Writing the music videoMichael Jackson: Leave Me Alone - Essay Example

? Day Month Year Writing the Music Video The music video is truly a unique art form. Taking a musical song and turning it into a successful theatrical production requires a level of artistic expression that often is hard to find. Such a video captures the heart and soul of what the musician was trying to accomplish with the song. In many cases, it provides the artist with a venue that enables them to portray a deeper meaning that cannot be conveyed with mere lyrics and instrumentation alone. On the one hand, a music video describes the content of a song in visual format. On the other hand, it also seeks to analyze a deeper meaning and interprets the true feeling and emotion of the musician for the listener. Combining these tasks into one video using film, video, animation, and other electronic means, the producer of a video can accomplish these feats and provide an enjoyable experience for all who watch and listen. One such video that truly captured the emotion and depth of a song is Michael Jackson’s ‘Leave Me Alone’. Michael Jackson helped create the first major music video in the industry’s history when he did his 10-minute plus rendition of the hit song ‘Thriller’. That video was almost more like a short movie than it was a music video. That set the stage for most of Jackson’s videos. He seemed very interested in making the true essence and story of his songs come alive in video form. The music video ‘Leave Me Alone’ is certainly no exception. Taking a step back from traditional film shooting, this particular production is fully done in animation. As such, it appears that Jackson was able to accomplish much more in this video than would have ever been possible with mere stage scenery, props, and ‘live’ actors. To fully understood the context of this particular music video, it is helpful to first analyze what was going on in Michael Jackson’ life at the time. After being one of the most popular artists in the world since the age of 5, Jackson had just started to get the reputation of being quite an eccentric person. The tabloids were following him around everywhere, reporting on his every move, rather public or private. Since much of his behavior was considered ‘non-traditional’, Jackson’s actions away from the stage made his a prime target for many of the world’s ‘gossip’ reporters. It is quite possible that this is where the title for the song ‘Leave Me Alone’ comes from. He seems to be using the platform of the video to poke fun at the tabloid newspaper industry, while at the same time make the point that enough is enough. Let us analyze some of the particular scenes from the music video that demonstrate this point and see how the animation employed became so effective. The video opens with Jackson popping out of a space age trailer. As he sails into outer space, the animation clip to various headlines touting everything from his fascination with mediums and psychics, to his desire to sleep in a hyperbaric chamber. The video is full of imagery as Jackson floats through a chomping fish in a canal, greeted on all sides by various images from outer space. The animations in this part of the video are great to watch and entertaining, but even here the viewers are told a story. Jackson appears to be trying to escape the reporters following him at every point. So, as he enters the ‘fish’, his hope is that the reporters will be swallowed up behind. In addition, everywhere he looks is a new headline that just makes Michael Jackson smile and sing ‘Leave Me Alone’. The entire time he is piloting his own ship or plane, indicating he is the captain of his own destiny and that he will continue live his life as he wants, no matter how ‘strange’ others may view that to be. The animations shift towards the middle of the video as Jackson enters, what appears to be, a museum filled will famous actors, actresses, and musicians of the past. Each of these stars have their own share of off-screen antics that seem to be have been forgotten by the media. Rather than poke at them, however, Jackson seems to be pointing out the fact that he is not the only eccentric start that has ever lived. Possibly this scene is filmed to demonstrate how he finds comfort in the stars of old. They lived out their own life, and so will he. Interesting enough is the fact the lyrics to the song itself do not refer to this scene in particular. That is the beauty of the music video form of media. Musicians have a great deal of license to portray their song in visual form and to add to it in a way that would never be possible by merely listening to the words and instrumentation alone. After this song, he enters back into space, leaving his ‘Neverland” behind. This is the amusement park that Jackson built on his estate in Nevada. This is a great reference to his personal life. Perhaps Jackson is making an allusion to how he gets away from the tabloids by escaping to his own ‘Neverland’ Ranch. This is how he makes everyone around leave him alone and he can be a big kid again. The video shows various animals riding the rides and having a great time. Similarly, Jackson is showing his eccentric side. Yes, he built his own amusement park, which many might find to be an odd thing for an adult to do, but he is proud of it. It is an accomplishment and an achievement that provided even more material for the reporters to write about, yet he carries on. Again, the true meaning of this particular song really comes out primarily because of the scenes in the video. I do not believe a listener can gain the true essence of what Michael Jackson was trying to communicate with this song with only the lyrics. We have to assume that Jackson helped to create this video and formulated the mindset behind scene to tell the world about his frustrations with the way he has be thrown into a negative spotlight in many media circles. Let us look, for example, at the scene when Jackson is dancing in his Neverland Ranch. Going through the carnival section of the park, the video portrays various exotic animals that one would never posses. We see two headed tigers and alien animals, just to name a few. Once again, shown throughout are various tabloids talking about Michael Jackson and his various animals. He seems to be making the point that all the press seems to be concerned is his eccentricity, while Jackson is concerned about being an artist. To that end, we see the animated version of Jackson at this stage dancing to the beat. This goes back to how he got his stardom as a five year old. Sure, his voice went along way towards this end, but millions quickly became enamored with his dance ability as well. Thus, he is making the plea for people to leave alone his personal life and focus more on his public life and his accomplishments. Jackson picks up his chimp, gets in the space ship, and leaves his Ranch behind. A giant sized Michael Jackson then tears through the ranch and looks to the sky. He is pleading for help. Through this fun-filled video, Jackson appears to be showing his humorous side, while making a serious social statement. Stars have been followed throughout modern history and their personal lives praised and scorned; adored and ridiculed. At this stage in his career, Jackson appears to be living in a bubble, as he is still the most famous singer in the world, yet what he does off stage seems to be garnering more attention from the press and the tabloids. By breaking through the Ranch and looking skyward, he is making the statement that this is his home. Focus your attention elsewhere and let the music do the talking for him. What has preceded this has been both a description of each major scene in Michael Jackson’s video ‘Leave Me Alone’, following by a brief analysis. It is not only important to see what is on the screen at any given moment in time. In order for Jackson’s full message to come out, the view must look at each separate scene as a snapshot in time and try to determine the true message of what is taking place. Sure, by itself, this could look like a ‘cute’ cartoon style music video that appeals to children and adults alike. Children will like all of the various animals and props that went into the making of this video. They will also like all of the various interactions and cartoon like events that take place. Adults, in addition to being visually attracted to the video, will appreciate the instrumentation and the lyrics in the video. This alone is not enough, however, to fully appreciate the meaning that Jackson and his producers were trying to convey in the video. In order to fully comprehend, we must analyze. In order to analyze, we must understand. For some songs, this might be quite difficult as there are hidden messages at every turn. Jackson obviously wanted his listeners and viewers to enjoy both the song and the video. In return, he had a clear message he wanted to communicate and he did that effectively at every turn. His meaning is clear, concise, and easy to understand. In the words of Viorica Barbu-Iurascu, “Music has a certain power to induce sensations, feelings, and moods” (173). In this video, Michael Jackson not only communicated his own feelings and emotions, but he bought his viewers to a ‘happier’ place as they went on a journey with him and he trivialized the tabloids that were wreaking havoc on him. We both laughed with him and felt his pain. Well-done Michael. Works Cited Barbu-Iurascu, Viorica. “Explanation of the Nature of Music’s Expressiveness: The Cognitive Aspects of Emotions As Expressed In Music.” Contemporary Readings in Law & Social Justice 2.1 (2012): 170-175. Read More