Parents' Guide to

Making the Video

By Jill Murphy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Behind-the-scenes look at music videos. Teens ok.

TV MTV Reality TV 1999
Making the Video Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

From the number of busy people seen in the background, it's clear that making a video requires a great deal of work in a short amount of time (usually 2-3 days). But the series' enthusiasm for the technical side of video-making is limited to the occasional glimpse of a green screen scene being filmed, or a shot of the singer perfecting his or her lip-synching technique for the camera. By comparison, a much larger portion of each show is spent watching the artist come out of his or her trailer in a new 'do and robe before heading off to shoot another scene. The featured videos' themes vary, but they're often punctuated by sexuality, iffy wardrobe choices, mature lyrics, and provocative dancing. Often, the videos' storylines are unrelated to the song's lyrics -- in fact, some lyrics are so vague that the video's visuals ultimately determine what the song is about.

The program is rooted in making the featured song a commercial success on many levels. It's no accident that the artists who showcase their new releases on this show quickly become MTV darlings, with their videos regularly reaching the top 10 on TRL (Total Request Live). Additionally, if the song is highlighted in a new movie -- and/or the singer is also appearing in the movie (for example, Beyoncé in The Pink Panther) -- the music video (and hence, this series) can serve as cross-promotion for the film.

TV Details

  • Premiere date: July 11, 1999
  • Network: MTV
  • Genre: Reality TV
  • TV rating: TV-PG
  • Last updated: February 28, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate