Director John Landis said Monday that he is still upset by Michael Jackson's death, but a Venice Film Festival screening dedicated to "Thriller" is a chance to celebrate the musician's life.
An enhanced version of the landmark Landis-directed music video, "Michael Jackson's Thriller 3-D," is screening alongside a behind-the-scenes documentary that has never been shown in cinemas before.
Landis told reporters in Venice on Monday that Jackson's death aged 50 in 2009 was a tragedy for his family, his friends and the world.
"Truly great performers are rare, and he was brilliant — and a tragic figure, I think," Landis said. "I was horrified, and I'm still upset about it.
The 14-minute "Thriller" video, released in 1983, stemmed from Jackson's love of Landis' film "An American Werewolf in London" and the King of Pop's desire to turn into a monster onscreen.
Landis says modern technology has let him remix the sound and improve the visuals while converting the film to 3-D, so audiences can now "experience it the way Michael wanted you to."
"My only disappointment is that Michael is not here to see it and hear it, because I think he would love it," Landis said.
Landis says the accompanying backstage documentary shows Jackson "happy and joyous" and at his creative peak.
"It's a celebration of Michael I didn't expect, and very emotional for me," he said.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More