Michael Jackson's "Beat It" music video featured him bringing two rival LA gangs, the Bloods and Crips, together through dance. The video cost $150,000 to make and was filmed on location in LA's Skid Row. It shows the gangs initially fighting but ends with Jackson inspiring them to put aside their differences and dance together to the song's beat. The video was acclaimed for its authentic depiction of gang culture and message of unity.

1. Michael Jackson
Beat it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZG-zNOk

2. Info on the Song & Video
Beat it is the third single from Michael Jacksons sixth solo
album, Thriller
The song was promoted with a short film that featured
Jackson bringing two gangs together through the
power of dance
Beat It was awarded two Grammy Awards and two
American Music Awards
The video cost $150,000 to make
People from the actual LA gangs Bloods and Crips were in
the video

3. Music Video Style
Costume:
The costumes are very street retro 80's black
youth clothing. The high trousers were in fashion, and
had a 20s gangster style look. The other gang
members wearing the bowler hats and the braces on
their trousers also have an old school 20s gangster
look to it. The bandannas that some are wearing have
a more modern gang look as well as the sunglasses
and jewellery. Michaels orangey red leather jacket
connotates danger and as there is two gangs fighting,
there is danger.

4. Location:
Beat it was mainly filmed in Los Angeles' Skid
Row on location at East 5th street. This is quite a
socially deprived area with a lot of gang violence
and Michael wanted to give his video a more
authentic feel. Another location which the video
was filmed in was an old American diner/bar which
again gives it a more authentic look.

5. Camera Angles/Movement:
Throughout most of the video, medium shots and
panning are used so that the audience can see a lot of
what is going on. This also is showing that all the gang
members are almost “equal” because none are shown
to be in extreme close ups over other gang
members, they are always shown together and at the
same level. There are a few establishing shots which
show the two gangs coming out of two different parts of
the street. Towards the end of the music video, Michael
is shown from a low angle shot, making him look more
superior to the gang members but when he steps off the
boxes, he is shown in the same shot and from the same
angle as the gang members, this shows that they are all
equal.

6. The music video is partly performance based and
party narrative based. It is partly performance
based because when Michael is singing towards
the end, him and a lot of the gang members are
dancing in synch and this makes it look
performance based. The video is narrative based
because it shows the story of two gangs fighting
each other but Michael making them come
together at the end and dance.

7. Opinion of the
Song/Video
“ I like the song because it has a good beat to it. I like
the video because it was interesting to see what
happens between the two gangs and see if they
were going to fight. I wasn’t expecting them to
dance out of the blue, it really made the video
interesting. The dancing was also very good an was
all in time with the music and each other.”

8. One of the purposes of the video was to show that
these gang members have overcome the fight and
are now dancing. During the time that this was
produced, there was a lot of gang violence and
competition between gangs and Michael wanted
to show that there shouldn’t be any, they should just
get along. This video also received a lot of positive
reviews.