Steve Barron
Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker. He is best known for directing the music videos for the songs "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Summer of 69" and "Run to You" by Bryan Adams, "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, "Electric Avenue" and "I Don't Wanna Dance" by Eddy Grant, "Let's Get Rocked" by Def Leppard, "Going Underground" by The Jam, "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League, "Baby Jane" by Rod Stewart, "Pale Shelter" by Tears for Fears, "Africa" by Toto, and "Take On Me" by A-ha. The videos for "Take On Me" and "Billie Jean" have each garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube. Barron also directed several films, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Coneheads (1993), and The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996).
Steve Barron | |
|---|---|
 Barron in July 2009 | |
| Born | Steven Barron 4 May 1956 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1976–present |
Early life
Barron was born in Dublin on 4 May 1956,[1] the son of filmmaker Zelda Barron (née Solomons, 1929–2006)[2] and actor Ron Barron. His mother was born in Manchester to an English mother and Russian father. His parents married in 1953 but the marriage was later dissolved. He has an older sister named Siobhan.[2] He was raised in London and attended St Marylebone Grammar School.
Career
Barron made his music video directorial debut in 1979 with "Time for Action" by Secret Affair and their following hit singles "My World" and "Sound of Confusion" and directed, and occasionally wrote additional treatment for,[3] various music videos. These videos, which include "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, and "Take On Me" by A-ha, would come to define the medium during the early days of MTV and are still considered among the best of all time.[4] He founded the production company Limelight with his sister Siobhan and Adam Whitaker.[5][6]
In 1984, he directed the science fiction comedy Electric Dreams, and then went on to direct several episodes of the television series The Storyteller before returning to film, directing the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990, The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1996, Rat in 2000 and Mike Bassett: England Manager in 2001. Barron directed several award-winning miniseries, such as Merlin (1998), Arabian Nights (2000) and Dreamkeeper (2003) for Hallmark Entertainment. In July 2010, it was revealed that Barron would make a return to music videos, directing "Butterfly, Butterfly," the then-final video of A-ha.
In late 2011, Barron's two-part production of Treasure Island was shown on British Sky Broadcasting.[7]
In November 2014, Barron published his autobiography, Egg n Chips & Billie Jean: A Trip Through the Eighties.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Electric Dreams | Yes | ||
| 1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Yes | ||
| 1993 | Coneheads | Yes | ||
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Yes | Yes | |
| 2000 | Rat | Yes | Yes | |
| 2001 | Mike Bassett: England Manager | Yes | Yes | |
| 2006 | Choking Man | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2008 | The Day After Peace | Co-producer | ||
| 2016 | Brahman Naman | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Supervized | Yes | Yes |
Cameraman
- Trauma (1976)
- The Duellists (1977)
- A Bridge Too Far (1977)
- Superman (1978) (Uncredited)
Executive producer
- The Specialist (1994)
- While You Were Sleeping (1995)
- Peace One Day (2004) (Documentary)
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1988 | The Storyteller | Yes | Episodes: "Hans My Hedgehog," "Fearnot," and "Sapsorrow" | |
| 1994–2001 | ReBoot | Yes | ||
| 1998 | Merlin | Yes | Miniseries | |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Yes | ||
| 2003 | Dreamkeeper | Yes | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Mike Bassett: Manager | Yes | ||
| 2010 | The Road Ahead | Yes | TV movie | |
| 2012 | Treasure Island | Yes | Miniseries | |
| 2013 | Delete | Yes | Yes | Miniseries |
| 2016–2017 | The Durrells in Corfu | Yes |
Music videos
- A-ha – "Take On Me" (1985), "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (1985), "Hunting High and Low" (1986), "Cry Wolf" (1986), "Manhattan Skyline" (1987), "The Living Daylights" (1987), "Crying in the Rain" (1990), "Butterfly, Butterfly" (2010)
- Adam and the Ants – "Antmusic" (1980)
- Bryan Adams – "Cuts Like a Knife" (1983), "Run to You" (1984), "Heaven" (1985), "Summer of '69" (1985)
- Culture Club – "God Thank You Woman" (1986)
- David Bowie – "As the World Falls Down" (1986) "Underground" (1986)
- Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked" (1992)
- Dire Straits – "Money for Nothing" (1985), "Calling Elvis" (1990), "Heavy Fuel" (1991)
- Dolly Parton – "Potential New Boyfriend" (1983)
- Eddy Grant – "Electric Avenue" (1982), "I Don't Wanna Dance" (1982), "Living on the Front Line" (1983)
- Fleetwood Mac – "Hold Me" (1982)
- Fun Boy Three – "It Ain't What You Do...." (1982)
- Heaven 17 – "Penthouse and Pavement" (1981), "Let Me Go" (1982), "Temptation" (1983)
- The Human League – "Don't You Want Me" (1981), "Love Action" (1981), "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" (1983)
- The Jam – "Strangetown" (1978), "When You're Young" (1979), "Going Underground" (1979), "Dreams of Children" (1979)
- Joe Jackson – "Steppin' Out" (1982), "Real Men" (1982), "Breaking Us in Two" (1982)
- Level 42 - "Heaven in My Hands" (1988)
- Madonna – "Burning Up" (1983)
- Michael Jackson – "Billie Jean" (1983)
- Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole – "Unforgettable" (1991)
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – "Maid of Orleans" (1982)
- Paul McCartney – "Pretty Little Head" (1986)
- Rod Stewart - "Baby Jane" (1983)
- Secret Affair – "Time for Action" (1979), "My World" (1980), "Sound of Confusion" (1980)
- Sheena Easton - "For Your Eyes Only" (1981), "Telephone" (1983)
- Simple Minds – "Promised You a Miracle" (1982)
- Skids - "Iona" (1981)
- Styx – "Haven't We Been Here Before" (1983)
- Supertramp – "Cannonball" (1985), "Better Days" (1986)
- Tears for Fears – "Pale Shelter" (1983)
- Toto – "Africa" (1982), "Rosanna" (1982), "Stranger in Town" (1984)
- ZZ Top – "Rough Boy" (1986), "Sleeping Bag" (1986)
References
- "Steve Barron Discography at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- Simon Relph (12 September 2006). "Obituary: Zelda Barron". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- "mvdbase.com - index = Steve Barron Profile". Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- "Interview with Iconic International Music Video Director Steve Barron (Michael Jackson, Madonna, & David Bowie) IMRO Ticket Offer". 16 November 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- "CAMPAIGN CRAFT: THE CREATIVE ISSUE - Why Limelight went from UK commercials boom to bust. The kitchen-table start-up couldn't rekindle its glory days. Emma Hall reports". Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- "They were on their last legs: Behind the story of how Take On Me catapulted A-Ha to success". Journal. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- Rose, Steve, "Elijah Wood: I was thrilled to play Frodo Baggins in The Hobbit", The Guardian, December 22, 2011, retrieved December 25, 2011.
- Hawksley, "'Michael Jackson? I was more excited about The Human League!'", Telegraph.co.uk, November 27, 2014, retrieved November 28, 2014.