6:33 pm - 06/15/2011
Crowd-sourced video for Michael Jackson's 'Behind the Mask' premieresWhat’s a record company to do when it’s time for a new music video but the star isn’t around to make one? That’s the dilemma Sony Music and Michael Jackson’s estate have faced with the posthumously released album “Michael.”
So for the new single “Behind the Mask,” rather than attempting to cobble together something from archival footage, the label and Jackson’s estate invited fans around the world to submit their own clips, which have been patched together into a “crowd-sourced” video premiering Tuesday on YouTube and a Facebook page that's been set up.
It’s directed by Dennis Liu, who also worked on the Grammy-nominated crowd-sourced video for Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave” two years ago built on myriad sketches, drawings and paintings of the singer created by fans.
Fans had access to a template video that was posted in March and were asked to shoot video footage of themselves executing a Jackson-like dance step, choreography routine, facial expression or other moves.
They were integrated into a 4½-minute video that incorporates more than 1,600 quick shots selected from among entries submitted from 103 countries. Most are young men and women in their teens and 20s, but there are also snippets from 2- and 3-year-old mini-MJs. Jackson’s reach appears not to be limited to one species, as there’s also a section from fans who shot their pets moving to the music.
Of course, there’s none of Jackson’s own charisma or electric physicality, which some viewers have already noted in comments posted on YouTube.
“This is not the caliber of concept that we have become accustom[ed] to as Michael Jackson fans,” Whitney Getz wrote. “I’m glad this isn’t being considered a ‘Michael Jackson’ video. Because if it were I’d be very disappointed.”
The video for "Hollywood Tonight," the previous single from the album, was a mini-movie illustrating the song's story of a young woman pursuing her dreams in Hollywood. It's since scored more than 12.5 million views on Vevo and YouTube.
“Doing posthumous video is always a tricky thing because for me, as an artist, I want to respect the artist’s vision, which is why the musician wrote the piece,” said Liu. “So initially, it’s always tricky to take that, given that Michael’s not with us anymore.”
He hears two main riffs in Jackson’s legacy.
“He was all about diversity — an international presence,” said Liu. “Everyone was an equal, and there was always this magic behind his presence…. How [could we] bring the world together for some sort of video? The inspiration was ‘Black or White,’ in showing how he helps connect the world, because we wanted to go big and do something that would knock everyone’s socks off.”
The other riff he wanted to echo was Jackson’s well-evidenced embrace of technology in making his videos, which affected how this video was made and distributed.
“Michael always tried to push the limits of technology with his videos,” said Liu. “Without a doubt, everyone knows that Michael Jackson was at the forefront of music video innovation, from Thriller to Scream.”
All in all, the broad swath of fans represented in the "Behind the Mask" video largely seem to be interested only in conveying ongoing appreciation for Jackson, many from within the confines of their bedrooms, others from the streets of their neighborhoods.
Liu calls it “the most exciting and most fun project I think I’ve ever been involved in…. [It] was incredibly moving to see so many people from all over the world join as one, their creative voices, dance and musical talents bound together by Michael Jackson’s spirit and incomparable artistry. We received submissions from the Sahara Desert to Venice Beach, from mountaintops to suburban backyards, with some shots featuring well over 100 people apiece. All who participated delivered brilliantly.”
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LoginHow Michael Jackson’s Virtual Flash Mob Was CrowdsourcedThe king of pop might be gone, but he’s not forgotten.
A massive collaborative act of music video creation by — and for — his fans has helped make sure of that. Thousands of MJ fans worldwide contributed to the posthumous Michael Jackson music video for “Behind the Mask” released Tuesday on the star’s Facebook page (watch below).
Director Dennis Liu told Evolver.fm that the video was inspired by Jackson’s own work, in particular his 1991 “Black or White” video, with its emphasis on “connecting” people — something that today’s social technologies are sometimes about, too.
The idea of having people act out moves from the video came from the crowd too, according to the director — in particular, flash mobs in which everyone from Philippine prisoners to Swedish volunteers dances to Jackson’s music.
The new video for the song “Behind the Mask” premiered on Facebook, where Jackson’s regularly updated presence has been “liked” nearly 36 million times — a large number that pales in comparison to the more than 750 million albums he is said to have sold.
This crowdsourced, professionally produced video was under tight wraps until Tuesday, but director Liu, whose other clients have included Apple and Microsoft, gave Evolver.fm a verbal preview of the virtual flash mob he made from the more than 15,000 videos submitted by fans since March.
Some clips ran 15 seconds, and others covered the song’s duration. A team of five needed two months to sift through the videos before Liu and his team arrived at the finished product, including video of 1,600 participants woven together. (The video was produced by radical.media, the same folks behind that awesome steerable Danger Mouse video.)
To participate, fans selected from a number of actions from Jackson’s website (“playing an instrument, singing a lyric, acting out a crowd reaction or demonstrating a classic MJ dance move”), then filmed themselves with a webcam or uploaded video shot elsewhere. Using a split-pane interface, they could then line up their video with Jackson’s in order to follow the directions.
“Doing posthumous video is always a tricky thing because for me, as an artist, I want to respect the artist’s vision, which is why the musician wrote the piece,” said Liu. “So initially, it’s always tricky to take that, given that Michael’s not with us anymore.”
He hears two main riffs in Jackson’s legacy.
“He was all about diversity — an international presence,” said Liu. “Everyone was an equal, and there was always this magic behind his presence…. How [could we] bring the world together for some sort of video? The inspiration was ‘Black or White,’ in showing how he helps connect the world, because we wanted to go big and do something that would knock everyone’s socks off.”
Indeed, participants came from 103 countries. The other riff he wanted to echo was Jackson’s well-evidenced embrace of technology in making his videos, which affected how this video was made and distributed.
“Michael always tried to push the limits of technology with his videos,” said Liu. “Without a doubt, everyone knows that Michael Jackson was at the forefront of music video innovation, from Thriller to Scream.”
Only a star of Jackson’s reach could convince people to contribute well-coordinated video to a project on this scale, according to the director. Several documented Thriller flash mobs back him up.
So, how did Liu’s channeling of 15,000 submissions into a single crowdsourced video turn out? In the spirit of crowdsourcing, you can decide for yourself, “like” it or not.
Either way, Jackson’s fans have something new to watch: each other.
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