A trove of previously unseen footage captures Michael Jackson at the height of his global fame: leading cameras through the modest Gary, Indiana, house where the Jackson family story began, lingering over old family photo albums, and joking with aides from the back of his private limousine.
In 2001, despite the child molestation allegations that continued to shadow him, Jackson set out to make a fly-on-the-wall documentary that would present a more intimate version of his life — talking with celebrities, spending time with “real” fans and revisiting the places that shaped his past.
The footage shows no lack of self-assurance. In one moment, Jackson offers encouragement to a 19-year-old Beyoncé, then beginning to emerge as a major star in her own right. In another, he laughs as he tells the cameras he is pleased that “dirty pictures” have been taken down from the bedroom he once shared with his brothers and fellow Jackson Five performers.
But the carefully constructed world around him was about to collapse.
In November 2003, while filming on the documentary was still under way, officers from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department raided Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California as part of a criminal investigation into alleged sex abuse.
The raid marked a devastating turn. Jackson was acquitted two years later, but the aftermath changed everything. Following the verdict, he left the United States for Bahrain, and for the singer, many of the doors that had once opened effortlessly began to close.
Television networks cooled on the project, leaving Jackson’s friend and producer Marc Shaffel with hours upon hours of unreleased Michael Jackson documentary footage and no obvious outlet for it.
Now, that long-shelved material may be poised for renewed attention. Although Jackson’s reputation has faced fresh scrutiny in the 15 years since his death, the King of Pop is also experiencing a notable posthumous resurgence.
In 2001, defying lingering allegations of child molestation, Michael Jackson decided to make a fly-on-the-wall-style documentary
Included in the footage shot as part of the film, Jackson was seen meeting with a 19-year-old Beyonce
Filmmaker Marc Shaffel helped interpret a bizarre episode in another of the clips, in which Jackson is sprayed with perfume in his limousine
The new biopic, Michael, has been a huge success and, grossing more than $1billion, has created a new generation of fans. A sequel is already in production.
Now Mr Shaffel believes that his own footage – one of the last sustained portraits ever made of Jackson – is relevant once again and plans to release a new film portrait of his own, tentatively titled The Real Michael.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, the producer said: ‘During the time these clips were shot Michael was about at the pinnacle of his second half of his career. The 1993 allegations made by Jordan Chandler had passed. He was in a great mood and the fans were very welcoming to him.
‘The material was originally shot to be a reality show I was making about Michael.
‘It was my long personal friendship with Michael that made filming this series possible. I own and have shot and paid for the footage and production.’
Now Mr Shaffel wants his film to see a wider audience.
‘This footage is a perfect real-life account of his life – and perfect to accompany the massive theatrical release of the Michael film.’
The clips he has shared with Our News Outlet are certainly striking – although not without their puzzles.
Now Shaffel wants his film to see a wider audience following the recent success of the biopic Michael
Explaining the extraordinary clutter on view in the Jackson family home Shaffel explained that, by the early 2000s, it had been occupied by an older relative who had been given little notice of the filming
Jackson relaxes in the back of a limousine, where he would later be sprayed with perfume
Explaining the extraordinary clutter on view in the Jackson family home, for example, Mr Shaffel explained that, by the early 2000s, it had been occupied by an older relative who had been given little notice of the filming.
Mr Shaffel also helped interpret a bizarre episode in another of the clips, in which Jackson is sprayed with perfume in his limousine.
‘Michael, being the consummate prankster with the people closest to him would over-do the cologne and perfume,’ recalled the producer.
‘At the time, he liked this very expensive perfume. His nickname for cologne was “smells” so when he asked for smells his cousin, who was his assistant on that trip, brought out the perfumes and started over spraying as a prank but unfortunately for all of us in the limo with him [it] was so strong we couldn’t breathe.’
- Daphne Barak is a senior interviewer and documentary film maker. Daphne is also a cancer survivor who has a fast-growing charity with the University of California, San Diego. www.gamechangerevents.org
