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) and had a "great smile". Landis encouraged Jackson and Ray to improvise during their scenes, and urged Jackson to satisfy his female fans by acting "sexy" and showing "virility". According to Ray, the attraction between them was real and they became intimate on set. Jackson's transformation makeup was designed by artist Rick Baker, who had worked on "American Werewolf". Elmer Bernstein composed incidental music for the video. The director of photography was Robert Paynter, who had worked with Landis on "Trading Places." "Thriller" was filmed at the Palace Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, the zombie dance sequence at the junction