Duffy - The Man Who Shot The '60s

The documentary about Brian Duffy (1933-2010) portrayed a history of his work and also an insight into a person who has remained an enigma, never giving interviews or hosting exhibitions. The programme was initiated by his son Chris Duffy after Brian was diagnosed with a degenerative illness. Chris wanted to host an exhibition of his Fathers work and began to film the journey of his Father and what led him to drastically burn all his work at the height of his career.

Duffy began his career as a Fashion Designer after studying Painting and Fashion Design at College, after a few years working as a Fashion Designer he got a job as an Illustrator leading to an interest in Photography, where his career blossomed resulting in him getting a job with the prestigious Vogue.

He became famous for bringing a sense of reality to photographs, changing the perception from the staid and formalised photography of previous decades. Working with David Bailey and Terence Donovan they set to capture the vibrant fashion and celebrity culture of the '60s but Duffy was defiant and liked to work in his own way which although made him an interesting character but also led to altercations with his employer and clients.

After 6 years he began to shoot advertising and promotional photography which led him to question his own values and became bitter towards the clients he was working for, so he decided to go solo. Shooting celebrities worldwide he gained an interest in film, leading him to set up a production company with screenwriter Len Dayton. After making a series of self initiated low budget films he veered back into photography in the 1970s.

In 1973, Duffy was asked to make a calendar with the artist Allen Jones which left Duffy frustrated and dissatisfied, he wanted more control over the final outcome of his work so he set up a company with a young graphic designer, Celia Philo.

He worked on major projects such as commercial campaigns for Benson and Hedges and Smirnoff and many celebrity promotions, although he loved problem solving and working to a brief he again became dissatisfied by the commercial advertising clients he was commissioned by so drastically decided to sack all his staff and set fire to all his work. When later questioned as to why he took such dramatic measures he states "I had nothing else to say in Photography".

Us Now

Us Now was a TV programme from Ivo Gormley, which explored the Internet and the power of having the ability to network on a wide scale. I hoped the programme would concentrate more on the design aspect of the Internet as Web design is something I have been attempting to learn more about but it in fact centred mainly on the social impact of the Internet which did raise some interesting points.

The programme investigated the positive aspects of the social impact of the Internet such as the ability to participate in group action and the power it gives to the individual to be part of a wider community and to have the control to influence and promote their personal views.

The programme also highlighted how the Internet can be a negative tool for people who don't understand the Internet and how using the web can limit 'real' social interaction forcing a breakdown of community's.

He investigated how people trust the information they receive from the Internet whether the information is true or not and how some people have come to rely on the Internet for their basic needs and how this is dramatically changing society.

He discussed collaboration and the ability to connect with other people from all cultures and backgrounds, which could work in both a positive and negative way, mostly depending on the participants, he predicted that this trend of communicating in virtual groups could lead to the public gaining more power to control major parties in society such as councils and even the government, although possibly sounding a bit far fetched some of his views did seem conceivable and who knows the outcome of giving people the power to influence a mass audience at the touch of a button.

Ivo Gormley described the Internet as "sparking the greatest social change since the invention of the printing press" as I suppose if people are giving the tools to communicate masses of information this is bound to create change and information is power.

He also predicts that the Internet may of created a form of chaos but will lead to a better society, the Internet is a powerful tool and many people couldn't imagine life without it, we trust it, we learn from it and if used responsibly can enrich peoples lives and offer unlimited opportunities.