Def Leppard - Photograph HQ

What this video is

Released in early 1983 as the lead single from Def Leppard's third album 'Pyromania,' 'Photograph' represents a watershed moment in the MTV-driven rock crossover phenomenon. Shot in December 1982 at Battersea, London, the video married theatrical British production sensibilities — drawn from director David Mallet's work with Queen and Bowie — with an American arena rock ambition. The Marilyn Monroe iconography…

Why it matters

A canonical example of early MTV hard rock aesthetics, 'Photograph' helped define the visual grammar of the arena rock video: performance-intercutting, theatrical set design, and aspirational sexuality. It bridged the NWOBHM roots of British heavy metal with the polished pop-metal sound that would…

The director

David Victor Mark Mallet (born 17 December 1945, West Horsley, Surrey, England) is a pioneering British director of music videos and concert films. He rose to prominence co-founding the production company MGMM and directing landmark videos for David Bowie…