Music Video Analysis: Black or White Michael Jackson

By Dom Morgan

Released
O It was released in 1991 from the single

Dangerous but was recorded in 1990

Explanation of the Genre and Video

O

Videos that combine performance, narrative and concept are more popular than videos set to being one type. These videos often incorporate mostly performance and narrative, or a storyline. Black or White by Michael Jackson is a good example of this because it features all three types: performance, narrative and concept. The narrative is at the beginning of the video where a man is telling his son off for having his music too loud, and then the boy goes against his fathers wishes and turns the music up louder. The music is so loud that it makes his fathers chair, with the father in it, literally burst through the roof then fly up further up into the sky and across the world, and it lands in a place where there are lions and a tribe. Michael Jackson appears to be dancing with the tribe and he starts to sing, but then the location changes so that he has women dancing around him. Throughout the video, the location and people in it changes to portray the moral of the video that everyone is equal no matter what the colour of their skin is. Then near the end of the video comes the conceptual part, where faces of different people begin to morph from one to the other.

Mise-En-Scene
O This video provides the audience with an

onslaught of camera angles, movements and special effects. This includes the main protagonist (little boy) being told off by his father and this is shown to us using a low angle shot to portray the father as being far superior to his son this is also carried on when the focus shifts from the father to the son looking up at his father as sort of a role model although he has no desire to listen to his overpowering father. O There is also a number of tracking shots that follow Michael around, this is supposed to represent the transitions that the video is going through.

Editing
O The pace of the video is quite fast because it changes

with every movement and so the images have to keep up with the beat and the tempo of the song. O There is a lot of special effects used in this video because most of the time they are dancing in front of a green screen and they also have a segment where the father gets catapulted over to Africa they needed special effects to cover this segment.
O There isn't too much cutting involved in this video

because it uses continual shots that last, and the cuts that last are sharp and quick they dont fade to black. O The transitions that are involved in this video change whenever the song changes scenery.

Sound
O The music and speech is all non-diegetic

so it fits in with the video and this is where the narrative part comes in because this video starts off with a kid right from the start. They dont have any other sound effects in the video.

Special effects
O They have used a green screen for part of it when

he changes to the red Indians the screen behind him unfurls and he then actually is in the desert. O There is also a part where what looks like confetti gets rained down on them this is a celebration tactic and shows the characters off . O The makeup used in this is all native and traditional to the background and cultures of the people starring in it to give the video a sense of heritage and this also connotes the meaning behind the song of everyone is different but in fact we are all the same.

Props, Lighting, Costumes and location

O There are a few props in it when the kid came

out with a large stereo system and an electric guitar there is also all the props fro the various nationalities that Michael visits. O The location changes each tie he moves onto another culture for example the desert and the savannah and the city. O The lighting also changes depending on where he goes next and this is good because then it gives a sense of realism because of the different sets he had to be on the lighting would have had to change.

Propps Characters
O In this video they also use Vladimir Propps

character types because they use the villain which is portrayed by the father who is telling off is son for being too loud. The hero which is represented by the child. And the helper who is played by Michael Jackson as he is the one who is telling the story and explain to the father about the fact that everyone is different and they should be allowed to do their own thing. So they have cleverly integrated these characters in to the video to give it the story or the narrative part that it needs.