Billie Jean // Michael Jackson

Genre?

• The genre is mainstream pop. We can tell this through the use of choreographed dance routines, the use of brightly overdressed singers and the use of flashing lights.

• Another feature of a pop video is that they usually tell a story, this one does, the paparazzi are trying to catch him with a girl.

• Furthermore the video is filmed on what looks like a film set further showing the point

Do the images relate to the music?

• When he is walking the path lights up to the beat.

• Whenever something lights up it is on the beat. • Each cut happens on the beat there is no

awkward editing to change the feeling of the music.

• Once the song is done he walks of as the music plays out, showing its done.

Do the images relate to the lyrics?

• Yes. As when he says “I’m not the one” he then disappears from the bed, showing how he wasn’t there therefore he cant be the father.

• Furthermore the paparazzi is trying to photograph him with the girl trying to catch him out.

• “beauty queen from a movie scene” this can relate to the movie set that the video is recorded on.

Does the artist sell themself?

• Yes , throughout the video there are close ups on his face. At one point the images freeze on screen just showing his face.

• Also, he is the main person in the video there is now back up dancers so its just him being filmed when he is dancing.

• He is shown giving money to the homeless man at the start, suggesting that’s what hes like in real life.

voyeuristic?

• There wasn’t any sexualisation of women in the video, however the only aspect of voyeurism was the billboards watching him dance as they are looking down on him.

Any intertextual references

• The billboard is linked to some fashion brand.• At the time of filming not many people had

made videos of kind before, however there have been many artists who are inspired by this video, including Chris Brown, Usher and Justin Timberlake therefore it is the intertextual reference.

Is there a narrative?

• Yes throughout the video MJ is trying to say how he didn’t get the girl “Billie Jean” pregnant. It is an embodiment of the court case he had when a girl claim he was the father of her child.

• The video tells the story as if the paparazzi made it up and where trying to catch him out.