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Thriller 40th Anniversary

filmandmusic said:
Why would they restore it, they rack up the numbers by the millions on youtube without them being restored. Restoring won’t accelerate that viewing growth I think. For me it is not important but many of you seem to care, so I hope it happens anyway lol
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To get and preserve the most iconic musicvideos ever made should be of the upmost importance for all MJ fans.

Also - if you don't have seen the videos for the last 30 years, young people do not wanna see ugly YT videos on their 65" screen. They want 4K sharp picture.
 
Where did the info about 5 videos come from?

I hope we get the trailer today. :)
 
Hess said:
To get and preserve the most iconic musicvideos ever made should be of the upmost importance for all MJ fans.

Also - if you don't have seen the videos for the last 30 years, young people do not wanna see ugly YT videos on their 65" screen. They want 4K sharp picture.
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While I have been looking forward to 4k releases, I didn't really see them as a TOP priority. That is until last night.

Last night I watched a fan-made Smooth Criminal 4k video and OMG. When I tell you it almost felt like the first time watching it again... I can't even describe how excited I was. I was noticing so many details I have never really picked up on before. And I have seen Smooth Criminal an insane amount of times. I was freaking out. It was SO GOOD.

So now I am officially ridiculously pumped for the 4k videos and understand the hype around them. I can't wait!
 
filmandmusic said:
Why would they restore it, they rack up the numbers by the millions on youtube without them being restored. Restoring won’t accelerate that viewing growth I think. For me it is not important but many of you seem to care, so I hope it happens anyway lol
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I don't understand this either. I'm not really up with all the technical stuff, though. 🤔
 
Yeah I simply don’t get it. i’m perfectly capable of watching the videos the way they are. I grew up watching VHS tapes maybe I’m used to grainy looking stuff I don’t know. It is not something that gets me excited. I know these videos by heart already.

Anyway if it makes you all happy then I am all for it. The timing doesn’t matter much I think, it is not a big enough event, it happens when it happens.
 
filmandmusic said:
Yeah I simply don’t get it. i’m perfectly capable of watching the videos the way they are. I grew up watching VHS tapes maybe I’m used to grainy looking stuff I don’t know. It is not something that gets me excited. I know these videos by heart already.

Anyway if it makes you all happy then I am all for it. The timing doesn’t matter much I think, it is not a big enough event, it happens when it happens.
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the youtube videos are actually in WORSE condition then the vhs tapes you used to watch, due to a huge amount of noise reduction and compression.
 
filmandmusic said:
Why would they restore it, they rack up the numbers by the millions on youtube without them being restored. Restoring won’t accelerate that viewing growth I think. For me it is not important but many of you seem to care, so I hope it happens anyway lol
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I'll give you a very intuitive example:
Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

1987 film-to-tape master (source: 2001 "Whitney: The Greatest Hits" DVD):
3kFVN3Y.png
Fx1NR5h.png


2022 4K scan from original 35mm negatives uploaded to YT:
DFbzQhf.png
qkPuz0m.png

(you can click on the images to enlarge them to their original size)

Hope you get it now ;)
 
I see it but for me the difference isn‘t vital. The picture in the yellow room is big improvement though but Whitney she looks great in both pictures 😁
 
filmandmusic said:
I see it but for me the difference isn‘t vital. The picture in the yellow room is big improvement though but Whitney she looks great in both pictures 😁
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It's undeniable that a fresh scan from the original negatives brings out detail not present on the tape masters, making it look sharper and having more accurate colors.
The difference is vital imo as it breathes new life into these iconic short films. Also, some tape masters have errors in them. Billie Jean has film artifacts in some frames which were only cleaned up in 2010 for Vision, for instance.
 
MJbr2 said:
It's undeniable that a fresh scan from the original negatives brings out detail not present on the tape masters, making it look sharper and having more accurate colors.
The difference is vital imo as it breathes new life into these iconic short films. Also, some tape masters have errors in them. Billie Jean has film artifacts in some frames which were only cleaned up in 2010 for Vision, for instance.
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Lets hope they do a good job restoring the videos then. 🙂
Thenthere is at least that annoyance that the fans can cross off their (endless) list 🤭
 
filmandmusic said:
Yeah I simply don’t get it. i’m perfectly capable of watching the videos the way they are. I grew up watching VHS tapes maybe I’m used to grainy looking stuff I don’t know. It is not something that gets me excited. I know these videos by heart already.

Anyway if it makes you all happy then I am all for it. The timing doesn’t matter much I think, it is not a big enough event, it happens when it happens.
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Michael shot on film for a reason. Restoring them from the film negatives brings them back to the way they were intended to be seen by Michael and the plethora of film directors who made them and were used to working in that medium.

But this is a preservation mission that ensures the longevity of these works of art Michael was so proud of. It ensures that, as technology improves over the next few decades, no one is watching some badly degraded, fuzzy image of these beautiful music videos. It is of the utmost importance the Estate do this wherever possible as indications are many of these precious works are already lost, and more will continue to deteriorate over time.
 
I can’t help but laugh that people bemoaned the lack of promotion, and are now bemoaning that the announcement is for promotion and not the short films lol.

I’m just excited for “Thriller” in 4K. They really screwed up not dropping it on Halloween, but as long as we get it, I’ll survive. Better late than never.
 
Scared of the Moon said:
www.michaeljackson.com

Upcoming Thriller 40 Events

You are invited to take part in events celebrating the 40th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller! Stay tuned for more details to be added to this page.
www.michaeljackson.com www.michaeljackson.com
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Yes! This is what we've been longing for since years. Thank you estate!

Fan Event Parties
We are holding fan events around the globe in celebration of the 40th anniversary including DJ sets, midnight playbacks, screenings of the short films, themed food and drinks, competitions, giveaways and much more.
 
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@ChrisC @MJbr2 @AlwaysThere

So Michael shot on film, does this mean the videos were ever available in the highest quality for the public? Does thriller look at its best on the “making of VHS” ? If yes what has happened over the years, why do they look bad now?
Was it even possible for tv’s in the 80s/90s to show films in the highest possible quality? Why do you shoot videos on film if the public can’t watch them in the intended quality?
Fucking hell I understand nothing of all this lol sorry for being such an idiot.
 
filmandmusic said:
@ChrisC @MJbr2 @AlwaysThere

So Michael shot on film, does this mean the videos were ever available in the highest quality for the public? Does thriller look at its best on the “making of VHS” ? If yes what has happened over the years, why do they look bad now?
Was it even possible for tv’s in the 80s/90s to show films in the highest possible quality? Why do you shoot videos on film if the public can’t watch them in the intended quality?
Fucking hell I understand nothing of all this lol sorry for being such an idiot.
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You're not an idiot, don't worry.

So, the most simple answer to all your questions is yes, they were available in the highest possible quality, but within the limitations of technology back then.
High definition wasn't even a concept until the late 90s, so everything was SD (standard definition), what you may know as 480p. Also, the digital era was in its early days and there were no digital video formats like we have today with mkv, mp4 and all the rest. Therefore, there was no real way to make 1:1 copies of 16mm/35mm reels due to the SD limitation, since we now know film has detail that corresponds to 4K for 35mm (negatives) and 1080p for 16mm.
It's also worth noting that there was no home release of the videos prior to HIStory: Video Greatest Hits in 1995 (not counting the Making of Thriller from 1984), so you'd only watch those on TV, which was different from a film you'd watch on a movie theater that actually used a print (film copy) from the original negatives projected onto the screen. The TV standard was tape, so there was no way to make prints for broadcast, so tape masters were made for that matter and also convenience, since they could just dub these masters whenever needed without having to go back to the original film negatives/print. Again, everything was SD back then, including tape, so the original 35mm edit was put onto SD, 540p tape masters. For the convenience, these were also used for future home format releases (VHS and DVD). VHS is analog, so there's true loss in quality over the years. DVD is digital, but uses a video container called MPEG2, which caps quite some quality even from these tape masters (yes, even a raw digital copy of them would look better than what's seen on home releases, but still not in high definition, true max quality).
In conclusion, what's been available for us in multiple DVDs and VHS releases is the best quality within the technology available when these tape masters were created. Tech has advanced a lot since then and brought us to the point where we don't really have the best quality possible from these short films (which would be 1:1 digital copies from their original sources, for a digital source doesn't degrade like an analog one).

Yes, what you've been watching for the last 40 years or so is outdated tech :)
 
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So it appears that the documentary is indeed already finished and not "in production" as was written in the original press release.
 
filmandmusic said:
@ChrisC @MJbr2 @AlwaysThere

So Michael shot on film, does this mean the videos were ever available in the highest quality for the public? Does thriller look at its best on the “making of VHS” ? If yes what has happened over the years, why do they look bad now?
Was it even possible for tv’s in the 80s/90s to show films in the highest possible quality? Why do you shoot videos on film if the public can’t watch them in the intended quality?
Fucking hell I understand nothing of all this lol sorry for being such an idiot.
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Thriller was shown in cinemas in 1983 so it was possible to see it in great quality and it was probably in widescreen too. Same with Ghosts.
 
@MJbr2

Thank you
So ok, stupid question, maybe or maybe not.
If it was impossible to get the best possible quality to the people due to technological limitations at the time then why did MJ opt to shoot on film? The best quality was only available on cinema screens but those short films were never released to cinema’s, right? How could he have been happy when looking at the videos on MTV not looking the way they did when he filmed them?
 
Galactus123 said:
Thriller was shown in cinemas in 1983 so it was possible to see it in great quality and it was probably in widescreen too. Same with Ghosts.
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oh ok, I did not see this post while I was replying. So thriller was available in cinemas. Does this mean he didn’t shoot his other videos on film since they were never intended for a cinematic release?
 

SONY MUSIC & THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL JACKSON ANNOUNCE THE START OF THE THRILLER 40 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN​

www.prnewswire.com

SONY MUSIC & THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL JACKSON ANNOUNCE THE START OF THE THRILLER 40 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN

/PRNewswire/ -- Forty years after the release of Thriller, the album that catapulted Michael Jackson into the superstardom stratosphere, Sony Music and The...
www.prnewswire.com www.prnewswire.com

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Forty years after the release of Thriller, the album that catapulted Michael Jackson into the superstardom stratosphere, Sony Music and The Estate of Michael Jackson announce the start of the global campaign to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the King of Pop's landmark album. As part of the campaign, the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music will host fan events around the world, all free to the public, including immersive experiences, screenings of the Thriller 40 documentary and other fan parties.

Michael Jackson Thriller 40 Cover Artwork
Michael Jackson Thriller 40 Cover Artwork

There will be two immersive experiences. One in Dusseldorf, Germany, November 10-13 and the second in New York City, November 18-20. Each will feature specific track-focused experiences, interactive elements, and social and photo opportunities throughout.

Fans in eight other cities around the world will be treated to a private one-time-only screening of the Thriller 40 documentary which details the making of the biggest selling album in the world.


And in other cities, fans will be invited to special Thriller-themed parties celebrating the release of the new expanded album and will have the opportunity to hear the full double-disc album for the first time.

Further details along with info on how the fans can get tickets for the various fan events can be found HERE.

Released November 30, 1982, the Thriller phenomenon revolutionized music, video standards, and choreography through Michael's innovations for melding sound and visual art, the influence of which is still felt today. Thriller went on to win a record-setting eight Grammys and, with over one hundred million copies sold, it is the best-selling album of all time and the first album to be certified triple diamond by the RIAA. Read more HERE.

About Michael Jackson:
Michael Jackson is one of the most beloved entertainers and profoundly influential artists of all-time. He was also a dedicated philanthropist and an astute business professional. To date Jackson has sold more than 1 billion records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and Thriller as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 17 Grammy Awards including 8 in one year, a record, and received 26 American Music Awards, including the Artist of the Century Award. Jackson defined the art form of music video with such ground-breaking short films as "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and the classic "Thriller," which in 2009 became the first and only music video inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. In his short films "Black or White," "They Don't Care About Us," "Bad and "Smooth Criminal" and others, Jackson set an aesthetic standard for video production that remains unsurpassed even today. The Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil have produced two top shows: Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour was one of the top grossing tour of all time; and MICHAEL JACKSON ONE, a permanent show at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, which continues to thrill audiences and to receive critical raves. And on February 1, 2022, MJ the Musical premiered on Broadway. The acclaimed show won the most Tony Awards for a new musical in the 2021-2022 season and continues to break weekly box office records at the Neil Simon Theater. Jackson's sound, style and dance moves continue to inspire today's performers and new generations of fans worldwide continue to discover his artistry.

SOURCE Sony Music Entertainment
 
filmandmusic said:
oh ok, I did not see this post while I was replying. So thriller was available in cinemas. Does this mean he didn’t shoot his other videos on film since they were never intended for a cinematic release?
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No. I think all the videos from 1982 onwards are on film. They could release every short film in 4K if they still have the original materials. Cgi effects in the Dangerous and HIStory era videos might be a problem. Its possible that the effects were made in SD quality (they were only intended for TV) and would have to upscaled or recreated but we don't know if that is the case.
 
Galactus123 said:
No. I think all the videos from 1982 onwards are on film. They could release every short film in 4K if they still have the original materials. Cgi effects in the Dangerous and HIStory era videos might be a problem. Its possible that the effects were made in SD quality (they were only intended for TV) would have to upscaled or recreated but we don't know if that is the case.
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Wow this is all really interesting, I never knew there was so much difference in filming.
So for example DSTYGE will always look worse than billie jean?
 
filmandmusic said:
@MJbr2

Thank you
So ok, stupid question, maybe or maybe not.
If it was impossible to get the best possible quality to the people due to technological limitations at the time then why did MJ opt to shoot on film? The best quality was only available on cinema screens but those short films were never released to cinema’s, right? How could he have been happy when looking at the videos on MTV not looking the way they did when he filmed them?
Click to expand...

That`s an easy one, I think.. he hired real movie directors for his video's, like John Landis, Martin Scorsese and others. So production quality would be at it`s highest, including the usage of real film camera`s!
 
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