Thriller (Michael Jackson album) video that would appeal to the mass market ended up influencing the way that professionals now market and release their songs. John Landis' production of a mini-movie, rather than the usual short music video, would raise the bar for other directors and producers. Before the success of "Thriller", many felt Jackson had struggled to get MTV airing because he was black. In an effort to attain air time for Jackson, CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff pressured MTV and declared, "I'm not going to give you any more videos and I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the
Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video) film with a budget much larger than previous music videos. Jackson's record company refused to finance it, believing "Thriller" had peaked, so a making-of documentary, "Making Michael Jackson's Thriller," was produced to receive financing from television networks. "Michael Jackson's Thriller" was launched to great anticipation and played regularly on MTV. It doubled sales of "Thriller", helping it become history's bestselling album, and sold over a million copies on VHS, becoming the bestselling videotape at the time. It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, and popularizing the making-of documentary