large theaters circuits Plitt Theaters, Cinemette, Cinema Centers, Marcus, Stewart and Everett, Stuffy, Commonwealth, Larry Moyer, Fox Theater Management, and Circle Theaters all participated, to name just a few.
Music Motions’ success with “Dancing in the Streets” led the company to its next project: “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. Considering the content of the song, “True Colors” was again sponsored by Eastman Kodak, but this time for only 1,000 screens, which included a 30 second Kodak commercial at the end of the presentation.[8]
Other artists continued to join the Music Motions bandwagon such as A-ha with “Take On Me,” Rolling Stone’s “Harlem Shuffle” and The Lover Speaks’ “No More I Love You’s.” With theater owners not feeling direct benefits of sponsored distributions of music shorts, their enthusiasm began to wain.[9]It became their perception that Music Zaps were little more than on-screen advertising for record companies. National advertisers also became more difficult to convince that sponsored entertainment was a better route than hard sell advertisements. As such, Music Motions’ business model shifted to record company sponsored 100-screen distributions, which averaged placements on 10 screens in the top 10 markets. This was not enough revenue to sustain Music Motions, which by 1987, was forced to cease operations.
References
- ↑ "Music Motions Shoots Carly Simon Video for Theater Rental". Backstage. 25 (20): 51. May 18, 1984.
- ↑ Gold, Richard (May 9, 1984). "First Made-For-Theaters Music Short To Bow At Alabama Chain". Variety. 315 (2): 4.
- ↑ Lailly, Kevin (Sep 1, 1984). "Music Short Rock 'n' Roll Into Theaters". Film Journal. 87 (9): 18.
- ↑ Bamberger, Michael (July 2, 1984). "Carly Simon's New Idea: A 4-minute musical movie". The Boston Globe: 25.
- ↑ Kirby, Kip (April 27, 1985). "Movie Houses to Screen Skaggs' "Country Boy" Clip". Bilboard. 97 (17): 48.
- ↑ "130 First Run Screens Now Testing Music Videos Ahead of Feature". Variety. 319 (8): 7. June 19, 1985.
- ↑ Robbins, Jim (August 21, 1985). "Music Motions Scrambles To Get 'Streets' Clip Into Sites For Aid To Africa". Variety. 320 (4): 7.
- ↑ Dobrin, Gregory (October 4, 1986). "Lauper On the Big Screen". Cashbox. L (16): 24.
- ↑ Mathews, Tom (September 1, 1986). "Whatever Became of the Short Film". BoxOffice. 122 (9): 10,11,13.
External links
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