Representations of Ethnicity

Alvarado (1987) identified 4 main types:

1. The humorous, providing comic relief
2. The exotic; other cultures presented as unusual and exotic in their traditions and ways of living.
3. The pitied; objects of pity and vulnerability
4. The dangerous; criminal, gangster and usually coupled with a binary opposition such as the respectable white character.

A few positive representations of ethnicity:

• Michael Jackson as a young black male can be seen in a positive light.
• He gives money to the poor and transforms their life
• Voyeurism is used (the nation of looking)
• He is seen as the star - light up flooring, light up bed, screen

A few negative representations of ethnicity:

• Michael Jackson as a young black male can be seen in a negative light.
• He has been accused of doing something - creating a scandal - why he is being chased by the press
• Being deceitful - telling people to keep quiet
• Disappearing when the reporter tries to catch up with him

How is Ethnicity and Star Image shown through Mise-en-scene? Consider stereotypes...

Setting:
Positioning: He is positioned away from the detective because he is being elusive and not aware that the detective is there and may suggest that they are following him and tracking his every move without his knowledge. Michael Jackson also has more of the screen suggesting that he is more powerful which is also shown when he gets away.
Costume: He is dressed as the basic pop star. The detective/journalist is the stereotypical
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Exam Question: Analyse how the Billie Jean music video by Michael Jackson uses stereotypes to represent a varying representation of ethnicity. [10 marks]
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The music video 'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson from 1982 highlights a number of positive and negative representations of ethnicity. It draws upon a number of ethnic stereotypes including Michael Jackson as a young black male in both negative and positive lights, as well as the stereotype of the press being a white male with all the characteristics you would expect.
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'Billie Jean' was released by Michael Jackson in 1982, at the time of release it was very uncommon to see black male artists succeed to the extent in which this video did. The video is an example of a historically significant music video and was aired regularly which was a big change. Linking in to the ethnicity stereotypes Michael Jackson, a young black artist, is the main focus of the music video and he is portrayed in both negative and positive lights throughout the video. He is seen in a positive way because he is seen giving money to the poor to change there life for the better, this is seen when he throws a coin in the homeless mans cup which then makes him transform to a better light. This is subverting to the stereotype in the time of the video because racism was still a problem and it was not normal to see a young black male seen in such a positive light. However Michael Jackson can also be seen to represent this stereotype in another view of the music video because throughout the narrative of the video he is running away from the news reporters and always disappearing as they got close suggesting that he has got something to hide, rather than just confronting the situation confidently by running away suggests that he is guilty. Which people at the time referred to black people as more of criminals and bad people.
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The media language of the video highlights a number of stereotypes used, for example as Michael Jackson walks down the paving slabs light up. This can have connotations of a pop star of high class and glamour. This is because the light of the pavement makes him seem very glamourous and relevant. The lighting of the pavement could also suggest that anything that Michael touches is a hot topic for the press because they want to know everything about him which is also shown through him being followed in the narrative of the music video. This all shows that Michael Jackson is a well known artist which subverts the average pop star stereotype of the time because he was a young black male which makes the video so significant. His significance is also seen through the camera angles and editing when we as an audience are following him around the video and there are jump cut scenes of him telling this side of the story, in this way he portrays the stereotype of a pop star because it is all about him and he is the centre of attention, showing all his best features in the collage section of the video. Another use of Mise-en-scene is his costume which is very glamourous and out there showing that he wants all eyes on him as do all pop singers, his hair is also very stereotypical as it is up to date with the time showing that he is also very stylish. Another stereotype used is the press of the white male. This character fits the stereotype because he is constantly following Michael Jackson, a black male, to prove that he is in the wrong and trying to catch him out as he doesn't want a black male to succeed as well as Michael Jackson has so he is trying to prove and show Michael Jacksons negative side. We can tell that he is the stereotypical white press male down to his costume looking like a detective which is showing that he is trying to grab more information, even if it is not really there.
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Therefore ethnicity is shown through stereotypes of male black artists in negative ways but can also be seen as subverting to this stereotype in a positive light through narrative, context and Mise-en-scene.


Contextual, Social and Historical






Media Language