Im Not There

Mr Jones

Focus Questions (what you should be able to answer by the end)

1. 2. What is Keenan Jones a representation of? Why is the song Ballad of a Thin Man significant?

3. How does this sequence represent the impact of the media on the artist?

A shift...
So, we move away a little from the relationship between the artist and their broad, fan-based audience at this point in order to explore the more specific relationship between the artist and the media. This will involve close readings of stuff from the Jude timeline particularly the Ballad of a Thin Man mini music video sequence. Well also be looking quite closely at the Billy sequences - with a particular interest in the myth of Billy the Kid and the idea of forced seclusion.

Initial questions...
How can an artist use the media?

How can the media use an artist?

A focus question for viewing

Consider this as you watch this sequence: Haynes talks about how he wanted to dramatise the song, i.e. he wanted to create a visual representation of the song and its lyrics. So, what would you say is the message of the song? And what connections can you see between the lyrics and the visuals?

Insert clip of Ballad of a Thin Man

Returning to the question...

So, what would you say is the message of the song? And what connections can you see between the lyrics and the visuals?

Indicting the Establishment

To indict: to accuse or charge someone with a serious crime - in our case, charging someone or something with a significant wrongdoing. The Establishment: those who hold all the power; the people who make the rules.

So, why is Keenan Jones a representation of the Establishment?

What is the indictment being made here?

Indicting the Establishment

The idea here is that it takes those people who think they are in control, that they know what is going on because they have power and influence, and suggests to them that they are wrong and that they know nothing. The idea is that the media (as representative of the Establishment) wants to know what is happening so that they can package it, re-present it, and use it for their own purposes. They need things to be understandable and they need things to be meaningful otherwise they are useless to them.

How?
Youve each got a set of images from the scene. What were looking to do with each is briefly explain how the shot goes about showing this undermining or indictment of the media. Make sure you think about technical choices.

Consider: - undermining their sense of authority - pointing out their lack of knowledge - turning them into outsiders

Example
Here we might think about the use of a symbol. The microphone is symbolic of having a voice, yet Jones is unable to speak here. The idea ends up being that Jones actually has nothing to say, or at least nothing interesting to say. We might also talk about composition. The artist is outside of the cage, while Jones is inside. The artist is now one of the people in this composition, rather than the other way around. Jones is cut off from the outside, helping to construct him as a figure of ridicule, rather than a figure of knowledge or understanding.

The bigger picture...

So this work is about developing an understanding about what the film has to say about the artist/media tension. There is always a push and pull going on between the two. The media want something fixed - they want to know what is happening so that they can report on it. They want their artists to be stable and to be knowable. Even if the message is horrific, if it fits a pattern then its understandable. The artists drive though is based on inspiration, which is something that is never fixed. The artist cant really explain themselves because for them theres nothing to explain.