Sebastian Rothwyn
CMT 10: 1601W
Professor Jeffrey Wisotsky
December 6th, 2011

Movies Shot on Campus

As a director of a film being shot on the campus of CUNY Bronx Community College, the major challenges are adapting the environment for your purpose with regard to historical period, locale, and continuity. For the coordinator of the films shot on campus, the challenges are equally intricate. For this coordination, the campus engages the experience of Pina Martinelli who handles all logistics for all college events, including film shoots.

To adapt an outdoor environment to the historical period, the director would have to use props to augment the time. If the film happened in the past, as it did with A Beautiful Mind from 2001 where vehicles and clothing were used to set the period, then those items would be added or changed and anything that would interfere with this would have to be moved out of every shot used. Fortunately, buildings, regardless of the date they were built, will work within any timeline; provided a disaster of historical note did not destroy it. This is especially useful for a feature that occurs in a distant future or in the present day.

For the coordinator, the challenge in outdoor environments is to ensure that the regularly scheduled events of the campus do not get in the way. On the flipside, ensuring the film shoot does not get in the way of campus events is the real job. When roads are required, the regular traffic will be unable to use them, and in the case of BCC, there are only two roads in and out, that can be used. From the moment the location scout contacts Mrs. Martinelli, to the moment when the first group of pre-production teams arrives on campus, every moment must be carefully orchestrated.

To adapt an indoor environment, the director would merely use the items that serve one’s purpose in the room’s current state. In the event that it is only the shape of the building, such as the case with The Siege from 1998, or the music video by K-Ci and Jojo from 1996, and the pre-existing structures such as the pillars provide an interesting base, then all that is required is to find complementary furniture.

For the coordinator, the real challenge for indoor shoots was to ensure that they weren’t irreparably damaged. With national landmarks for campus buildings, careful consideration must be made. With sixteen years and thirty-two shoots under her belt, Mrs. Martinelli has a good handle on ensuring everyone complies with regulations. Fire marshals and other safety personnel are engaged to ensure safety for lives and property. All of this will help the crews do their job well. Actors thrive in environments which are right for them to do what everyone expects: shoot good scenes.

For the actor using the Stanislavski Method it may be important to avoid many people outside of the production, such as faculty and student at the college. Russell Crowe, a method actor of the Stanislavski Method was known for not mixing with those on location. It may be important to note that he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the film won Best Picture.

There may be some key to not mingling, however both Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis interacted with students and faculty during the filming of The Siege. Denzel Washignton even took his lunch hour to read to children in the Roscoe Brown Learning Center. Although Bruce Willis won a Razzie Award for Worst Actor, he did win for Favorite Supporting Actor –Suspense for the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and Denzel Washington was nominated for Favorite Actor – Suspense in the same awards ceremony.

Directors seemed to favor the Gould Memorial Library for its former use as circular library location and simply for its circular look and marble pillars which lend themselves to expensive and important potential locations. Its design mirrors that of the Pantheon of Rome, and judging by the many applications that filmmakers have used it for, it may truly be a gift of the gods.

Sebastian Rothwyn
CMT 10: 1601W
Professor Jeffrey Wisotsky
November 16th, 2011

Values of a Five Minute Film

Of Beren and Luthien is a little known story from the Tolkien Lore of Middle-Earth. The story comes from a chapter of The Silmarillion.

Beren was the last survivor of a group of humans who fought against the greatest enemy of Middle Earth, Morgoth, 6500 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In his attempt to survive he fled into an elven realm where he met the king’s daughter Luthien. They fell in love, but her father felt him unworthy.

The king sent Beren on a quest to recover the most precious of jewels in the entire realm called a Silmaril which happened to be in Morgoth’s crown. Beren took off on this quest believing he would simply die and Luthien followed. The wolf hound, Huan, which belonged to the elf man who loved Luthien, turned from his master when he tried to kill Luthien. From that point on, the hound also followed Luthien from a distance. They happened to meet ten elves who swore allegiance to Beren’s father in the war and they all went to Morgoth’s castle but were all killed by Sauron, in werewolf form, except for Beren who narrowly escaped death after the last elf and the werewolf killed one another.

At the same time, Luthien was captured and brought to them group but during the battle Luthien, with Huan’s help, freed Beren and they escaped. Feeling that he could not return empty handed, Beren asked Luthien to help him try again. They transformed themselves, using her druidic magic, and snuck in, and then Luthien sang a song that put all present to sleep. Once they slept, she woke Beren who tried to pry the silmaril from Morgoth’s crown. In the process, the dagger snapped, waking up Morgoth and when the group tried to run the way was blocked by a werewolf named Carcharoth. This werewolf bit the hand, still holding the silmaril, off of Beren’s arm and went mad as the light from the jewel burned inside. The group escaped and went back to the realm of the elf king and after hearing the story, the king let the two marry.

Although there is more to the actual story, this is where my five minute movie would end.

There are several value based elements involved including: Authority, Conflict Negotiation, Power, Gender, Ethnicity, Time Period, Background, Character and Belief Systems.

Broken down, the authority is held by the king of the elven realm and parallel to this is Morgoth and his kingdom. In order to resolve the issue of multi-ethnic marriage, the king sends the human on a task as a measure of conflict negotiation, when truthfully he is simply exerting his power over the situation to be rid of the human. It deals with the relationship between a male and a female of divergent ethnicities in a period of time where the two races, one of men and one of elves were at peace but was the beginning of a connection with the “gods” of the realm that would sully their ethnic relationship for a long time. The background of these characters is fairly common mythical lore and assumptions can be made by viewers prior to explanations.

Sebastian Rothwyn
CMT 10: 1601W
Professor Jeffrey Wisotsky
November 16th, 2011

Motion Picture TV and Theatre Directory

First and foremost I would like to list my company, Red Rune Studios LLC, in the directory for the purpose of Production Still Photography.

Secondarily, I am interested in the National Broadcasting Company which I have heard great things about from several employees who actually work there. They also own the SyFy network which I’m very interested in having my work showcased on. A good corporate culture and room for lateral or vertical movement is important to me as a multi-talented artist and media technologist.

As a tertiary option, because of my interest in visual effects, I would also consider FLYfx, whose reel can be seen at http://demo.flyfx.net/broadcast-reel/

Sebastian Rothwyn
CMT 10: 1601W
Professor Jeffrey Wisotsky
November 10th, 2011

Reality Bites

I am not a fan of reality shows. I never have been and probably never will be. The distinction between reality shows and actual events shown on television is very clear. The reality the producers attempt to showcase an idealized view of their subjects, or rightfully described objects, and the special guest reality show star Malik LeGare has only further supported my opinion of these shows.

It is important that I begin by stating my experience with reality shows in a brief paragraph. Many years ago when I was a creative consultant for professional video gamers, I coached several of these potential reality stars on making their personalities so large that the producers would be forced to use the material that they brought to the character and prevented from augmenting it in a way that would be unfavorable. It worked for a time, until the characters became less diligent and eventually, when they fell into despot, the reality show’s producers took advantage and the entire character was then ruined for all time, in many cases. There are still a few successful instances, but those are the exceptions to the rule.

Malik LeGare showed us episode 116, Act 1, of a reality show which aired about two year prior, called Hot Chicks Date Douche Bags. His ex-girlfriend, Patricia,sent a letter to MTV and I believe the producers felt, from the lack of intellectual prowess displayed in the email, that she would be a good subject for them to manipulate in the reality show.

The premise of the show where the girls are all hot, both intellectually and physically, and the guys were supposed to be akin to feminine care after-use garbage bags, was a concept they stuck to fairly rigorously during the production of the show. The narrator of the show, who was recorded entirely in post-production, would remark on the positive values the hot chick possessed and always the negative values the douche bag possessed.

Malik, who in reality was a student, was simply alluded to as a jobless loser who lacked ambition. Patricia was alluded to as a highly educated and successful lawyer. The show used methods to characterize him as a “Player bag”, which was a play on the douche bag concept.

There was a library outing where she attempted to nourish his mind, but spent most of the time emasculating him. Regardless of the actual events, scenes were carefully chosen to illustrate the point that he had no interest in learning and only in having a fantasy of sex-in-the-library come to fruition. The millions of video gamers in the world were then insulted by the super imposition of an 8-bit animation of his character fighting with books and losing the battle of the library. The worst part about the situation was that they were both portrayed in a negative light because her character played into his sexual fantasies.

Interestingly, Malik was involved in the pre-production process; however a lot changed when the producers wanted a certain outcome. Malik worked with location scouts and found several areas such as the basketball court, for the show. Despite his involvement, the show must go on. Patricia and Malik are shown having dinner at a relatively nice restaurant. The producers manipulated the scene by preventing Malik from actually eating the entire day. They found many creative ways to keep him from actually eating so when the dinner came, he was rather comfortable eating his food in a rush and not considering what he looked like on camera. It was all too late when he realized he was manipulated.

There were other manipulated scenes, such as the sports clothing store where the producers placed a microphone of the sales associate who they expected Malik to flirt with. Although he actually had no intention of doing so, the producers manipulated it so that the sales associated was open to exchanging numbers then she would light-heartedly chastise him for doing so because he had a girlfriend. Also, when the two friends he came with thought that the camera was off, they began to joke with the sales associate. However, the cameras were rolling and those jokes were cleverly edit together to make him and his friends look completely negative and desperate.

Upon closer analysis of the entire process from pre-production to the airing of the show, Malik did remark that he would do it again because he did learn a lot and a few good things came out of it for his future. Unfortunately he did not make nearly as much money as he should have, for the work he did, and he knew that they would simply have gotten someone else who simply wanted their face on television, to do the show.

During his interview he remarked that a lot of the positive statements and behavior were edited out so the show could only portray him negatively. Since they were broken up for almost a year, it was quite difficult to do some scenes which involved intimacy because the “reality” of the situation differed greatly from the “intention” of the show. Most of the show was done in post-production, such as overlays and narration so it was quite different at the end that he expected.

A lot of the show was shot similar to sitcoms. There were three cameras, lighting crew and the typical amount of staff you would see on a sitcom. Malik was quoted as saying, “If you don’t make a fool of yourself, they will set you up.” It is very much the formula of a sitcom that reality shows employ.

Malik has completed his degree in Media Technology and Filmmaking and gone forward to make several music videos for up and coming artists such as Safe’s “Love is a Gamble”. He works with his cousin, George LeGare, a digital still photographer, and they write, produce and sometimes make cameo appearances in their productions.

Sebastian Rothwyn
CMT 10
Professor Jeffrey Wisotsky
September 26, 2011

Academy Award Speech (Best Original Screenplay)

I am sincerely pleased to accept this award for Best Original Screenplay. These are the moments that you dream about, but try not to get your hopes up for, because there are so many talented people out there; it’s like a vast ocean of great writers you really admire.

Thank you to everyone who believed in this story. To my family: Mom, Bro, Sis, Kat. My college professor for believing in the little people that could. My first director, who reminded me that story matters. The studio, my producer, director, makeup artists – I love you guys. The amazing cast and crew that made this story come alive and reason I am standing here today.

Thank you to everyone who inspired this story; this award is for and because of you.For every geek who holds a true gem in their heart and in the pages of their notebook, don’t give up on the world you’ve created. There is magic there and only you can share it. No matter where you come from, who you are now, or what you are going through, work hard, work smart, keep writing and one day, you can take people to that place where only dreams could take them before.

Thank you.

Sebastian Rothwyn
English 11
Professor Alex Alvarez
May 17, 2011                                                    

Honor Thy Family

In a puritanical society, the desires of the heart can be seen as sins against God. In such a society the bonds of family are greater than those outside of this construct. Regardless of the compulsion to do that which ones desires, the greater compulsion is to honor the wishes of the family.

In James Joyce’s Eveline, it is clearly illustrated that although Eveline longed for the freedom of her early youth, without responsibilities and expectations, but found that she could not give up these aspects of her life because she felt obligated to do so. In the past she “seemed to have been rather happy then.”

Everyone who left the hometown seemed to have also left the pain of their upbringing behind. The only other option appeared to be death. Eveline desired to be free of these trappings but her budding maturity around the age of nineteen compelled her to consider all of the angles of her decision and its effects.

Frank, the sailor, brought a sense of excitement and adventure to Eveline’s life, but her father remarked that he knew “these sailor chaps” and the tone was that of the sailor type having relationships that are not genuine: the type of relationship opposite of that which Eveline desired. Whether this was true or not, she tried to make the relationship work despite the fight Frank and her father had, the thought was planted in her mind.

Eveline’s desire to be free of her bonds, and be with her lover, drove her to push these thoughts from her mind and attempt to follow through with her plans to escape with Frank. When she considered her mother’s life and that which she lacked in it, Eveline felt compelled to leave and in a fit of insanity, she was swept up in the concept that leaving with Frank would help her claim the desires she had and free her of her bonds. However, all that she had been told and raised with which tied her to her family and her duty, made her feel compelled by those familial bonds to at least consider the possibility that her father might be correct in his attitude; and that breaking her promise to her mother might make her an unfaithful child. Eveline, at the moment of decision, knew in her heart that she could not, because she would dishonor her family, in her mind, by doing what she desired. What she desired was a sin against her family that she could not take back, if she left the country for good.Joyce, James. “Eveline”. Print.

Sebastian Rothwyn
Music 11
Professor Oliver Markson
May 14, 2011                                                        

On a Sunday Afternoon

Three of my classmates and I, attended "On a Sunday Afternoon" at the Bruno Walter Auditorium of Lincoln Center in New York. The featured performers were: Wendy Brown, mezzo-soprano; William Lewis, piano; and Christian Chapp Realmuto, flute.

Wendy Brown, current member of the Metropolitan Opera's Extra Chorus since 2002, and William Lewis co-founder of Opera Oggi since 2007, opened with Robert and Clara Schumann's Widmung. The Schumann couple's composition really set the tone for the beginning of the performance. Although it was entirely in German, translations were provided, but in the voice and piano you could feel the mood even if you didn't read the words. It was the sort of music that plucked at the heart, which was, no doubt, the writers' intention. Even without the vocals, the piano's dynamic measures resonated beautifully in the both the ear and the body.

Brown and Lewis performed three more pieces together in this set and the theme was quite clear: Love, beauty and togetherness. There three were the embodiment of the accompaniment of the piano to Brown’s recitative for these pieces. The other three pieces included Mein schoner Stern, Liebst du um Schonheit, and lastly, Er ist gekommen. In my opinion, the most beautiful of the three was Liebst du um Schonheit, because vocally and instrumentally, it contained the richest variations with a subtlety that still made it very touching.

Both voice and piano blended in similar fashion to the theme being represented. However, this simple blend gained some color when Christian Chapp Realmuto took the stage. He is a young man, only seventeen years old, and he moved as awkwardly as any seventeen year old did. He took the stage and his flute pulled the sheet music and backing off the stand. As amusing as it was to everyone seated, he did not let this deter or unnerve him. His expression didn’t change at all. He simply picked up the sheet music, aligned the stand and began his set.

The music played by Realmuto began very soft and sweet but one minute into the piece, the mood changed to a somber tone, then shortly went back to happy. The one thing that stuck out the most was his amazing breath control. Then seemingly out of nowhere, the pianist, William Lewis, began to sing with the flute, then they split and the flute stopped, he sang, then it joined him again, almost as if the flute and the vocals were accompanying one another at different moments almost like a Fugue, with the piano being the third instrument. Most of what followed was oratorio and when he finished the vocals, the flute was the only instrument that played, echoing the beginning of the piece.

Lewis remarked that he didn’t know where the piece came from. It was at this point that Lewis began to speak to the audience more about every musical piece that followed. He began to tell a story about a battle that happened in 1847 and the piece that followed was a tragic tale of the soldiers who were wounded and found their one inspiration at their weakest moment from the Maid of Monterey.

The Maid of Monterey was played in minor. Lewis sang a narrative tale which spoke of the look of the corpses on the battlefield, the Maid’s anguish being greater than others, and her efforts as caretaker trying to help the dying. The dying soldiers blessed her for her help and she “Drove death’s pang away”. The song would go back to the beginning, at the end, and they would praise the Maid of Monterey, in the same as their lives ended as they began, with their mother or caretaker.

Lewis then told another tale of a fourteen year old boy who wrote his first song back then and only made his debut at eighty seven years old. The musician, Lee Hoiby, died the Monday before this performance. Lewis shed a tear on stage. The song was about a fourteen year old boy thinking about the future echoing “Some day I’ll know”. As everyone listened to the entire arrangement, knowing the story, everyone felt the same tragedy and the expression on everyone’s face was the same.

After this sad tale and sad song, Lewis picked up the pace a bit with a humorous song from the nineteen fifties about heeding the wisdom of Aesop, the fable teller. He explained that this was an American song that was one of the almost forgotten. It was a bit like Swing music that you could bop to. It told a story of Aesop’s in the cryptic fable manner using example but at the end it told the story in plain English. After this there was a short intermission.

When they came back from intermission, they skipped one of the songs and started instead with A Piper. This piece was played as if the flute was played by a piped piper skipping along the road with the piano accompanying him. The vocalist, Brown, narrated the story about this piper entertaining people along the street. It was lively and transported the mind to a place of innocence and grace for expressions of joy.

The next song was a strange but entertaining piece as well. It was a lullaby from the isle of Mann: A mixture of traditional and another song, some Irish, Celtic and Gaelic. It was about giving without restrictions and symbolism was used to describe his feelings as they related to an apple, a house and a palace. The apple with no core, the house with no door and the palace with no key.

The traveling doctor shop was a very amusing composition about people who are self medicating which is as poignant then as it is today. It is about a woman who takes pills for everything and carried so many medications that she was considered the travelling doctor shop. The music was a mocking accompaniment of the story being told and Lewis invited everyone to sing along when he gave the hint. It was very funny.

The next two songs were almost part one and two of the same theme although they were written independently. The first was A Flow in a Field of Stone, written by an Irish American drummer. It talks about a woman called Mary who lies in a grave and someone changes her flowers regularly. Very sad. It makes the singer which about love eternal and wishes he could feel love beyond this life. It truly made me feel like I should be kinder and move loving to those I hold dear. The next song was a follow up to this and Lewis’ voice was a beautiful instrument used to navigate and sail across the notes like a finely played instrument.

After these beautiful pieces I was a bit disappointed that the next piece by Sondheim was not nearly as beautiful to me. Although it was technically good, with everything in its place, I didn’t feel it. Maybe I was already on a certain high from being moved by everything that came before but I expected more from the name Sondheim and it did not deliver. The lyrics were deeply written and possibly moving but the melody wasn’t powerful enough for me. As good as the pianist and vocalist were, they could not save this piece for me.

Barab’s piece was very intriguing to me because the music spoke beneath the vocals. The story was about being busy in everyday activities to transitioning to being free to do something. She wondered “where the boys are” and I suspected that her “eating” had nothing to do with food, especially as her “heart fluttered” as a result. Then she is “used” and has no one to take her out and even though she was satisfied early, she still “must live”. The entire composition was very mature in subject matter and I found it refreshing.

The piece, This Moment, captured moments, like the vocals did, and spoke of all kinds of feelings in fleeting moment. From heartache to joy to sorrow to emptiness and the entire composition felt as such.

Forever Young started as accapela speaking of best wishes to listeners for all of their goals beyond imagining. The piano came in poco a poco then when it became full; it went back to vocals only, with best wishes for good life and good qualities. The piano would play mezzo piano back and forth between vocals only and accompaniment. The voice would then provide the strength on top of the serenity of the piano with the words “May you be Strong for what’s to come.”

The entire presentation ended even more beautifully than it began and I feel blessed to have experienced it. I even spoke with the performers at the end and sometime in June may start doing their photography.

Sebastian Rothwyn
Art 11
Professor John Coppola
May 14, 2011

Panther Seizing a Stag

Antoine-Louis Barye was born in Paris on September 24, 1796 and died at the age of 80 years old on June 25, 1875 back in his hometown. He was a French sculptor most famous for sculpting animals, my favorite subject matter.

Barye began his career as a goldsmith, like many sculptors of the Romantic Period. Goldsmithing was his father’s trade. He was apprenticed to the military equipment engraver, Fourier at age 13. He even worked for Napoleon’s goldsmith, Martin-Guillaume Biennais, learning every facet of metalwork from casting to engraving. Afterwards he studied under sculptor Francois-Joseph Bosio, for a year, then painter Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, and was later admitted to the École des Beaux Arts in 1818. While working for Fauconnier, the goldsmith, he discovered his partiality for animals from watching them in the Jardin des Plantes, making vigorous studies of them in pencil, and then modeling them in sculpture on a large or small scale.

After numerous successful sculptures he modeled the Panther Seizing a Stag, which embodied the “instinct over reason” found in animal combat, evoked by the unrestrained violence of the natural predator-prey relationship. This bronze is found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY in a hall devoted entirely to nineteenth century paintings and sculpture. There are several pieces by Barye but this piece struck me the most.

This sculpture is impressive to me from a personal fascination and from an artistic appreciation. One can feel the sheer force of the panther sinking its teeth into the neck of the stag just by looking at it. The muscles of the panther used to pull the stag to the ground, in its shoulders and torso are most pronounced. The posture of the panther is almost alive and moving. The stag also appears to be moving, falling, under the pressure exerted by the panther. One can feel its desperate attempt to resist and pull away, and in this act, the near futility of it.

Barye was made Professor of Drawings at the Museum of Natural History in 1854, and was elected to the Académie des beaux-arts in 1868. No new works were produced by Barye after 1869.

Antoine-Louis Barye lived through three republics, two empires and two revolutions and, the ultimate test of the nineteenth century for any French citizen: the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War. This life of violence and abandonment of reason parallels Barye’s work, which he used to reflect the instincts of the “animals” of his time.

He blended the sense of motion with the sense of impact to capture the most striking moments of violence from an illustrative point of view more so than a decorative one.

Barye spent five years at the Ecole, Barye and distinguished himself with honors in 1819, 1820 and 1823. Here he developed his passion for animal sculpture. He won an honorable mention at the Ecole for the engraved medallion of Milo of Croton Devoured by a Lion. Although most saw this as a classic subject of a Greek athlete, most of his detail could be found in the lion itself.

He was so fascinated by animals that he created little animal figurines while goldsmithing for Jacques Henri Fauconnie to help meet his expenses during the 1820s.

He studied zoology and natural history to better understand the animal kingdom. He read a lot of Comte de Lacépède, the natural scientist who headed the reptiles and fish section of the Jardin. Additionally, the works of Georges Cuvier, who helped establish paleontology and comparative anatomy as independent fields of study were also great sources of information and inspiration.

To explore form and function Barye attended anatomy classes taught by Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, the chairman of the zoology department at the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle. These studies helped Barye understand the animals he chose for his subject matter very well.

Nature’s pattern of survival, the circle of life, and the violent instinct of the animal kingdom were the items Barye combined to produce several pieces including Panther Seizing a Stag. Critics did not take to his "animalier" work, seeing it as more decorative than illustrative, so when the Salon jury eventually rejected several of his pieces, he decided to pursue his career outside the Salon.

Barye established his own company, Barye & Cie, in partnership with Emile Martin, in 1845 to finance the casting of his work and provide a venue for sales and commissions. Out of necessity, Barye was one of the first independent artists to promote his work in the private sector. Although it was plagued with debt and he lost his casts to foreclosure, he was able to recover them ten years later.

He continued to focus on animal sculpture and eventually wealthy Americans began to develop art collections of whom Barye found greatly interested buyers.

In 1870, he moved to Cherbourg, in an attempt to escape the horrors of the Franco-Prussian War, which took its toll on a man in his seventies. The following year, at the end of the War, he moved back home and five years later, he died.

Sebastian Rothwyn
Professor John Coppola
Art 11
April 09, 2011

Giotto and Duccio

Despite the heavy Christian themes of Western European art in the thirteenth century, the late thirteenth century saw both subtle and major influences from Roman antiquity in many of the arts, including writing and fine art. The fourteenth century saw the development of the humanist movement in Italy. Both of these happenings at the turn of the century found many artists developing the new style to become known as the Renaissance.

Giotto di Bondone was born in the late thirteenth century around 1267. His birthplace, in the Mugello Valley near Florence in Italy is regarded as the center of the new Renaissance culture. In addition to geographic serendipity, several writers that are important to art history have commented on Giotto’s influence on the period through his art. Boccaccio and Petrarch made remarks about Giotto’s work elevating the culture from dark times of the Middle Ages.

Sebastian Rothwyn
Professor Alex Alvarez
English 11
March 29, 2011

Invincible

“Invincible” was the first album of the twenty-first century by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, released in 2001. Unlike his other albums, “Invincible” was mostly written by Michael Jackson and directly inspired by actual events in his life. This was the tenth studio album of the most successful entertainer in history and the last time he released new material while he was alive.

The album opened with “Unbreakable”: a title which aptly described the underlying theme of the album as a whole. It was performed in a conversational style, addressing the media and others who questioned whether his music was too antiquated for the wildly successful boy bands, young solo artists and the dominating hip hop music of the new millennium.

Michael Jackson began the song “Unbreakable”, and the album, by speaking directly to negative critics who added controversy of criminal allegations to their reviews of his music. He challenged them to consider his life from a boy: growing up in the public eye, with an abusive parent; to the revelation of his innocence of criminal allegations, despite some people’s strong convictions to the contrary.

Jackson’s response to his critics was evidenced strongly in the attitude of his words when he said, “Seems like you'd know by now / when and how I get down, / and with all that I've been through, / I'm still around” (Unbreakable). This is an anthem for anyone who refuses to let outsiders tell them who they are or what they should be. In a reasonable way, I find this very inspiring.

Although some who hear Michael Jackson’s music may notice his occasional use of slang, they generally consider it to be absent of specific colloquialisms. The song “Unbreakable”, among others on the album, has a purposeful urban influence to the lyrics. This was done to show parallels in the harshness of the complicated lives, emotional torment, and struggles with contentment, in urban life, to his. He made it clear that he, and all of his listeners, could overcome challenges by resisting attacks on their character and exhibiting confidence.

The chorus of “Unbreakable” became the assurance that anyone who intended to see his decline would be sorely disappointed. More importantly, the bridge of the song, before the introduction of The Notorious B.I.G., Michael Jackson summed up this anthem with a concise but strong message, telling the media that he was truly unbreakable.

In part, this song was also about triumph. Michael Jackson overcame a severe drug addiction that he dealt with for many years and with the help of his family and friends, he was able to overcome it. A large portion of this album was dedicated to those family members and friends who were an inspiration to him and it is felt in the music and vocal delivery of the song that followed.

The distinct high energy sound that Michael Jackson was most famous for didn’t lose any of its potency. This was evident throughout the “Invincible” album in the up-tempo tracks, but he slowed it down after the title track, “Invincible”, to begin speaking about his relationships: the part of his life that few understood.

Jackson’s slower tracks were equally as impressive as they have ever been. As always they were about love, but that love was more than romance between him and his lovers. He also spoke about his love of his children, family and the world.

To set the mood and show his heart, Jackson narrated memories of his relationship with his former wife and lover, Lisa Marie Presley, who helped him through his drug addiction. He showed his true feelings for her, and how he felt about losing her to his addiction in these songs, especially in the song “Heaven Can Wait”. He avoided specifically mentioning names and used metaphors to describe his fear of losing her to the intoxication of his addiction and potential death from overdose.

The song that followed, “You Rock My World”, was his first single of the new century, released prior to the album. It was a very touching ballad, but the music video was a visually stunning spectacle for his dedicated fans that enjoyed the classic movie-styled videos he made famous. He ends the romantic segment of the album with “Butterflies”: a sweet serenade that anyone who has ever felt intoxicated with another person would understand. This song began the transition from romantic love to familial.

“Speechless”, the song following “Butterflies”, was inspired by the one concept few have understood about Michael Jackson; which always made him a target for those with malicious intentions: bliss.

Jackson believed that in children there was an innocence without which the most enjoyable moments in life could not truly be appreciated. He said, “Gone is the grace for expressions of passion” (Speechless), to show that it is easier for a child than for someone who has lived through the trials of adulthood to reconnect with that innocence. It was also a startling comment on how he felt the mentality of people had changed over the years.

When Michael Jackson had children of his own he believed that they were a blessing to him and a warning to avoid self-destructive behavior. He believed this so deeply that he wrote and dedicated a song to them called “You Are My Life”. He clearly illustrated their significance in his life throughout the entire song. Although I have never had children of my own, when I hear this song I remember the look in my mother’s eyes whenever something happened that could threaten one of her children; it was as if her whole world was unraveling.

Jackson followed this song with an appeal for his privacy, that of his family and other friends of his who were hunted by the media for the sake of selling their publications. The tone of this song, “Privacy”, was mostly combative so he brought back the guitarist Slash, who he previously collaborated with; and whose guitar riffs were strikingly powerful instrumental accents to Jackson’s combative lyrics.

Once again Jackson spoke directly to the media, about the great lengths to which they went to destroy his integrity. He also spoke about the death of his friend, Princess Diana, who he believed died at the hands of the media. It was a compelling song that showed he was not as aloof as the media made him seem.

“Don’t Walk Away”, the song following “Privacy”, was a song for those who have made mistakes in their relationships and caused their lovers pain, to find ways to reconnect by being truly honest with them or let them go and to stop causing them pain. After this he moved on to what mattered to him more than being understood: changing the world.

The song “Cry” was this albums anthem of his world healing crusade. Jackson always tried to communicate his feelings on everyone’s responsibility to help disadvantaged children and families, around the world, in every album made in his adult life. If he had a religion, healing the world would be it.

The complement to “Cry” was the next song, “The Lost Children”, which was the most emotionally compelling song on the album. After hearing this song, one cannot help but be moved to help those who are less fortunate.

He completed the theme of healing the world by speaking to couples who deal with a diverse range of problems. This song featured Carlos Santana, and his soulful acoustic guitar, which helped set the mood with Jackson’s soulful vocals. This song tied all of the album’s themes together in an unexpected way. It touched on love, pain, the world and the people we are inside.

Lastly, Jackson ended his album with a song that would be thought-provoking for those who refused to understand him because he was considered different. In this song Jackson connected to their xenophobia and used the voice of Rod Serling, narrator of the Twilight Zone, to say, “The major ingredient of any recipe for fear is the unknown” (Threatened).

The song Threatened was partially in jest and amusing to his fans who knew better. In part, to illustrate how ridiculous Jackson believed someone fearing him simply for being different was. Also in part, that if someone felt threatened by him, they should consider improving themselves instead of focusing on others.

“Invincible” was one of the most meaningful albums Michael Jackson ever made. Although it was met with speculation and moderate reviews in the USA, it was still considered by diehard fans to be his finest work to date. Internationally it was wholly recognized as his finest work. This consideration was based on the fact that he directly penned most of the songs from his true feelings, experiences and the feelings of his co-creators with whom he collaborated to convey his thoughts on each matter as emphatically as possible.

Michael Jackson met an untimely death in 2009 but his music is as alive, inspiring, thought-provoking and electrifying today as his performances were while he was still alive. In 2007, Jackson said, "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever" (Ebony Magazine).

Works Cited

Michael Jackson, perf. “Unbreakable.” Invincible. Epic Records, 2001. CD.
Michael Jackson, perf. “Speechless.” Invincible. Epic Records, 2001. CD.
Rod Serling, and Michael Jackson, perf. “Threatened.” Invincible. Epic Records, 2001. CD.
Monroe, Bryan. “A Q & A With Michael Jackson.” Ebony Special Tribute: Michael Jackson In His Own Words and Notes of Those Who Loved Him.” (2009) Print.