Michael Jackson Thriller 40
Sony Music Germany, Artificial Rome
Immersive Experience
As part of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2022, The Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music Germany hosted the "Thriller 40 Immersive Experience" at the Kö in Düsseldorf to mark the fortieth anniversary of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" - the best-selling album of all time.
The "museum-style exhibition" took queues of enthusiastic visitors on a journey back in time to the 80s. In addition to set reconstructions of the iconic music videos for "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and "Thriller" and other pop-cultural treasures, there were exciting digital experiences to experience that were designed to approach Jackson's masterpiece from new perspectives.
„It's close to midnight - Something evil's lurking in the dark - Under the moonlight - You see a sight that almost stops your heart...„
When the music video for Thriller was released in cinemas in 1983, tickets were completely sold out for three weeks. And even 40 years later, everyone can still remember the young Michael Jackson as a snarling werewolf or the moves of the flesh-hungry street dance zombies.
And what would a real "thriller revival" be without the gruesomely beautiful horror of the cinemas of yesteryear? Here and now, of course, we have slightly different technical means and ways of scaring people - and this is exactly where we come in.
Together with Artificial Rome, we developed an experience that would still get audiences' pulses racing in 2022. The means of choice: virtual reality. Because the only thing more exciting than a horror movie is a horror movie in 360°.
The setting of the experience - how could it be otherwise; a mysterious forest on a foggy full moon night. And while the brave visitors are still trying to find their bearings in the thick fog, the old metal gate crashes loudly into the lock behind them...
Of course, there is a small ray of hope in the otherwise deliberately dark experience: a swarm of glowing fireflies, which we realized as an interactive particle system, serves as moral support.
This also served as an orientation aid for the users in the dark "Thriller Night", which is otherwise dominated by somewhat unfriendly creatures...
Without wanting to give too much away - the atmospheric experience is peppered with big and small frightening moments and culminates in a real horror finale.
The visual experience has been complemented by a sophisticated multi-channel sound design from German Wahnsinn for your acoustic horror pleasure.
Sequences from the experience were shown as teasers on additional screens. This allowed the waiting audience to get into the right mood.
The three 4K displays were embedded in a set design typical of the 80s: aluminum trusses, neon tubes behind perforated sheet metal and, of course, lots of fog.
The immersive horror story certainly left a lasting impression on the audience. We can't wait to see how the enthusiastic visitors will tell their grandchildren about it in forty years' time.
After its premiere in Düsseldorf, the Thrilller 40 VR was also used in New York - just in time for Halloween.
Service: Development & Support
Client: Sony Music Germany, Artificial Rome
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