An never-before seen version of the “Behind The Mask” short film – directed by Alex Topaller and Dan Shapiro, who form the duo ‘Aggressive’ – was leaked online today.
The footage, choreographed by one of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” dancers, Chucky Klapow, and world renowned dance crew The Jabbawockeez, was shot in early 2011 and was originally slated to be used as the track’s official music video.
Instead, the Michael Jackson Estate opted for a completely different concept – officially releasing a video compiled of thousands of clips of Jackson’s fans singing and dancing along to the track.
Click here to view the officially released “Fan Project” video.
“Behind The Mask” was originally recorded by Michael Jackson during the “Thriller” sessions in 1982. It was going to appear on the album until negotiations between Jackson and Yellow Magic Orchestra’s management broke down regarding royalties.
The Michael Jackson Estate and Sony Music released the track 18 months after Jackson’s death, in December 2010, as part of their highly controversial “Michael” album.
What do YOU think of the video? Discuss below…
Follow: twitter.com/damienshields
![The California Supreme Court today granted review of an ongoing lawsuit centred around the alleged forgery of three songs attributed to pop superstar Michael Jackson, and the commercial exploitation of […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/MICHAEL-cd-album-cover-46x46.jpg "Sony and Jackson Estate not off the hook in fake songs case"){kind=small}
![‘You don’t know! You weren’t there!’ This is an argument commonly made by people on both sides of the debate regarding the allegations of child sex abuse that have plagued […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/DOCO-based-on-facts-46x46.jpg "Leaving Neverland Exposed: The Devil is in the Detail"){kind=small}
![WITH ALL THE MADNESS surrounding Leaving Neverland—the so-called ‘documentary’ in which two admitted serial liars portray deceased pop superstar Michael Jackson as an insatiable child molester—the media seems to have forgotten about […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mj-prison-chains-46x46.png "What the media refuses to tell you about Michael Jackson, Leaving Neverland & the allegations of child molestation"){kind=small}
![THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA has today ruled that it will hear the case of Vera Serova versus Sony Music and The Estate of Michael Jackson regarding the advertisement and commercial […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MJ-Sony-Kills-Music-46x46.jpg "BREAKING: Supreme Court rules to hear case of fan versus Sony Music & Michael Jackson Estate in fake songs lawsuit"){kind=small}
![A teenager walks into a record store before Christmas 2018 and sees what he believes is the perfect gift for his mom (who already owns three Michael Jackson albums): an […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Dlz8lkoUcAEZTty-46x46.jpg "Supreme Court petitioned in fake Michael Jackson songs case while fans launch annual campaign to remove them from 2010 album"){kind=small}
![THE VOCALIST on three allegedly fake Michael Jackson tracks sang in the wrong dialect, was unable to control fundamental aspects of his singing voice including vibrato, and even mispronounced Jackson’s […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FAKEMICHAEL-3-46x46.jpg "EXCLUSIVE: Forensic report concludes posthumous Michael Jackson album DID include FAKE songs, sung by an impostor!"){kind=small}
![SONY Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson today announced they will remain business partners well into the future after inking a renewal of their previous deal together, again tying […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/michael-album-cover-46x46.jpg "Sony/Jackson Estate renew partnership in the face of ongoing fraud lawsuit"){kind=small}
![Today marks twenty years since Michael Jackson’s most daring, confrontational, controversial, personal, ambitious, and in my opinion underrated album was released. Originally intended as a greatest hits package with just a […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/history-art-46x46.png "HIStory 20: Michael Jackson’s secret meeting with Prince, and other memories from the King of Pop’s recording engineers"){kind=small}
![While I don’t tend to cover matters that don’t in one way or another relate to the King of Pop’s artistry, I couldn’t let June 13, 2015 pass without acknowledging the significance […]](http://www.damienshields.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Not-guilty-46x46.jpg "June 13, ten years later: A day of reflection, not celebration for Michael Jackson fans"){kind=small}
Dont like it, NADA, Looks like a fan made video from Youtube, close your eyes listen to the vocal, the melody, open you eyes and……. heartbreaking….. Its evil, Sorry Daniel no offense to you,
Damien* 😉 <3
Sadly I’m seeing product imagery that is once again ill conceived and disrespectful to Michael Jackson’s legacy — clearly geared to the youth generation, the Estate’s target market. Kids partying in a nightclub — dancing MJ moves wearing Thriller jackets and bizarre tasseled masks. Images of Michael intermittently splashed onto the various masks. It’s party time, for some I guess.
If you mute the video and just watch the imagery…it is perceivably contrived. The video DID get scrapped. Surprisingly even Branca didn’t let this one out. I wonder why? It’s right in keeping with the rest of the crap he’s released.
Sorry Damien. I appreciate you letting me see it. But it was not a pleasurable experience. 🙁
I agree completely.
I continue to read how long time fans object to marketing to today’s teens and young adults. I don’t really understand why that is so bad. I want Michael to continue to appeal to all generations not just longtime fans. Marketing strategy would need to take that into account.
To be fair, Wendy – I do somewhat agree with you – but how could it be respectful to Michael Jackson’s legacy? It can’t be a Michael Jackson product because Michael obviously isn’t here to conceive it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-ZS-jz3lKZI
Links are being taken down fast..
Damien! What are your thoughts on this! ?
This video is amazing, million times better than the released one. But I understand why they did that. They knew the promotion of the album is over. They scrapped everything, they had plans to release Monster as a single too and maybe The Way You Love Me. But when they saw that no one cares about that album because of the mistakes they did, they stopped promoting it. They realised that they would have much more problems in the future if they continued to promote that album (especially if they released fake song as a single). So they just stopped everything and moved on.
I liked this version, too but I prefer the fan project. It is better, because you can see me 4 times in the official video. 😉 If this video was aired, my dream of being in a real Michael Jackson video wouldn’t be happen.
Prefer it to the fan based video but it resembles to much of the HIStory music video. Great idea and concept but unfortnatley they recieved too much bad press from the album from so called songs, which is a shame because it had so much protential. Would of prefered it if they all kept the masks on and the one at the end took the mask of to reveal Michaels face im sure they could of superimposed an image of the king of pop somehow.
this clip is a clue to know that it is alive, that clip was not done for nothing, and there was already a clip for this song since 2011. Now it makes sense, behind the mask .. yet many will fall, and the king is back!
gonna have to agree with Robert on that one! 🙂