Music Video: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
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 the video was $50,000, this seems like quite a large sum but it was not enough to fund the backup dancers that Michael Jackson wanted in Billie Jean so he ended up dancing alone in the video. His next music video 'Beat it' had a budget of $300,000, and for ‘Thriller’ it was $2million.
2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
The video was rejected at first because Jackson is a black person and MTV had never featured a black singer on their channel so they stated that it would not be suitable for their 'middle America audience'.
3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?
The video for Billie Jean contains many conventions of the pop genre: lipsynching, performance interwoven with narrative, dance routines and high-fashion costume. Billie Jean is based on the personal life of Michael Jackson, where girls were claiming that he was the father of their sons. These lyrics can be heard in the song.
There is also a link between audio and visuals, for example, the beats of the song matching the tiles lighting up when Jackson is dancing. The notion of looking is also very prominent in the video, it creates a sense of a detective drama and film noir.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
There is a link between visuals and lyrics- when he sings 'his eyes were like mine,’ the screen freezes and a frame appears around the artist’s eyes. Elsewhere he does a spin as he sings ‘in the round.’
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
The video features fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos because the director, Steve Barron, wanted us to focus on Michael Jackson's dancing, which was a unique sensation when the video was first released.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
Intertextual references from the Bible can be found in the video. Michael Jackson is often represented like Jesus, who has the power of healing. One example is from Billie Jean when he flips a coin into the cup of a homeless man and this magically transforms him into an elegant man in a white dinner suit.
7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
From the beginning of the video, there is a notion that MJ is being watched and followed. Indeed, a private detective is present in the video and he uses a Polaroid camera to attempt to capture an image of him but MJ is elusive, mystical and manages to escape. The audience sees his image multiplied using split-screen editing, he is frozen or isolated in a frame-within-a-frame. Towards the end, he is spied through a window by an old woman as he ascends a fire escape to stand, somewhat creepily, at the bedside of a sleeping figure, where he then becomes the voyeur. All these are an intertextual reference to film noir and detective fiction.
8) What representations can be found in the video?
MJ is represented as someone who can turn ‘everything-he-touches-in-to-gold’, like Jesus.
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 and low lighting is an intertextual reference to film noir. The use of voyeurism (detective, the notion of looking) further emphasises this. Also, Billie Jean is a 'femme fatale', a character associated with the film noir genre- a woman who is the cause of the problem but is never seen or heard of.
There is also an intertextual reference to the 'Golden Age' of musicals (1950s) with Michael Jackson dancing.
2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
The disequilibrium is straight away established as Michael Jackson is being followed and spied on by a detective. The new equilibrium is established in the end when Michael Jackson manages to disappear and escape but the detective gets caught by the police.
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
The freeze-frames and split-screens are effective because they match the lyrics. For example, MJ sings 'eyes like mine' and the screen slits and freezes on his eyes.
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?
The recurring motif of pictures-within-pictures could be suggesting that MJ always feels as if he is being watched and that his privacy is being invaded. This is unfair to him as the whole song Billie Jean is a reference to his personal life- where women claim that he is the father of their sons.
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?
Billie Jean slightly reinforces Hall's theory regarding black characterisations in America. MJ can be seen as 'The Clown/Entertainer: a performer' – “implying an ‘innate’ humour in the black man.” (Hall 1995) This is because of the fact that he's dancing.
Gilroy is particularly interested in the idea of black diasporic identity – the feeling of never quite belonging or being accepted in western societies even to this day. The music video for Billie Jean could be seen to support this as MJ is being chased around and he is having to run away. He is alone in almost all the scenes in the video, perhaps stating that he doesn't know where to go or what to do.
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 reflects Steve Neale's theory of repetition and difference to a small extent. For example, the music video is typical as it features music, lip-synching, costumes, etc. However, it is very innovating and unlike any other music video of its time. Firstly, the dancing that MJ does was revolutionary and it became what MJ is known for. Furthermore, the music video was very creative- it featured light up pavements and disappearing characters.
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?
Using Baudrillard's hyper-reality theory, we can state that the music video has been constructed to reflect the 1940s and it is therefore fake. However, it is more real to us than the actual reality of the 1940s (as we weren't present in the 1940s and therefore do not actually know whether this is an accurate or not representation.)
Strinati's fourth definition of postmodernism can be applied to this music video- Confusion over time and space.
Extension reading: MichaelJackson
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.
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 the video was $50,000, this seems like quite a large sum but it was not enough to fund the backup dancers that Michael Jackson wanted in Billie Jean so he ended up dancing alone in the video. His next music video 'Beat it' had a budget of $300,000, and for ‘Thriller’ it was $2million.
2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
The video was rejected at first because Jackson is a black person and MTV had never featured a black singer on their channel so they stated that it would not be suitable for their 'middle America audience'.
3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?
The video for Billie Jean contains many conventions of the pop genre: lipsynching, performance interwoven with narrative, dance routines and high-fashion costume. Billie Jean is based on the personal life of Michael Jackson, where girls were claiming that he was the father of their sons. These lyrics can be heard in the song.
There is also a link between audio and visuals, for example, the beats of the song matching the tiles lighting up when Jackson is dancing. The notion of looking is also very prominent in the video, it creates a sense of a detective drama and film noir.
4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
There is a link between visuals and lyrics- when he sings 'his eyes were like mine,’ the screen freezes and a frame appears around the artist’s eyes. Elsewhere he does a spin as he sings ‘in the round.’
5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
The video features fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos because the director, Steve Barron, wanted us to focus on Michael Jackson's dancing, which was a unique sensation when the video was first released.
6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
Intertextual references from the Bible can be found in the video. Michael Jackson is often represented like Jesus, who has the power of healing. One example is from Billie Jean when he flips a coin into the cup of a homeless man and this magically transforms him into an elegant man in a white dinner suit.
7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
From the beginning of the video, there is a notion that MJ is being watched and followed. Indeed, a private detective is present in the video and he uses a Polaroid camera to attempt to capture an image of him but MJ is elusive, mystical and manages to escape. The audience sees his image multiplied using split-screen editing, he is frozen or isolated in a frame-within-a-frame. Towards the end, he is spied through a window by an old woman as he ascends a fire escape to stand, somewhat creepily, at the bedside of a sleeping figure, where he then becomes the voyeur. All these are an intertextual reference to film noir and detective fiction.
8) What representations can be found in the video?
MJ is represented as someone who can turn ‘everything-he-touches-in-to-gold’, like Jesus.
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 and low lighting is an intertextual reference to film noir. The use of voyeurism (detective, the notion of looking) further emphasises this. Also, Billie Jean is a 'femme fatale', a character associated with the film noir genre- a woman who is the cause of the problem but is never seen or heard of.
There is also an intertextual reference to the 'Golden Age' of musicals (1950s) with Michael Jackson dancing.
2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?
The disequilibrium is straight away established as Michael Jackson is being followed and spied on by a detective. The new equilibrium is established in the end when Michael Jackson manages to disappear and escape but the detective gets caught by the police.
3) How are characters used to create narrative through binary opposition?
There is a binary opposition between good and evil. Michael Jackson can be seen as the good character as he is being pursued for no apparent reason. The antagonist (the detective) is the evil character who gets caught in the end. The audience sees him smoking in the music video and this is typical of film noir villains.
There is a binary opposition between good and evil. Michael Jackson can be seen as the good character as he is being pursued for no apparent reason. The antagonist (the detective) is the evil character who gets caught in the end. The audience sees him smoking in the music video and this is typical of film noir villains.
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?
The freeze-frames and split-screens are effective because they match the lyrics. For example, MJ sings 'eyes like mine' and the screen slits and freezes on his eyes.
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?
The recurring motif of pictures-within-pictures could be suggesting that MJ always feels as if he is being watched and that his privacy is being invaded. This is unfair to him as the whole song Billie Jean is a reference to his personal life- where women claim that he is the father of their sons.
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?
Billie Jean slightly reinforces Hall's theory regarding black characterisations in America. MJ can be seen as 'The Clown/Entertainer: a performer' – “implying an ‘innate’ humour in the black man.” (Hall 1995) This is because of the fact that he's dancing.
Gilroy is particularly interested in the idea of black diasporic identity – the feeling of never quite belonging or being accepted in western societies even to this day. The music video for Billie Jean could be seen to support this as MJ is being chased around and he is having to run away. He is alone in almost all the scenes in the video, perhaps stating that he doesn't know where to go or what to do.
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 reflects Steve Neale's theory of repetition and difference to a small extent. For example, the music video is typical as it features music, lip-synching, costumes, etc. However, it is very innovating and unlike any other music video of its time. Firstly, the dancing that MJ does was revolutionary and it became what MJ is known for. Furthermore, the music video was very creative- it featured light up pavements and disappearing characters.
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?
Using Baudrillard's hyper-reality theory, we can state that the music video has been constructed to reflect the 1940s and it is therefore fake. However, it is more real to us than the actual reality of the 1940s (as we weren't present in the 1940s and therefore do not actually know whether this is an accurate or not representation.)
Strinati's fourth definition of postmodernism can be applied to this music video- Confusion over time and space.
Extension reading: MichaelJackson
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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