Thriller 40th Anniversary


Thriller 40 Documentary to premiere on December 2​



ByAdmin Team
October 27, 2023
0



Better late than never! Not Thriller 41… oups… Thriller 40 documentary will debut on December 2 at 8 p.m. ET on Showtime and will stream on Paramount+ (for Paramount+ With Showtime subscribers).
The film will also make its international debut the same day on Paramount+ in the U.K., Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Latin America and South Korea and on MTV internationally, excluding China and Japan. The film was directed by Nelson George and produced by Optimum Productions and Company Name. Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart and Jackson estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain serve as producers.
“There are two things in the music business: before Thriller and after Thriller,” journalist Steven Ivory says to kick off the trailer, premiering below.
The trailer navigates the album’s production process, the music videos, the Moonwalk (which Jackson debuted at 1983’s Motown 25 special) and the eventual world domination of the project and its musical mastermind.
“It’s the ultimate blueprint to modern pop music,” Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am says in the trailer. “If Thriller came out today, it would still be the greatest album ever made.”
Watch the trailer below, and check out the premiere Dec. 2 on Showtime and Paramount+.
 
the trailer (which was only 1:52 seconds) showed; the engineer who originally worked on the song ‘thriller’ recreating the bass line, the backup singers on ‘wanna be startin’ somethin’, a glimpse of bruce swedien, previously unseen footage from behind the scenes of ‘beat it’, the ‘victory’ tour, and the ‘thriller’ dance rehearsal, previously unheard audio of michael telling his own story.. the early screening was not the final product. there will be more surprises in store🤩nobody has the inside scoop unless they were actually part of the team.

yes, there were also artists inspired by michael, but that’s been the standard since michael’s own ‘the legend continues (also a showtime presentation’). they didn’t make up the total of contributors either.

some ‘fans’ have been trying to sabotage this project from its inception. they hate anything that came before 1987, and are trying to rewrite history. there’s never been an official ‘thriller’ documentary. it’s time. all the lies and spiteful nitpicking in the world won’t change anything. it’s happening, on the anniversary of the short film’s release. even though many of you said it wouldn’t. some people love being miserable, and have made hating the estate their entire personality. it’s not edgy, it’s old and tiresome. michael’s whole vault could be emptied and they would still complain.

I, on the other hand enjoy michael, and I’m really looking forward to this documentary 💜if I don’t post here for awhile (not that anyone would notice or care) it’s because I’m not in good company😔
 
You can get a free trial for 7 days or do I understand something wrong?

I already pay for Paramount+. I can't use a free trial. I'd have to upgrade and I don't think my student discount would apply.
 
the trailer (which was only 1:52 seconds) showed; the engineer who originally worked on the song ‘thriller’ recreating the bass line,
For anyone wondering, Anthony Marinelli is wrong.
The Thriller bassline was NOT made on an Arp 2600, it was made using a Jupiter 8.
Multiple people in the past have recreated it and got the exact same sound as the actual bass from the song in the Jupiter 8.
If that isn't enough proof, the multitracks themselves label the bass track as made with a Jupiter 8.

Just gonna throw this out there, please nobody play devil's advocate here lol
 
That's enough talk about Thriller and being 40.

I hate anything that came before 1987, and I am trying to rewrite history. I love being miserable, and have made hating the estate my entire personality.
 
I hate anything that came before 1987, and I am trying to rewrite history. I love being miserable, and have made hating the estate my entire personality.
Guess I'm with the Estate on this one as I turn the blind eye to anything post-1987.
 
I understand why they're waiting til the 40th anniversary of the Thriller short film to release the documentary, but I don't understand why they just couldn't tell us that was their plan from the start.

Fans have been waiting over a whole year for this doc, and the Estate just stayed silent for no good reason. They could have saved themselves from tons of angry comments and bad publicity if they could just be more transparent with the fanbase.
 
I understand why they're waiting til the 40th anniversary of the Thriller short film to release the documentary, but I don't understand why they just couldn't tell us that was their plan from the start.

Fans have been waiting over a whole year for this doc, and the Estate just stayed silent for no good reason. They could have saved themselves from tons of angry comments and bad publicity if they could just be more transparent with the fanbase.
Nothing stops the bad publicity. Someone was literally complaining about why "the docu isn't coming to Netflix, this is my last straw"

Like, you don't even know what you're talking about? Damned if you do and damned if you don't, how Bout that? There's no solution to stop other people bullying you.
 
Meanwhile, we all just collectively gave up on any kinda remastering of Billie Jean, which is way more flawed imo. Unless they're saving that for the docu as well.

That makes me think actually, @MJbr2, can they clean up the Motown 25 tapes to make that look better or is it too worn for wear?
 
For anyone wondering, Anthony Marinelli is wrong.
The Thriller bassline was NOT made on an Arp 2600, it was made using a Jupiter 8.
Multiple people in the past have recreated it and got the exact same sound as the actual bass from the song in the Jupiter 8.
If that isn't enough proof, the multitracks themselves label the bass track as made with a Jupiter 8.

Just gonna throw this out there, please nobody play devil's advocate here lol
Such a pretty set of words, wish I could understand any of em
 
Meanwhile, we all just collectively gave up on any kinda remastering of Billie Jean, which is way more flawed imo. Unless they're saving that for the docu as well.

That makes me think actually, @MJbr2, can they clean up the Motown 25 tapes to make that look better or is it too worn for wear?
It seems like the 16mm film for Billie Jean is lost. So theres not much they can do with the tape masters besides ai upscale.
 
It seems like the 16mm film for Billie Jean is lost. So theres not much they can do with the tape masters besides ai upscale.
If so, it’s honestly better to just not. AI upscaling isn’t there yet, so “Billie Jean” would just look wonky beside the proper improvement of “Thriller” and “Beat It.” Hopefully the films are found soon.
 
Got to be honest I haven't been looking forward to the doc, but seeing the trailer did get me a bit excited. Just the fact that there's some positive new MJ content coming has given me a reason to be positive.

I want to celebrate the man, the artist we all grew up loving and just bask in his wonderful artistry again. Sadly who knows how much more content will come further down the line, so I choose to enjoy it while it's here.

I'll watch the doc that night with my girlfriend and then watch Thriller 4K right after to celebrate
 
If so, it’s honestly better to just not. AI upscaling isn’t there yet, so “Billie Jean” would just look wonky beside the proper improvement of “Thriller” and “Beat It.” Hopefully the films are found soon.
If it looks as good as Ghosts in 1080p, I say why not.
 
But Motown?
Shot on tape.
If so, it’s honestly better to just not. AI upscaling isn’t there yet, so “Billie Jean” would just look wonky beside the proper improvement of “Thriller” and “Beat It.” Hopefully the films are found soon.
I get that, I only bring up ai upscaling because you cant do much with tape. At the rate ai is advancing, I think it will get better soon.

Kai did a great job with Yokohama though, using the latest topaz model.
 
They're giving us the exact same documentaries they've given us since MJ was alive. Was "The Making of Thriller" a technical showpiece? That Number Ones bonus video? Thriller 25. It was literally just Quincy arguing with Will.

This is another thing being done seemingly to MJ's specifications, so that's just the way it's been.
Exactly. The Legend Continues is my favourite doc, but its 87% talking heads like Yoko Ono, Sophia Loren, Cyndi Lauper etc.
 
Exactly. The Legend Continues is my favourite doc, but its 87% talking heads like Yoko Ono, Sophia Loren, Cyndi Lauper etc.
the new documentary will again be marketing, that sells a product.
Advertisers have attempted to quantify and qualify the use of celebrities in their marketing campaigns by evaluating the awareness generated, appeal, and relevance to a brand's image and the celebrity's influence on consumer buying behavior.
 
So... any info if this is available worldwide on Paramount+ ? or just US.. and if it's worldwide.. will it be only with subtitles or dubbed?
Wow, estate could really give us a little more info... the fact that you need a paid subscription already is kind of a slap in the face considering how they expected excitement from all of us for one whole year.
 
That makes me think actually, @MJbr2, can they clean up the Motown 25 tapes to make that look better or is it too worn for wear?
Well, an expanded boxset of the Motown show was released in 2016 including more footage (rehearsals by Marvin Gaye and Stevie, for example). Universal/Motown licensed it to a third party to release.
In that set, MJs performance looks better than previous releases (mainly Thriller 25 and HIStory Vol. 2). Sadly, the quality is still capped by DVD limitations.
I don't think the Estate owns the master, but if they did, something good could come out of that. What I can think of now is that Queen's Rainbow 1974 and Hammersmith 1975 were sourced from the same type of tape (1" tape), put on SD BluRay, and they look amazing even being SD.

Hopefully the films are found soon.
They won't be found, ever. Steve said in an interview the final edit was done on film and, after it was transferred to tape, the 16mm negatives were discarded. So, anything that existed on 16mm (raw takes and final edit) didn't survive.
 
So... any info if this is available worldwide on Paramount+ ? or just US.. and if it's worldwide.. will it be only with subtitles or dubbed?
Wow, estate could really give us a little more info... the fact that you need a paid subscription already is kind of a slap in the face considering how they expected excitement from all of us for one whole year.
it’s not just a subscription. the only way you can watch this is if you have paramount+ premium PLUS the showtime add on. which is unbelievably stupid
 
They won't be found, ever. Steve said in an interview the final edit was done on film and, after it was transferred to tape, the 16mm negatives were discarded. So, anything that existed on 16mm (raw takes and final edit) didn't survive.

why would they then shot it on film in first place?
 
They won't be found, ever. Steve said in an interview the final edit was done on film and, after it was transferred to tape, the 16mm negatives were discarded. So, anything that existed on 16mm (raw takes and final edit) didn't survive.
So where did those outtakes source from?
 
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