Music Videos
When I first started working in the film industry Pop Videos were relatively few and far between but as comercial television evolved the pop video became an important part of marketing. I worked as a camera assistant to Nic Knowland who had filmed several things for John and Yoko including the video for Imagine. I got to work with the other three Beatles but sadly not John. I did however get linked up with Russell Mulcahy and became his cameraman as the industry took off in the UK then later got to direct myself.
Video Killed the Radio Star - Buggles - 1979 I photographed Video Killed the Radio Star in 1979 which was directed by a young Russell Mulcahy. It became the first video to be shown on MTV and is shown every time they have an anniversary - YouTube has had over 34 million views
Underground -John Foxx - 1979 John Foxx was the lead singer with Ultravox before Midge Are took over. There was not much money for the early videos especially when the artist was relatively unknown so this video was a small studio shoot with a few lighting tricks then a bit of location shooting. Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Star Chaser - Shiela B Devotion - 1979 Shiela B Devotion is a French artist with a large following and was an early exponent of disco. I had never heard of her in 79 but she arrived in her own private jet for the filming of this video The singer known as Sheila (Annie Chancel) is little known outside her native France - with good reason - but this was a massive hit thanks to the prodigious talents of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Baggy Trousers - Madness 1979 Baggy Trousers I first photographed Madness for their single Baggy Trousers, a song written by Suggs in response to Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd. A school in Islip Street Kentish Town was used for the location and the video centred on two performances by the band, one on the school stage which I livened up by rushing at them with a hand held camera on a wide angle lens and then the band playing on the school field where a little way into the song Lee Thompson, the saxophonist takes off. Lee had been a fan of artists such as Peter Gabriel and Alex Harvey who liked a bit of theatrics and he persuaded Dave Robinson of Stiff to hire theatrical wire artists known as Kirby wires to organise the flying. It was a grey day and we shot on 16mm film and were very pleased when the rushes came back and we couldn’t see the wires against the grey sky. Directed by Dave Robinson
House of Fun - Madness -1979 I next came across Madness when I was asked to film a day on House Of Fun – as often the case with larger bands 3 members would turn up, ask where the others were, then finding out they hadn’t arrived would disappear, usually to a pub. I filmed the sequence in a chemist shop, with Lee, Mike and Chas dressed as women doing a synchronised dance. Then Suggs approaching the counter of the chemist to sing the verse where he tries to ask for condoms. We asked the photographer, Clare Muller to be the chemist and had to stand her on a box so Suggs could look up to her. Dave Robinson noted how good the band were at improvising when he watched Lee and Chas ducking up and down with their brass instruments in the refrain. After the chemist we went to Escapade, the joke shop in Camden to film Mike, Chris and Chas do a synchronised hand jive as shop assistants – all worked out on the day. The funfair sequence was shot in Great Yarmouth by cameraman Chris Morphet, (who also filmed the devil sequence). Directed by Dave Robinson I photographed a few more of their videos, then went onto direct some for them, including one featuring Ian Dury called “Drip Fed Fred” which we filmed around Kenwood House in Hampstead, (a favourite spot of Ian’s) where the band carried him around in a sedan chair. Ian was quite ill with cancer at that point and I think it was his last film appearance, and you can see him thoroughly enjoying the experience. I also directed a film about the history of the band titled “One Man’s Madness” which has a cinema release, a DVD and is shown on Sky Arts.
Turning Japanese - The Vapours - 1979 I photographed this video for director Russell Mulcahy and it reached no 1 in the charts. The video has disappeared from YouTube, perhaps because there is a lot of samurai sword waving which is now considered irresponsible or perhaps because the video is considered a bit naff by todays standards.
Feed the Enemy - Magazine - 1979 This was one of two videos we made in a day, a simple set of black plastic and theatre lights. I used a distorting lens I got from an edit suite that I held in front of the camera so I could twist the image - the dancer was a young Sarah Brightman. Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Offshore Banking Business - The Members 1979 with the legendary Rico on trombone. Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Good to be back Home - The Tourists - 1979 We shot this video on a cold winters day around the time the Great Rock'n'roll Swindle was being made and some of the cast also appear in this video . Julian Temple plays the cymbals in the welcoming band - shortly after this was made the band morphed into the Eurythmics. Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Valparaiso - Paula Moore - 1983 One of the more extravagant videos of the time with a purpose built set and a bunch of look a likes
There will be sad songs - Billy Ocean - 1986 Maurice Phillips directed this video which was a studio shoot where we had a glass painter fill in the exterior city scape - a technique long forgotten since the development of CGI
Killing Joke - Adorations 1986 We shot this video in Spittlefields church, a classic Hawsmoor building that has since been put under a preservation order and I am sure would not allow filming there with a smoke machine today. My memory has it that the band turned up on time and Jaz proceded to drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels yet was still able to put on a good performance. Directed by John Mills