On 2nd December 1983 MTV aired a short film, almost 14 minutes in length, which would drastically and irreversibly alter the music video industry.
Even now, 30 years on from its ground-breaking premiere, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ still permeates the pop culture conscience, and its influence can be seen in much of what has become the norm for the music video format.
The storyline of the short film and its iconic scenes – such as Jacko’s werewolf transformation, the mass zombie dance routine or Vincent Price’s creepy spoken word interlude -have made the track synonymous with Halloween and guarantee it a place on any horror-themed playlist.
Whether you love or loathe Jackson’s music, the genius of the man – flawed as it may have been – is undeniable, and the ‘Thriller’ video remains one of his most prominent legacies.
Astoundingly, ‘Thriller’ was the seventh single released off the 1982 album of the same name, which has now sold well over 50 million copies worldwide, making it the highest selling album of all time according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
John Landis’ Making Of Documentary changed the game.
Traditional music videos had been released for two of Thriller’s previous singles: ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Beat It’, and both had received strong airplay on MTV. However, neither the popularity of the album nor the previous videos would prepare the industry for the pandemonium that ‘Thriller’ was about to create.
The insanely original idea for the clip was developed by Jackson and director John Landis, whom the King of Pop contacted after viewing his 1981 feature An American Werewolf in London. In a Nancy Griffen article for Vanity Fair, Landis recalled that Jackson asked him to be turned into a monster because he though it would be fun.
Although a feature film director had never been commissioned for a music video before, Landis was intrigued by the proposal and agreed to take on the ‘Thriller’ project on the proviso that it be shot as a short film. Jackson jumped at the idea and the two set about writing the horror spoof screenplay together.
Landis also dictated that the film be shot on 35-mm stock with feature-film production values, which was completely out of step with the era’s view of the music video existing merely as a promotional tool.
The notion that a music clip could exist as a work of art in and of itself was one that had not been fully explored until Landis took on ‘Thriller.’
However, this innovative plan would not come together cheaply; when Landis worked up a budget with producer George Folsey Jr, the estimated production costs totaled an astonishing $900,000; with Jackson’s record label only offering to contribute $100,000 to the project, a massive budget shortfall had to be resolved.
The notion that a music clip could exist as a work of art in and of itself was one that had not been fully explored until Landis took on ‘Thriller’.Enter Folsey Jr’s pioneering and utterly brilliant plan to simultaneously produce The Making Of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The 45-minute documentary could then be bundled with the short film and the rights to the package sold to television networks.
These rights were purchased by MTV and Showtime – for $250,000 and $300,000 respectively – covering the majority of the budget deficit, and Jackson agreed to cover all other upfront expenses himself, although Landis has since claimed that the cable TV deals covered all production costs.
The producer’s radical idea not only solved the project’s budgeting problems, but also popularised the ‘behind the scenes’ style of music video featurettes, that have remained popular ever since.
The making of/music video package also helped revolutionise the home video market, becoming one of the highest selling VHS releases at the time, shifting nine million copies.
The success of Michael Jackson’s VHS (which included ‘Thriller’ and the doco, along with videos for ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Beat It’, and the Motown 25th Anniversary performance of ‘Billie Jean’) highlighted the lucrative possibilities of the home video market.
Following the clip’s release, sales also picked up for the Thriller album, sending it back to number one on the US album charts more than a year after its initial release.
The legacy of ‘Thriller’ extends far beyond its economic implications, however, and the impact it has had on a generation of filmmakers is undeniable
‘Thriller’s diversion from the traditional, rigid, performance-based clip structure set a precedent that has since encouraged far more creativity in the field.
‘Thriller’s has influenced countless other music videos including The Beastie Boys’ ‘Fight For Your Right’ video
An example of the influence is its freewheeling short film style has had on music videos can be found in the work of modern filmmakers such as Spike Jonze
Jonze has directed music videos for a multitude of artists, from Weezer to Björk to Kanye West, and his inimitable style – typified by longer form storytelling, high production values, the use of actors, and consistent cinematic and pop-culture references – follows the precedent set by ‘Thriller’.
In Jonze’s iconic ‘Sabotage’ clip for the Beastie Boys, and more recently in Arcade Fire’s ‘The Suburbs,’ the merit of the music video as an art form is celebrated, with stunning emphasis being placed on location and casting as well set and costume design.
Due to the ground-breaking work of Jackson and Landis, Jonze and his contemporaries have been free to employ and focus on these production elements that were formerly reserved for feature films.
Take, for example, the undying image of the impeccably choreographed zombie dance routine in ‘Thriller’; prior to the video’s release, the only productions to incorporate choreography of its immense scale were stage musicals and big-budget Hollywood adaptations thereof. But since the video’s success, performers and directors have attempted to harness the visual power of dance in countless film clips.
In creating the ‘Thriller’ video clip, Jackson made his own undying contribution to Western popular culture.The wildly successful use of choreography in modern video can be traced back to the incredible and innovative collaboration between Jackson, Landis and ‘Thriller’s choreographer Michael Peters.
It is now almost impossible to find a contemporary pop music video devoid of high quality choreography, an element of performance that Jackson emphasised not only in ‘Thriller’ but also throughout his entire performing career.
Along with his dance moves, Jackson will forever be remembered for his attention to costume, and no outfit is more famous than the red leather jacket and pants combination that the King Of Pop rocked in the ‘Thriller’ clip.
The ensemble was designed by Landis’ wife Deborah for the clip and has become so iconic that the jacket fetched $1.8m at auction in 2011. Jackson’s wacky sense of style matched the pomp and exuberance that typified the American mood during the 80’s, and is intrinsically linked with the pop-cultural history of the time.
In creating the ‘Thriller’ video clip, Jackson made his own undying contribution to Western popular culture, a feat which was recognised in 2009 when the music video became the first ever added to the United States National Film Registry.
In it’s reasoning for the film’s inclusion, the Library Of Congress labelled ‘Thriller’s’ release as a “seismic shift” in the development of the music video genre of film.
Upon the short film’s release, the music video industry was catapulted to levels of sophistication and artistic freedom that were previously unimaginable. Even after 30 years, ‘Thriller’s’ legacy continues to inform much of the art form that is the modern music video.
Watch the full ‘Thriller’ video below.
