1965
County Durham
Born
Steven Charles Wilson. English first, then German and Spanish as working languages.
Director
Steve Wilson, artist filmmaker.
I grew up in County Durham and have spent most of my working life between the North East, Hamburg, and the hills of Andalucía. The company is called Whistling Mule because a mule is stubborn, useful, and unimpressed by fashion. That still sounds about right.
The filmmaking practice starts in 2000. The limited company sits on the UK register from 1996 — another name first — and I have been director since 2001. It is not an agency with a fake team and a stock photograph of a boardroom. It is one filmmaker, sometimes with friends on sound or a second camera, making pictures for people who would rather have the day as it was.
Before the mule had this name I studied at Sussex, at Kent (anthropology and media), and at Uppsala. I researched, then worked in the Hamburg media trade, then sat in the Avid rooms at Act HeadQuarter Media in Köln as assistant editor and editor on German television documentaries — including Mord auf Malta, the film on the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. I skippered and shot on wooden boats. The through-line is looking closely.
English is the first language. German and Spanish are working languages. That matters on a shoot.
Curriculum
Education
Sussex · Kent · Uppsala
Anthropology and media
University of Sussex; University of Kent (anthropology and media); University of Uppsala. Then research at Kent — looking closely at people before pointing a camera at them.
Hamburg
Germany
Internet, media, the suite
Hamburger Datenlotsen — internet technical consultant and media producer. Then I Am Media GmbH: editor, media producer, film crew, technical consultant. The Hamburg years are the trade, not a holiday.
Köln
Act HeadQuarter Media
Assistant editor / editor
ActHQ (acthq.de) is a Cologne and Berlin post house — Avid, grade, sound, broadcast. Steve sat in those rooms as assistant editor and editor on German television documentaries, including Mord auf Malta (Death in Malta) — Der Fall Daphne Caruana Galizia — which is on the ARD Mediathek. He is not the director of record. He cut it.
Sea
Expedition
Skipper and cameraman
Panawina: skipper and cameraman. Partner in wooden sailing ships. The camera that can live on a boat is the same camera that can live on a farm.
2000–
Durham · Hamburg · Andalucía
Whistling Mule
The filmmaking practice starts in 2000. The limited company sits on the UK register from 1996 (another name first); Steve has been director since 2001. One filmmaker, sometimes a friend on sound, making pictures for people who would rather have the day as it was.
Spain
Costa Tropical · campo
The Long Ride Home, and the rest
Cameraman and co-presenter with Dagmar Ritter on The Long Ride Home. Flamenco, guitar, theatre in Almuñécar, weddings on the Costa Tropical, and the campo portraits that are the house style.
North East England
Durham
Where the company is registered. Northern light, food films, energy research, and the Wear.
Germany
Hamburg
Editing rooms and harbour weather. Datenlotsen, I Am Media, then the Avid suites at ActHQ in Köln.
Spain
Andalucía
The campo, the Costa Tropical, flamenco, weddings, and the long patience of small towns.