February 28, 2010

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Scream - Michael and Janet

The movie I hope to include in the final draft in order to get a better sense of media critique and power. Michael Jackson will symbolize a victim of media like the America has been in Africa and Africa has been in America. Many misconceptions pass through this void and in this video I think he puts it together in an aesthetically appealing way, which hopefully we may be able to incorporate well and skillfully in our "interviewdeo" - where the perceptions of people help to clarify the truth about countries and the addition of music videos add emphasis and art to the mix.

Michael Jackson seemed to be very determined to clear up the misunderstandings about him and his family that the media tended to spread, later in his life. His effort was through interviews and when asked questions he genuinely was talking one-on-one with his audience. he knows how to manipulate media but as a human being can become victimized by it as well. Through interviews however he was able to record the Life of Michael Jackson series where the TV network was invited out to Neverland Ranch and witness what it was exactly. As a form of documentation these interviews captured what we think to be the true Michael Jackson. Jackson's point is that nobody know him better than himself besides maybe his family members, however people tend to believe the media because they are an 'objective' source. Well, abuse of that reputation comes willingly and fast, especially among a media form called "The Tabloids".

Our presentation went well, when asked where we were going I think we were stumped about where we could go concerning mainly our technological education about final cut. Now that we know a little of what we can do, perfecting sound and color and including online videos we can answer that with a well organized "interviewdeo" where students from Lawrence incorporate their perceptions, education, talents, and opinions together to find the truth while Michael Jackson adds his own experience and connections for appeal, relevant music media, the level of notoriety he is on and the new media era we are entering impacts us all - so hopefully this video can as well.

3 comments:

  1. I think it is a very fascinating time for your discussion of Michael Jackson (may he rest in peace) as media icon.
    Your project obviously comes shortly after his death and I wondered if you will work this subject into your video. I am thinking less about the various receptions of his death across Africa/ U.S, and more on the drastic image shift from recluse pedophile to immortalized icon.

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  2. I know this wouldn't be necessarily pertinent to your project, but in the future, it could be interesting to engage with the tabloid medium. From what I've seen (in the checkout lines at supermarkets), tabloids seem to exist by grossly exaggerating misperceptions about public figures. Once rumors started to circulate about MJ's possible pedophilia, the tabloids latched upon this and made an enormous media event about it, even before any concrete evidence had been revealed.

    This seems somewhat pertinent to your project, since your interviewdeo is centered around (mis)perceptions of cultures.

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  3. At issue, seems the faith in the media as authority and the belief that the media = truth. Or maybe that is a metanarrative that has been blown out of the water by the complete lack of commitment NB talks about. It's all fodder for entertainment!

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