War of the Worlds: Blog tasks

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?
It tells the story of an alien invasion and the ensuing conflict between mankind and an extra-terrestrial race from Mars. The text has been frequently interpreted as a commentary on British Imperialism and Victorian fear and prejudice. The book has been adapted for both radio and (several) films, including the 2005 version starring Tom Cruise. It was also famously turned into a best-selling musical album by Jeff Wayne in 1978.

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

It was first broadcast live on 30th October 1938, a popular myth was that thousands of New Yorkers fled their homes in panic, and all across America people crowded the streets to witness for themselves the real space battle between earth and the Martians. The Trenton Police Department received over 2000 calls in less than two hours, while the New York Times switchboard received 875 calls from concerned listeners wanting to know where they would be safe.

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?
The following morning newspapers across the country revelled in the mass hysteria it had caused. The New York Times headline read, 'Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact'.

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?
He states how the effect it had was an example of a 'viral media phenomenon', also going onto how the show offered a 'fascinating window into how users engage with media content, spreading and reinterpreting it'.

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?
Welles' version of WOTW reworks a Victorian narrative about an alien invasion and turns it into an exciting radio play through his use of pastiche. By borrowing the conventions of the radio newscast, he is able to create real moments of shock and awe, which certainly account for the strong reaction it recieved. By creating a hybrid form, Welles blurred the boundaries between fact and fiction in a way that audiences had never experienced.

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?
At this time, both the radio networks, including CBS, frequently interrupted programmes to issue news bulletins with updates on the situation in Europe. As a result, audiences became familiar with such interruptions and were thus more accepting of Welles' faux newscasts at the beginning of the play.

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?
War of the Worlds was broadcast by the CBS Radio network. Founded in 1927 CBS Radio was one of two network radio stations broadcasting to the nation.

8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?
It  has been suggested that the panic was trumped up by the newspapers to rubbish this new medium which it viewed as a huge threat. Papers seized the opportunity presented by Welles's programme, perhaps to discredit radio as a source of news. The newspaper industry sensationalised the panic to prove to advertisers and regulators that radio management was irresponsible and not to be trusted.

9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?
This theory states that audiences consume and respond to media texts in an unquestioning way, believing what they read, see or hear. This is true of the audiences of the 1930s as most listeners immediately believed this story and jumped to multiple conclusions.

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?
Gerbner's Cultivation Theory may offer a more accurate explanation of the audience's behaviour in response to the radio broadcast since it emphasises the longer-term effects that media texts have upon audiences. Applied to War of the Worlds it could be argued that an audience familiar with the frequent interruptions to radio shows over the weeks leading up to the broadcast did not question the faux invasion broadcasts during Welles' production

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?
He argues that audiences might read a media text in different ways. The dominant or preferred reading by the audience is the one intended by the creator of the text. However, a person might read it in an oppositional way depending upon factors such as their age, gender or background. For example, a young male is likely to ‘read’ page three of The Sun as a bit of harmless fun (the preferred reading), whereas a female might regard it as offensive. Hall also suggests that readings of a media text might be negotiated. This is an acceptance of the preferred reading but modified in a way that reflects the audience’s own position, experiences and interests. I think the preferred reading was for the whole thing to just be seen as a big joke that people could enjoy as a source of entertainment however the oppositional may be that the radio show was trying to make people panic and terrified, especially if they hadn't listened to the disclaimer at the start.

12) Do media products still retain the ability to fool audiences as it is suggested War of the Worlds did in 1938? Has the digital media landscape changed this? 

In the late 1990s, and inspired by Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast, two young filmmakers made the low budget film The Blair Witch Project. Supposedly made up ‘found footage’ shot by three student filmmakers who go missing while shooting a documentary about a local legend (the Blair Witch), the film sparked debate among audiences as to whether the footage was actually real. However, given that audiences received the text in a movie theatre (or on video and DVD) it is unlikely to have fooled the audience in quite the same way – or with the same authority – as a series of radio news bulletins.

Analysis and opinion

1) Why do you think the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history?

I believe it is such an integral part of media history as it was the first time we've seen media be able to fully control the minds of such a large audience, and showed how easily people can be swayed into believing anything by media sources as they are the main sources of all types of news. I think it was very revolutionary because it showed how far media and technology had come.

2) War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news'. But which is the greater example of fake news - Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism or the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio?
I believe the greater example of fake news was the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio as they purposely went over the top and it was their mission to give out false information to the public so that radio could be discredited. In addition there was a clear disclaimer at the start of the radio broadcast so that people would know it was all a big joke and that it wasn't their intention for it to be perceived as real.


3) Do you agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory? If not, was there a point in history audiences were more susceptible to believing anything they saw or heard in the media?
I don't fully believe in the Hypodermic Needle theory as people were obviously able to come up with their own ideas instead of just straight away believing everything the media supplies them with. Also, many audiences were at the point where they could recognise real from fake therefore they wouldn't be as susceptible to believing everything. However, I think back when there were limited media sources people had no other option instead of believing what they heard as they had barely any sources to rely on.


4) Has the digital media age made the Hypodermic Needle model more or less relevant? Why?
I think it has definitely made the theory less relevant as audiences can now easily differentiate reality from fake-reality because of how the growth of social media and technology has made them much more aware, opposed to the audiences from years ago.


5) Do you agree with George Gerbner's Cultivation theory - that suggests exposure to the media has a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs? Give examples to support your argument.
I believe this is partly true because the more you listen to media sources on a day to day basis the more likely you are to believe in what they say as it has become somewhat part of your daily routine and the things they say may sound more true as you go on. therefore all this constant exposure to media does have a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs.

6) Is Gerbner's Cultivation theory more or less valid today than it would have been in 1938? Why?

It is probably less valid in today's age because of how audiences are becoming more educated and are less susceptible to believing everything they hear in the media. However media has risen to new heights therefore people may sometimes fall for certain things because of how media is constantly changing/evolving 

Film & TV assessment learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).
Grade: CWWW: Some insightful comments, especially in Q3
EBI: More detailed knowledge of industry: eg Chicken

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment (even if you got full marks for the question).
Q1: A range of different genres are suggested on the poster – e.g. the background is almost
space (sci-fi); the silver symbol in the background alludes to comic books/Marvel universe;
the woman on the left suggests martial arts or kung-fu movies – this is reinforced by the
faint images in the background (man in mid-air kick on right-hand side); the helicopter in the
top right hints at the war movie genre.

Q2: Construction of the Chicken branding on the poster/DVD packaging etc. effective in
communicating the genre and key selling points of the film – arthouse, social realism,
beautiful cinematography, theme of nature etc.

Q3: The series is likely to be interpreted differently depending on national contexts – the
reception in Germany was different to other European countries or the USA.
Representations may be more recognisable to international audiences and therefore not
reflective of social and cultural context (perhaps a reason for lack of success in native
Germany).

3) The first question demanded a response using postmodern terminology. Write a definition here of the three main terms:

Bricolage: The juxtaposing of old and new texts, images, ideas and narratives to create new meanings.

Pastiche: This refers to media products that imitate the style of another text, artist or time period. Pastiche is an example of intertextuality and takes a positive view of the original source.

Intertextuality: The term Intertextuality refers to the process of creating references to any kind of media text via another media text

4) The second question was on the film industry. Write down two points from the mark scheme about Chicken's promotion and distribution that you didn't include in your answer. 
-Social media was important in marketing the film – Chicken did not have a marketing budget
beyond the creation of the trailer and poster so Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were vital in
broadcasting and sharing trailers and information about the film.
Digital distribution in USA/Canada followed in January 2018 and the film is now available on
Amazon Prime in the UK. 
-The distribution of Chicken was challenging but ultimately quite

effective for a niche micro-budget film.

5) Look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 3 - the 25 mark essay question on your TV Close-Study Products. Write a complete essay plan for this question based on the suggested answers in the mark scheme. You can either use something similar to your actual answer or alternatively start from scratch. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed plan focused on the question (representations; social and cultural contexts of production) and offering specific references to Capital and Deutschland 83 for each section. Try and cover the two texts equally if you can and aim to plan around 5-6 paragraphs in total.
Capital has a vast range of characters with their own views and story to tell as capital focuses on social and cultural context. For example the middle and upper-class are shown to be greedy, inconsiderate and obsessed with money as a bonus but doesn't appreciate it, instead wanting more, whereas someone lower classed would gladly accept. This plays into the aspect of realism as in London the upper classed/elite take a lot of what they have for granted, being very out of touch with society and instead being self absorbed.

Immigration is also part of the story as the story of Aventina is followed. She fled from Zimbabwe to London in order to find work. This too offers realism as she becomes very oppressed and not given any real opportunities that will benefit her in the long term which is very common in London and so this shows the harsh reality immigrants have to go through even though they are trying to better themselves. On the other hand numerous people have argued that Capital has a left wing bias because of the way they negatively portray the upper class which makes the show less authentic.

In Deutschland 83 the main focus is the conflict between East and West Germany which was a real life event, allowing younger audiences to educate themselves in a fun, immersive way, and allowing older audiences to feel nostalgic as they may have lived through the time period. Recognisable settings play a huge part in the social and cultural contexts as these settings would be very nostalgic to them. For instance the scene where Martin is running through the supermarket offers a sense of realism because of the fact that the supermarket will be recognised by German audiences as thats how things were back then. The music in the scene is also relevant to the time period, which audiences will recognise easily.

Furthermore, real life clips were used, the most noticeable one being Ronald.R's Evil Empire Speech. Deutschland 83 does this because they know it'll continue to gain the interest and support of audiences. However, many argue that the representations of East and West Germany are negatively portrayed to make Germany seem worse than it is.

BBC Radio 1 - Life Hacks: Blog tasks

Listen to the extracts from Life Hacks above and answer the following questions:

1) What do the titles The Surgery and Life Hacks suggest?

These titles suggest that these podcasts will improve your way of living and make you a more healthy person mentally and physically.

2) How are the programmes constructed to appeal to a youth audience?

The presenters use more casual language aimed towards a youth audience so they can engage much easier. In addition they talk about topics that younger people can relate to like school life, finding a place where you belong, stress and so on. The presenters are also quite young which helps the audience become more immersed. There is also a lot of mainstream artists' music used in these podcasts too.

3) What does the choice of presenters (Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton) and Dr Modgil suggest about the BBC’s approach to diversity and representation?

This pairing is very diverse as one is from Manchester and the other is half Indian, making the BBC more appealing to wider audiences as they recognise how accepting they are to all races. This shows how different BBC are to different radio shows as many just go with the stereotypical white presenter, but with this we see a shift in societal norms.

4) Go to the Life Hacks iPlayer page and analyse the content. What does this suggest regarding the Life Hacks audience and what the BBC is hoping to achieve with the programme?

The graphics used on this page are very bright and appealing to younger audiences as they show a good representation of youth, allowing the audience to feel more comfortable and inclined to have a listen.

5) Go to the Life Hacks podcast episodes page. Listen to a few episodes of the podcast and explain how the topics may a) appeal to a youth audience and b) help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster. 

These topics appeal to a youth audience as the topics they cover focus on modern day issues that a lot of young people are constantly going through, two of which being depression and stress which a lot of people can relate to and get a better understanding of how to deal with. This helps to fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a PBC as in these podcasts they stick by the BBC's pledge to inform, educate and entertain. 

Audience

1) What is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?

The target audience for BBC Radio 1 is 15-29.

2) Who is the actual audience for BBC Radio 1?

In actuality the audience they have been bringing in is mainly aged 30 years old.

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Life Hacks? Apply Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.

Personal Identity is probably the main one as many members of the audience can relate to the topics covered and find a sense of identity within it. Surveillance is another main one as the audience listens to these podcasts in order to broaden their knowledge and to also just to find out certain things and peoples opinions on different matters as it is a good source of information.

4) Read this Guardian review of Life Hacks. What points does the reviewer make about Life Hacks and the particular podcast episode they listened to?

She mentions how 'I found myself listening to a few life inspiration/entrepreneurial podcasts last week'. This quote shows how engaging these podcasts are as you find yourself just continuously immersed with what these people have to say as it becomes addicting and you form a sense of a personal relationship with the speakers.

5) Read this NME feature on Radio 1 listener figures. What are the key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings?

-Radio 1 has lost 2000,000 weekly listeners since May, when they attracted 9.4 million listeners a week
-The 2 million listeners that Radio 1 now pulls in each week is officially the second-lowest ever recorded ratings for the BBC station, and is close to equalling the lowest weekly rating of 9.1 million
-The decline in the stations ratings has been steady since 2012, when it attracted over 11.1 million weekly listeners
-Pulling in an extra 3000,000 listeners since May for a new total of 5.3 million.
-The station now posting a record 16 million YouTube views a week
-The station is also still the top choice for listeners aged 15 to 24 in the UK

Industries

1) How does Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain? 

The BBC educate their audience by giving out advice that'll help them with their day to day lives, as they dive into a range of different topics that will engage the audience and help them. They inform the audience by providing them with information on current affairs around the world, allowing the audience to become more educated as they broaden their knowledge. They entertain with their fun attitude and by using modern day music that they know the audience listen to and enjoy.

2) Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. Pick out three key points in the summary section.

-Safeguarding vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programmes
-The BBC is the UK's most widely used media organisation, providing programming on television, radio and online
- The charter hired OFCOM to set up the BBC license fee

3) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and Life Hacks?

• Support social action campaigns on BBC radio
• Support a wide range of valued genres
• Require the BBC to BBC to reflect

4) What do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?

Supporting a wide range of valued genres as the BBC must support a range of genres to show their diversity and to also expand as a company. Strengthen news and current affairs rules, in order to make sure the BBC stays up to date. In addition the third most important is the BBC must reflect the full diversity of the UK population.

5) Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience? 

Ofcom plan to examine the on-screen diversity of the BBC's programming. The review is set to ask what audiences from the BBC to understand whether it effectively portrays the lives of people ranging from young to older audiences.

Read this Guardian interview with BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.

6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?

His mission is to make BBC Radio 1 a radio version of Netflix, allowing a new wider audience for the BBC.

7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?

Ben Cooper states that the way statistics are calculated are incorrect, which explains why the average is older than it originally seems as he believes the common age of a Radio 1 listeners is 18 and for the YT channel it is 12-17 year old females. 

8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?

He states how 'We will play something like 4,000 different tracks a month, commercial radio plays about 400".

9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?

Radio 1 is moving to focus on this as they believe that younger audiences are more engaged with YouTube which is the reason as to why radio is becoming less popular.

10) In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.
I believe that it should include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 as the youth are shaping this new age of media therefore having them as your main audience helps BBC Radio 1

Introduction to Radio: Blog tasks

BBC Sounds

Read this Guardian feature on the launch of BBC Sounds and answer the following questions:

1) Why does the article suggest that ‘on the face of it, BBC Radio is in rude health’?
Because of the fact that it has half the national market, with dozens of stations reaching more than 34 million people a week. Radio 2 alone reaches 15 million listeners a week and for all the criticism of the Today programme,one in nine Britons still tune in to hear John Humphrys and his co-presenters harangue politicians every week.

2) What percentage of under-35s use the BBC iPlayer catch-up radio app?
Purnell states that just 3% of under 35s use the BBC IPlayer catch-up radio radio app.

3) What is BBC Sounds?
BBC Sounds is a new app designed to bring in younger listeners to BBC radio content. It aims aims to fulfil its requirements as a public service broadcaster while also responding to the demands of the digital media landscape.

4) How do audiences listen to radio content in the digital age?
Spotify has started to include a large number of podcasts-including BBC material- directly in its app and  a growing number of people listen to the radio via voice assistants such as Amazon's Alexa.

5) What does Jason Phipps suggest is important for radio and podcast content aimed at younger audiences?
He mentions how there is a need to reconsider the entire tone of how the BBC tells stories, shifting away from rigid formality. Additionally stating how, "We need more brash, funny, intelligent podcasts", he says that the formats intimacy is the main reason as to why podcasts about "sex, relationships and erotic imaginations" have done so well. 

6) Why does the BBC need to stay relevant?
Shennan compares the huge leap into on-demand audio and podcasting to previous decisions to invest in television during the 1950s and the internet in the 1990s. "The world in which we offer this amazing idea called the BBC has changed exponentially over nearly a century and particularly in the last decade", he says, and because the BBC is really important and valued by the license fee, it's got to continue to be relevant.

Now read this review of the BBC Sounds app.

7) What content does the BBC Sounds app offer?
The idea is that you download the app and then go to BBC Sounds for anything audio. Ranging from music, news, drama, documentaries, true crime and comedy. The app allows you to click through to any live BBC radio station, also offering you other forms of listening, from podcasts to playlists

8) How does it link to BBC Radio?
The app allows the user to browse through and listen to any of the BBC radio stations when they are live. Also, it allows you to listen to podcasts from radio shows.

9) What are the criticisms of the BBC Sounds app?
The programme information is a little tricky to access, and the search isn't sensitive enough. For example when a user typed in '5 live waco' all that came up was old programmes. Another main problem is that there isn't enough content. The BBC has thousands of amazing programmes,if you browse podcasts via, say, the Apple Podcasts app, you have 16 categories to choose from,and within each one there are at least 20 series to try. Sounds must become more packed with content in order to work properly.

10) Two new podcasts were launched alongside the BBC Sounds app. What are they and why might they appeal to younger audiences?

In order to celebrate the new app, the BBC launched a few new podcasts, including the 5 Live Waco series End of Days, and Beyond Today,which is a 20 minute podcasts that delves deeper into the big stories of the Today programme. Beyond Today is an attempt to mimic the New York Times's successful The Daily programme and End of Days, is a gripping tale.

ShoutOut Network

Read this Huffington Post feature on the Shout Out Network and answer the following questions:

1) What is the ShoutOut Network?

The Shoutout Network is a London-based network diverse podcasts to give a platform for BAME voices, presenting the rise of independent media producers in the 21st century media landscape.  It has put together a fantastic offer for businesses to purchase advertising slots across a range of their podcasts for 3 months from just £1.

2) What podcasts are offered by the ShoutOut Network?

They have added pop-culture literature podcast Mostly Lit, carefree comedy duo Two Fools Talking,theatre and music aficionados Artistic State of Mind and brand new football show Top 4mation. The network has also produced a serial history podcast Unarchived History that documents the history of London and soon other areas of the UK.

3) What audience do they reach

These shows reach more than 20,000 listeners per month, of which 92% are Black,Asian and minority ethnic communities,the ShoutOut network has positioned themselves in a prime place for sponsors and advertising to reach the vast community or listeners for their products.

4) What are the 2015 statistics on podcast listening in the UK?

According to the Online Journalism Blog, RAJAR provided data that from autumn 2015, 3.7 million adults listen to podcasts which equate to around 6.5% of the adult population. Additionally,it states that 57% of people use them on smartphones, while their preferred activity to listening to podcasts was 47% while commuting and 34% relaxing or doing nothing.

5) The article suggests podcasts are ‘picking up more steam’. Do you think podcasts the future of radio?

In my opinion I believe that podcasts are most definitely becoming the future of radio because of their growing popularity amongst the younger generation, as they can choose which one they would want to listen to that they know they'll be interested in. In addition,podcasts are more interactive than radio as they engage with the audience more which will keep them coming back. With apps like YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music younger people are more willing to check out these podcasts as they are becoming part of the digital age in a much better way than media.

Music Video: index

1) Music Video - introduction and factsheet questions
2) Music Video theory and This Is America analysis
3) Common - Letter to the Free context and analysis
4) Michael Jackson - Billie Jean context, analysis and MM article

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to create a comprehensive case study for Michael Jackson's Billie Jean music video.

Media Magazine reading: Billie Jean, birth of an icon

Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the case study on Billie Jean - birth of an icon (MM62 - page 20). Answer the following questions:

1) What was the budget for Billie Jean? How did this compare with later Michael Jackson videos?
The budget for the video was $50,000, which wasn't small but as it turned out not big enough to accommodate Jackson's idea that mannequins in a shop window would come to life and dance behind him. In addition, the record company wouldn't pay an extra cent for backing dancers therefore Jackson had to dance alone. When the promo video for 'Beat it' went into production five weeks after the release of 'Billie Jean', the budget rose considerably to $300,000 and for 'Thriller' the budget was $2 million.

2) Why was the video rejected by MTV?
MTV refused to air the video as the believed it didn't suit their 'middle America' audience. Thankfully for Jackson the president of his record label threatened MTV saying: 'I'm pulling everything we have off the air, all our product...And I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy.' This ended up paying off nicely as MTV rolled over and 'Billie Jean' became the first music video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on the channel which was groundbreaking moment for the representation of ethnic minorities. 

3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does Billie Jean reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video?
Andrew Goodwin provides a useful framework to begin analysing the video. The video contains many conventions of the pop genre: lip-syncing, performance interwoven with narrative, dance routines, high-fashion costume. Regarding the link between lyrics and visuals, the song is apparently based on Jackson's experience of fan-girls claiming he or his brothers were the parents of his babies, mixed in with a missing persons story that Jackson had purposely read in the news at the time. Key lyrics are amplified through the visuals. For example the song is about a girl, Billie Jean. Although we never see her as a character we are presented with various images of females which he never comes into contact with.

4) How do the visuals reflect the lyrics in Billie Jean?
There are many links between audio and visuals. Flash frames accompany synth-cymbal crashes, Jackson's choreography snaps, claps and stamps to the rhythm, often on a pronounced beat. The distinctive adlibs 'ch', 'ooo!' that we associate with Jackson are often accompanied by a distinctive dance move or spin, drawing attention to both. 

5) Why does the video feature fewer close-up shots than in most pop videos?
The video assists the star-construction of the artist, not so much through the close-ups that you might expect in other pop videos, but through the focus on the distinctive dace moves (often shown three-fold in the frame) which had not been seen onscreen before.

6) What intertextual references can be found in the video?
The notion of looking can be seen through the use of the private detective which is also an intertextual reference to Noir film and detective fiction. 

7) How does the video use the notion of looking as a recurring motif?
Jackson is being watched and followed; a polaroid camera attempts to capture his image but he's elusive and mystical. The audience sees his image multiplied using split-screen editing, he is frozen or isolated in a frame-within-a frame. Towards the end of the video he is spied through a window by an old women in hair-rollers as he ascends a fire escape to stand, somewhat creepily, at the bedside of a sleeping figure, where he then becomes the voyeur.

8) What representations can be found in the video?
The 'everything he touches turns to gold' idea in this video is fairly innocuous and it's sweetly naive when, in Beat it, Jackson pops himself between the ringleaders rival brawling gangs, does a little dance singing, 'it doesn't matter who's wrong or right', causing them to come together as a synchronised dance troupe. As Michael's developed and his power increased he continued to present himself as a Jesus-like-figure. Depicting himself as having the power of healing, this is evident at the beginning of Billie Jean when he tosses a coin into the cup of a dishevelled tramp who, as a result of Jackson is magically transformed into wearing a white suit. We can also detect the beginnings of the ongoing theme of being on the streets. The setting in the music video is urban and is at night time with litter blowing down dark alleys and fire escapes. This is the first in a sequence of videos that explored gangs, crime, danger and the supernatural.

Close-textual analysis of the music video

1) How is mise-en-scene used to create intertextuality - reference to other media products or genres? E.g. colour/black and white; light/lighting.

By using black and white lighting at the beginning of the video is use of intertextuality as they are taking reference to the film noir genre. However as the video progresses we see the video gain more colour when Michael Jackson enters as he is presented as some people say, a Jesus-like character bringing life to the scene. When looking at the costumes used in the video we see Michael Jackson wearing a shirt and bowtie which is very similar to what would be worn in a musical, therefore creating another intertextual reference. In addition the detective in the video is shown to be wearing is reflective of the film noir genre.

2) How does the video use narrative theory of equilibrium?

The theory of equilibrium is present in this music video as the disequilibrium is when Michael is being chased by the detective everywhere he goes as the detective constantly tries to arrest him. However the new equilibrium is present when Michael Jackson escapes and can finally be at peace as the detective has to give up with his chase.

3) How are characters used to create narrative through binary opposition?

As for binary opposition we see Good vs Evil through the continuous chase through Michael and the detective as Michael is seen as the protagonist trying to clear his name because of all the false claims and the detective is the antagonist as he constantly tries to wrongly arrest Michael.

  
4) What is the significance of the freeze-frames and split-screen visual effects?

There is use of the notion of looking as we see through the detectives perspective when Michael is being followed around. The freeze-frames and split-screen effects make Michael be seen as quite mysterious and magical as we see him disappear and reappear constantly, confusing the detective 
5) What meanings could the recurring motif of 'pictures-within-pictures' create for the audience?
The motifs of pictures within pictures creates a meaning that Michael feels constantly watched and that he has completely no privacy.

6) Does the video reinforce or subvert theories of race and ethnicity - such as Gilroy's diaspora or Hall's black characterisations in American media?
I believe Billie Jean reinforces theories of race and ethnicity. This is because Michael Jackson can be perceived as 'the entertainer' as suggested by Stuart Hall, this is evident through his dancing as he is doing it to provide entertainment for the audience. Billie Jean can also be seen to support the idea of diasporic identity as it is about never feeling accepted in western societies, which this music video supports as Michael is constantly being chased around while he is just trying to live his life, which is especially tough with him being a celebrity as many false claims start to pour out. 

7) Does this video reflect Steve Neale's genre theory of 'repetition and difference'? Does it reflect other music videos or does it innovate?
Steve Neale's genre theory can be applied as there is use of difference as Michael Jackson completely revolutionised music videos as he added his way of dancing and movement which wasn't very common in music videos.
8) Analyse the video using postmodern theory (e.g. Baudrillard's hyper-reality; Strinati's five definitions of postmodernism). How does the 'picture-in-picture' recurring motif create a postmodern reading?
Postmodernists claim that the distinction between the real world and the media representation of the real world has become blurred as we live in a world completely influenced by the media. By adding Baudrillard's hyper-reality theory you can say how the music video was made to reflect a certain time period (1940s). The picture-in-picture motif creates a postmodern reading as it reflects how our much the media dominates our lives as we are constantly reflecting or being reflected by it.