STEVE BARRON. From Michael Jackson to a-ha The Iconic 80s MTV POP VIDEO Director

Steve Barron helped create the visual language of the 1980s. He directed Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” a-ha’s groundbreaking “Take On Me” and Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing”—three videos that transformed the relationship between music, storytelling and MTV.

In this full Pop: The History Makers interview, Steve Barron reveals how some of the most recognisable music videos ever made went from an initial idea to the screen.

He discusses working with Michael Jackson on “Billie Jean,” the combination of live action and pencil animation that made “Take On Me” unforgettable, and the groundbreaking computer imagery behind Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.”

The conversation also explores the creative freedom of the early music-video era, working with some of the world’s biggest artists, and Steve’s move into feature films—including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

This is the story of the director behind images that helped define an entire generation.
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00:00 Introduction
00:24 Steve Barron’s childhood and film influences
04:17 Making his first Super 8 film
04:48 His first professional film job
07:05 Learning from Peter MacDonald
09:48 Working with legendary film directors
12:01 An unexpected encounter with Prince Charles
16:09 Breaking into music videos
20:56 How MTV transformed artists’ images
24:01 MTV, Black artists and “Billie Jean”
26:28 The Human League and “Don’t You Want Me”
32:26 Michael Jackson and the making of “Billie Jean”
40:21 The star quality of Madonna, Bowie and Michael Jackson
42:11 How a-ha’s “Take On Me” created a pop idol
44:52 Dire Straits and “Money for Nothing”
49:08 Moving from music videos into film and television
50:45 Working with writers and directing scripts
52:20 Did music videos change society?
54:07 Final thoughts