Dorfman's work extends to the realm of music videos for artists that include David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Ringo Star, Harry Nilsson, Jefferson Starship, and Blondie.
Here, he joined the Penwith Society of Arts[12] and exhibited his paintings alongside abstract artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Peter Lanyon and Sven Berlin.
[13] Upon his return to South Africa,[10][12] Dorfman took a stance against the prevalent racial segregation laws of the time by organizing concerts named Township Jazz for the African Musician's Union.
This law enabled South African police officers to detain individuals for up to 90 days without a warrant, cause, or access to legal representation, and it could be indefinitely repeated.
[12] Dorfman began his television career in 1959,[16] initially working as a production designer for the BBC on programs such as An Evening with Nat King Cole, Meet Sammy Davis Jr., and Margot Fonteyn: Birthday of a Ballerina.
[31][32][23] His pivotal role in expanding the show's format cemented Top of the Pops as a top-rated program on the BBC and the premier platform for launching new music during that period.
[57] Other singer-songwriters who appeared on In Concert include Randy Newman, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson, Ravi Shankar, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Paul Williams, James Taylor, Al Green, Glen Campbell, Bobbie Gentry, James Taylor, Laura Nyro, Mary Travers, Jim Webb, Donovan, Ronnie Wood, John Denver, America, John Prine, John Williams, the Eagles, the Kinks, Buddy Rich, the Pointer Sisters, Gordon Lightfoot, Mason Williams, Martin Mull, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jonny Mercer, Stomu Yamash'ta, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Oscar Peterson, among others.
[15][14] Episodes directed by Dorfman included performances by Black Sabbath, Electric Light Orchestra, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Miller Band, Barry White, Ray Stevens, Tammy Wynette, Bo Diddley, Chet Atkins, James Brown, and many others.
[72] Contrary to popular legend suggesting that Hendrix was banned from the BBC for life,[66][73] Redding clarified that Dorfman appreciated their performance and even invited them for a drink afterwards.
This included musicians like Billy Preston, the Kinks, Tim Buckley, the Hollies, the Incredible String Band, Fleetwood Mac, and the Four Tops, as well as comedians like Peter Cook and Spike Milligan.
The series featured musicians from the Mississippi countryside, as well as guests such as Glen Campbell, James Taylor, Randy Newman, Elton John, Alan Price, Billy Preston, and Pan's People.
[97] Special guests included comedians Spike Milligan and Peter Cook, actor and screenwriter Colin Welland, and singer-songwriters Georgia Brown, Don McLean, and Paul Williams.
His manager Jerry Weintraub, took a calculated risk by agreeing to a series of shows in England under Dorfman's direction, potentially foregoing income from personal appearances in the United States.
His involvement in television and the recording of multiple RCA albums, in conjunction with his ongoing hit songs and performances in larger venues, led to a significant increase in his fan base.
Featured artists included the Who, Adam Faith, the Bachelors, Sandie Shaw, the Marmalade, the Kinks, the Hollies, Tom Jones, the Rolling Stones, Cilla Black, the Shadows, Cliff Richard, the Beatles, and Dusty Springfield, among others.
[106] Frank Sinatra, introduced by Grace Kelly and accompanied by jazz pianist Bill Miller and drummer Irving Cottler,[107] requested a camera to always be focused on his face.
(Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis) and marked a turning point in Jimmy Page's career following the loss of drummer John Bonham and the disbandment of Led Zeppelin.
The concert showcased performances from acclaimed artists including Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Tracy Chapman, Alanis Morissette, and Shania Twain.
Artists on this stage included Sheryl Crow, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Aerosmith, Cypress Hill, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bob Dylan, among others.
This description likely stems from the numerous reports of violence, sexual assault, and inadequate provisions for attendees, leading to chaotic and unsafe conditions that marred the festival's legacy.
[1][140][141] The video is shot primarily in a dark room, with Bowie being silhouetted and bathed by a foggy luminescent light, creating a dramatic aesthetic that persists almost from beginning to end.
[142] However, a 2016 Pitchfork article notes that Dorfman's "'Heroes'" video predates the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, making "the similarity with key shots from that film all the more remarkable".
[152] The video begins with night-time scenes of New York City featuring an infrared shot of the World Trade Center, before shifting to the band's on-stage performance beneath a disco ball.
Jess Harvell, in his review of the Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision DVD for Pitchfork, noted that even though owning a personal copy of 'Heart of Glass' might not seem as cool anymore "there's the always luminous Deborah Harry, who would give boiling asparagus an erotic charge, all while looking too bored to live.
In 1979, Richard Cromelin from Los Angeles Times wrote, "'Death to Disco' T-shirts weren't an uncommon sight among the new wave audience that formed Blondie's first base of support.
Dorfman chose the rooftop of the Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles, known for its distinct resembling a stack of discs, as the shooting location for both the commercial and the music video.
A lightweight flying saucer and a forty-foot robot were placed on the building, as Starr and Nilsson, the latter wearing a brown dressing robe, was sitting in a rocking chair and casually smoking a cigarette while reading the morning's Los Angeles Times.
[citation needed] Dorfman created the video for "Kojak Columbo" at a significantly lower cost than Starr's Goodnight Vienna production, due to a bet Nilsson had made with RCA.
The final film features a single, uninterrupted sequence of Nilsson's shot taking a full eight seconds to land perfectly in the net as Starr sleeps in the bleachers.
[169][170] His early paintings are characterized by hard-edged abstraction, vibrant flat colors, and evocative titles like "Vertical St. Ives (Paul)," "Blue and Brown Study," and "Composition with Four Rectangles."