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?
The budget was $50,000.
2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
It was rejected because MTV argued that it didn’t suit their ‘middle America’ audience.
3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?
I think that Billie Jean perfectly reflects almost all of the elements of pop music video established by Goodwin. It had a direct connection with the lyrics, have a lot of the iconic dancing in it, and is, overall, the music video that initiated the importance of music videos.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
The song is about the scandal of Michael being falsely accused of being a father of a baby that wasn't his. In the music video Michael deliberately indicates how fame can cause you trouble and you need to 'always think twice'. At the end he disappear under the sheets of the bed, with a woman sleeping next to him
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
Because of the iconic dance moves, the direction was to simply show them as much as they could.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
The detective/ idea of being followed which
7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
The video uses the frame-within-a-frame, also the use of the detective and the idea of him being followed.
8) What representations can be found in the video?
You could say that the most important and key representation is celebrieties like him being repressed by media and him as a black man being a huge, successfu pop star.
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.
costume- the costume that the detective wears again relates to the genre of film noir, but also represents the genre of Hollywood.
lighting - At the beginning of the video, lighting generates the first feeling of intertextuality, as the film noir genre could be referred to the video. As the video progresses, the lighting changes, the lighting shifts to a lighter one because the lighting becomes clearer as quickly as Michael Jackson enters the scene.
2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
Disequalibrium is the detective following Michael and the gossip spreading, and the equalibrium could be Michael not being accused of anything.
3) How are characters used to create narrative through binary opposition?
There's a lot of binary oppositions with rich and poor or truth and lie. The rich and poor is shown throughout the whole video, and is kind of a big concept. The idea is that whatever Michael tauches or is around, becomes richer/ The truth and lie is very simple and refers to the lyrics.
There's a lot of binary oppositions with rich and poor or truth and lie. The rich and poor is shown throughout the whole video, and is kind of a big concept. The idea is that whatever Michael tauches or is around, becomes richer/ The truth and lie is very simple and refers to the lyrics.
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
It creates a sense of mystery and if a characteristic of a spy genre. Also it highlights the important moments in narrative and the performance (the iconic dancing of Michael).
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?#
The idea of Michael always being in the spotlight and the lyrics refer to the fame and how it is essential to be careful because everyone is always watching
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's not just the video, but the overall image of Michael Jackson as one of the most popular people on the planet as a black man and appearing as a nessesery artist in stations like MTV. It tries to fight the black diasporic identity – the feeling of never quite belonging or being accepted.
7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?
This video can be seen as a ' repetition ' of the typical lip-syncing music video as well as a music video narrative. There is proof that ' distinction ' is Michael Jackson's dance, however, this video changed the way dancing was viewed
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?
We can use the idea of media-saturated world – immersed in media products 24/7. The idea of people believing what they see in media.
There's also a lot of intertextuality and the idea of hyperreality which in this video seems to be the actual reality as Michael talks about his actual problems (although the floor doesn't shine when he walkes)
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