Documentary- The 80s: The decade that made us.

National Geographic documentary series

• Change started in the 80s 
• Decade that turned the world upside down
• Ronald Reagan wants to know how far American can go 
• Sells his idea of America
• Conservative revolution 
• Promises economical and moral change 
• 1984 Olympic games in LA- celebration of upsurge 
•  Wins more votes than any other in American history 
• Believed 1960s ruined America
• Believed need to look at past for future
• Back to the Future- nostalgic view of attitudes in 80s 
• Look back at idealistic 50s- flashback 
• 11 weeks at top of US box office 
• 80s- pop culture and politics start to blur together in order for success 
• Mentioned film in speech 
• Repairing past to have a better future 
• Cosby show- revolutionary for civil black acts in America in 80s 
• Broke barriers on TV as broke stereotypes 
• 1984 pilot presentation 
• Different dynamic as previously seen
• Success not anticipated 
• Throwback to 50s sitcoms yet new 
• Not legitimised in society til seen on TVC
• Paved way in black pop culture- could have changed views on Obama today if not seen then
• Decade where greed is good 
• But also where giving becomes global 
• Humanitarian crisis 
• BandAid- donation and phenomenon 
• Strong & clever move 
• Scale of charity 
• USE for Africa 
• Celebrity activism 
• Ruthless killer starts to take over- AIDs 
• Untreatable and terminal 
• Causes war and polarised attitudes to disease and homosexuality 
• Stereotyped disease 
• Ignorance to how disease could be spread 
• Worry and freight about catching the disease 
• Public fear eventually changes to sympathy 
• Not until 1987 Reagan recognises AIDs in speech
• 1986 public awareness that America is taking part in cold war 
• Opens up scandal 
• Against the Soviet Union 
• Russia still a closed and isolated place 
• 1987 Berlin Wall breakdown 
• 'tear down this wall' 
• Historical turning point of American 80s 

Documentary- 80s greatest gadgets.

National Geographic Channel documentary series

• Tech became tangible 
• Fast rate 
• Decade full of greed only wanting better 
• Technological explosion
• 1982 compact disk
• First mass tech seen in home
• Better quality sound 
• Indestructible compared to vinyl 
• CDs were a mystery to how they work at the time
• Information embedded on disk with codes etched into metal between plastic 
• Iconic video game- Pac Man
• Symbol of gaming 
• First intro to a computer 
• Appeal to both men and women 
• Digital pixels at their best 
• Music went mobile 
• Boombox
• Large bass sounds
• Broadcast and make music with it
• Revolutionary tech inside home
• Computer 
• Close to magic 
• IBM look at personal computers and motherboards
• Compete with Apple
• Product to market in a year 
• Massive success
• Boom in a short few years
• Business standard 
• Affordable machines formed from this 
• Video game console 
• 1985 Nintendo 
• Development of computer programs
• Sony Walkman
• Compact 
• Listen privately outside of home 
• Made life more exciting 
• Became so common now not even considered 
• Sony first Japanese company to be known 
• Everyone wanted to own one
• Soundtrack and solo experience to life 
• Serious dangers of being immersed in own life outside of home
• MP3 is now child of Walkman 
• Personal stereo will never disappear 
• Micro processors being developed at time meant products were getting smaller 
• Becoming in-practical 
• Conversion of products seen today 
• Video recorder 
• Revolutionised how we watched and thought about TV
• No longer a slave to TV- could go out and watch later 
• New tech battles between formats 
• VHS vs Betamax
• VHS more affordable and more available
• Out selled 8 to 1 
• Removable of the cinema 
• By end of 80s 60 percent owned a recorder
• Synthesiser exploded in the 80s 
• Futuristic sounds 
• Electro pop sound dominated early 80s
• Originally too costly for mass production but 80s changed this and they became affordable 
• Available for all budgets for budding producers
• Musicians today use similar tech in dance/electronic genres 
• Mobile phone introduced 
• Could only call in 80s
• Phones needed a massive battery pack to work 
• 10 years to produce a commercial service 
• Similar to a brick
• $4000 for 30 mins of calls 
• Make and receive calls 
• Ground breaking but now would seem dumb
• Poor reception was still an issue
• If seen with one you would be seen as a yuppie
• People listening into life
• World changing gadgets exploded in the 80s and now available in one hand held device 
• What will now happen in another 30 years?