When we think we knew everything about Michael Jackson’s Thriller, there are always new things popping in to WOW us.
As Michael Jackson fans, “Thriller” short film is maybe the one we watched so many times, especially coming out of Halloween just few weeks ago.
We learn everything about it! The dance, the music, the shoot, the costumes, the special effects, the make-up artists…
But when John Roesch was recently interviewed by “Inverse”, something we did not know was revealed: the sound effects in Thriller.
To be honest, I did not know who was John Roesch. His job requires him to create live sound effects that are synchronized with moving images — everything from footsteps, to floor creaks, to the blast of a gun shot, or the whistling of the wind .
Roesch has been contributing to this art for 44 years, creating the sounds for classic films such as “Back to the Future” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, as well as Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller short film. “You’re creating a psychoacoustic environment,” Roesch says. And to do so, “the footsteps always come first.” Hence the 150 shoes he owns.
During his interview, he was asked how was the experience like working on Michael Jackson’s footsteps in “Thriller”.
“For any dance scene, rhythm is key. Many dancers have moments when their feet hit the ground and they are out of rhythm. I didn’t have that issue with Michael because the guy was amazing. I didn’t have to know the routine per se, but I did have to break it down into parts and cheat the sound that was needed depending on whether he was up on the tip of his toes or stepping to the side. I was performing with headphones, which we call the “cans” in the industry. And if at any point, I couldn’t see his feet, I just moved to the beat.”
Roesch’s work is huge! He is responsible for producing many sound effects for film and entertainment. His notable sounds include R2-D2 in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, E.T.’s body movements, and the sounds of Trinity’s latex body suit in the film The Matrix. He also worked on pretty much all the Spielberg’s movies and Disney’s! What a talent!
