Music videos nowadays are complete spectacles and high-quality forms of film entertainment. However, that hasn’t always been the case, and there is one music video to thank for this shift—Michael Jackson‘s music video for “Thriller”. Jackson’s music video for his hit single was completely unprecedented. Consequently, it was a pop culture milestone, and the video solidified that fact on this day, December 2, 1983, when it aired on MTV for the very first time.
Videos by American Songwriter
Prior to 1981, MTV started in 1981 and televised the hottest music videos in the music industry. Although on this day in 1983, all of those music videos looked like child’s play, as Michael Jackson’s video for “Thriller” introduced the world to the potential of the music video due to its scale, quality, and cinematic exploration. It was an event, an event that changed how music videos were made, as well as viewed by musicians and their fans.
Why Michael Jackson’s Music Video Changed the Game Entirely
Before the “Thriller” music video, the industry’s videos were low-budget and often just showed the artists performing their songs. There was arguably nothing cinematic about them. Hence, when Jackson shot his “Thriller” music video like a blockbuster hit, the standard changed entirely.
Everything about Jackson’s music video was completely unprecedented. The once one-of-a-kind music video featured high-quality special effects, a half-million dollar budget(which grew to $1 million), and a runtime of 14 minutes, which made it a short film and not a prototypical short film.
If you were alive and watched when this video aired on MTV on this day in 1983, then you know just how much of an impact it made on the business of music videos. If you weren’t, then just trust us, it’s as if Michael Jackson and his team of collaborators reinvented the wheel.
Evidently, all of the music videos that came after 1983 followed a similar structure to Jackson’s: big budget, cinematic effects, and a dramatic ornateness. Surely somebody else would have created a video of this magnitude if Jackson hadn’t. However, it was Jackson who did it, and as a result, he has indirectly and directly influenced grand music videos such as “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, “Express Yourself” by Madonna, “Heartbreaker” by Mariah Carey, and many, many more.
Without Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, music videos just might not be the production they are today. However, thanks to the video, which aired on MTV on this day, December 2, 1983, that is an idea we don’t have to even entertain.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.