"Thriller" – An Introduction
Hello again!
We've told you a bit about the history of Thrill the World and how it all began. But what about the song that inspired it? In this post, we'll be giving you a few details on what is believed to be the greatest music video of all time that helped expand the possibliities of 'music video' as an art form.
"Thriller" was released on Michael Jackson's album of the same name in November 1982, and re-released in January 1984 as the seventh and final single from the album. The video was the third installment of 3 short films produced for recordings from Thriller, it followed Billie Jean and Beat It.
Written by Rod Temperton and performed by Michael Jackson, "Thriller" is loved by millions all over the world. The single has been certified as platinum in the USA, the UK, Mexico, Italy and Australia and has reached number 1 in many areas, including Belgium, France and Spain.
And as if the song wasn't memorable enough, there's an even more memorable music video togo with it. But what makes this video so iconic?
Released in 1983 and directed by John Landis, Thriller won a Grammy Award for Best Video, Long Form in 1984, and MTV Awards for Viewer's Choice , Best Choreography and Best Overall Performance in a Video, also in 1984. In 2009, it became the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant.
What makes this video so iconic is its ability to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with lots of added twists and a vast array of ghoulish creatures. Starting out with the king of pop transforming into a werewolf during a full moon and trying to attack his on-screen girlfriend, played by Ola Ray, only to then cut to a cinema where we see Jackson and Ray watching the film.
After noticing her fear throughout the movie, Jackson teases Ray by singing the verses of "Thriller", during which our next ghoulish creature appears to terrify our audience: zombies! As they surround Jackson and Ray, Jackson transforms into a zombie, and queue the song's catchy chorus with some epicly ghoulish choreography!
The final scene sees Ray run back to their house only to be chased by the zombies. They surround her and Jackson reaches out to grab her, but we see the real Jackson who says he'll take her home, during which he turns to the camera to show the audience his werewolf eyes!
Check out the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA
Or, if you just need a brief refresher, you can check out the shortened version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V90AmXnguw
It goes without saying that the choreography in Thriller developed by Michael Peters is one of its most memorable features. Starting out with a slow walk complete with a shoulder raise, the routine also features zombie walks complete with werewolf claws, lots of side-to-side movement of the body, pivots and a whole lot more to wow the audience while sending a shiver down their spine.
But there's more, as our next blog post will explore some of the choregoraphy in the iconic routine that you could be performing at Gateshead Thrill Day on Saturday 26th October 2019 at 10am. So check out the video and keep an eye out for our next post about the choreography complete with content to help you master the chilling routine in time for the global event.
And now all that's left to say is ... Learn the Dance, Thrill the World - #ThrillGateshead
We've told you a bit about the history of Thrill the World and how it all began. But what about the song that inspired it? In this post, we'll be giving you a few details on what is believed to be the greatest music video of all time that helped expand the possibliities of 'music video' as an art form.
"Thriller" was released on Michael Jackson's album of the same name in November 1982, and re-released in January 1984 as the seventh and final single from the album. The video was the third installment of 3 short films produced for recordings from Thriller, it followed Billie Jean and Beat It.
Written by Rod Temperton and performed by Michael Jackson, "Thriller" is loved by millions all over the world. The single has been certified as platinum in the USA, the UK, Mexico, Italy and Australia and has reached number 1 in many areas, including Belgium, France and Spain.
And as if the song wasn't memorable enough, there's an even more memorable music video togo with it. But what makes this video so iconic?
Released in 1983 and directed by John Landis, Thriller won a Grammy Award for Best Video, Long Form in 1984, and MTV Awards for Viewer's Choice , Best Choreography and Best Overall Performance in a Video, also in 1984. In 2009, it became the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant.
What makes this video so iconic is its ability to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with lots of added twists and a vast array of ghoulish creatures. Starting out with the king of pop transforming into a werewolf during a full moon and trying to attack his on-screen girlfriend, played by Ola Ray, only to then cut to a cinema where we see Jackson and Ray watching the film.
After noticing her fear throughout the movie, Jackson teases Ray by singing the verses of "Thriller", during which our next ghoulish creature appears to terrify our audience: zombies! As they surround Jackson and Ray, Jackson transforms into a zombie, and queue the song's catchy chorus with some epicly ghoulish choreography!
The final scene sees Ray run back to their house only to be chased by the zombies. They surround her and Jackson reaches out to grab her, but we see the real Jackson who says he'll take her home, during which he turns to the camera to show the audience his werewolf eyes!
Check out the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA
Or, if you just need a brief refresher, you can check out the shortened version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V90AmXnguw
It goes without saying that the choreography in Thriller developed by Michael Peters is one of its most memorable features. Starting out with a slow walk complete with a shoulder raise, the routine also features zombie walks complete with werewolf claws, lots of side-to-side movement of the body, pivots and a whole lot more to wow the audience while sending a shiver down their spine.
But there's more, as our next blog post will explore some of the choregoraphy in the iconic routine that you could be performing at Gateshead Thrill Day on Saturday 26th October 2019 at 10am. So check out the video and keep an eye out for our next post about the choreography complete with content to help you master the chilling routine in time for the global event.
And now all that's left to say is ... Learn the Dance, Thrill the World - #ThrillGateshead
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