Steve Barron
Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956)[1] is an Irish film director, film producer, writer, and music video director. He directed the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Coneheads (1993) and The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), as well as numerous music videos including Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and A-ha's "Take On Me", with the latter reaching 1 billion views on YouTube.
Steve Barron | |
|---|---|
 Barron with Eddie Izzard, on the set of Treasure Island, in 2011 | |
| Born | Steven Barron 4 May 1956 Dublin, Ireland |
| Education | St Marylebone Grammar School |
| Occupation | Film director, film producer, music video director, writer, assistant cameraman |
| Years active | 1979–present |
Early life
Barron was born in Dublin, Ireland, the younger child of Jewish filmmaker Zelda Ruth (née Solomons) Barron (1929–2006)[2] and actor Ron Barron, who met in London. Zelda and Ron married in 1953; the marriage was later dissolved. He has an older sister, Siobhan.[2] He attended St Marylebone Grammar School in London.
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]
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 television. The cast included Eddie Izzard as Long John Silver and Elijah Wood as Ben Gunn.[6]
Books
In November 2014, he published his autobiography entitled Egg n Chips & Billie Jean: A Trip Through the Eighties.[7]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Assistant cameraman | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Trauma | Yes | ||||
| 1977 | The Duellists | Yes | ||||
| A Bridge Too Far | Yes | |||||
| 1978 | Superman | Yes | Uncredited | |||
| 1984 | Electric Dreams | Yes | ||||
| 1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Yes | ||||
| 1993 | Coneheads | Yes | ||||
| 1994 | The Specialist | Yes | Executive producer | |||
| 1995 | While You Were Sleeping | Yes | ||||
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2000 | Rat | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2001 | Mike Bassett: England Manager | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2004 | Peace One Day | Yes | Documentary Executive producer | |||
| 2006 | Choking Man | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2008 | The Day After Peace | Yes | Co-producer | |||
| 2016 | Brahman Naman | Yes |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-1988 | The Storyteller | Yes | Episodes: "Hans My Hedgehog" "Fearnot" "Sapsorrow" | |
| 1994-2001 | ReBoot | Yes | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | Merlin | Yes | TV mini-series | |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Yes | ||
| 2003 | Dreamkeeper | Yes | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Mike Bassett: Manager | Yes | Executive producer | |
| 2010 | The Road Ahead | Yes | TV movie | |
| 2012 | Treasure Island | Yes | TV miniseries | |
| 2013 | Delete | Yes | Yes | TV miniseries Executive producer |
| 2016-2017 | The Durrells in Corfu | Yes |
Music videos
Music videos directed by Barron include:
- 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)
- ZZ Top – "Rough Boy" (1986), "Sleeping Bag" (1986)
References
- "Steve Barron Discography at Discogs". Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- Simon Relph (12 September 2006). "Obituary: Zelda Barron". London: The Guardian. 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". 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.
- Rose, Steve, "Elijah Wood: 'I was thrilled to play Frodo Baggins in The Hobbit'", The Guardian, 22 December 2011; retrieved 25 December 2011.
- Hawksley, R. "'Michael Jackson? I was more excited about The Human League!'", Telegraph.co.uk, 27 November 2014; retrieved 28 November 2014.
External links
- Steve Barron on IMDb
- Interview with Barron profile, efilmcritic.com
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