History of Documentary - Michael Jackson's This Is It
This Is It, Michael Jackson’s Post-Mortem Money Maker
For a larger portion of the new millennium’s first decade, the public image surrounding the then and now “King of Pop” Michael Jackson was clouded in disapproval stemming from erratic eccentrics and child-molestation accusations. Whether it be showing up late to court in pajamas or having children testify against him, Jackson’s once great public image was starting to fade.[VERB TENSE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE TO HERE] Like that of Ms[DELETE SARCASTIC ‘MS’]. Britney Spears, who was expected to reach his level of success by the end of her career, a major facelift of his public perception was necessary[SENT IS ABOUT BRITNEY, AND THEN ALL OF SUDDEN YOU REFERENCE JACKSON WITH PRONOUN … BAD SENT]. After the ideas were laid out, the logistics were planned, and the aesthetics were pieced together, it was time for Michael Jackson to reclaim his appeal and announce his decade-long anticipated return to the stage for the This Is It tour in London. The tour never happened. Unfortunately, in the days leading up to Michael’s move from rehearsing in the US to London, he died. With Michael’s passing also went any chance of the tour going through to production. At least that’s what we thought. In the months that led up to Michael Jackson’s untimely death, private footage of the This Is It Tour rehearsals was shot for Jackson’s own records. In the months following his death in June of 2009, those private records were then transformed into the feature documentary of the same name. Though the film highlighted Jackson’s musical genius, its exploitative use of his death in relation to how soon it hit the big screens, its piggybacking on the recent rising popularity of rockumentaries, its improper use of private rehearsal footage, and its disapproval by his immediate family was an unethical use of Jackson’s recordings. Was the public given time to mourn the death of the late King of Pop? Is less than five months ample time to get
For a larger portion of the new millennium’s first decade, the public image surrounding the then and now “King of Pop” Michael Jackson was clouded in disapproval stemming from erratic eccentrics and child-molestation accusations. Whether it be showing up late to court in pajamas or having children testify against him, Jackson’s once great public image was starting to fade.[VERB TENSE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE TO HERE] Like that of Ms[DELETE SARCASTIC ‘MS’]. Britney Spears, who was expected to reach his level of success by the end of her career, a major facelift of his public perception was necessary[SENT IS ABOUT BRITNEY, AND THEN ALL OF SUDDEN YOU REFERENCE JACKSON WITH PRONOUN … BAD SENT]. After the ideas were laid out, the logistics were planned, and the aesthetics were pieced together, it was time for Michael Jackson to reclaim his appeal and announce his decade-long anticipated return to the stage for the This Is It tour in London. The tour never happened. Unfortunately, in the days leading up to Michael’s move from rehearsing in the US to London, he died. With Michael’s passing also went any chance of the tour going through to production. At least that’s what we thought. In the months that led up to Michael Jackson’s untimely death, private footage of the This Is It Tour rehearsals was shot for Jackson’s own records. In the months following his death in June of 2009, those private records were then transformed into the feature documentary of the same name. Though the film highlighted Jackson’s musical genius, its exploitative use of his death in relation to how soon it hit the big screens, its piggybacking on the recent rising popularity of rockumentaries, its improper use of private rehearsal footage, and its disapproval by his immediate family was an unethical use of Jackson’s recordings. Was the public given time to mourn the death of the late King of Pop? Is less than five months ample time to get
References: Corliss, Richard. "Michael Jackson as Michael Jackson in Michael Jackson 's This Is It."Time. 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . Corliss, Richard. "Michael Jackson 's This Is It Review: He 's Still a Thriller." Time. 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . "Judge OKs Jackson Performance Film Deal." TODAY.com. Associated Press, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . "Kenny Ortega - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . Lee, Nathan. "In the Jonas Brothers Dimension." New York Times. 26 Feb. 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . Li, David K. "Joe Jackson Claims Producers of "This Is It" Michael Jackson Documentary Used Body Doubles - NYPOST.com." New York News | Gossip | Sports | Entertainment | Photos - New York Post. NY Post, 26 Oct. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. . "Michael Jackson 's This Is It: Shameless Profiteering or Important Document of a Pop Legend? | Culture | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. The Guardian, 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. . Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2010. Print. Sandahl, Linda J. Rock Films: A Viewer 's Guide to Three Decades of Musicals, Concerts, Documentaries and Soundtracks 1955-1986. New York: Facts On File Publications, 1987. Print. Sisario, Ben. "A Year Later, Jackson Estate Is Prospering." New York Times. 22 June 2010. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . Sisario, Ben. "Revising the Image of Jackson’s Final Days." New York Times. 21 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . Sisario, Ben. "This Was It: Scenes From Michael Jackson’s Film Opening." New York Times. ArtsBeat, 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. . STAFF, TMZ. " 'This Is It ' Producers: No MJ Body Doubles | TMZ.com." Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Celebrity News | TMZ.com. TMZ, 26 Oct. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. . "UPDATED: La Toya Jackson: Michael Wouldn’t Have Been Happy With ‘This Is It’ Film | Access Hollywood - Celebrity News, Photos & Videos." Home | Access Hollywood - Celebrity News, Photos & Videos. NBC Universal, 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. . "The Worst Concert Films of the 2000s." Flickchart. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. .