In the 1980s, millions of consumers were purchasing their first VCRs. The Untold Truth Of Michael Jackson's Thriller Video. After a screaming, profanity-laden phone call with Jackson and director John Landis, CBS Records head Walter Yetnikoff offered up $100,000, leaving the creative team to find the rest of the money elsewhere. Either in the VHS or Betamax format, the TV accessory allowed them to watch movies or other content at home via a cassette borrowed for the cost of a few bucks from a local video rental outlet. The mystery and thriller . "I loved it," he says. They talk through their problems with friends and ultimately decide that neither of them will date him. When the series was re-broadcast as part of The CBS Late Movie however, the original title sequences and music were restored. The scenes incorporated claymation, pixilation, and stop-motion animation to come to life. This did not stop him being threatened with expulsion from his church because of the film's subject matter. However Harvey declined and then suggested another director who did in the end make the documentary. It ends with the groom as the actual ringmaster. At the end of the credits, they all dance back into their graves, with one of them gruesomely grimacing at the screen. ", "Thriller" hit MTV and other outlets in 1983, the same year that the risqu (for the time) Flashdance was a hit in movie theaters and made a star out of Jennifer Beals. It was filmed at various locations in Los Angeles, including the Palace Theater. There's also a memorable scene of her covered in diamonds. [10] MTV paid $250,000 for the exclusive rights to show the documentary; Showtime paid $300,000 for pay-cable rights. The band's front man lifts a bus up off a girl at some point and saves a dog from a fire. Told from Eva's perspective, the film follows her earlier days as a mother and her ongoing . "As soon as the Americans got involved, things became monetised, turning music videos into a proper industry, which operated alongside MTV. "Everyone experiences these physical transformations in their bodies and new, unfamiliar sexual thoughts in their minds. Her father, a hunter, disapproves of their romance and tries to shoot antler boy with an arrow but he's hit by a car. "In many ways, it wasn't something you really wanted to aspire to," he says. [42], number of copies sold were 900,000 at a price of $30, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, YouTube video of more than 1,500 prisoners performing the dance, Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, "Director: Funds for "Thriller" almost didn't appear", "Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is the eternal Halloween bop and so much more", "John Landis says Michael Jackson was too 'grotesque' to film: Howell", "How Michael Jackson's Thriller changed music videos for ever", "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is the eternal Halloween bop and so much more", "Michael Jackson's Life & Legacy: Global Superstar (198286)", "It Happened This Week in L.A. History: Silver Screen Thrills Los Angeles Magazine", "Michael Jackson's videos set a new standard", "VH1 Names '100 Greatest Videos of All Time', "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Added To National Film Registry", "MTV: 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made", "The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos Michael Jackson, 'Thriller', "Jackson "Thriller" film picked for U.S. registry", "Michael Jackson's Thriller added to US film archive", "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' remains a Halloween hit", "Barack and Michelle Obama make Halloween a thriller for DC kids", "John Landis on 'Thriller 3D', the 'American Werewolf' Remake, & Lucasfilm's Director Troubles", "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Could be Broadway Show", "Review: Masterful Plants vs. Zombies Proves Less Is More", "Plants vs. Zombies (Windows, Mac OS X) - the Cutting Room Floor", "Michael Jackson Estate Forces 'Plants vs. Zombies' Update", "Monster Metaphors: Notes on Michael Jackson's Thriller", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Jackson%27s_Thriller_(music_video)&oldid=1142427273, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 09:09. It's amazing. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like What happened to record and tape sales between 1978 and 1979?, Robert Pittman gathered videos from a variety of record companies and used them, along with a crew of veejays, as the basis for a new cable station called _____., MTV's target audience of rock-pop fans caused them to reject many _____, and critics began to question . This ground-breaking video is the toast of MTV and will forever be remembered for what is the greatest music video of all time!! The storyline follows newly-qualified vet James as he leaves his home in Glasgow during 1937 to start working for head vet Siegfried in the fictional Yorkshire village of Darrowby. "Thriller," of course, came from the Michael Jackson album also called Thriller. It was shown on Channel 4 in November 1983 at something like 1 in the morning, as I remember sitting up waiting for it to come on and then being amazed and a little bit scared as I was only 13 at. [8], In 2009, Landis sued Jackson in a dispute over royalties for the video, saying Jackson had failed to pay him 50% of the proceeds. And there's some weird bugs crawling at various points. A night at the movies turns into a nightmare when Michael and his date are attacked by a hoard of bloodthirsty zombies - only a "Thriller" can save them now. [10] Landis felt Jackson should become scary and creepy, but not ugly. [5][6] Original music, including the theme tune, was supplied by Clemens' regular collaborator Laurie Johnson.[7]. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He changes back into a human to sing the choruses. The "All the Small Things" video is a hilarious parody of other boy bands and pop artists of the '90s. That's a pretty serious statement, and one that makes the silly horror movie-inspired fun to follow seem like it's going to be a lot darker and menacing than it is. Less than two years later, sister network VH1 would also name "Thriller" the top video ever made. The video has received over 700 million views on YouTube. Love it or hate it, labels are obsessed with it and it's here to stay. The simple black-and-white video features Beyonc in a leotard flanked on either side by a dancer in a similar outfit. Directed by F. Gary Gray, who also directed "Straight Out of Compton" and "The Fate of the Furious," the "Waterfalls" video is emotional. [5], The zombie dance sequence corresponds the lyric about a masquerade ball of the dead. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" clip permanently elevated the medium of music video to artistic and cinematic relevance at a time when it was still relatively new and directionless. It's hard to forget. The black-and-white "Rhythm Nation" video is known for its military-style outfits, warehouse setting, and choreography, which has inspired numerous dance routines since the video was released. But what truly stands out about the video is Cher's iconic sheer body suit and leather jacket. [6] According to Peter Dendle, the zombie invasion sequence was inspired by Night of the Living Dead (1968). [6] Jackson's make-up casts "a ghostly pallor" over his skin and emphasizes the outline of his skull, an allusion to the mask from The Phantom of the Opera (1925). [8] Showtime aired the video six times in February. But then there's also some random dance scenes with her on a boat. Walking down a city street at night, Jackson teases her by performing the verses of "Thriller". But the image forever in people's minds is Lopez dancing around in the forest with green lasers behind her. As such, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" the narrative short horror musical video, not the song or album of the same name is ripe for mainstream theatrical adaptation. J-Lo brought in the new millennium with her video for "Waiting for Tonight." In the present, Jackson and his girlfriend are watching the werecat film in a theater. Sessions had been previously sparsely attended, so Garcia introduced elaborately choreographed dance routines, and before long, as many as 1,500 inmates reported to the prison yard to learn some moves. Filming began in South Africa on this new eight-part adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel in February 2020, and was halted in March by Covid-19 with an episode and a half in the can, before. Jackson's character takes his date (Ola Ray) to a horror movie and then makes her life into one when he transforms into a monstrous creature and leads a horde of other scary creatures both ghoulish and undead. She ends up shoving him out of a car and leaving him in the dust and goes into a rebellious phase. Back in 1983, the video was preceded by a disclaimer from the singer, who said: "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult." The actress and the musician wound up getting along just fine more than fine, actually. I didn't have this thought intellectually at the time, but when I watch it now I realise that there's no reason for a lot of it; it's so free and loose. pg-13 147m. From the first moment doves fly through a door and a camera zooms in on Prince in a bathtub, viewers know that the video is not going to be simple. She and other dancers groove and show off their moves throughout the video. The video shows two stories: one in which a boy is killed in a drug deal after not listening to his mom to stop and another where a man contracts AIDS after having unprotected sex with a woman. Vaughan Arnell, who had videos on MTV in its earliest days, and has gone on to make 12 promos for Robbie Williams and three for One Direction, remembers Thriller with some trepidation. 1983 - Channel 4 premiere of Michael Jackson's Thriller video - YouTube 0:00 / 0:30 1983 - Channel 4 premiere of Michael Jackson's Thriller video Blocks Videos 11.2K subscribers 65 7.4K. Thriller was an event even when it was being shot in October 1983. [8] Epic had little interest in making another video for Thriller, believing that the album had peaked,[10] and eventually agreed to contribute only $100,000. [8] According to Landis, the response was "a surprise to everyone but Michael". What's likely the most popular second-generation "Thriller" video came from an unlikely place: a prison in the Philippines. [8] In a statement published in Awake!, a magazine published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Jackson said: "I just intended to do a good, fun short film, not to purposely bring to the screen something to scare people or to do anything bad. He was tortured, but he was happy-go-lucky for a lot of it. She was the first woman to win video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards for the work. At Murphy's insistence, the film was played again. "[21], Vinny Marino of ABC News said that the video's selection as the "Greatest Video of All Time" was a "no-brainer", and that it "continues to be considered the greatest video ever by just about everyone". She won the MTV award for video of the year. The clips promoting "Thriller" helped turn MTV into a vital cultural force, solidified Jackson's stature as the "King of Pop," and significantly raised both the quality and expectations of music videos. The girlfriend leaves, scared by the film. They walk into the forest, and Jackson asks her to be his girlfriend; she accepts. [33] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival,[34] followed by a US premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The record was a major hit that sold millions of copies and spawned numerous hit singles, which, in turn, led to more album sales. Jackson hired Landis after seeing his 1981 film An American Werewolf in London. Landis' production partner George Folsey and Jackson's lawyer John Branca hatched a plan: raise money by pre-selling the rights to a behind-the-scenes documentary shot during "Thriller" production. (based on the familiar songs of ABBA). Vestron paid an additional $500,000 to market the cassettes. The video was directed by John Landis, written by Landis and Jackson, and stars Jackson and Ola Ray. The music video for "Survivor" takes place "somewhere in the South Pacific," as stated in the beginning and begins with Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and Beyonc shipwrecked on an island. In December 2009, the Library of Congress selected the video for the National Film Registry. The striking video is mostly black-and-white with some of the only color provided by red flowers on the float. ", Jonze took the freedom he sensed in Thriller and also its eccentricity and humour and ran with it, creating some of the 90s' most famous music videos, including the Beastie Boys' Sabotage and Praise You by Fatboy Slim, which also get continually spoofed. It's a moot point whether or not a bit of fear does them any harm in the long term. From the movie theater setting that resulted in the popular "Michael Jackson eating popcorn" GIF to the choreographed zombie dance, it's 14 minutes of pure enjoyment. [10] It includes home video footage of a young Jackson dancing and footage of his performances from The Ed Sullivan Show and Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. As the song progresses, multiple Morissettes sing in the car and act as her passengers until the car runs out of gas and she has to walk. Unbreakable. In July 1983, after Thriller was displaced from the top of the chart, Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo suggested making a music video for "Thriller". Between Britney Spears' flight attendant uniform, diamond and nude body suit, and black cat suit, all of her outfits are memorable. NCTV chairman Thomas Radecki said: "It's not hard to imagine young viewers after seeing Thriller saying, 'Gee, if Michael Jackson can terrorize his girlfriend, why can't I do it too? [26] In 2009, it became the first music video to be selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. [12] Nina Blackwood, a former MTV executive, said music videos improved after Thriller, with more storylines and more intricate choreography. "[11], Thriller was the first time Jackson had interacted with a woman in a video, which Landis described as a "breakthrough". And yet, it was something of an afterthought: the seventh single from a 10-track album that didn't have the most auspicious of starts when it was released a full year before the Thriller video (long enough for Jackson's nose to look different in the film than it does on the LP cover). Two tears roll down her cheeks at the end. [8], Jackson created the zombie dance with the choreographer Michael Peters, who had choreographed the "Beat It" video. [37], The video game Plants vs. Zombies by PopCap Games contained a reference to the Thriller music video in its original releases from May 2009 (a month before Jackson's death) until it was removed in July 2010. Then it shifts to the musicians performing on stage. I would never do anything like that again." [40][39], The Thriller dance is performed in major cities around the world; the largest zombie dance included 12,937 dancers, in Mexico City.