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videos | chelsea girl

director
-


producer
Rock Biz Pix


studio
TVI


genre
Studio performance/Special effects/Animation


source
Chelsea Girl (4:33)


comments
A late seventies classic with all the thrills.

We had the sheer white and black backgrounds which were guaranteed to send early VCRs into sheer colour bleed frenzy before causing the TV to emit smoke. We had the latest split frame technology (presumably borrowed from a guy who worked at Top Of The Pops) which was pushed to the max. And we even had an animated Chelsea Girl. We were spoilt.

A nervous Simple Minds, lead by a basin bowled Jim, clinically strode through the track either playing their instuments or stood in formation belting out the choruses. Split screen was used to underpin the fact that different instruments were played at different times, which was obviously quite important. Some shots even featured six frames of activity, causing information overload in the pre-computer-game generation.

The split frames and sullen shots of the band looking suitably moody were separated with an animated Chelsea Girl, happily dancing and eating herself to exhaustion. (More Hanna Barbera than the sixties chic of the sleeve design). It's obvious that Arista spent a fortune on it.

According to the VT Clock, the final edit was assembled on the 16th July 1979.




availability
Unfortunately this video is still only available as copies through collectors' circles as Virgin apparently 'forgot' to include it on the Seen The Lights DVD compilaion. This was of complete annoyance to the fans and probably quiet relief to all those who starred in it.




vt clock


The post-production house Molinare are still going strong in London. I suspect they created the animation sequences in the video - and probably edited the final result. Rock Biz Pix were a short lived production company, filming live concerts and producing video promos in the late 1970s.

The director still remains elusive however!

Note that the 'correct' date for the final edit is given: 16th July 1979. (See below)




archive
The Universal Archive holds four copies (three originals and one archive) of the master on various formats. In one case, the date created is given as "07/11/1979" (which could be interpreted as the 11th July 1979 - but is probably incorrect as the single was released the previous month).

next video




Scary special effects #1

Scary special effects #2. That guitar is just floating above their heads. It's magic.

Compulsory Flying-V close-up

The only simple shot in the whole video
Split screen melt down

Award winning animation