Making Indie Films

Still in rewrite deadline hell, so a personal reminiscence about documentary filmmaking will have to suffice today…

Recently I flipped on the TV and came across a fantastic ’80s New Wave documentary entitled MADE IN SHEFFIELD. As the title suggests this 52 minute retrospective dealt with the rise of early electronica in Sheffield, England in the late 1970s and charted the rise of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, HEAVEN 17, CABARET VOLTAIRE, ABC and the lesser known but equally interesting ARTERY. This was the pop music of my youth - stylishly re-presented through a series of candid interviews by director Eve Wood. Despite catching the odd typo in some of the captions - there was something very honest and touching about this film. Apart from Phil Oakey, Martin Ware and a more current Jarvis Cocker, most of the interviewees never quite retained any great fame or mass appeal after their bubble burst. I think a great many of them are back in Sheffield. Still, the music lives on. Some of it as the greatest British pop albums of the 80s. Who can forget “Penthouse and Pavement” from Heaven 17, or The Human League’s “Dare,” or ABC’s “The Lexicon of Love.”

After remembering my youth so fondly, imagine my surprise when later (on USA Network) I heard “Don’t You Want baby..?” used as the jingle for the current CHIPS AHOY commercial. Like I said - the music lives on - unfortunately inscrupulous Ad Execs have turned the Human League into four animated cookies driving a funny car. Ah, well… At least that means a few well deserved sheckels for Phil Oakey and co.

To give you an idea of the look and flava, here is the MADE IN SHEFFIELD trailer…

I also couldn’t resist posting the DON’T YOU WANT ME BABY video clip…