This educational video was made by the NFU for the National Mountain Safety Council to promote awareness of bush safety. After a blackboard science lesson (check out a bearded Ray Henwood) things get interesting. A fictional trip into the bush turns into a Stubbies-clad seventies Kiwi version of the Blair Witch Project as we're told that one of the group will not survive the night, picked off by that fearsome killer: exposure. The message is serious, but the doom-laden tone induced titters in school classrooms and scout halls throughout NZ.
Watching Such a Stupid Way to Die awakened my memories of an eighties pre-school camp instructional video session. Knowing winks and nudges were exchanged in the darkened classroom when, suffering from hypothermia, the hapless Thomas is ...
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Unfortunately the credits were often not complete on the early NFU material. Even the actual credits clip doesn't show them for this one!
Shame there are no credits for the music/composer. Is it possible to find out?
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Short Film, 1958 (Full Length)
A documentary which examines the alpine flora and birdlife in the Upper Waitaki area of the South Island
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David Smith
Posted at 09.48PM - 26.01.2009
Hi. Archives NZ has the film info sheets for all of the NFU films including the Pictorial Parade editions from about 1950 onwards. These cover key production staff on each film including composers when they were commissioned. According to the film info sheet the music used on Such a Stupid Way To Die came from music library disks. If you really want to know you could try looking at the original production file at Archives NZ which may have the music cue sheet with the disk and track names listed. Cheers David