Skip to main content

Billie Jean- Michael Jackson

1)The budget for Billie Jean was budgeted at $50,000. This differed to his other videos as their budgets were much higher. For example: Thriller's budget was $1million.
2)MTV rejected the video as it 'didn't fit their middle America audience'.
3)Billie Jean reflects the genre characteristics of pop music video. It contains lip-syncing, performance interwoven with narrative, dance routines and high fashion costume.
4)The visuals reflect the lyrics in the video as ultimately, the video is based on fan girls who claim that he/ his brothers are the parents of their babies. Key lyrics are amplified through the visuals. The actual video is about a girl: 'Billie Jean'. We never actually see her as a character however, we are presented with other images of females in general with whom he comes into contact with. For example: the billboard with the women's faces that are displayed or the figure who is already laying in he bed at the hotel.
5)The video features few close-ups than pop videos as the other focus was the dance choreography.
6)There is a lot of intertextuality within the music video. The lighting creates a 1970's disco atmosphere. Also, the setting (Hollywood sound stage) references 1940's Hollywood musicals.
The low-key lighting and Michael's costume alludes towards the idea of film noir/ 1950's crime genre.
7)The video uses notions of looking as a recurring motif. It can be seen through the detective who is watching/ following Michael. Also, the camera reinforces the idea of the notion of looking; when Michael is dancing, there are multiple freeze frames which indicate that someone is taking pictures of him.
8)

CLOSE TEXTUAL ANALYSIS:
1)The lighting and the detective's costume refers to film noir and mystery. Also, Michael's costume (pink shirt & bowtie) represents 1930s/40s Hollywood musicals.
2)
3)Characters create narrative through binary opposition. Ultimately, it is based on Hero V Villan. Role reversals are included: the detective is the villan and Michael is the hero.
4)The freeze fames/ split screens are significant. It suggests that somene is taking a picture of Michael. Also they match the lyrics.- picture on picture.
5)The picture on picture motif could mean that someone is taking pictures of Michael.
6)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

TV index

1) Introduction to TV Drama 2) Capital: Case study 3) Capital: Marxism and Hegemony 4) Capital: Applying Marxism 5) Deutschland 83: Case study 6) Deutschland 83: Close-textual analysis notes 7) Deutschland 83: Postmodernism 8) Industries: The rise of foreign-language TV dramas 9) Industries: The impact of new/digital media on television 10) TV: 750-word exam question

CASE STUDY: capital

REVIEWS AND FEATURES: 1)POSITIVE POINTS- -"a complicated and brilliant portrait of London life" The Guardian. -"strong performances from a superb ensemble cast" The Telegraph. -"its far more gripping than a drama about the property market sounds" Evening Standard. 2)CRITICISMS- -"an overly schematic tangle of under developed plot lines populated by underwritten characters" The Telegraph. -"it was a disappointment" The Telegraph. 3) 4)The writer says that 'the average house price in London hits £500,000 as Capital's housing market shows no sign of losing steam'. 5)-"housing market and increasing rate of gentrification across London means that Capital's ideas still stand. Reflecting the times, the setting has changed from Clapham to Balham." Standard. -"Capital offers a microcosmic metaphor for London at large." Standard. -"This drama shows an eternal London, riven by inequality and

CHICKEN- case study

Funding: 1) The budget for chicken was £110,000. 2)Stephenson raised money through investment by individuals; could be rich friends or contacts. 3)The budget is much lower than a popular film as it used less equipment and scences therefore it was cheaper to film unlike an expensive film to make. 4)The BFI Film Fund uses National Lottery funds in order to develop and support original UK filmmakers and films and to increase the audiences. 5)I think that 'Chicken' failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund as the topics within the film could potentially make the audience feel uncomfortable therefore, they wouldn't make much money from it. Production: 1)The weather made it difficult to film as most of the shots were filmed outside. 2)The film took 19 days to shoot. 3)The most difficult shots to film were the outside shots. Distribution: 1)In 2014, the film failed to secure a distribution deal due to the BFI not funding the film; it suggested that the film woul