Music Video: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Music Video: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Our second Music Video CSP is the classic Michael Jackson - Billie Jean.
This was a hugely influential media product that 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 around 50 thousand dollars which is small compared to the million dollar budgets his later videos had.
This was a hugely influential media product that 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 around 50 thousand dollars which is small compared to the million dollar budgets his later videos had.
2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
they said that black artists received little airplay because their music didn’t fit the channel’s rock-based format.
3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?“Billie Jean” seems to be a Pop/R&B styled music video and so seems to follow those characteristics but with a large basis on a narrative and having a dose of showmanship mixed in along with Jackson's own flair. Pop and R&B music nearly always has an upbeat tempo that’s catchy and makes you want to dance along with it, something that Billie Jean definitely has with it’s continuous beat throughout and the tempo.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?“Billie Jean” seems to be a Pop/R&B styled music video and so seems to follow those characteristics but with a large basis on a narrative and having a dose of showmanship mixed in along with Jackson's own flair. Pop and R&B music nearly always has an upbeat tempo that’s catchy and makes you want to dance along with it, something that Billie Jean definitely has with it’s continuous beat throughout and the tempo.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
the visuals is that of a 1940s film noir aspect as we also see the mystery man follow Michael Jackson as he tries to take pictures of him suggesting it may be paparazzi and this reflects how Michael Jackson is singing about a girl who says that he is the father of her child which he says hes not so the mystery man may be trying to follow him to find out more information.
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
because Michael Jackson was also famous for his dance moves and wanted to showcase that throughout his videos so he would need to have his whole body in most of the camera shots reducing his use of close ups.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
because Michael Jackson was also famous for his dance moves and wanted to showcase that throughout his videos so he would need to have his whole body in most of the camera shots reducing his use of close ups.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
one inter-textual reference in the video is the director paying homage to film noir as there is a clear use of black and white/shadows in the beginning,
7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
we see the mystery man follow Michael Jackson throughout the video as he tries to take pictures of him and we then see at the end the man is caught spying through the window on Michael Jackson.
8) What representations can be found in the video?
Michael Jakcson is represented arguably as if he is the mesiah, as some of his videos and behaviour have suggested towards. This is displayed in billie jean where he turns the homeless old man into a rich man, it shows that Micheal jackson saw him self as someone who looked out for others and could change peoples lives
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 black and white lighting bis used to reference the aspects of film noir that Micheal Jackson wanted to portray through his music there is further reference where we see the main villain in the video to be a detective.
2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
the freeze frames were used to showcase the dance aspect of Micheal's videos as he loved to dance so this gave him a stage to showcase himself.
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?
This gives the audience the idea that MJ is being stalked and folloed by a mysterious character as we know something they both don't, as if we are invading his privacy.
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?
This somewhat reinforces race theories, one being that we see a black micheal jackson as the "Entertainer" in this video as he is singing and dancing throughout.
7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?
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 cleary see an element of Pastiche in this video as he is imitating film Noir. the use of pastiche emphasises the point that the copy is viewed as reality rather than the original.
Extension reading: Michael Jackson2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
The start of the video shows Michael Jackson walking through street, as we see a mystery man looking for him. The disequilibrium is when the detective takes a picture but doesn't manage to capture Micheal Jackson in the photo. The new equilibrium is the detective getting caught by the police.
3) How are characters used to create narrative through binary opposition?
the ethnicity of the characters creates some sort of narrative with binary opposition as we see a white mystery man follow a black micheal jackson around as he tries to capture him on the camera he carries this helps to create narrative as in other genres, like film noir as the black person would be the antagonist and the white person would be the protagonist.4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?
This gives the audience the idea that MJ is being stalked and folloed by a mysterious character as we know something they both don't, as if we are invading his privacy.
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?
This somewhat reinforces race theories, one being that we see a black micheal jackson as the "Entertainer" in this video as he is singing and dancing throughout.
7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?
The video does reflect the idea of repetition and difference as Performance is a major factor in modern music videos with many artists now dancing throughout music videos,the visual effects and still images are something that's not regularly used in a pop song.
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 cleary see an element of Pastiche in this video as he is imitating film Noir. the use of pastiche emphasises the point that the copy is viewed as reality rather than the original.
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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