Where did mimes comes from?

Mime is considered one of the earliest mediums of self expression. After the spoken language was developed mime came a form of entertainment. The scenes they would perform in early times would teach moral lessons.


Mimes first originated in Greece and then Italy where they were formally know as Commedia dell'Arte. in the middle ages and 16th century it reached its peak in italy. It originated in the market place in the early 1500's. by wearing masks with exaggerated comical faces they drew attention to themselves so that their acrobatic skills were noticed. the characters they created became known as Zanni and when two of these performers joined up it became an established genre. The subject matter was always contemporary and by wearing masks they were able to ridicule all aspects of society. 


Another name used was dei maschere because the actors wore masks. there was originally five different mimes; the sad clown, the happy clown, the villain and two others. the actor would choose which character to specialise in and then play that character throughout the play. 


The mime in our music video takes on the role of the sad clown as he tries to get the attention of his love. The story line goes with the generic mime plays where love plays a big role. during the end of the music video it is clear that the mime character changes to become a happy clown as he meets with his mime love. although there it is a music video so therefore contains music and words the mime himself never talks which also goes well with the generic silent films mimes were often a part of.