Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks

Media Magazine reading: Billie Jean, birth of an icon

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

The budget for the video was $50,000 which wasn't enough for all the things Michael wanted to do. The budget then increased to $300,000 five weeks after the promo was released and for ‘Thriller’ it was $2million. The budget started increasing after Billie Jean as record companies were willing to invest more after seeing the popularity of the music video.

2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?

MTV refused to air the video, arguing that it didn’t suit their ‘middle America’ audience. In other words. they didn't want to air music by a black guy.

3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?

Billie Jean music video could be classified as an Illustrate as it reflects the pop culture with the lights and MJ's dancing and it has a link to the song itself. 

It could also go under the category of Amplify as some of the scenes were repeated to suit the story-line within the video. 

4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?

Because the spy and pop genre have both been carried out well in the music video mainly using elements of mise-en-scene e.g. costume, setting, props etc.

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

Because messages were also being conveyed through the things around such as setting and costumes. Close-ups weren't an essential as audiences didn't need to pick up the persona's facial expressions to get an understanding on what's happening. 

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

There isn't much intertextual reference in this video as it is quite old, however there are links to the film industry as he has used a film set as one of the settings. 

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

Throughout most the music video MJ doesn't look directly at the camera which connotes that he doesn't pay attention to the media and paparazzi; he doesn't let them distract him. However there's a close-up shot which then turns into an extreme close-up of his eyes at 2:25 where he references a woman claiming a baby is his which he has been falsely accused for in real life, the shot of his eye could be to represent that he's not lying.

8) What representations can be found in the video?

The representation of paparazzi as they're just following MJ around everywhere he goes and the costume the reporter/photographer's been given is like what spy detectives wear which connotes that the media and paparazzi are spying on MJ and trying to catch out anything he does by following him.

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.

Mise-en-scene is used to create intertextuality

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

The in-equilibrium is that Michael Jackson's being followed by paparazzi and people are trying to make false claims about him. It is then solved when he avoids all the images they try to capture of him and he also references it using his lyrics to indirectly get the message through that they are false claims.

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

Michael Jackson is shown as the hero whilst the photographer who's following him around is represented as the villain which shows binary opposition. 

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

It helps add more emphasis as freeze-frames make audiences pay more attention to a certain scene that the editor wants them to. Split screens helped the scene change from one to another more smoothly in those days, especially if it was from one setting to another or featuring a different person and scenario.

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

'Picture-within-pictures' could be used to refer to other scenes that previously took place. They could also be carrying out messages within the music video that aren't being conveyed through the lyrics but they still want to get through to the audience. 

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?

There's not much to do with race in the music video itself other than MTV refusing to air a black guys music on their channel even though they wouldn't admit to this. There have been no direct reference to African culture not black characterisation.

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

Especially because Billie Jean was created a few years back, there wasn't music videos for MJ to get inspiration from so I believe that the whole idea was innovated by them also because he wanted to do something new. 

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?

The music video has a lot of postmodern aspects for something that was created in the 80's. There were a lot of new visual effects, lighting, shot changes etc. The 'picture-in-picture' was a new concept and reflected a lot of postmodernism as not many people were aware of the idea of showing a shot within a shot whether it's an image, video or anything else.