Catastrophes through Media

‘Catastrophes through Media’ is a short documentary I made in 2008 very shortly after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar/Burma killing and injuring an enormous amount of people. It was also around the time of a deadly earthquake in China. I was affected quite profoundly by this and didn’t understand how people could be so blasé about it and even in some cases callous. I came to realise that people have already decided how they will react to certain types of news stories before they happen. From this idea came my short documentary discussing reaction to disasters from the media and the public. The public is represented by vox pops from Wellingtonians and the media by Mediawatch host Colin Peacock.

The magnitude-7.9 quake in Sichuan province in China killed 70,000 and made 5 million homeless.
Cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta killed 140,000 people, severely affected 2.4 million people and left 800,000 displaced.

Catastrophes through Media by Shaun D Wilson

Clean

Here’s a mini documentary I did on Dunedin band The Clean in 2008. You might realise that I had strict time limitations by the fact my voice is going at 100Ks a minute. I also covered their song Beatnik on my second EP.

The Clean Doco

Radio New Zealand has highlights from a 2007 gig at San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington that was eventually released on record. Listen to them here.

Radio Ephemera

In 2008 I entered a short audio item competition called ‘Radio Ephemera’ run by the Third Coast Festival in Chicago in collaboration with the Prelinger Library. You can find all the entries here.
I made two entries which made had to be in part inspired by ephemeral books in the Prelinger Library. I didn’t win but I got a nice T-Shirt, some stickers and dental equipment all of which was more than I was expecting.

The Great Tree Strike of 1934
Description: A record of one of the most significant cultural events of New Zealand's forgotten history.
Inspired by: The Big Strike / Trees as Good Citizens
Stranger: Lance, who was waiting for Lily.

Why Question the Facts?
Description: A tired teen talks in the second worst recording device he has.
Inspired by: Trailer Ahoy! / The Stork Didn't Bring You!
Stranger: Those who could be coerced into answering a weird question by a stranger.

Production Skite

In radio people have a ‘skite tape’ – which is essentially the audio equivalent of a show reel. Here’s one I made mid 2008 towards the end of my time at The New Zealand Radio Training School. This one emphasises my production skills. If there’s anything in there you want to hear the rest of just ask and I’ll try to track it down.

Shaun D Wilson - Production Skite by Shaun D Wilson

Ladyhawke and Holidays with Friends

Shortly after starting my Munt FM show ‘Herculean Cauliflower’ (5-7PM NZT, Thursdays) I went to a Ladyhawke (supported by Holidays with Friends) Gig at San Francisco Bathhouse here in Wellington. After the show I rather exhaustedly recorded my thoughts on the night into my crappy MP3 player's inbuilt mic. The next day I did some editing and put together this.

The Recover EP

The Recover EP was finished in October 2008 and worked on intermittently from February of that year. It is made up of covers and remixes of songs I have unreserved love of and so decided to ruin. I veer far away for the source material to create something that I believe is pretty interesting.

Tracklisting

Alala
A remix of the Cansei de Ser Sexy song.

There's Always Something There to Remind Me
A remix of the Sandie Shaw version of this song.

Beatnik
A cover of The Clean.

God Only Knows (Big Parklife Magic Dance Time)
Featuring Walter Evers.
A cover of The Beach Boys with additional song snippets.

These Words
A remix of the Natasha Bedingfield song.

Crucify
Starring Katie Hayes. A Tori Amos cover.

For more details check the credits that come with download.