Introduction
1983 was a successful year for Michael Jackson as he managed to sell millions of copies of his new album Thriller. In addition, to maintain his place in the charts, he starred in one of the most popular, famous, and well-produced music videos of his era. In August 1983, the artist called director John Landis, at the time, he had already directed several notable films, including American Werewolf in London, which Jackson liked (Momcilovic 149). He wanted the director to tell another werewolf story and take on his music video (Momcilovic 150). This clip can be fully recognized as a work of art, both in terms of story, shooting, and production.
Structural Analysis of a Music Video
The protagonist of this story is the musical artist himself, who reincarnates several times during the clip. In one scene, he is an ordinary guy who invites a girl to see a movie (Jackson). In another scene, however, he appears as a werewolf, thus reincarnating as the antagonist himself. It is interesting to watch several roles of one person, especially when they are complete opposites of each other, thereby scattering the viewer’s attention. In addition, Michael Jackson appears in this clip as a circular character, the star of a small film about horror and scares (Jackson). His whole journey is full of conflicts because of his encounters with zombies, afraid of the girl and trying to change and regain his human form.
Michael Jackson is presented in this work as a dynamic character, as he appears to the viewer in several guises. For example, being an ordinary guy at the beginning of the clip and then a werewolf and a zombie, the story becomes less linear and more evolved because of the change of images (Jackson). However, the viewer sees the same character at the beginning and the end of the clip. Thus, the authors have ringed the plot to create the picture’s integrity. In addition, the setting is presented in the same color palette, only the location changes, such as the street, a movie theater, and an abandoned house.
The musical work is not replete with this technique of verbal irony, but it is a vital part of storytelling. The part of the clip that contains the dance of the rising zombies and the hunt for the girl is a suitable illustration of the effect in question (Jackson). Michael Jackson, as the monster, tries to convince the girl that he will protect her and rid her of her nightmares, but he continues to hunt her. The same part demonstrates the situational irony when suddenly, the hunting scene becomes a familiar story as if it were a nightmare for the girl. Such a play strongly affects the viewer, as it changes his inner state of tension to one of calm for the main character. With the dynamism of the musical picture, the artist remains a personage with a flat character, as his emotional range remains low.
The internal conflict reflects a confrontation in the artist’s soul. Some contradiction that he is unable to resolve on his own, namely duplicity. This conflict was formed a long time ago, so the artist cannot define who he is and what he wants to remain. In turn, the external conflict is expressed in the fact that the girl does not let Michael Jackson become evil and scary; she keeps him from that world of werewolves and zombies (Jackson). Perhaps he wants to stay in that world where he is not an ordinary guy but the leader of evil creatures.
Conclusion
In 1984 Thriller won the Grammy Award for Best Video Album, and by 1991 MTV named Thriller the best music video of all time. In 2009, the Library of Congress added Thriller to the National Film Registry as a work of fiction. However, despite all this, Thriller unexpectedly lost the Video of the Year nomination to The Cars – You Might Think. Nearly 850 million views on YouTube testify to the greatness of the artist.
Work Cited
“Michael Jackson – Thriller (Official Video).” YouTube, uploaded by Michael Jackson, Web.
Momcilovic, Drago. “Music Video Gothic: Fragmentary Form at the Dawn of MTV.” Gothic Studies, vol. 23 no. 2, 2021, pp. 148-162.