The art of music video
Let’s talk about Michael Jacksons impact on the culture of music videos. It is true that the music video appeared on television many times before. But usually music clips featured the singer or a band on a stage singing or rather lip-synching to the recording matching the song on the studio album or single. With Thriller Michael Jackson took the genre to a completely different level and invented the art of short film for a musical video, with an elaborate cast, script, make-up and special effects. The coordinated dance moves became part of Jackson’s game and now are the absolute standard in pop music with many start paying Michael Jackson Tribute to the late star.
With Beat It and Billy Jean Jackson solidified his status as the video genius. The dance sequences in Beat It and Bad are probably the most world know in the world and every professional dancer can confess they have tried copying it as beginners. Special effects are another feature of Michal Jackson’s videos. As his career grew more successful and budgets plummeted the effects used became more revolutionary, form shabby zombies in Thriller to morphing in Black or White – a technique used for the first time ever. Michael also loved inviting big stars into his elaborate productions, like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Eman, Naomi Campbell, Eddie Murphy and other African Americans, paving the way to more Black stars on MTV and making it what it is today.