Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks

Media Magazine reading: Billie Jean, birth of an icon

Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the case study on Billie Jean - birth of an icon (MM62 - page 20). Answer the following questions:

1) What was the budget for Billie Jean? How did this compare with later Michael Jackson videos?

this video had a budget of $300000, while other videos like thriller had a budget of $2million.

2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?

They didn't want to 'play music by a black guy' because it didn't suit their 'middle America' audience of the time before being threatened by the music producer to be exposed as racist to the public.

3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?
He lip syncs throughout the narrative of the video, and paired with the dancing there is a large amount of performance in the movie style narrative. His costume and character all elude to an artistic piece of entertainment4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?

the visuals reflect the narrative at points as there seems to be women in various parts of the video- on the billboard next to him when he dances, and in the bed he mysteriously disappears out of. 

5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?

instead of using close ups to connect with the audience, he used his memorable dance moves which arguably made him more ambiguous, leaving people in even more awe.

6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?

there is some intertextuality in terms of the 'film noir' theme as the audience would have been able to recognise the inspiration and style Jackson wanted to use in his video and enjoy it even furhter because they already like that genre.

7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?

The spy the follows him around is an obvious sign of looking as thats the main storyline of the video- him hiding from someone trying to kill him. There is then the billboard where the women are looking at him and their faces loom over the street he walks on in what only can be described as a suffocating and uncomfortable manner. He then is looking at the girl in bed for a few seconds which could represent how he doesn't trust anyone/ his relationships. 

8) What representations can be found in the video?
Jackson's video represents how black people are often misrepresented in the media. For example, Michael Jackson is depicted as a charitable, friendly character (which is reflected in the scene where he throws a coin into the cup of a homeless man) - which is atypical of how black people are often perceived in the media. Black people are stereotypically presented as aggressive, violent and usually act antisocial, whereas Michael Jackson represents himself to be  the opposite, which offers an alternative representation of race.

Close-textual analysis of the music video

1) How is mise-en-scene used to create intertextuality - reference to other media products or genres? E.g. colour/black and white; light/lighting.

CLAMPS:

Colour: the colours and mise en scene changes when jackson trows a penny at the homeless man which depicts how he is a generous man who in effect spreads light among people. this representation is alternative to how black people are usually represented in the media. An alternative reading could be that 'everything he touches turns to gold'

2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?

it is suggested that prior to the song there was an equlibrium and now he sings about  the disequilibrium that the woman has caused. The song is about the inconvenience the woman has caused him whereas the video shows him having to hide from someone trying to kill him. it could have been done to show how black people or just music artists in gerneal are hunted for and treated like animals by people more powerful. By the end of the song there is no equilibrium as he actually just stays in hiding instead of defeating anyone.

3) How are characters used to create narrative through binary opposition?

the female characters seem to be watching him from the screen while he was trying to hide from the detective:good versus evil and rich versus poor. In the opening of the video, we see Michael Jackson spare some change for a homeless man, which then transforms him into a seemingly richer man. In this case, Michael acts as the good protagonist who the audience root for and supports, whereas the detective (aka the media) is reflective of the bad/the villain.

4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?

The use of split screens and freeze-frames mirror the images taken by the paparazzi and journalists, that are then shown on the front pages of newspapers when the celebrities are involved in scandals (like the Billie Jean scandal shown on the newspaper in the video). 

5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?

He needs proof that Michael Jackson exists, the pictures in the shop provides further evidence that he doesn't exist, it builds the narrative. The pictures represent the paparazzi and how they attempt to document his life- this is what he tries to re-enact in the video.

6) Does the video reinforce or subvert theories of race and ethnicity - such as Gilroy's diaspora or Hall's black characterisations in American media?

It reinforces Hall's representation of being the performer. Also the diasporic identity crisis comes through quite strongly. Homeless people are regarded as not having a place in society so the identity crisis link does appear here as there is an obvious reason for his place in the video.

7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?

his video reflects Steve Neale's theory of 'repetition and difference'   because he still uses conventional codes a music video would use- it is the first of i's kind to do these trends therefore this is what has beenrepeated throughout the years after the release of this video.

8) Analyse the video using postmodern theory (e.g. Baudrillard's hyper-reality; Strinati's five definitions of postmodernism). How does the 'picture-in-picture' recurring motif create a postmodern reading?Pastiche is showcased in this video as  He is imitating film Noir . Using pastiche proves Baurillard's point that the copy is viewed as reality than the original, this video set an example for other artists to follow in their videos and copy these conventions

- Daniel Chandler's conventions of context.