The Evolution of a Star- Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was an American recording artist, dancer. He was referred to as the King of Pop. Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited and where world hits. 

Right from the start of his career Michael Jackson developed a star image with his silver glove.this glove wasn't worn in his music videos. This as only worn we he did live performances. this is where he built his star image and where people could remember him from his glove.

 here you can see Michale Jackson wearing his glove.  he developed his own star iconography where everyone knew him from his glove. in the early century this was a big fashion appeal to the consumers as everyone wanted a glove just like him.

Jackson's skin had been a medium-brown colour for the entire duration of his youth, but starting in the mid 1980s, it gradually grew paler. The change gained widespread media coverage, including rumours that he was bleaching his skin. Below is a picture in the early stages of his life. Here you can see his natural tone in skin colour. 

this is a picture of when Jackson was in his early period writing music. You can see that his skin tone was a light brownish and then went to a very white look. over his period of making music he constantly had problems with his face and body type excessive use of drugs led his face to change dramatically. this was realised in his music video "they don't care about us". From the early stages of Michael Jacksons career to the most recent he had many problems with his face as he had plastic surgery done. the picture on the right is from "billie Jean". his style however still stayed the same in terms of hair.

He also wrote about his facial appearance, saying he had had two rhino plastic surgeries and a dimple created in his chin. He attributed much of the change in the structure of his face to puberty. Over the period of Michael Jackson’s career he soon had plastic surgery to his face. There was a huge problem with his nose and chin. This however didn’t stop his music, as made a new album called “this is it”.

This is what Jackson looked like after he had done his plastic surgery. his surgery went terrible wrong on his nose and mouth which led him to be very upset. this was a major change for Michale as all his fans were very surprised. He made a album soon after called "this is it".  most of Jackson music videos were mainly performance based as he was not only known for his singing but his dancing to. This is Jackson performing his knew song "this is it", this was the most recent and you can see how he has changed from when he made bille jean to now.

Past students work- The Vixens - Voodoo Child

This video has been shot in the bedroom and a studio. Looking at the video you can see that it is solely performance based as there is dancing. I think there main concept was to have it as a narrative and performance based but I don’t understand the narrative.  Again while the women a performing they have used a white background. This is very effective and simple. Also they have used a wide range of effects which the shots by making them reflect. 

 this is a reverse shot where you can see the girl by the mirror. I think this shot is very good as it introduces the character. It also reveals some sort of personality about the character, like in this picture you can see that she is smiling so this song may be about happiness.

this is a very effective shot. they have used a effect that works well within the video. here you can see four girls dancing in their own little spot. it is almost like a reflection of one another.

This shot has been done extremely well. the lighting used in this shot makes the girls stand out. this might have been created on Final Cut as you can make the lighting brighter or darker. throughout the video lighting varies giving some sort of meaning to the video.

Past students work- i see girls

This video has been shot mainly in a studio. This video is mainly performance-based as dancing is the main theme in this video. Some parts of this video are very good like the different colours used in the background. It alternates from red to white to green. This is similar to the video “all of the lights”. Also the editing is quite good as it is quick between the singer and the dancers. 

 this is a close-up of a girls lower body. this is a shot done by most music videos to show and give a sex appeal. this allows the viewer to be more interested in the video.

this is a shot of a women dancing. In the background you see a different colour for the next three shots. this is a good technique to use as its is effective. you can only see and outline of the womens body not her actual face, this is also a good idea to use.

this shot shows that this video is performance based as there is a lot of dancing at partying. the lighting used in this shot is very good as it highlights the girls dancing which helps them stand out. It also emphasises  the smoke in the background as this whole frame doesn't look clear, its almost like a fade.

ideas of tracks- Kanye West - All Of The Lights ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi

Pros

-         -  Not much footage is needed as we could mostly base our video on special effects and different font

-          - The narrative is quite easy to follow although we could add more dance scenes to make our video different from the original

Cons

-          - As the video is mainly special effects based we may fall into the trap of making our video very similar to the original

-          - Also the special effects may be too hard to do, and also may not be done using Final Cut

-           - We may also have a problem finding 2 other actors to be in our video

ideas of tracks- Kanye West - Good Life ft. T-Pain

Cons

·         - The main effect used in this video is the writing on the screen. This may be very hard to do with the equipment we are entitled to.  Programmes such as Final Cut and Photoshop may not let us do this.

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-           -  The different colour used to make the writing may also be hard to do

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              -It may be hard to get the pictures to move in the background

Pros

·         - A good effect used in this video is when the lyrics come out onto the screen when being said. This isn’t a hard thing to do as it can be done using Final Cut

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           - The location of the video can be done anywhere to give the same affect, as they have just used a plain white background with images overlaying it.

Final Track choice

Above is the music video we have chosen for our media coursework. This song is a R&B/ hip-pop genre aimed at users aged between 13-20. This is what most teenagers like to see in the charts. We have chosen this track as we thought we could come up with good ideas to make our version just as good as the original. As the track is fast pace, we could have quicker cutting between shots which would make the music video look professional. Also we had many locations in mind e.g the park, certain areas in school and a recoding booth. This song will allow me to bring all the skills I have learnt from previous tasks such as how to use Final Cut. Also I could use wire-framing and display to shots on the same screen. As this is a performance based video we could make our own dance routines which would make the video look more better and would also appeal to the target audience. As this song was a big hit when released, it attracted many people. We thought that we could then aim our video to a bigger target audience.

The other possible track we choose was “All Of The Lights”. This was our first choice, but we then released that it would be too hard to do. As it is a video based on special effects we thought that it would be hard to come up with something different so we couldn’t take the risk. We didn't choose the video "Good Life" because we thought it would be hard to come up with ideas. As the video was again effects based we didn't want to copy it and also finding a location would have been hard. 

Eminem - Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna (analysis)

This music video is shot in many different areas from inside to outdoors. This video is seen to be narrative based telling a hurtful story. Rihanna’s music videos and songs have mainly been about something about her life. Here she is talking about men being liars and how it hurts women. 

The main genre of this song is R&B/hip-pop. As soon as the video starts we instantly get a close-up of rihanna telling us that she is the main singer in this song. Looking at her facial expression you can see she isn’t very happy. We hear diegetic sound of rhianna when she is singing. The lighting in this particular picture is very low key emphasising the mood of the song.  

Here you can see the narrative getting together. Whilst rhianna is singing, the camera cross cuts to something else. This clearly reflects the visuals being herd. In this picture you can see that the man is getting hit by the women for a reason that he may have done something wrong. This shows rhianna feelings.

This is another location where this video takes place. You can see by the lighting that it is shot during the day in a field. Here we see Eminem singing. The video cuts between both singers. This is a good technique to use as it builds a relationship between one another creating a narrative for the song. This is also different to most R&B videos as they are mostly performance based.  

I think this is a interesting shot as it can mean a lot of things. Here we say a women sitting almost mediation with a flame within her hands. These external shots build up the video and the narrative. We here rhianna singing in the background, saying “its alright because i love the way you lie”. This clearly goes with what’s been shown in the scene.

Here you can see a form of voyeurism. We can see a man and a women kissing and expressing love. This is very common in videos, especially in the R&B genre. This shot is shown when rhianna says “just gono stand there and watch me burn” you can see that she is trying to say that men and women fight in a relationship but also make love after. The camera shows the same people fighting then making love again.

Overall i decided to choose this video because of the cross cutting between pictures. I like the way the visuals went with the lyrics. Also the pace of this video is very slow. This helps build the narrative.

Interesting CD covers

Jay Sean - Hit The Lights ft. Lil Wayne (analysis)

this video by jay Sean is set in two main places which is some sort of a club and a stage. I think different locations allow to build a narrative threw the video as it shows whats is happening and were they are. This video is again performance based with the main aspect of dance. Jay Sean is clearly focused on his dancing. This is done by different shots like close-ups. The lyrics fit with whats on the screen as when jay Sean talks about lighters different lights start appearing. 

The introduction of this music video is done in a very good way as it already excites the viewer. Here lighting affects are used so you can quickly assume that this is a performance video. The genre of this song is again R&B which is achieved in his video. This is mainly done by the different types of shots used and how the lighting goes with what is being said. 

 

Here again there is a lighting affect when jay Sean is dancing. While he is dancing the lights are changing colour and doing all sorts of affects. This makes the viewer feel that this video is good and therefore want to watch the video over and over again. It also builds the excitement with the help of close ups and fast editing. This video can also be narrative based as it shows jay Sean having a good time with his mates in a club.furthermore throughout the video the use of close ups, mid shots and establishing shots helps the viewer see the narrative. certain shots give an insight o what is going on rather it just focusing on one person in the same place.

 Here is a shot of Jay Sean doing another dance. this shot is good as the lighting works well with what is going on in the background. the lights move according to the music and what jay sean is singing. this is a good visual effect to the viewer as it excites them and keeps them wotching the video.

Kanye West - All Of The Lights ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi (analysis)

This music video by Kanye west and Rihanna is a performance based music video. It closely focuses on their moves by various close-ups from low angles to high. There is a clear relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. As this song is mainly about different lights they have used colour change lights in nearly every picture. Close ups are also used when different singers are singing to show their importance. This video is primarily based outside in an ally way.

 

This is the first shot you see in the music video. This is very unusual as most music video go straight into the lyrics or dance however this video slowly builds a narrative at the beginning with the girl walking. This shows that this video is not only performance based but tells a narrative to.  

 

I really liked the ways in which the colours are used in this scene. Having different colours appear every second helps create a fast movement to the song. It helps the viewer to view the song faster as many things are happening at the same time. There is a lot of cross cutting involved from the dancing to the lights. these two screen grabs show the two dancers performing in different coloured lighting. 

Here you see Rihanna using her sex appeal. In many music videos this is a key concept used not only for the viewer’s purpose but to give an R&B genre. Seconds after this shot, another close up is taken of another performer. This shot cuts very quickly and also shows other images. This is a key feature i liked as it doesn’t bore the viewer; everything is almost at your face making you enjoy the video. 

This is a medium close up of Kanye west. I like this shot in particular as it shows him dancing with different lights highlighting him. This builds the narrative of the song and the whole concept of the song. 

overall i think this video is very succesfull mainly beacuse of the affect of the different types of lights used. Also the fast cutting to other images on the same screen is a good affect as it enlightens the viewer. it goes with the lyrics well and what is happening in each scene. 

Kanye West - Good Life ft. T-Pain (Goodwin analysis)

This is a video by kanye west and t-pain. The genre of this video is R&B because it has the typical conventions, like a fast car and girls expressing their sexuality. It also seems to be a performance video as the majority of the video is dancing based. The dancing and shot selection clearly reflects the lyrics as most shots used in this video are close-ups which are of a low angle. The focus on kanye west shows his importance in the video and makes it sell, knowing he is staring in it. 

There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms 'in looking' e.g. screens within screens.

The artist develops his own iconography coming in and out of the video. The video is not set in a place in particular it is simple. Many music videos have used this same theme which helps create the R&B concept. there is defiantly reference to voyeurism throughout the music video with different girls coming in. this is a convention used by most music videos that are of R&B.There is a clear link with the music and the visuals as whilst kanye is singing some of his words are written on the screen.

 

Music Video demonstrates genre characteristics

Throughout the music video there is a demonstration of the genre which is R&B. The music video starts off with Kanye West drawing on the wall with graffiti writing, this instantly helps the viewer work out the genre. At 0.42 T-pain and kanye West are both doing a mini dance whilst singing. Here the editing is very fast pace as it cuts to each other quickly. Also the clothing that is worn is very casual, typically what you see in a R&B music video. These features help represent the characteristics to the R&B genre.  

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

In this music video there is defiantly a relationship with the lyrics and the visuals. Right from the start when kanye west is singing, some of his lyrics are written on the screen. This shows the relationship between one another. This is done throughout the video. Further into the video, at 0.53 not only does the writing appear but there is also some pictures. This shows the relationship between lyrics and visuals as when kanye west says “it feels like LA” there is a picture of a Hollywood sign in the background. For the lyric “it feels like NY” there is a picture of New York city in the background. 

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work.

Kanye west and T Pain are clearly illustrated as being the main singers in the video. This is done by close-ups and extreme close ups of both artists. This helps show that they are the main focus as you can see their facial expression and emotions. An example of this is when Kanye West is standing and the woman comes in, his facial expression changes.

There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos)

In most music videos there is always some sort of women that is the “sex appeal” for the audience. This video has the “sexy” woman which is seen in almost every R&B style music video. Also in most music videos there is always a super car within the video. As the images in this video where carton based there was still a Lamborghini shown.