The document analyzes and summarizes key elements of Michael Jackson's music video for "Billie Jean". It finds that the genre is mainstream pop due to its choreographed dance routines, flashy costumes, and lighting effects. The video tells a narrative story through its images, portraying the paparazzi trying to catch Jackson with a girl. Throughout the video, the images and cuts are synchronized to the beat and lyrics of the song. It effectively sells Jackson as the main focus and star through close-ups and solo dance shots.

1. Billie Jean // Michael Jackson

2. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

7. 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.

9. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.