Music Video: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Music Video: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Our second Music Video CSP is Michael Jackson - Billie Jean.
This was a hugely influential media product that helped set the conventions for future music videos - and persuaded Michael Jackson's record company to throw million-dollar budgets at future productions.
Notes from the lesson
Goodwin’s music video theory
Steve Neale states that though all genres are structured along the identical conventions of plot, narrative and mise-en-scene, success lies in their ability to manipulate and re-shape these elements.
In this sense, all genres all contain instances of repetition and difference – and difference is essential to the economy of the genre.
Neale’s model holds that a product’s genre is defined by:
Michael Jackson largely defined the modern music video with Billie Jean. He followed it with two bigger-budget videos: Bad (directed by Martin Scorcese) and Thriller (directed by John Landis) – pushing the boundaries of the music video genre.
Both of these later videos were effectively short films that leaned heavily on film genres – using well established film directors. This reinforced the intertextual element of his music videos and helped to create the Michael Jackson identity of the 1980s and 1990s.
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Billie Jean changed the music industry by introducing the idea that a single must be accompanied by a high-production video - thereby transforming a song release into an “event”.
In doing so, Billie Jean transformed MTV from a small niche TV channel for young people into a cultural institution that wider society paid increasing attention to. It also changed MTV itself – persuading MTV executives that a white rock orientated audience would respond enthusiastically to videos featuring a black performer, something they had not previously believed.
Billie Jean and postmodernism
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to create a comprehensive case study for Michael Jackson's Billie Jean music video.
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 for Billie Jean was $50,000, which was a very small budget in comparison to Michael Jackson's later videos. Bad music video had a budget for $300,000, and then Thriller had an extremely larger budget of $2million.
2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
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?
this video reflects the pop genre as their was lip syncing and had a performance that builds a narrative for the audience.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
the song is about a girl, Billie Jean. we never see her as a character in the video, we are presented instead with other images of females in general with whom he never comes into contact with the billboard/ screen with a woman’s face displayed on it, the figure on one side of the double bed at the end for example.
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
The video assists the star-construction of the artist, and also he has a dance routine so they cant use a close up shot for that.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
The intertextual references can seen from the private detective in the video as it also represents film noir
7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
use of the private detective as Jackson is being watched and followed. a polaroid camera attempts to capture his image but he’s a mystery.
8) What representations can be found in the video?
he tries to build a narrative in his video to make it more appealing to his audience and makes them interested. he uses the private detective to represent the film noir genreClose-textual analysis of the music video
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.
The use of black and white lighting at the start of the video which refer to intertextuality, as it could be referring to the film noir genre to the video. also the costume which the detective is wearing again refers to the film-noir genre,
2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
use of the private detective as Jackson is being watched and followed. a polaroid camera attempts to capture his image but he’s a mystery.
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?
Michael Jackson always feels as if he is being watched and followed
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?
Michael Jackson is being presented as a clown/ performer when he does a performance (dancing) as it might bring humour to others. it subvert hall theory
7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?
'repetition' by the typical music video of lip-syncing and also a narrative in a music video but the difference could be is his dancing.
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?
Postmodernists claim that we live in a media-saturated world the music video has been constructed to reflect the 1940
Extension reading: Michael Jackson
Read this fascinating Guardian feature on Michael Jackson and race - building on our recent work on music video, genre, theory and representations of race and ethnicity.
Another Guardian feature - How Billie Jean changed the world - explores the cultural influence of the song and video.
This was a hugely influential media product that helped set the conventions for future music videos - and persuaded Michael Jackson's record company to throw million-dollar budgets at future productions.
Notes from the lesson
Goodwin’s music video theory
Andrew Goodwin’s theory of music videos states that music videos contain some or all of the following elements:
- A link between the visuals & lyrics (compliment, contradict or amplify)
- Genre characteristics (heavy metal in industrialised settings; rap music in urban street contexts etc.)
- Contain intertextual references (references to popular culture)
- Contain notions of looking (e.g. screens within screens)
- Include objectification of females (e.g. male gaze)
- Include demands of the record label (close ups of lead singer, symbols or motifs associated with the band / performer etc.)
- Video will be performance, narrative or concept based.
Neale’s genre theory of Repetition and Difference
Steve Neale states that though all genres are structured along the identical conventions of plot, narrative and mise-en-scene, success lies in their ability to manipulate and re-shape these elements.
In this sense, all genres all contain instances of repetition and difference – and difference is essential to the economy of the genre.
- How much it conforms to its genre’s individual conventions and stereotypes. A product must match the genre’s conventions to be identified as part of that genre if it is to attract that audience.
- How much a product subverts the genre’s conventions and stereotypes. The product must subvert convention enough to be considered unique and not just a clone of another product.
Michael Jackson: defining genre
Both of these later videos were effectively short films that leaned heavily on film genres – using well established film directors. This reinforced the intertextual element of his music videos and helped to create the Michael Jackson identity of the 1980s and 1990s.
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Billie Jean changed the music industry by introducing the idea that a single must be accompanied by a high-production video - thereby transforming a song release into an “event”.
In doing so, Billie Jean transformed MTV from a small niche TV channel for young people into a cultural institution that wider society paid increasing attention to. It also changed MTV itself – persuading MTV executives that a white rock orientated audience would respond enthusiastically to videos featuring a black performer, something they had not previously believed.
Billie Jean and postmodernism
Postmodernists claim that we live in a media-saturated world – immersed in media products 24/7. So much so, that the distinction between the real world and the media representation of the real world has become blurred.
Media producers are copying copies: we no longer have any distinction between the real world and real things and media images of these things. Everything original has been made, all we now have is finding originality in mixing old ideas.
This idea of ‘copying copies’ and finding originality in old ideas is a strong theme of Billie Jean – which uses polaroid photos and intertextual references to old movie genres.
Media producers are copying copies: we no longer have any distinction between the real world and real things and media images of these things. Everything original has been made, all we now have is finding originality in mixing old ideas.
This idea of ‘copying copies’ and finding originality in old ideas is a strong theme of Billie Jean – which uses polaroid photos and intertextual references to old movie genres.
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to create a comprehensive case study for Michael Jackson's Billie Jean music video.
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 for Billie Jean was $50,000, which was a very small budget in comparison to Michael Jackson's later videos. Bad music video had a budget for $300,000, and then Thriller had an extremely larger budget of $2million.
2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
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?
this video reflects the pop genre as their was lip syncing and had a performance that builds a narrative for the audience.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
the song is about a girl, Billie Jean. we never see her as a character in the video, we are presented instead with other images of females in general with whom he never comes into contact with the billboard/ screen with a woman’s face displayed on it, the figure on one side of the double bed at the end for example.
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
The video assists the star-construction of the artist, and also he has a dance routine so they cant use a close up shot for that.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
The intertextual references can seen from the private detective in the video as it also represents film noir
7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
use of the private detective as Jackson is being watched and followed. a polaroid camera attempts to capture his image but he’s a mystery.
8) What representations can be found in the video?
he tries to build a narrative in his video to make it more appealing to his audience and makes them interested. he uses the private detective to represent the film noir genreClose-textual analysis of the music video
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.
2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
Todorov's theory of equilibrium can be applied to this video as the disequilibrium through the fact as the dective tries to catch him but he always gets always gets away shows he is guilty.
3) How are characters used to create narrative through binary opposition?
good and evil can be represented in this video as the detective is the good character and Micheal is the evil character
good and evil can be represented in this video as the detective is the good character and Micheal is the evil character
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
Michael Jackson always feels as if he is being watched and followed
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?
Michael Jackson is being presented as a clown/ performer when he does a performance (dancing) as it might bring humour to others. it subvert hall theory
7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?
'repetition' by the typical music video of lip-syncing and also a narrative in a music video but the difference could be is his dancing.
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?
Postmodernists claim that we live in a media-saturated world the music video has been constructed to reflect the 1940
Extension reading: Michael Jackson
Read this fascinating Guardian feature on Michael Jackson and race - building on our recent work on music video, genre, theory and representations of race and ethnicity.
Another Guardian feature - How Billie Jean changed the world - explores the cultural influence of the song and video.
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