Michael Jackson: Billie Jean

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, not small, but as it turned out not big enough to accommodate Jackson’s idea that mannequins in a shop window would come to life and dance behind him. The record company wouldn’t pay an extra cent for backing dancers so Jackson dances alone. When the promo video for ‘Beat It’ went into production five weeks after the release of ‘Billie Jean’, the budget was $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 never had featured a black singer on their channel. MTV said 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?

This video contains an inter textual reference to the "golden age" of musicals (1940/50) because of the singing and dancing elements. In the video, tiger skin is used as a prop and is a reference to his album cover with a baby tiger. Also, the video contains many conventions of the pop genre such as lip syncing and performance. It contains dance routines and 1950's fashionable clothing. 'Billie Jean' is based on girls who can't be trusted and those women who would claim that their child is Michael Jackson's son.  The sense of voyeurism is created which refers to film noir as Billie Jean has a 'detective element.'

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

There is a reference to the lyrics  of the song when the screen freezes on Michael Jaskson's eyes when the lyrics say "eyes like mine". His dancing is also linked to the lyrics as he spins around when he says "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 because the director wanted to focus on Michael Jackson's unique dance moves that haven't been seen before.

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

The intertextual reference of a 'detective' which links to film noir this is because we can see a detective trying to catch Michael Jackson but in the end he is the one who gets caught by the police. Also, there is intertextual references to the Bible because Michael Jackson turned a homeless man in to a wealthy person. 

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

The use of the notion of looking is repeated from the beginning till the end of the video. This is seen in the video as Jackson is being followed and watched by a detective who is constantly trying to take a picture of him but always fails to capture him. Towards the end of the video, a woman is seen spying on Jackson and the detective are being watched by the old women. 

8) What representations can be found in the video?

Michael Jackson is represented as figure of 'Jesus', this is because in the video he is seen flipping as coin in to a cup of a homeless man which magically turned him into a well suited man . Michael Jackson turned him into a wealthy man and this refers to the idea of 'everything he touches turns gold'. 

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 references to the genres of spy, romance, crime and musicals. 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 seen in this video from the start as Michael Jackson is being followed whilst walking down the street by a detective who is trying to take pictures of him. The solution to this was Michael Jackson disappearing last minute into the bed whilst the detective takes a picture and the police arrives, making it look like he was the stalker of Billie Jean. The new equilibrium is Michael Jackson is free from the detective and can go back to his life.

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 framed for no reason and for something he hasn't done.. The antagonist (the detective) is the evil character who gets caught in the end by the police. Another example is rich and poor because Michael Jackson throws the coin into the homeless person's cup, making him wake up in a clean white suit as a wealthy looking man.

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. The split screen emphasises Michael Jackson's dance moves as a key element to the video as he is well known for his dancing.

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

The recurring motif of pictures-within-pictures creates narrative as when the detective attempts to take a picture of Michael Jackson he disappears and the camera fails to capture him 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 but he always escapes and can prove his innocence.  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?

The video reinforces Gilroy's diaspora theory as the main protagonist (Michael Jackson) as he is a black man who is being stalked and followed by a white detective who is attempting to frame him for getting Billie Jean pregnant. Michael Jackson subverts Hall's race and representation in media as he is a black protagonist who is portrayed as a Jesus-like-figure however the setting of the video may reinforce this theory as it is set within a dark street with litter being blown about.

Billie Jean also reinforces Hall's theory regarding black characterisations in America. Jackson can be seen as 'The Clown/Entertainer: a performer' (Hall 1995) This is because of the fact that he's dancing throughout the video. 

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-syncing, costumes, etc. 

However, it is unlike any other music video of its time. This is because of his dancing that MJ does was revolutionary and it became what Michael Jackson is known for. 

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?

Baudrillard's hyper-reality theory is used within this video as the setting was constructed and the audience can tell it is fake as they were trying to represent the 1940/50's. Pastiche is showcased in this video. He is imitating film Noir and 50s musicals. Using pastiche proves Baurillard's point that the copy is viewed as reality than the original, this video created a pavement for other artists to use the conventions in this video like performance as a convention in their video - Daniel Chandler's conventions of context. The picture motif imitates the art and pop culture styles used in media texts.