b'Director Interviews UKTracey Ullman They Dont Know DaveRobinsonStiffsUpperLipon the set of Robert Plants Burning Down One Side (photo by Nigel Dick)Madness Our HouseAs the head of Stiff Records, you were doingWhat was the first clip you actuallyOn the Our House video, whatThe budget for Madness My Girl was everything. When did it come about that you would bedirected? happened with the parachute?around 2,500 pounds. The Lene Lovitch one directing the music videos? First one I really did was the Damneds We hooked the parachute onto thewas in the same ballpark. Between 2,500 I started off work as a photographer, so I had a vagueNew Rose [1976], which I did with anothercrane, and made it look like the wires wereand 3,000 pounds.At that time, the major idea of how it worked. In those days, before MTV, theyguy who could film, so I directed and heconnected and it was working. record companies were spending fifteen were made to send to be seen around the world. Theydfilmed it. And then I thought, wow, this is really Yes, but the shot in the video has thethousand pounds for a music video. get a look at the band, so obviously you wanted to keepeasy, maybe Ill just do all of it. I believe Lene parachute falling down. It obviously looks likeGenerally, where were they being seen the budget low. There was no promotional usage forLovitchs Lucky Number was the second a mistake, but comes off funny. in the UK.them, it was just letting the people in the offices in[1979]. And from there on, that was the thing. IYes, it obviously didnt work, but it was allTheres an awful lot of Saturday morning Australia see the band you were talking about. So I gavemean, Madness shoots were unique becausepart of the humor of that one.programs for kids with music in them. They it out to several directors, and give them an idea of howtheyre very good actors, and prepared to doAnd it looks like you won a few awardsalways used the videos. Saturday morning it was going to be, and Id get it back and it wouldnt bearanything. They were into being funny. Youfor those clips. shows and music shows mostly. They were any resemblance to what you agreed you were going toknow, I was brought up on the Carry On filmsYes, I believe we won twelve awardskey for records in the U.K. at that time. We get. And theyd run overbudget and all kinds of stuff, so Iof the UK, so you know, slightly slapstick,for our videos. We got a Clio too, somewere making commercials for records, which thought, what could be difficult about this? These peopleslightly zany. The way the videos were made,advertising award for a Kirsty MacColl videois what I always thought of music videos are idiots, so obviously I could do itIm an idiot.And Ithey had to be made in one day. I could takecalled Terry. The record wasnt a big hit. Itas.We were making a spot that was a could do a good job, because I know pretty much what Itime off to mess about, so eventually I put anwas a funny thing in a club, and we pickedcommercial for the record. want, so I started doing them.editing suite into the office. My wife and thisup some awards. Nigel said he learned this from you: Dont Madness One Step Beyond new editor started working there. So all thoseWhat was your general budget intell me your problems, and I wont tell you videos were made in a day.those days? mine. 54MVTMISSUE #1 ISSUE #1MVTM55'