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Man In The Mirror Visual Analysis

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Recommended: Write a critical analysis of the music (not the video) michael jackson man in the mirror

Video Audio
Black screen dissolves to wide shot (WS) of an empty cinema. The curtains are drawn only to introduce a completely black screen. The camera pans towards the cinema screen. Soft Music of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” plays gently in the background, throughout opening scene, continuing onto the following shot.
A title appears on screen - “magical negroes”. The text is printed in white in contrast to the utterly black background. Title fades to leave two seconds of black screen. The non-diegetic soundtrack slowly decreases in volume, but remains until the title appears on the screen. As the title dissolves, so too does the soundtrack. Silence for two seconds.
Cut to: a montage of extracts featuring the magical negro. Title …show more content…

The camera is also positioned in a close up shot of Coffey’s face, which basks in soft, gentle light. This highlights his facial expressions, while conveying Coffey’s innocence and sincerity, which adds to the ‘magical negro’ stereotype.

Clip continues to play.

Clip pauses on a close up frame of Edgecombe’s face, the rule of thirds is used. Edgecombe is frowning while looking up at Coffey. Coffey:” I know you hurtin’ and worryin’, I can feel it on you, but you oughta quit on it now.”
Narrator: This line is a prime example of the ‘magical negro’ archetype. Here Coffey reaches out in reassurance, both physically and verbally assuring the white protagonist not to worry. Coffey’s wisdom and infinite knowledge is displayed when he says he can feel how Edgecombe hurts from within, before offering him a solution to his problem.

Clip continues to play.

Clip does not pause as the previous two shots, but continues to play. A close up shot of Coffey is seen, and the rule of thirds is used. The lighting used in this shot is dim, apart from the oft lighting which shines on his face, effectively highlighting the water in his

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