tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20240893222752918472024-03-18T21:50:36.883+00:00From the Office to the OceanI am a Film-Maker and Shark enthusiast who spends a lot of time talking about Shark Attacks, Shark Behaviour and Shark Feeding.
I am responsible for the films Of Shark and Man, A Ray of Light and A Ray of Light II.
I don't believe in appealing to the lowest common denominator.
www.ofsharkandman.comOfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-65979446082314377392017-06-29T14:51:00.002+01:002017-06-29T14:51:23.664+01:00Of Shark and Man - Final Update... Mission Accomplished!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUinrqUGBc0/WVUCXNUgraI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/gScavA7fV4k7tIudvQ-UKiygkZFDHWrlQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMDB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1103" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUinrqUGBc0/WVUCXNUgraI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/gScavA7fV4k7tIudvQ-UKiygkZFDHWrlQCLcBGAs/s400/IMDB.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<br />
It's been 7 years since I first started this blog and in the last couple of those, I've just not been able to keep up with it. Work, family, travel, all has taken up my time to the extent that any spare time I have, I want to spend away from a computer, so this my friends is almost certainly the last post I will make here and it's only fitting that it is one to announce that, after all that hard work... I did it.<br /><br />In April of this year I signed an international distribution deal for Of Shark and Man and the film has started making its way out into the big wide world where it will have to survive on its own, make its own choices and learn how to overcome life's challenges as a big grown up film in a massively saturated market.<br /><br />From the website: <br />
<br />
<i>I am very proud to finally be able to announce news I have been
sitting on for months now, Of Shark and Man is finally available on
international release for you to own or rent as of today!</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>It’s been a long road, I signed the deal back in April, one of
the reasons it’s taken so long to happen is there have been
numerous offers and contracts on the table, all with different
details, different financial offers and different geographic
territories so it’s been quite hectic and time consuming to make
the final decision, a decision which the last seven years has been
leading up to.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>A statistic I read a few months back took me by surprise, only 2%
of independent films are ever picked up for international
distribution and with documentary, the percentage is even lower so
this is no mean feat. I must thank Ed Brochin with Shami Media Group,
who, since we first met in May last year at the Nice International
Film Festival has been persistently and enthusiastically chasing the
film to release, his energy and commitment to releasing Of Shark and
Man as been immensely flattering and validating to me. Big thanks as
well to his sister, my friend Deanna Brochin, who insisted she
introduce us, which got the ball rolling in the first place.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>You will have noticed by now the film has new artwork. In order to
stand out in an increasingly saturated market, the distributors felt
the artwork needed to be more sharky so to speak. Don’t worry
though, the original artwork you are all so familiar with, created by
the awesome people at EDNA interactive (thank you Ed, Anna and Sue!)
will still be very visible as, like you all, I absolutely love it. It
also means that all of you with the posters now have limited number
collectors items!</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>As of today, Thursday July 29th 2017, Amazon Prime is the
first platform on which to buy or rent the film with the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073DTSZTZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657986&sr=1-1&keywords=shami%20media%20group" target="_blank">United
Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073DWQNCW/ref=sr_1_2?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657736&sr=1-2&keywords=shami%20media%20group" target="_blank">United
States & North America</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.de/dp/B073DX13GJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657902&sr=1-1&keywords=shami%20media%20group" target="_blank">Germany</a>
and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B073DWVXX8/ref=sr_1_2?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657838&sr=1-2&keywords=shami%20media%20group" target="_blank">Japan</a>
the first territories where the film is available, however, these
will be added to over the coming days and weeks, alongside more
platforms, DVD retailers and hopefully cable T.V. too.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>There is going to be a page on the site as soon as possible with
up to date information that will be regularly updated with all the
info and links you need to get your own copy of the film.</i><br />
<i>
</i><i>Thank you to everyone who has emailed and messaged over the years
asking to view the film, the wait is now over and you can finally get
your own copy so go ahead, I hope you enjoy the film and let me know
what you think on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan/" target="_blank">Facebook
page!</a></i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>It’s been a long old ride but we got there in the end! Now it’s
time to start work on part 2…</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ofsharkandman.com/" target="_blank">The website</a> is the place to go for all the info you need to buy your own copy as it will be regularly updated with all new territories and platforms and if you need any further convincing to get yourself a copy of the film, <a href="https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/single-post/2017/06/24/Of-Shark-and-Man-documentary-film" target="_blank">check out this review from UK Film Review</a> which coincidentally, also dropped today;<br />
<br />
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.7">
<span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.7.0"><i>"When
the sole reason of watching a film is to write a review, you often take
mental (or physical) notes to refer back to. Whilst watching </i></span><i><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.7.1.0" style="font-weight: bold;">David Diley’s</span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.7.2"> </span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.7.3.0" style="font-weight: bold;">Of Shark and Man</span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.7.4">, there
were many moments where those thoughts were erased. Not only is it a
remarkable film, showcasing a side to sharks we’ve never seen, it’s an
entertaining, grounded and informative experience. We hear from divers,
biologists and shark experts. It’s ambitious, but it’s also ambiguous.</span></i></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.8">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.9">
<i><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.9.0">David
Diley is living a normal, tiresome life in London. He longs for
something more, so resigns and heads out on an adventure to achieve one
of his childhood dreams; to swim with sharks. Firstly, if you didn’t
love sharks before, you will now. There’s some valuable knowledge
presented here, looking at their behaviour towards humans and how we can
help them survive. When under the sea, we look in awe of these
magnificent creatures. When above water, we see the people that are
working hard to protect them. Sharks are misunderstood and to be
respected. We learn this almost instantly. What’s truly unique about </span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.9.1.0" style="font-weight: bold;">Of Shark and Man</span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.9.2"> is that we see many sides to the story. It’s never bigger than itself and this is something I greatly admired.</span></i></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.a">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.b">
<i>The
visual approach is spectacular. We get as close to the sharks as
possible, experiencing almost exactly as David does. We see them in all
their ferocious beauty. A huge majority of the film is captured through
David’s camera, which sparks up a personal connection which is
absolutely essential. Though no great amount of planning was made, the
feature feels under control and wonderfully progressive.</i></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.c">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.d">
<i>Swimming
graciously beside this, is the brilliantly compiled soundtrack
featuring many fantastic pieces of music written by a vast array of
adventurous composers. Each track feels vital to the picture, emotions
seen in the film are reflected in the music, though never overstaying
its welcome. For instance; the moments underwater during the shark
feedings. The visuals do a lot of the work, but having a forceful yet
carefully performed layer of percussion underneath as the sharks
circulate the camera, can lend a hand in the overall impact. Curating a
diverse and effective soundtrack is of great importance, especially when
planning such an ambitious project.</i></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.e">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.f">
<i><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.f.0">By the end of the film we see a transformed and evolved David. It’s a touching reward. </span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.f.1.0" style="font-weight: bold;">Of Shark and Man’s</span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.f.2"> personal
direction provides an intimate and exciting viewing experience that
I’ll truly never forget. It’s very informative and clean. You’ll never
feel outsmarted due to convoluted discussion, it’s smartly handled and
thoughtfully cut together. The work has been done, now we can only hope
that more people will take notice.</span></i></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.g">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h">
<i><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h.0">Leaving nothing to be desired, </span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h.1.0" style="font-weight: bold;">Of Shark and Man</span><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h.2"> is the captain of its own ship as pieces fall naturally into place, creating an exuberant and tasty treat to feed on."</span></i></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_9" data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h">
<span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h.2">Thank you to everyone who has read, shared and commented on my blogs over the years, who knows, maybe I'll be back one day but rest assured, the journey is only just beginning and work now starts on Of Shark and Man Part II!<br /><br />Thanks again for everything.</span><i><span data-reactid=".0.$SITE_ROOT.$desktop_siteRoot.$PAGES_CONTAINER.1.1.$SITE_PAGES.$cu0l_DESKTOP.1.$ibiar74u.0.0.$child.$0.1.$1.$5.$0.0.h.2"><br /></span></i></div>
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
I
am very proud to finally be able to announce news I have been sitting
on for months now, Of Shark and Man is finally available on
international release for you to own or rent as of today!<br />
It’s been a long road, I signed the deal back in April, one of the
reasons it’s taken so long to happen is there have been numerous offers
and contracts on the table, all with different details, different
financial offers and different geographic territories so it’s been quite
hectic and time consuming to make the final decision, a decision which
the last seven years has been leading up to.<br />
A statistic I read a few months back took me by surprise, only 2% of
independent films are ever picked up for international distribution and
with documentary, the percentage is even lower so this is no mean feat. I
must thank Ed Brochin with Shami Media Group, who, since we first met
in May last year at the Nice International Film Festival has been
persistently and enthusiastically chasing the film to release, his
energy and commitment to releasing Of Shark and Man as been immensely
flattering and validating to me. Big thanks as well to his sister, my
friend Deanna Brochin, who insisted she introduce us, which got the ball
rolling in the first place.<br />
You will have noticed by now the film has new artwork. In order to
stand out in an increasingly saturated market, the distributors felt the
artwork needed to be more sharky so to speak. Don’t worry though, the
original artwork you are all so familiar with, created by the awesome
people at EDNA interactive (thank you Ed, Anna and Sue!) will still be
very visible as, like you all, I absolutely love it. It also means that
all of you with the posters now have limited number collectors items!<br />
As of today, Thursday July 29th 2017, Amazon Prime is the first platform on which to buy or rent the film with the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073DTSZTZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657986&sr=1-1&keywords=shami%20media%20group" rel="noopener" target="_blank">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073DWQNCW/ref=sr_1_2?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657736&sr=1-2&keywords=shami%20media%20group" rel="noopener" target="_blank">United States & North America</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.de/dp/B073DX13GJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657902&sr=1-1&keywords=shami%20media%20group" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Germany</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B073DWVXX8/ref=sr_1_2?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1498657838&sr=1-2&keywords=shami%20media%20group" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Japan</a>
the first territories where the film is available, however, these will
be added to over the coming days and weeks, alongside more platforms,
DVD retailers and hopefully cable T.V. too.<br />
There is going to be a page on the site as soon as possible with up
to date information that will be regularly updated with all the info and
links you need to get your own copy of the film.<br />
Thank you to everyone who has emailed and messaged over the years
asking to view the film, the wait is now over and you can finally get
your own copy so go ahead, I hope you enjoy the film and let me know
what you think on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Facebook page!</a><br />
It’s been a long old ride but we got there in the end! Now it’s time to start work on part 2…</div>
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-73737813371315642582016-06-20T15:50:00.000+01:002016-06-20T15:50:33.857+01:00Sorry For The Silence! How About An (Exciting) Update?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dqibT1p5g6Y/V2f0LtaQzsI/AAAAAAAAA8c/UA1XkLyvIG0tTlnhSDV57wwvIMTpShGvACLcB/s1600/OSAM%2BFestival%2BPoster%2BWith%2BLaurels%2BUPDATED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dqibT1p5g6Y/V2f0LtaQzsI/AAAAAAAAA8c/UA1XkLyvIG0tTlnhSDV57wwvIMTpShGvACLcB/s640/OSAM%2BFestival%2BPoster%2BWith%2BLaurels%2BUPDATED.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<br />
I've been really slack with the blog the last few months but with good reason. I've been so unbelievably busy with promoting Of Shark and Man, work, developing new services for <a href="http://www.scarletviewmedia.com/" target="_blank">Scarlet View Media</a> and being a dad to a wonderful two year old that I just haven't had the time to update the blog as much as I'd like, in fact, I think it's been about 7 months since the last update. Please accept my apologies!<br /><br />I thought it would be good to put some brief updates here so you can see what's been going on in my life in the last few months so here goes.<br /><br /><b><u>Promoting Of Shark and Man</u></b><br />
This has been a huge and ongoing job for almost a year now. <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/" target="_blank">The website</a> has grown considerably with the addition of <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/movie-trailers/" target="_blank">Teaser Clips</a>, <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/behind-the-scenes/" target="_blank">Behind The Scenes films</a>, <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/reviews/" target="_blank">reviews</a> and regular <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/" target="_blank">news updates</a>. The team at EDNA Interactive have been great and thanks to them, the branding for the film has been a huge success!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Launching The Online Merch Store</b></u><br />
We have launched an online shop where you can order T-Shirts, signed posters and stickers to help finance the promotion of the film. The T-Shirts are the same as the ones we had for the crowdfund campaign, produced by Fourth Element and as a bonus for everyone who places the first batch of orders, <b>each T-Shirt comes with a password protected, limited availability stream to the film in full! </b>Yes, that's right, if you want to see the full film, this is the best way to do it at the moment but this is a limited offer and we are almost at the minimum number of T-Shirt orders so if you want to see the film, you better move pretty quickly!<br /><br />Click <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/online-shop/" target="_blank">this link</a> to go to the online store for all the info you need.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Winning Awards</b></u><br />
Of Shark and Man was accepted into the prestigious Nice International Film Festival which took place in May, during Cannes. The film was also nominated for three awards, Best Sound Design, Best Editing In A Documentary and Best Cinematography In A Documentary and <a href="http://www.scarletviewmedia.com/incredible-week-two-awards-nice-international-film-festival/" target="_blank">we won two of the three</a>! It was an amazing and humbling experience and also an important one because it helped when it came to...<br /><br /><b><u>Signing A Contract With A Sales Agent!</u></b><br />
This was a main goal from day one, finish the film, create a buzz then get a Sales Agent on board. I had a contract sent through the night before flying to Nice so the idea was, get back home after the festival, sign that and then crack on but this was complicated by the fact that upon returning from Nice, within a couple of days I had not one but four offers, two from Agents and two from Distributors. In the end, after meetings, phone calls and advice from friends in the industry, <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/general-updates/shark-man-picked-hollywood-sales-agent/" target="_blank">I chose Project 8 Films in Hollywood.</a> In the end, I had ended up with a total of five offers for the film, not something I expected but which I found extremely flattering but now, it's onto the final and most exciting step, licensing the film to TV! (Hopefully!)<br />
<br />
<u><b>Launching The Stock Footage Service On Scarlet View Media</b></u><br />
I've wanted to do this for ages and finally had the chance at the turn of the year. If you are in need of affordable HD Underwater footage of a variety of shark species and marine life, <a href="http://www.scarletviewmedia.com/stock-footage/" target="_blank">look no further than here</a>!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Launching Commercial Screenings For Of Shark And Man</b></u><br />
We are offering private Commercial Screenings of the film, along with a Q&A session with yours truly to businesses, NGOs, Dive Clubs, Film Schools, Aquariums, any organisation you can think of really, wherever you are in the world. If this would interest you, you can find out more <a href="http://www.scarletviewmedia.com/film/ofsharkandmanscreening/" target="_blank">here</a> and by getting in touch with us to book your own screening.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Developing An Innovative Underwater Film-Maker Workshop</b></u><br />
Towards the end of 2015 I started work on developing my own Underwater Film-Maker workshop, something I have wanted to do for ages! I received quite a bit of interest and a couple of months back partnered up with <a href="http://www.oonasdivers.com/" target="_blank">Oonas Divers</a> and <a href="http://www.redsea-divingsafari.com/" target="_blank">Red Sea Diving Safari</a> to offer one of the most in-depth and practical workshops available anywhere in the world. The first workshop takes places January 18th - 25th, 2017 and <a href="http://www.scarletviewmedia.com/filmmaker-workshops/" target="_blank">you can find out all the info you need here</a>!<br />
<br />
That's all the main stuff really, in recent weeks I've also been developing a four part series with a Producer which may (or may not) be a sequel of sorts to Of Shark and Man. It is of course shark related!<br /><br />Once again, sorry for the lapse in updates, as you can see I've been crazy busy but I'll try not to leave it this late for the next blog post!<br /><br />If you have any questions about any of the above, leave a comment!<br /><br /><br />
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-35038586429991667072015-11-12T15:22:00.000+00:002015-11-12T15:22:40.348+00:00A Long Overdue Update On Life In General<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been two months since the last blog post and I do apologise! Since the premiere for Of Shark and Man I have been unbelievably busy so figured an update is long overdue!<br />
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In regards to Of Shark and Man, the crowdfund campaign is now over and perks have been shipped out (T-Shirts are on their way in the next couple of weeks), the winner of the Fiji trip has been informed (congratulations Stephan!) and the money raised is already being put to good use with seven submissions to film festivals around the world and more to come.<br />
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There have been some cracking reviews of the film which you can read <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/reviews/" target="_blank">here</a> with another <a href="https://sharkstuff.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/shark-documentary-review-of-shark-and-man/" target="_blank">here</a> which will be added to the site soon.<br />
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I have also started the long process of discussing the film's potential acquisition with networks and distributors, it' going to be a journey with ups and downs and about a million emails but hopefully, it will all be worth it!<br />
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I have also started work on coming up with an engaging story for part II, the plan for which is of course, equally ambitious and ground breaking, progress on that will be forthcoming when it happens!<br />
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Aside from everything to do with OSAM, there has been a ton of other stuff going on, all of which has seen professional development and all of which is being done to improve every area of my work.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gabriel Morey and I hard at work in Mallorca</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Immediately after the premiere, I was on a plane back to Mallorca to shoot a film for Asociacion Ondine and Brad's involvement in Sylvia Earle's Mission Blue II project. The idea was to put together a short film highlighting the importance of The Balearic Islands as a place of natural beauty which is very deserving of greater protection before its decline becomes as serious as the rest of the Mediterranean.<br /><br /><br />It was a challenging shoot with a really limited timescale and a pretty intense deadline, there were ups and downs but the former far outweighed the latter, chopper rides around the islands to film aerials, beautiful scenery and working with awesome people and making new friends were the particular highlights. Huge thanks to Gonzalo and Roel for all your help!<br /><br /><br />It hasn't been made public but below are some frame grabs. I'm really proud of the cinematography in there, I really feel like I'm mastering my own style now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />I managed to deliver the film in time, working against a very tight deadline and this morning I awoke to this amazing news;<br /></span><br />
<i>"BREAKING NEWS: <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=325397900888724" href="https://www.facebook.com/sylvia.a.earle/">Sylvia A. Earle</a> has declared Spain's Balearic Islands the newest Mission Blue Hope Spot! <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmission-blue.org%2F%3Fp%3D15804&h=CAQH2GyePAQFF5s6ZrlW9tq74ViQzjCPMy5EF62sgvP7cUQ&enc=AZM30hZTuGGMIjq0n2oo9XAH8_SykGs9UQjxLtB6rViyF0mwetgR6SC023eGBQ5MaqSK4vnUXnuWlLw-Snr-qEkwH5kqT78LnJkQkBqW6WIh2RWy1gFFnOjUPIN1mIy4zfK8cvISDy1a52zvbmqTa2tYkkldRLXJNx8xM5Q90kDAmxtWE_lIh1mwPgWG8BGqB94&s=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://mission-blue.org/?p=15804</a></i><br />
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<i>The first Hope Spot in<span class="text_exposed_show">
the Mediterranean Sea, this archipelago off the Iberian coast of Spain
serves as crucial spawning ground for endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna,
hosts loggerhead sea turtles and provides the only nesting area to the
Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), one of the most threatened
seabirds in the world."</span></i><br />
<i><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></i><span class="text_exposed_show">This is testament to the amazing work being carried out by Asociacion Ondine and proof that from small acorns grow mighty oak trees. Well done to all involved!!</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><br />After a couple of days recovery and another little film shoot for Aqualung UK, I was on my travels again, this time down to Wales to undertake the two week HSE Commercial Diving course with <a href="http://www.bristolchanneldiving.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bristol Channel Divers</a>. The course was challenging, fun, exhausting, at times cold but absolutely brilliant. I can't praise Neil Brock and his staff enough, if you're a UK based diver wanting to dive professionally outside of teaching, meaning media diving, commercial work, oil rigs etc, then definitely choose these guys!<br /><br />The course was a split between underwater work and classroom based theory sessions with a five hour exam comprising three different commercial diving aspects. My group was a really great collection of people from different backgrounds, all of whom were a joy to be around and we all passed, my final exam results being 95%, 98% and 100% so a success all round!<br /><br />Massive thanks also to the lovely Helen at the <a href="http://www.aberthawhousehotel.org.uk/" target="_blank">Aberthaw House Hotel</a> who really made me feel at home the whole time!</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Upon completion of the course it was straight back to work, another shoot for Aqualung UK then on to the Dive Show in Birmingham where I finally got to meet Amanda Cotton who is as lovely as you can imagine and where I spent a bit of time on the Dive Worldwide stand talking to people about Fiji and the shark dive with Beqa Adventure Divers.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"> </span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span class="text_exposed_show">In amongst all of this has been the planning of something really quite special. The last five years has really taken a toll on me both physically and emotionally and to be honest, I'm completely burned out from it all. So much has happened in the last twelve months that I have been feeling for a while that I need to get away somewhere to recharge my batteries, take stock of everything and plan the next move of my life.<br /><br /><br />A few months back Amanda Cotton invited me to join her on a trip to Tiger Beach and given the opportunity and timing it was an offer too good to turn down, which then morphed into a month long trip to Florida and The Bahamas where I will be filming various species of shark, the focus being Tigers, Hammerheads and Lemons, whilst catching up with Michael Patrick O'Neill after 4 long years and hanging out with Susana Navajas, Tanya Houppermans and John Griffith.<br /><br /><br />It's going to be a huge honour for me to spend quality time with these talented and passionate people, do a ton of diving and also, put a little film together of my trip by way of updating you all on what life is like post-completion of Of Shark and Man. I'm going to dive lots, get a tan, eat great food, drink delicious drinks and enjoy the world in a state of relaxation for the first time in a great many years. I need this badly and I can't wait, I fly on Monday... Florida I'm coming to get ya!<br /><br /><br />As part of the trip there is a <b>FREE </b>screening of Of Shark and Man at Florida International University on Wednesday November 18th, which will also include a Q&A with me in which you can ask me anything you like, I'll have probably had a drink as well, meaning my inner editorial functions will be down so I'll pretty much answer anything you. Details of the evening can be found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1623183674609239/" target="_blank">here.</a></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">When I get back I will start work on the Behind The Scenes featurettes for Of Shark and Man meaning a load more content for the <a href="http://www.ofsharkandman.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan/" target="_blank">Facebook page </a>so there is plenty to look forward to in the coming months!</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Once again, sorry for the delay, I'll try to keep radio silence to a minimum from now on!<br /><br /> </span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></div>
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-42880180219306700762015-08-31T23:08:00.001+01:002015-08-31T23:08:30.041+01:00Of Shark and Man Premiere - Amazing!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">English Dave meets Fijian Dave! (Photo by <a href="http://caroljmoirphotography.500px.com/" target="_blank">Carol Moir</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's taken a few days to get the chance to write this as I am currently on a shoot in Mallorca but Thursday's Of Shark and Man premiere was a really amazing and incredibly humbling event!<br /><br /><br />The mooted (then cancelled) tube strike meant some guests were unable to make it but the turnout was fantastic with people travelling far and wide to help celebrate the release of the film. Guests included people who have helped in the production of the film, supporters and sponsors, Dive industry heavyweights, media and friends and the venue, The Courthouse Hotel in Soho, was just perfect (thanks to Chris Bird for making the projection of the film as smooth and non-stressful as he did!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="http://caroljmoirphotography.500px.com/" target="_blank">Carol Moir</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reaction was really overwhelming, the atmosphere surrounding the night was positive, friendly and casual and I really hope all our guests had an enjoyable time. Once again, it was incredibly positive that throughout the film, nobody seemed to lose interest, nobody left (phew!) and the reaction at the end of the film was so good I didn't really take it in at the time I was so surprised.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Afterwards, upon retiring to the bar, it was lovely to catch up with friends, one of whom, David Whittle who did the opening title sequence, I hadn't seen for 18 years! It was equally good to make new friends and hear what they thought about the film, their favourite bits and how it moved them.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So far, the feedback has been incredible, the film really seems to touch a nerve with both sharky people and those with no prior interest in sharks at all and I think that is what I am proudest about.<br /><br />The <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/of-shark-and-man-film-release/x/11678778#/story" target="_blank">crowdfund campaign</a> has got off to a great start but we need to keep it moving. If you want to help support the release of the film, <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/of-shark-and-man-film-release/x/11678778#/story" target="_blank">go check out the amazing perks on offer</a> and also, <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/general-updates/win-a-trip-to-fiji-with-of-shark-and-man/" target="_blank"><b>read this to find out how you could win yourself a trip for two to Fiji or a set of Aqualung regs!!</b></a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's a few pics from the premiere taken by the lovely and very talented <a href="http://caroljmoirphotography.500px.com/home" target="_blank">Carol J Moir</a>! You can see more <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/film-media/" target="_blank">here.</a></span></span></span></span></div>
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OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-17475204855338759012015-08-26T01:56:00.000+01:002015-08-26T01:56:19.053+01:00The Of Shark And Man Crowdfund Is Live!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-30ZnurjHBm0/Vdz1FEppITI/AAAAAAAAA4U/EBLQFT0y-0E/s1600/osamDigitalMarketing2015RaffleBanner01Build01Med1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-30ZnurjHBm0/Vdz1FEppITI/AAAAAAAAA4U/EBLQFT0y-0E/s640/osamDigitalMarketing2015RaffleBanner01Build01Med1.png" width="274" /></a></div>
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It's been a crazy few weeks with way too much to fit into not enough time but somehow, I'm just about managing!<br /><br />One of the biggest jobs I've had for a few months now has been putting everything in place for the crowdfund campaign. I've mentioned it has been coming on here for a while now and the reason it's taken a while to get to the stage of going live is purely down to one reason. I've spent the entire time trying to secure as much value for contributors as possible, I feel that if I am asking for your help, I want to give you something in return that you can really appreciate.<br />
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On Monday, the crowdfund campaign was finally released, you can see it <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/of-shark-and-man-film-release#/story" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a> please watch the video, read the details and most important of all, check out the perks and if there's anything in there that takes your fancy, make your contribution and it's yours!<br />
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We have film merchandise in the form of T-Shirts, custom artwork, signed posters, skype chats with me (who wouldn't want that!?), stickers and of course, best of all, you get to see the film for yourself. Until "Of Shark and Man" screens in your town, this is the only way you have to see the film!<br />
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As well as film merch we are also giving away some serious, top of the range dive gear including, computers, wetsuits, regs, mask/fins/snorkel sets and dive bags from Suunto, Fourth Element, Apeks and Aqualung<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e7oU_rXNhKM/Vdz72J4EReI/AAAAAAAAA4k/A15gwTesKcA/s1600/of-shark-and-man-goodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e7oU_rXNhKM/Vdz72J4EReI/AAAAAAAAA4k/A15gwTesKcA/s640/of-shark-and-man-goodies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The amount we are hoping to raise, is quite a chunk of money but we are hopeful that we can get close to, if not achieve that target. The money will be used to get the film out to the film festival circuit, for marketing and promotion, special events and screenings, subtitling and everything else designed to get this film out for as many people to see as possible and spread a positive and inspiring story about sharks and people.<br />
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The campaign runs for 45 days, at the completion of the campaign, Indiegogo take their percentage then distribute the funds to us so we can start work on distribution. The admin side of things takes about two weeks and after that, we will start distributing all your awesome perks! <br />
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In conjunction with the crowdfund campaign we are also running our own raffle campaign in which <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/general-updates/win-a-trip-to-fiji-with-of-shark-and-man/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">you stand a chance of winning a shark diving trip to Fiji for you and a friend!!</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The raffle is our own separate thing that we are running outside of Indiegogo. Most crowdfunds don't have raffles alongside them, it's certainly not something we <b><i>have</i></b> to do, rather something I <i><b>want</b></i> to do. It helps us promote the crowdfund campaign and also shows how valued your contribution to supporting Of Shark and Man is to everyone associated with the film.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, there's been a few questions about the raffle as a few people haven't read <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/general-updates/win-a-trip-to-fiji-with-of-shark-and-man/" target="_blank">the press release</a> properly and got seriously confused so I'll break it down as simply as possible below: </span></span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">To enter the raffle, all you need to do is claim a perk on the crowdfund page. Claiming that perk automatically guarantees your entry into the raffle.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please read "How To Enter" and "How It Works" at <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/general-updates/win-a-trip-to-fiji-with-of-shark-and-man/" target="_blank">this link.</a> Each perk is linked to a raffle prize and that is detailed in the linked article. You are not buying a raffle ticket, you are taking perks on a crowdfund campaign, we are giving you entry into the raffle for free. The higher your contribution to the crowdfund campaign, the higher the value of perks you receive and the higher the value of prize you stand a chance of winning in the raffle.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u>No, raffle tickets to win the trip to Fiji do not cost £10,000!!!!</u></b> Entrance into the raffle for the Fiji prize starts with the £350 perks.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your perks are unaffected by the raffle, if you contribute to the campaign, those perks are yours, they are what your money gets you, the raffle entry is just a nice extra on top to give you a chance of getting something else.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The minimum contribution to get yourself perks and entry to win a raffle prize is £20</span> </span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/news/general-updates/win-a-trip-to-fiji-with-of-shark-and-man/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Please read the terms and conditions</span></a> <span style="font-size: small;">it's all very straightforward, when you make your contribution, that's it, you just need to wait until the campaign ends and then we will do a draw on video, drawn by an independent third party to make sure everything is fair for everyone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Go get yourself some cool stuff! Good luck!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have a long day tomorrow, driving down to London for the premiere on Thursday, then over to Mallorca for twelve days for a film shoot. Keep visiting <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/">ofsharkandman.com</a> for all the usual updates and to keep up to date with all the latest news <a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/newsletter/" target="_blank">sign up to the newsletter!</a> </span></span><br />
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<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-88999348249877500152015-08-04T16:25:00.000+01:002015-08-04T16:25:02.959+01:00Official Of Shark and Man Trailer Now Live!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GBU5ZCpzsnI/VcDWWs8GCiI/AAAAAAAAA38/tMV5UYxnXx8/s640/11060898_1601030640163742_7576465430690488222_o.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, after all these years, the Official Trailer is live and available for you to see for yourself! No more teasers as to what the film might look and sound like, just confirmation in the form of a brief snapshot of what you the viewer will be getting when you see Of Shark and Man.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/123985051" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
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I would greatly appreciate if you could share the trailer far and wide if you like it, we need the film to gain a momentum amongst the public so there is that interest to see it when its released. After five years of non-stop hard work, now is the key time that will make or break it! <br /><br /><a href="http://ofsharkandman.com/" target="_blank">The website</a> is also live and getting regular updates. Starting next Wednesday, new content like interviews, reviews, news updates etc will be posted every week and on every Friday, new video content will be added to the site including teaser clips, bonus features and deleted scenes so keep making regular visits so as not to miss out!<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who has shared the trailer and been so far and been so forthcoming with praise, it really means a lot!<br /><br />Thank you.<br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/123985051"></a>OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-58173447800526712532015-07-29T16:24:00.001+01:002015-07-29T16:24:14.645+01:00Of Shark And Man Website Is Now Live!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mUy2_p2Eo7k/VbjpW6d895I/AAAAAAAAA3o/GIATW-wGulw/s1600/Untitled%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mUy2_p2Eo7k/VbjpW6d895I/AAAAAAAAA3o/GIATW-wGulw/s640/Untitled%2B1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ofsharkandman.com/" target="_blank">www.ofsharkandman.com</a></span></div>
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Finally it's here, the Of Shark and Man official website is now live and available for you to enjoy!</div>
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It's taken a while to get to the stage where we had everything we needed for a release so when you visit it it's not just a homepage and loads of "coming soon" announcements but as of the early hours of this morning we had managed to get enough on there to keep you going until the updates start.</div>
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With regards to updates, these will be regular and scheduled meaning you won't have big gaps in between. It's been driving me kind of insane lately not being able to release the stuff I have lined up and that's been due to some incredibly small details and awaiting confirmation of certain aspects of the release and the crowdfund campaign. These are all to be expected but I was becoming very conscious of constantly saying that stuff was coming without actually giving you that stuff!</div>
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So, to clarify, here are the key things to look out for:</div>
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1. <b>The Official Trailer is being released on Monday August 3rd</b>! That's this coming Monday and all you will need to do is visit <a href="http://www.ofsharkandman.com/">www.ofsharkandman.com</a> and it will be there, right in front of you on the homepage!</div>
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2. <b>Starting Friday, August 14th, we will release brand new, unseen video and film content</b> in the form of teaser clips, deleted scenes, bonus footage etc. These will be released on the website in the "Media" section, every Friday for at least the following 15 weeks, most likely more.</div>
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3. On the Wednesday of each week (starting August 12th) we will release other additional content in the form of interviews with people involved in the making of the film, Researchers, Photographers etc, all of whom have their own experiences of the Shark Reef story, artwork, site updates and info about screenings.</div>
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4. The Crowdfund Campaign will be launched and will give you an opportunity to see the film for yourself and get your hands on some INCREDIBLE goodies from the film and also top of the range dive gear from <b>Fourth Element, Apeks, Aqualung and Suunto!</b> Seriously, you do not want to miss out on these! The campaign will also feature various raffle prizes, one of which is just about the best prize you could possibly imagine to go hand in hand with a film about diving with the world's biggest Bull Sharks in Fiji... Read into that what you will...</div>
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Also, for everyone who took perks in the first crowdfund campaign, these will be going out to those people and will be the updated and much cooler ones we're giving away this time to say an extra special thanks for your support way back when. You will also notice that your names are in the film's credits! Your names will also be added to the website in the Supporters section. </div>
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Already up on the site is a few still photos (plenty more of these to come), the three teaser trailers, info about the film itself, a couple of reviews and two Behind the Scenes shorts made at the time of filming in 2010 and 2011.</div>
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So, without further ado, go visit <a href="http://www.ofsharkandman.com/">www.ofsharkandman.com</a>, bookmark it in your favourites, tell your friends and come along for the ride, it's all going to get rather exciting!</div>
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-68232249127702032322015-07-13T16:24:00.002+01:002015-07-15T12:21:46.238+01:00More Feedback For Of Shark and Man - Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-facqrUi9F9s/VaO-zebLl3I/AAAAAAAAA3U/vqWWhsdpeEg/s640/osamBGMaster%2BJPEG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It's been a busy couple of weeks, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan" target="_blank">Facebook page was properly launched</a> and in the last two weeks has attracted 600 likes which isn't bad at all considering the official trailer isn't out yet! This was all organic as well, in that we haven't done any paid advertising plus we're getting a lot of engagement. Facebook likes mean nothing if people aren't engaging with you!<br /><br />The <a href="https://twitter.com/OfSharkAndMan" target="_blank">Twitter account is also running</a> and progress on that is much slower, purely down to the fact that we've been concentrating on Facebook and the official site although I promise we will up our Twitter game asap!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">The first bits of footage from the film were released in <a href="https://vimeo.com/132332035" target="_blank">a short tribute to Rusi</a> as well and we already have seven teaser clips ready to go, a deleted scene and the official trailer to come with tonnes more stuff being prepared also, all of which we will start drip feeding out by the end of this month!<br /><br />More feedback has come in for the film from those who were invited to view the private screener hence this blog. Check out the names as well, these are people who have an understanding of the issues in the film as well as a wealth of experience and expertise in Conservation, Film-Making, Shark Diving and Shark Research. Here are some snippets below:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>"I watched it last night- you did a
wonderful job with it! You managed to weave together such lovely
footage, story-telling, and critical conservation messages without
any of the unnecessary fluff or "preachiness" found in
like-minded documentaries. It actually
brought tears to my eyes to see all that I find special about BAD and
SRMR to be captured on screen, especially with the now iconic shots
of Rusi... I truly can't wait until you release it
and I can share it with my family and friends to try and give them
some insight into my life from the last four years and what exactly
it is that makes me love BAD and SRMR so damn much!" <span style="color: red;">- </span></i><span style="color: red;">Lindsay Graff (Shark Researcher)</span></span><i><br /></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>"I
loved your movie "Of Shark and Man". You really show how
eco tourism can help shark conservation. You are not afraid to
address the controversy surrounding shark feeding dives and paint a
pretty accurate picture. The film also encourages people to follow
their dreams, which, regardless of subject, is a great thing to do.
Best of all, you do this in an entertaining and non "preachy"
way. Great job" <span style="color: red;">- Martin Graf </span></i><span style="color: red;">(Shark Dive Operator)</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>"Everything about this
feature length documentary was perfect; the editing, the narratives,
the cinematography, the underwater footage - all of it, seriously.
David does a marvellous job of getting you interested in his own
story by pulling you in with the abstract of Fiji and its' sharks,
and finally... delivering fully with his own personal goals within
the film... The way this film blends
all of the stories into one beautiful (love) story is absolute
poetry. Diley is a master of his craft, and this film is even more
proof of his enormous talents! We had so many emotions running
through us during the entire film (this is what a good feature length
does! It moves you) - happiness, sadness, shock, fear, awe... you
name it!... In our very humble
opinion, this film proves to be exactly what it promised to be -
real, emotional and thought provoking. Well done David, you have yet
again put your money where your mouth is and You, sir, have
delivered!" <span style="color: red;">- </span></i><span style="color: red;">Save The Sharks</span></span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">"The
success story of Shark Reef Marine Reserve and how a conservation
project can benefit local communities is one that needs to be told
far and wide. It’s also a pretty inspiring tale of how someone can
achieve their goals in life if they really want to. This is the
sort of thing that Shark Week should be showing on a regular basis."</span> <span style="color: red;">-</span></span></i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> Ian Campbell (WWF)</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"...the
film is a personal journey into a beautiful and majestic world
beneath the surface, and a self-transformation process deep inside
the filmmaker’s soul.</span></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>
</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When you
take that path of telling your own story, it’s very easy to get
lost in the process and end up with a big ego-trip enjoyable only to
the author. Fortunately, this is not the case. David comes out as
very likeable, charismatic average Joe that had the guts to get out
there and explore. The first-hand tale of his learning curve, that
makes you want to be right there and then with him.</span></i></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fiji is
a world-class example of shark conservation, and David uses stunning
cinematography, an honest voice, and the perfect music to describe
not only his personal endeavor, but also that of the island, their
people, and their relationship with sharks.</span> </i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>
</i></span></span>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Like
David says in his film, you can either create a story around a shark
jumping out of the water with its jaws wide open, or you can tell the
real story, the one that is already there. David went for the second
one, and he did it right."</span> <span style="color: red;">- Jorge Cervera Hauser (Director of "Mexico Pelagico")</span></span></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>"Beautifully filmed throughout!
Simply a pleasure to watch!... I
listened with headphones for the best sound, and I’m glad I did.
I really want to see it now in the theatre so I can get blown
away by both the gorgeous visuals plus the attention you clearly
gave to everything from narration, to foley, to background, to
music... </i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>I was expecting another shark
film. But this isn’t that. Yeah, there are sharks and
there is a story of fascination/love/respect for sharks, but to call
this a shark film would be missing what I feel was more of a
journey/transformation/reboot of someone’s life that INVOLVED
sharks. So to me this is a film that I think could stand on
its own at any film festival (not simply relegated to so-called
“Ocean Films.”)
</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i> </i> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>Great characters. You are
most certainly the protagonist here, but Mike is at his best. Papa
and Rusi (RIP) are fabulous! And Helen is Helen (which is a
compliment, since I LOVE Helen!). But you captured everyone’s
personality honestly. No caricatures here. My only
criticism is that Mike was on best behavior language-wise, as he
didn’t say“Fuck” once. </i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: cyan;">Sharks also became characters in this story, and you kept
their characterization and screen presence honest. You didn’t
try to soft pedal these predators, but let them be their own
character throughout. You didn’t make any excuses or do any
bullshit. You let the sharks be sharks, and that’s
what we need to see and hear more of." </span>- </span></i><span style="color: red;">Rick MacPherson (Marine Conservationists & Shark Specialist)</span><i><br /></i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>"I watched the movie with my heart full,
having been in Fiji, having stayed in the village rather than the
hotel, having met all those people you show, makes the movie very
personal. Thanks to the beautiful work you have done, what could be
just a personal experience, has now become personal for everybody
else watching it, regardless if they have been there or not. </i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>I love how you let the Fijians speak
and transfer their thoughts about their decisions in their own land.
What BEQA has done is incredible, it has allowed them to see, learn
and understand and make this work theirs, not infused from an higher
authority. The value of the Marine Reserve, the issues between
feeding and not feeding, the carbon foot print come from the people
of the village, their understanding and their love for their land and
ocean.</i></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i>I also loved how you addressed it all:
feeding, non feeding, the conversation between Mike and Ellen is
priceless, finning, fishing, surviving and letting survive. I very much connected with your
journey, I started and have yet to stop mine from 21 years ago, so
you have my utmost admiration and respect." </i><span style="color: red;">- Cristina Zenato (Shark Diver and Expert)</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"I think it is a very good
film, a great and important story that needs to be told - like you
say in the film. I am no film-editing expert, but it seem to be
carrying the story well. Interesting mix of facts and great visual
stuff both over and under water. It is based on facts - and your
dreams. Good mix. I really like it, and enjoyed watching it!" </span></i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">- Lill Haugen (Underwater Photographer)</span></span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"Production quality above
and below the water were a top notch representation of what happens
when you put good eyes behind a lens... Diley managed to tell
one captivating story of a man who left his job for a few big-ass
Bull sharks whilst secretly weaving the stories of the Fijian people
and their bond with sharks into the mix.</span></i></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="color: cyan;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">The music was powerful
where it needed to be, and subtle when required - and played
strengths to the Fijian roots, which fed the overall hungry
authenticity of the film. <br /><br />Finally, the dive sequences were
pieced together in an additive information format. Going through each
shark species and its role within the eco-system was a personal highlight, and the GT's
eating the remoras was an epic pick-up! The final dive sequence was
nothing short of inspiring. Well shot, fast paced and narrated to
perfection."</span> </span></i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">- Sarah Richmond (Film-Maker - Sarah Shark)</span></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="color: cyan;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span data-reactid=".12n.0.0">"WOW! I finally had a chance to see the online screening <span class="text_exposed_show">Of Shark And Man
and want to congratulate you. Excellent job buddy! One of the things I
enjoyed the most is your personal narrative and how you had the courage
to embark on this wonderful project. The film brought back a lot of
memories and a desire to return and dive once again with Beqa Adventure Divers and those amazing sharks. Wishing you continued success! Very best wishes always." </span></span></i><span style="color: red;"><span data-reactid=".12n.0.0"><span class="text_exposed_show">- Michael Patrick O'Neill (Underwater Photographer)</span></span></span><i> </i></span></span></blockquote>
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</blockquote>
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</blockquote>
<br />
So there you have it, it's very positive that the key elements I focused on such as story, aesthetic, sound, emotion and accessibility are all noted as being particular highlights and that the people giving this feedback really know their stuff.<br />
<br />
If you missed part 1 of the Feedback, <a href="http://officetoocean.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/more-feedback-for-of-shark-and-man.html" target="_blank">you can find it here.</a><br />
<br />
Make sure you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan" target="_blank">join the Facebook group</a> and join in with us as we keep posting updates and of course, a load of content for you to enjoy!<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to watch the film and send me their thoughts, it is greatly appreciated!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i>
</div>
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<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-34790255142950586232015-07-02T21:43:00.001+01:002015-07-03T01:18:39.415+01:00North Carolina Shark Attacks - Why So Many This Year?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/3e39lg/picture25982581/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/shark%20attack" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/3e39lg/picture25982581/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/shark%20attack" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Steve Bouser</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With the <a href="http://myfox8.com/2015/07/01/shark-attack-reported-at-ocracoke-island-in-nc/" target="_blank">news yesterday of a seventh shark attack</a>, North Carolina is now having it's equal worst year since 1900 (tied with 2008) for shark bite incidents. The most recent victim, a 67 year old man, was bitten multiple times on the abdomen, hip, lower leg and both hands, is in a stable condition in hospital and eyewitnesses are reporting the incident to be very similar to most of the other incidents so this raises the question, why is North Carolina suffering an outbreak of attacks and what can be done to minimise the risk?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To begin with we need to look at the different kinds of incidents for which the term "shark attack" is used because not all incidents can be justifiably referred to as "attacks" and understanding each is key to establishing what might be causing these incidents. At this stage I should also point out that, whereby we need to address the issue objectively and having stated that not all incidents are "attacks," I do not subscribe to <a href="http://www.earthtouchnews.com/conservation/conservation/top-shark-scientists-call-on-the-media-to-abandon-the-phrase-shark-attack" target="_blank">the recent campaign to ban the word "Shark Attack"</a> from the media, firstly, I am uncomfortable with any kind of censorship, but moreover, I find the definitions given in the linked article, purposefully misleading and far too vague. What we need is accurate reporting, not censorship and although the 100 or so phd students, researchers and communications professionals are respected individuals in their fields, I am not aware of any whose area of expertise is actually shark attack. Whereas I agree that more should be done to increase media understanding of shark bites to aid more accurate reporting, I don't think this is the way to go about it. <br />
<br />
Consider this, from Shark Uber-Mensch Samuel "Doc" Gruber from his 1988 paper "Why Do Sharks Attack Humans," Gruber states;</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: cyan;">"...some attacks can be accepted as legitimate attempts by the shark to feed on humans."</span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For me, personally, if we are to look at the broad spectrum of what the media currently refers to as a "Shark Attack" upon an individual it can be defined most accurately as "a non-voluntary contact encounter between a human(s) and a shark" and this could range from a surfer having his board bumped by a shark to a swimmer being completely consumed and everything in between.<br />
<br />
Regular readers will know how passionate I am about avoiding hyperbolic and simplistic reports about these incidents using lazy terminology in place of detailed analysis, I have stated here, in articles and interviews many times that each incident is dependent upon so many variables that the only way to increase understanding of these incidents is to look at every detail available to assess the incident fully. The existence of human objective input into these details is not only problematic in the media, it also leads to inconsistencies in the existing databases where some attacks are not included due to being classed as "provoked," most commonly due to the victim's activity prior to the attack, usually spearfishing.<br />
<br />
For the purposes of accurate detailed analysis, I would like to see a "Shark/Human Incident" database which includes all non-voluntary contact encounters between sharks and humans and splits them up into the following categories;<br />
<br />
Non-Injurious (including attacks on boats)<br />
Non-Fatal<br />
Fatal</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In each incident report, as much detail as possible would be included and where possible, a viable explanation given for the attack, on the understanding that it is impossible to always be certain on what a shark's motivation can be.<br />
<br />
As a caveat to the above, it must be noted that, as shark attacks are so infrequent, it is impossible to collect enough reliable data to assess risks in relation to potential future incidents or, put more simply, it is impossible to create a model which will predict when a shark bite on a human will occur. Also, shark attacks are defined by many different variables from the species involved, to the victim, the victim's activity at the time of the attack, the location and various environmental factors. It is inaccurate and misleading to compartmentalise shark attacks into easily digested (pardon the pun) soundbites.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.idgconnect.com/IMG/999/22999/north-carolina-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.idgconnect.com/IMG/999/22999/north-carolina-map.gif" height="482" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
With regards to North Carolina, let's have a look at its history with shark attacks.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If we look at the current spate of attacks first:<br />
<br />
<b>June 11th</b> - 13 year old received minor bites to her feet and two bites to her Body Board</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>June 14th</b> - 12 year old Kirsten Yow receives serious multiple bites to her arm and leg with her hand severed. Arm is later amputated below the elbow</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>June 14th</b> - 16 year old Hunter Treschl receives serious multiple bites losing his let arm above the elbow</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div align="LEFT">
<b>June 24th</b> - 8 year old boy suffers minor
injuries from a bite which appears to be from a small shark at Surf
City</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<b>June 26th</b> - 47 year old man bitten on the back
at Avon in Hatteras Island</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
<b>June 27th</b> - 18 year old man suffers multiple
serious bites to his right calf, buttocks and both hands at Waves,
also Hatteras Island</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
<b>July 1st</b> - 68 year old man
receives multiple bites to abdomen, hip, lower leg and both hands at
Ocracoke Island</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
Seven attacks in nineteen days in such a condensed
geographic area is certainly a rare occurrence but it's not
unprecedented. Contrary to a statement from one of the main voices
behind the "ban the phrase 'shark attacks' campaign,"
incidents of shark bite on the same or consecutive days have actually
happened multiple times around the world, including in North
Carolina, prior to the events this year.<br />
<br />
In 2001 (one
fatality), 2008 and 2011 North Carolina experienced multiple attacks
days and in 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2007 there were incidents on
consecutive days, 1995 actually saw three attacks in 4 days.</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
If we look at the seven incidents so far this year, five have been confirmed as multiple bites which points towards a pronounce determination on the part of the shark, contrary to the notion that all "shark bites are a
result of mistaken identity" or "curiosity," these
multiple bite incidents can be more accurately described as being
motivated by a degree of determination and possibly even predation. That's not to
say however, that the sharks involved in these attacks are swimming
around looking for people to eat, rather the unfortunate victims have
encountered sharks in a natural predatory state.</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<u><b>Historical Statistics:</b></u></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>There have been 95 unprovoked attacks in North Carolina waters with
11 of those fatal.</li>
<li> On average there is a fatality every 10.4 years with the most number of fatalities in a single year being two, this has happened only once (1905) since 1900.</li>
<li>The last fatality in North Carolina was the 2008 attack on Richard Snead although there is doubt whether the injuries he sustained were the cause of his death, or came after he drowned. If we place this attack as "unconfirmed," the last fatality prior to Snead came in 2001, the victim Sergi Zaloukaev.</li>
<li>Since 2000, North Carolina has seen 55 shark incidents, an average of 3.6 each year</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It is also interesting that of the 95 unprovoked attacks in NC waters, 64 (67.3%) occurred in the months of June, July and August.<br />
<br />
This can be explained firstly, by there being more people in the water due to hotter weather and also, people staying in the water for longer due to increased sea temperature. More people in the water for longer means more people exposed to sharks. <a href="http://www.weather.gov/ilm/WaterTemp-OakIsland" target="_blank">The average sea temperature</a> from early June to late August is 83.4 degrees Fahrenheit or in "real money," 28.5 degrees Celsius. <br />
<br />
Another factor to consider is the migration and seasonal aggregation patterns of prey animals. During the warm Summer months, bait fish and other larger marine creatures move along the coastline, travelling in large numbers close to shore to try to evade predators in deeper water. This in turn attracts sharks which follow the fish into shallower water and thus, in closer proximity to bathers. Large numbers of prey means larger numbers of sharks close to shore and unfortunately, as we have seen in North Carolina this year and Florida every year, occasionally humans are getting in the way of these sharks, sharks which are in the shallows, potentially motivated by predation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/BullShark046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/BullShark046.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bull Shark Photo: Andy Murch</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://fijisharkcount.com/fijishark/wp-content/uploads/Oceanic_blacktip_shark_Alexander_Safonov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fijisharkcount.com/fijishark/wp-content/uploads/Oceanic_blacktip_shark_Alexander_Safonov.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Blacktip Shark Photo: Alexander Safonov</span></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The most likely culprits in these attacks are the Bull Shark and Blacktip Shark. In the incidents where there have been multiple bites, I'm almost certain the attacks were carried out by Bulls. Bull Shark attacks are characterised by a propensity to bite a victim more than once, plus, their size and power often leads to serious injury and loss of limb in attacks where they are the culprit.<br />
<br />
Blacktips are not a species often involved in shark bite incidents however they have, and do, occasionally bite people although, unlike the Bull Shark, are less likely to mount a sustained attack on a human.<br />
<br />
Both species are regularly encountered in North Carolina waters and both will enter the shallows whilst following prey, so for me, these would be the two species most likely involved in incidents such as these in this part of the world. North Carolina is also home to Tiger Sharks, Great White, Dusky, Spinner and the most commonly encountered species there, Sandbar sharks, however, although all have historically been involved in shark bite incidents, I would be less inclined to blame any of these species above the two detailed above.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/16/5f/18/a-busy-fourth-of-july.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/16/5f/18/a-busy-fourth-of-july.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's important to recognise a few salient points, firstly, these sharks were off these same beaches last year, the year before, the year before and so on and so on, although shark attacks in the United States have shown an upwards curve in numbers over the last 60 years, this is due solely to there being more people in the water. I've seen claims that people feeding sharks or fishing from the pier has caused the attacks but there is simply no evidence for that. Could warmer than usual water temperatures play a part? Possibly but only because it is having an effect on the migrations and seasonal aggregations of the shark's prey. Sharks go where the food is and right now, the food is close to shore off popular bathing beaches.<br />
<br />
There will be more shark bites off America's east coast this year, Florida is unusually quiet at the moment but as the Summer gets hotter and the sea gets warmer, more people are going to be in a position where they may just get in the way of a shark following its natural prey so what can you do to minimise your risk of being bitten?<br />
<br />
Firstly, stay out of the water, you won't get bitten by a shark on the beach! If you do however want to go into the sea and let's be honest, I don't blame you, avoid if possible, areas where the water is murky, where people are fishing, avoid swimming near the mouths of inlets or estuaries and if you can, speak to local fishermen, like sharks, they follow the fish and if the fish are in big numbers, there will be sharks there.<br />
<br />
Most importantly though, use your brain, you know there have been incidents in North Carolina so if you must swim in those areas, realise it is <i><b>your</b></i> responsibility to ensure the safety of both yourself and your family, not the sharks'. Sharks do what sharks do and when you make the choice to swim in areas where you know there is shark activity, you must accept you are taking a risk, it's a small risk of course, but the responsibility is on you.<br />
<br />
Try to be shark smart, the best people to talk to about the shark activity in your area are the people who use the beach all day every day, lifeguards and fishermen. If you're not sure whether you should be swimming somewhere, don't be afraid to ask!<br />
<br />
Finally, don't panic, shark populations aren't exploding in numbers (quite the opposite) and moving closer to shore to eat people. Although this is a bad year for shark bites in North Carolina, it is unusual and certainly not the norm. Statistical anomalies in areas where shark bites occur, or if you want a simpler description, spikes in shark bite activity where a year's number of incidents exceeds a statistical pattern, however, are not that out of the ordinary. It happens, many places around the world have experienced a flurry of incidents followed by years, sometimes decades without a single bite.<br />
<br />
Be safe!<br />
<br />
Edit: Case in point regarding misleading and factually inaccurate public statements can be found in <a href="http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week/shark-feed/what-are-experts-saying-about-north-carolina-shark-bites/" target="_blank">this article</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: cyan;"><i>"It's commonly accepted that sharks aren't intentionally trying to bite
humans, either: "Scientists believe that most shark bites are a case of
mistaken identity. From below, a surfer in a black rubber wetsuit looks a
great deal like a seal, for example," explains David Shiffman, a PhD
candidate at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem
Science and Policy."</i></span></blockquote>
This is quantifiably incorrect. None of the victims were surfing, none were wearing wetsuits (which incidentally are made from neoprene, not "rubber") and although some attacks throughout history have been a result of "mistaken identity," it's a tiny proportion and almost always incidents involving Great White Sharks. The notion of "mistaken identity" is misleading because it implies over 400 million years of evolution, sharks are unable to differentiate humans from their natural prey items.<br />
<br />
None of these attacks provide any evidence that "mistaken identity" can be used as a reason, especially in the five incidents where the victim sustained multiple bites.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-17009268601178356022015-06-30T14:42:00.000+01:002015-06-30T14:42:19.298+01:00Radio Interview Wednesday July 1st And OSAM FB Page Now Live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CGHVxFJQsps/VZKamIWl59I/AAAAAAAAA3A/roa-0VLaets/s1600/Blog%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CGHVxFJQsps/VZKamIWl59I/AAAAAAAAA3A/roa-0VLaets/s640/Blog%2BPhoto.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Just a bit of news to share, I will be on <a href="http://wgnradio.com/" target="_blank">WGN Radio</a> in Chicago tomorrow (Weds 1st July) doing an interview about Of Shark and Man and also the recent shark attacks in North Carolina. The interview goes out at 3:35am local time, 9:35am UK time and I'm looking forward to it. It's nice to be approached for stuff like this.<br />
<br />
Also, the official <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan" target="_blank">Of Shark and Man Facebook page </a>is now live along with the <a href="https://twitter.com/ofsharkandman" target="_blank">official Twitter account</a> so be cool and give both a like/follow. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficetoOcean" target="_blank">From the Office...</a> page will still be very much live and used as often as it is now, it's just that the OSAM page will focus solely on the film, extra content etc and all relevant subject matter and it will get that stuff first so if you want to keep up to speed it's good to climb aboard on that for sure!<br />
<br />
The website is coming soon and that means the trailer will go live very soon also!<br /><br />Have a listen to the interview if you can, if you can't I'll post up the link if they put it online and as always, keen to hear your thoughts on everything!OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-58504561391371152482015-06-26T19:13:00.000+01:002015-06-26T19:54:40.052+01:00More Feedback For Of Shark And Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U6rZpm_8jbM/VY2HAoLHFxI/AAAAAAAAA2E/iE63dLMdPwE/s1600/OSAM%2BFestival%2BPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U6rZpm_8jbM/VY2HAoLHFxI/AAAAAAAAA2E/iE63dLMdPwE/s640/OSAM%2BFestival%2BPoster.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<br />
A couple of weeks ago I sent out the watermarked screener for Of Shark and Man to a few carefully selected people and the first bits of feedback are coming in so thought I'd share bits of that feedback here and in upcoming blog posts. The people the film went out to are incredibly busy so it's taking a while for everyone to get a chance to sit down properly with the film so there's still plenty to come.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Excuse my language,
but HOLY F*@%. The last dive scene in the upcoming Of Shark and Man
is the best 10 minutes of shark film I have ever seen... I'm sitting
in my living room in my underwear and my heart is beating out of my
chest. What a ride<span style="font-family: inherit;">!...</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>
</span></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></i></span>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The shark feeding
discussion is fascinating and the back and forth between Mike and
Helen is really well done. Not sure if anyone has done this as well
as you have.”</span></span></i></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i></span>
</div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></i></span></blockquote>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<blockquote>
<span style="color: red;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span style="font-weight: normal;">The
section on $ and diving is fantastic. It's probably the best
explanation of the value of shark diving I've seen. </span></span>The
walkabout dive piece is mind blowing. It's the best part of the film,
and left me breathless.”</span> </span></span></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angelo Villagomez</span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Shark Defenders)</span></span></blockquote>
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: red;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: yellow;">"David, this film is extraordinary. It hits every single
point that needs to be addressed when it comes to sharks, ecotourism,
shark diving; and our responsibilities the animals, local communities
and conservation in general. It is beautifully shot and edited. Your
story telling in sharing your journey is beautifully done. I
am so inspired and impressed, this is so needed in our shark
world.<br /><br />I cannot say enough about this film. You have done an
exceptional job. You managed to cover so much, while keeping it
interesting and shot beautifully!!<br /><br />I have not been to Fiji,
but seeing all the work they are doing and have worked so hard to
implement I am humbled and have so much respect for everyone involved
there. Simply beautiful..."</span> </span></span></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amanda Cotton (Photographer)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><i>I watched it last night- you did a
wonderful job with it! You managed to weave together such lovely
footage, story-telling, and critical conservation messages without
any of the unnecessary fluff or "preachiness" found in
like-minded documentaries. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><i>It actually
brought tears to my eyes to see all that I find special about BAD and
SRMR to be captured on screen, especially with the now iconic shots
of Rusi. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i>I truly can't wait until you release it and I can share it
with my family and friends to try and give them some insight into my
life from the last four years and what exactly it is that makes me
love BAD and SRMR so damn much! </i></span><span style="color: white;">Lindsay Graff (Shark Biologist/Conservationist)</span><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i>"...thanks again for sharing your film with us! It
is amazing. I really like the positive angle, the fact that you show
a solution how a reef can be restored. I like that you show also the
opponents of shark feeding. And it's nice to get to know you better.
It's really a personal film."</i> </span>Lisa Deventer (Ocean Film Festival)</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Underwater
footage at its best, three stories all worth being told, and brought
to the audience in a well balanced way... </span></span></i></span><span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a story about believing and about perseverance
and taking no ‘no’s’ for an answer.</span></span></i></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David is not afraid to
address the issues at hand: from shark finning, shark feeding to
attract them during the dive trips, ecotourism to carbon emission, he
gives points to ponder by giving information without stressing a
particular point of view.</span></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i>All in all 4 weeks in Fiji and 4 years of editing
resulted in a beautiful movie with honest and true content."</i></span> Marjo Boertien (Ocean Conservation)</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More feedback is on its way so I will post it when it comes through but again, everything is overwhelmingly positive!</span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">***Edit***</span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For some reason Blogger is not letting me rep<span style="font-family: inherit;">l</span>y to comments! I'm not ignoring you I promise! In answer to the question fr<span style="font-family: inherit;">om people about how they can get to see the film themselves, there will be a way to do that in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on here<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficetoOcean" target="_blank">the Facebook group!</a></span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
</div>
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-45978732307640359672015-06-21T13:21:00.001+01:002015-06-21T15:59:56.823+01:00Terribly Sad News From Fiji - Rusiate Balenagasau 1960 - 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EeOIJcLxDDc/VYam29W6H1I/AAAAAAAAA1w/PL_cqH_8cmc/s1600/IMG_8539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EeOIJcLxDDc/VYam29W6H1I/AAAAAAAAA1w/PL_cqH_8cmc/s640/IMG_8539.JPG" /></a></div>
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Rusi and I in 2011</div>
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I was saddened to see <a href="http://fijisharkdiving.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/rusiate-balenagasau-1940-2015.html" target="_blank">news from Mike</a> today that the famous "man in the yellow hood," Rusi, <a href="http://www.fijisharkdive.com/about-us/our-staff" target="_blank">chief Shark Feeder at B.A.D</a> and true champion of shark conservation in Fiji has passed away at the age of 55.</div>
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Anyone who has dived with B.A.D will be familiar with Rusi, not only was he a softly spoken, kind and decent man, he also had a rare connection to the sharks he had spent thousands of hours with. They were very much "his" sharks, he loved them in a rare, genuine and heartfelt way and was a passionate protector and champion for their conservation.</div>
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I can't say I knew Rusi well but I did have the honour of spending almost every day of my month in Fiji with him, observing, learning from and being inspired by him and it truly was an honour, the man was a colossus in the shark diving world. Nowadays the word "legend" is so overused it has lost its true meaning but ask anyone who knows shark diving, Rusi genuinely was one of the few who deserved the tag of "legend."</div>
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It's not for me to eulogise the man's life, that is for the people who knew him best but I am immensely proud to have spent time with him, to have dived with him and to have had him be such a big part of "Of Shark and Man," but I think the thing I am proudest of, is that in a journey which changed my life forever, in which I achieved one of my greatest ambitions, he was a key part in that and if it weren't for Rusi's understanding of sharks and his immense experience, I would not have been given that chance. Vinaka Rusi.</div>
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My heart goes out to his family, to Mike and to everyone at Beqa Adventure Divers as they come to terms with the loss of a truly irreplaceable friend and giant of Fijian Shark Conservation.</div>
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"They are like dogs to me, you know, when you've got dogs in your home, you really love the dogs, that's the same thing, I love my sharks."</div>
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Rusi really did love his sharks.</div>
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Rusiate Balenagasau 1960 - 2015OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-19590001587230160252015-05-24T18:11:00.000+01:002015-05-24T19:03:38.575+01:00Angel Sharks In Gran Canaria - A Short Film<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ayzQDuat90w/VWIAxiDqmPI/AAAAAAAAA1c/2TJMC_AYDrI/s1600/Timeline.Still002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ayzQDuat90w/VWIAxiDqmPI/AAAAAAAAA1c/2TJMC_AYDrI/s640/Timeline.Still002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It's always nice to have a little time to work on a project just for fun, it's been a while since the last one, <a href="https://vimeo.com/73862138" target="_blank">a short film made with footage I shot in the Farne Islands with Seals</a> so, seeing as I had some time yesterday and the evening before where I was uploading a ton of stuff, I thought I'd finally put something together from my time in Gran Canaria.<br />
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It was a pretty quick job, basic edit, a fairly straightforward grade and a sound track ("Sunset" by The XX) but I thin it works quite well and I rather like it.<br />
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The Angel Shark is possibly the world's rarest shark so I felt incredibly lucky to see not one but three in my time in Gran Canaria and I want to thank Fernando and Manuela especially for getting me out there to have this wonderful experience. They run a small grassroots NGO called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tiburonescanarias?fref=ts" target="_blank">Alianza Tiburones Canarias</a> which is dedicated to education and inspiration of the people on all the Canary Islands as to the importance of sharks and shark conservation and they really do deserve the support of anyone with an interest in sharks.<br />
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So here it is! As always, comments and feedback are warmly welcomed!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/128694483" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/128694483">In Search of Angels - 11 Days in Gran Canaria</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/scarletviewmedia">Scarlet View Media</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Finally, on the subject of welcoming comments, just a quick point on that.<br />
<br />
I always welcome comments, I love when people want to get involved here and even when they may be contrary to points I raise or are somewhat barbed, I still enjoy hearing from you. I also understand the occasional need for anonymity and I publish 99% of the comments I receive but I will have to reconsider what I publish in regards to anonymous comments based on a frankly ridiculous comment I received on <a href="http://officetoocean.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/11-days-in-gran-canaria-angel-sharks.html" target="_blank">the last blog.</a> Although I went to the effort to compose a polite response to what was essentially, a nonsensical rant, I decided that the original comment was so absurd I'd be better served just deleting it and not allowing it to ruin what was a positive piece.<br />
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With all that in mind, again, please, if you can, put your name on your comments if you do want to address things which may bother you. Criticism is not a bad thing and I welcome that also but I don't really have the inclination to allow the blog to become a place to push strange agendas or bizarre grudges however, for more benign comments, anonymity is still fine if that's what you'd prefer.<br />
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If you do want to have a little rant anonymously, you can of course do that, but don't be upset if it doesn't get published.<br />
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Enjoy the film and I hope you have a brilliant bank holiday to all you UK readers!OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-35865353906148224582015-05-21T20:02:00.000+01:002015-05-21T20:03:46.890+01:00Your Chance To Get Cool Stuff And Help Release Of Shark And Man Is Coming!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://xboxoz360.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/2590868-shut_up_and_take_my_money_9299_2560x16001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://xboxoz360.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/2590868-shut_up_and_take_my_money_9299_2560x16001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I figured now is as good a time as any for an update on Of Shark and Man!<br />
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It's been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of weeks, after Gran Canaria I had a lot of catching up to do and also returned home with thoughts on how to tighten up the edit of the film and make a few corrections so I've been working hard on that and now only have to slot in the updated Sound Design. The changes aren't massive but I have changed some clips and the new v.2 of the film is, certainly to me anyway, an even better film!<br />
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I've also been working closely with the wonderful people at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ednainteractive?fref=ts" target="_blank">EDNA Interactive</a> to finalise the strategy we have for promoting the film upon its release. That means creating content, design work and most importantly, giving you the viewer, the absolute highest value I can. I have always been passionate about my audience investing themselves in to my work and feeling that they are getting a genuine return on that, films like this need support and that support is something I think should be rewarded.<br />
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I've been meeting with magazines, designers, manufacturers and supporters, discussing the best ways to achieve this and I am so excited that the people who are investing their expertise, time, product and above all else, their friendship into this project are all the people I had on my wish list because they're just so damn good at what they do.<br />
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With all that in mind, the next big milestone is the launch of the official website and social media platforms where you can finally start getting your hands on the kind of content you've been so patiently waiting for and also, start kitting yourself out with some truly incredible products, one off memorabilia items and also, maybe, just maybe, one hell of an opportunity to tell your own shark story.<br />
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So, here's the long and short of it, "Of Shark and Man," needs to get out there and that doesn't happen with the odd post on Facebook, it happens with a proper plan, a marketing and promotional strategy, screenings and attending events in person to get the message out there that this is the film that so many of you and your peers and friends have been saying for years you've wished you could see. If this film achieves its goal and gets out to a wide audience, it means more will be made which means that for everyone who's ever signed petitions or complained against what they see as low value and irresponsible shark based TV and film, you now have a chance to actually have an impact in getting what you say you want.<br />
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Here's a list of some of the things I need to cover costs of to realistically give me a solid shot at achieving all the above:<br />
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Marketing Campaign<br />
Festival and Private Screenings<br />
Legal Documentation and Insurance<br />
Promotional Merchandise<br />
Travel<br />
Accommodation<br />
Press Kit Materials<br />
Licensing of Footage<br />
Postage<br />
Website Hosting Fees<br />
Printing<br />
Blu-Rays and Electronic copies of the film for Festivals<br />
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Of course it would be nice to make the film open access and free to everyone but in the real world it's just not possible. I've done that with all my other films and lost considerable amounts of money doing so in order to give people productions which, although free to view, are still of the highest quality. It's just not feasible to do that with Of Shark and Man and as such, I have to be very careful with having complete control over any existing copies of the film so it doesn't end up as a torrent online.<br />
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With all that being said, I have been working really hard to come up with a way to involve you in everything, give you opportunities to get your hands on some amazing, and I mean <i><b>amazing</b></i> stuff, including signed memorabilia, one off pieces of artwork, dive gear (yes, actual top of the range dive gear), invitations to screenings, extremely limited opportunities and also possibly the most incredible raffle prize I can think of for anyone who loves sharks. Not only that, but also the opportunity for you to see the film, in full in the comfort of your own home.<br />
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<a href="http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/treasure-chest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/treasure-chest.png" height="430" width="640" /></a></div>
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The way I will be doing all the above is by running a Crowdfund campaign, most likely through Indiegogo to raise the money needed to get everything off the ground. I ran one previously when I started this whole thing so this means all those who contributed to that will receive their stuff when this new one launches so that's pretty exciting too!<br />
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I already have two major dive manufacturers who make top of the range products who are putting forward some of their best gear for perks, not little stuff either, I'm talking products worth between £250-£1500! There is also a third dive company potentially joining so if you're in need of dive gear this year and you only want the best quality and value for your money, maybe hold on a couple of weeks!<br />
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Other perks will range from smaller cost stuff like stickers and signed posters, through to T-Shirts, tickets to screenings and bespoke, one off pieces of artwork (believe me, these in particular will be really, really cool if I can confirm them). There will also be more personal stuff like Skype video calls so you can get any answers to any questions you have, advice or just talk about the weather or anything else you like with me, tonnes of stuff, all of which is designed to give you the best value possible for your donation.<br />
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In conjunction with the perks you get per donation, there are also going to be raffle prizes, the bigger the donation, the bigger the prize with one super mega prize I'm hoping to confirm in the next week which really is something special!<br />
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So, keep your eyes peeled, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficetoOcean" target="_blank">join this Facebook group</a> to get up to date news and maybe start putting away some pennies. This will launch soon and will be something very awesome I can assure you!<br />
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In addition to that, if you're thinking of going to the <a href="http://www.40fathomsfilmfest.org/" target="_blank">40Fathoms Film Festival</a> in Hermanus, South Africa on June 5th, 6th and 7th, you'll get a chance to see three of my films, "A Ray of Light," "A Ray of Light II," and "Sea Dogs" which is pretty cool. They're also showing Mexico Pelagico I believe and that is well worth your time too!<br />
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<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-41209628661747999572015-05-06T21:09:00.001+01:002015-05-06T21:30:25.242+01:0011 Days in Gran Canaria - Angel Sharks and The Public Reaction To Of Shark And Man!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfi0uMCSDYk/VUpICKAtgAI/AAAAAAAAAx4/N30TeIB7jTE/s1600/IMG_0578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfi0uMCSDYk/VUpICKAtgAI/AAAAAAAAAx4/N30TeIB7jTE/s640/IMG_0578.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not bad for a first screening of the Director's Cut!</span></div>
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So, I'm back in the cold and wet of the UK after a brilliant eleven days in Gran Canaria (including a day trip to Tenerife) where I met wonderful people, did some very cool dives, got a bit of a tan, ate some massive steaks, saw Of Shark and Man on the big screen for the first time with a public audience and even walked away with two awards!</div>
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Firstly Gran Canaria is great, the weather was hot, there is actually life underwater and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1062043837142321.1073741831.204324156247631&type=1" target="_blank">people I met</a> were just amazing. I was a guest of Fernando and Manuela who run <a href="http://alianzatiburonescanarias.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alianza Tiburones Canarias</a>, a small, grassroots conservation NGO which works to educate and inspire the people of the Canary Islands about sharks in their waters, in particular the Angel Shark.<br />
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The hospitality I received was second to none and I cannot speak highly enough of them, they are passionate, informed and ambitious and these are three things vital to running successful campaigns and above anything, they're really, really nice people!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PuXkpG_tjeM/VUpLNqh2phI/AAAAAAAAAyE/joCBRP3bWyY/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PuXkpG_tjeM/VUpLNqh2phI/AAAAAAAAAyE/joCBRP3bWyY/s640/IMG_0539.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had been invited over as a guest for their annual film festival,focusing on marine life and films about the ocean for which they were incredibly keen to have Of Shark and Man screened. It was also a chance for me to do some diving and try to get some footage of at least one Angel Shark so I couldn't say no and off I went.</div>
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My day started at 3am for my 8am flight, I landed in Gran Canaria just past midday, met up with Fernando and Manuela along with David from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ednainteractive?fref=ts" target="_blank">EDNA</a> and was immediately whisked off to a live radio interview, in Spanish to talk about the film and the festival! It was then off to <a href="http://www.festivaldelsur.es/espacios/" target="_blank">the venue</a> to discuss the structure of everything and meet a few of the volunteers who were (as was the case with everyone I met) really lovely people, I even had my own translator who was a real help, very kind and with whom, along with her boyfriend Christian, Dave and I went out for something to eat later and discuss all things shark.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JNFsKu19-qI/VUpPUC9WYrI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/77BT44HN8Hk/s1600/IMG_0423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JNFsKu19-qI/VUpPUC9WYrI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/77BT44HN8Hk/s640/IMG_0423.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kepa Garmendia</span></div>
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So, to the festival itself!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kepa Garmendia</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kepa Garmendia</span></div>
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There were, if I remember correctly, sixteen films spread out over two days, two feature length films (including OSAM), a few animations which were great, one of which, "The Health of Our Oceans" had a super cool credits sequence at the end at which both Dave and I were salivating it was that good. Most of the films were shorts, split between pros and amateurs even including first time film-makers (which I love), most of the films had little to no narrative and topics varied from sharks to plastic pollution, to location pieces and everything in between. Friday's highlight for me and most of the audience was without question a short film by Alberto Ramos Rodriguez called "Utopia" which was both surreal and at times ingenious, I loved the fact it thought way outside the box. The audience seemed in agreement that the other highlights included the beautifully shot "Secretos de Macronesia" by Rafa Herrero Massieu, "The Azores in 5K" by Nuno Sa and Lee Burghard's "A Fight for Survival."</div>
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Saturday saw the screening of "Of Shark and Man," and to be honest, I was quite nervous, there was a lot of expectation and I was worried about the duration of the film as it is all in English and would play out in front of a majority Spanish/German audience. At 104 minutes with an enormous amount of content, I had visions of an audience gradually sneaking out to go to the bar during the film leaving only David and I in the theatre...</div>
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With that being said, it came as a very happy surprise that throughout the film, not one person left, even to go to the loo, people reacted to the film, there were laughs, the odd "woah" and audience members exchanging nods and smiles of approval with each other. When the film came to a close, the applause started immediately as the credits rolled and lasted almost the entire duration, leaving me, having been invited up on stage, rather embarrassed by it all. I don't really take public displays of praise too well when I'm there in front of a room of people!<br />
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What was particularly encouraging was the Q&A session, people were picking out parts of the film and quoting bits back to me, asking intelligent questions about everything and most importantly telling me what they liked and how they felt when they watched the film which isn't really the norm in a Q&A. Not only that but there was a genuine enthusiasm for not only the three stories in the film but the technical aspects of the Cinematography and Sound Design.<br />
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What became apparent over the remainder of the evening was not just that people liked the film, but that it awoke something in them, either a reminder of the kind of films that inspired their love of the oceans originally, or the desire to perhaps rethink their own opinions of things, discuss the incredible story of Shark Reef and also to readdress how they saw the portrayal of sharks in the media. What people really seemed to love is that the film does not claim to be or have a message, it just does what it does and encourages the viewer to think throughout and as such, amazingly for a foreign language audience, they felt the film's length was perfect as it passed by quickly.<br />
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They also mentioned it had an approachability in that instead of making breathy statements or trying to push ideas on the viewer, it informs by simply telling a story through one man's eyes and also, the people in the film itself were extremely popular because again, no caricatures or considered personas, just honest, decent people speaking from the heart.</div>
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To go in thinking I'd see people quietly sneaking out to the bar and instead to have more than one person tell me after the screening that "Of Shark and Man" was "the best shark film I have ever seen" (honestly, we have it on camera) is something I will never forget. </div>
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See what an audience mamber, Marjo, had to say about the film <a href="http://www.oceanconservation.org.uk/2015/04/of-shark-and-man-a-must-see-documentary/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Even saying all that, when I found out there would be awards presented, I didn't expect to win one, I thought maybe I'd get a small one for taking part and making the effort to attend the event but that's it, so it all came as a bit of a surprise that OSAM was chosen as the "Best Film" by both the City of Aguimes and most importantly of all, unanimously apparently, by the audience.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kepa Garmendia</span></div>
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So after the evenings wonderful event and a celebratory meal in a cave (ginormous steak obviously) the focus turned to diving and trying to get some shots of what is likely the world's rarest shark, the Angel Shark.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Yuneysa Garcia Flores</span></div>
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The diving in Gran Canaria is actually really good, I've become accustomed to the Mediterranean in the last few years and there is so much more life around the Canary Islands, the water was a mild 19 degrees, the viz pretty good and on most of the dives we'd see some big shoals of fish which I always enjoy filming.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Yuneysa Garcia Flores</span></div>
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The dives felt wilder than in the Med and I like that, there was always something to see but what made the dives so special were the people I dived with. Mareike from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DivingCenterNautico?fref=ts" target="_blank">Diving Centre Nautico</a> with some additional RIB support from Jerry at <a href="http://www.canary-diving.com/" target="_blank">Canary Diving</a>, Kepa, Yuneysa (who took the two shots above), Felipe, Eugenio and of course, Fernando and Manuela.</div>
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It took a few days but I saw my first Angel Shark (two actually) on a night dive at a place called Sardina but it was a couple of days later at El Cabron where I really got to have a proper encounter with a nice sized female we found towards the end of our dive. They may not be one of the big, charismatic species but it was so exciting to see one because they are so very rare and this particular shark really co-operated for the camera which is of course, always appreciated!</div>
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So, Gran Canaria was brilliant, I loved it! In the week I also did a press conference and an interview with VIVA Magazine alongside filming some more stuff for the Making Of features we will be releasing on the official website. There will also be a short film of some underwater footage coming up so keep an eye out for that.</div>
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I was also invited to the University of Las Palmas to give a talk about Shark Feeding and the Shark Reef story which was really cool as the students seemed really enthusiastic about it and asked some brilliant questions. It's nice to be a part of getting this story out to a wide audience.</div>
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I want to thank everyone I met for their hospitality, warmth and most importantly, their friendship. Huge thanks to the City of Aguimes for putting me up in the <a href="https://www.visitaguimes.com/en/alojamiento/casa-rural-la-aldaba/" target="_blank">beautiful Casa Aldaba</a>, which, if you ever plan to visit there, I strongly recommend, I loved it, it's a gorgeous little house in a gorgeous, quiet little town.</div>
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I'm feeling ever more confident about Of Shark and Man, it won over an informed audience of people in a foreign country for whom English is not a first, or often second, language and people didn't only like it, they loved it!<br />
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Lots of good stuff is coming your way so keep your eyes peeled, this journey is about to get very interesting!</div>
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OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-38706870137959737502015-04-11T16:25:00.002+01:002015-04-11T16:25:58.383+01:00Trailer Feedback Is In And There Was a Clear Winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, the feedback from the two versions of the trailer came back and firstly it was overwhelmingly positive, secondly there was a clear "winner" and I'm glad to say it was the one which I would have chosen myself. I like both but there was one I thought flowed better and gave a better overall representation of the film and that will be the one which goes out as pretty much everyone agreed!<br />
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Here's a selection of quotes from the feedback:<br />
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<b><i>"...the Everyman target audience - you got that passionately and perfectly done.
Well done for that accomplishment. People will definitely get that and
effectively put themselves as 'you' when they watch this film if that angle
comes across as well as it does in the trailer."</i></b><br />
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<b><i>"WOW great effort with both! Gave me shivers of excitement while watching both."</i></b><br />
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<b><i>"I whacked this onto a 42" telly with surround sound and it just booms with
awesomeness. It's true to the region, is enchanting, almost haunting, and sent
shivers down my back."<br /><br />"...congratulations it looks WOW!"</i></b><br />
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And some more feedback from the full film itself:<br />
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<b><i>"...I think this can become an atemporal reference film for the world's 'shark
conservation tribe'. With 'Of Shark and Man' you have just started a debate...
you know, and we all conservationists, we need so much to be united around a
global and ethical shark conservationism movement... that this debate is so
needed right now"</i></b><br />
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The trailer will be out as soon as a few promotional details are sorted.<b><i> </i></b><br />
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The very first screening of the film for a public audience takes place two weeks today! (Saturday April 25th) and next week I travel to London for an interview with DIVE Magazine and to screen the film for Jane West at Tourism Fiji along with a few others and that is a big thing, if Jane likes it then I will be stoked as it is she and her former colleague Martin Harlow who actually gave me the chance to make the film.<br />
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I have also started talking to some potential sponsors of the film's website and promo materials and not only that but also worked on the crowdfund campaign and can tell you that not only will there be some cool perks for every donation but also, some really amazing, and I mean amazing prizes to be won by some very lucky donors. Keep your eyes peeled for that!<b><i><br /></i></b>If you're interested in potentially becoming a sponsor, email me at <a href="mailto:david@scarletviewmedia.com" target="_blank">david@scarletviewmedia.com</a> and if you haven't already, join the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficetoOcean" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Have a great weekend!<b><i></i></b><br />
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OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-51477305961375261922015-03-31T18:06:00.000+01:002015-03-31T23:37:12.405+01:00Of Shark and Man - Big News And Major Progress!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First of all, behold, the first public look at the branding for "Of Shark and Man." I love it and I think it captures exactly the mood I'm going for, gritty but with a Fijian flavour and a marriage of the industrial urban north of England and something far more exotic. I wanted "different" and that's what I got. I have Sue and David at EDNA Interactive and Kris Allen to thank for the logos and in my opinion, they have absolutely nailed it.</div>
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Its been a mad few weeks since the last blog, consumed in the main by completing the Sound Design which meant 12-14 hour days in David Lawrie's studio composing the final pieces of music and constructing and mixing the film's sound.<br />
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First of all, I'll say this, the Sound Design in Of Shark and Man is phenomenal, it sounds dynamic and at times monstrously big, all the while retaining the subtleties which aide each facet of the story telling. The attention to detail has been ridiculous, I was adamant I wanted everything to have, not just sound, but a designed and descriptive sonic aesthetic, sound which didn't just offer a simple description of the surroundings you see on screen, but which reaches out of the screen, grabs you and pulls you in there with me. Bad sound design kills a film, no sound design is inexcusable but great sound design can elevate a film beyond anything it could have ever been without it.<br />
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I am incredibly lucky to have had a friend in David Lawrie who not only was able to technically do what I wanted, but who also, most importantly "got it." I have heard sporadically over the last few years "but that's not how they do it, you're supposed to do it like this" but I've never really cared how "they" do it, only how I want to do it. That's probably a bit naive but so be it, thus far it's worked and as the saying goes if it ain't broke...<br />
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It's a rare person who is willing to spend their first trip back to the UK in a while, sitting down with someone demanding such rabid attention to detail it means going through more than 100 minutes of footage with a fine toothed comb to pick out every single thing that needs a sound (including underwater) and work together to put those sounds in, knowing full well the challenge of actually mixing it all coherently is going to be even more difficult than usual. The simple brief was "don't think documentary, think feature film event." Needless to say, Dave absolutely smashed it out of the park.</div>
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So I guess that means I should let you all know that the Director's Cut is finished and not only that, it has actually been seen by a small handful of people, one of whom was London based, Cypriot Singer/Songwriter Eleni Skarpari, also known as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eleni-Skarpari/41060245343" target="_blank">Echo Wants Her Voice Back.</a> Eleni was in York, recording with David and I was asked to be the Cinematographer for her new Music Video and so afterwards, David, Eleni and I sat down to watch the film and having seen it, I got her on camera to give her thoughts on the film itself, completely impartial and honestly.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/123506712" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/123506712">Eleni Skarpari - Reaction to First Viewing of "Of Shark and Man"</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/scarletviewmedia">Scarlet View Media</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Feedback so far from the people who have seen it (David Lawrie, David's mum, Eleni and David Edwards from EDNA) has been quite overwhelming really in that they all essentially said exactly the kind of things I hoped people who see the film would say. The opinions of people like these are crucial to me, they are all highly skilled and talented individuals with little patience for mediocrity. They judge the work of others based on their own high standards and were all too aware that merely stroking egos was of no use whatsoever. Four people have seen the film thus far, two who were already interested in sharks, two who merely had a normal, passing curiosity in sharks, all different age ranges and all loved it.<br />
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There is also a trailer, in fact there will be two trailers as of the early hours of Thursday morning but only one will be released.<br />
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I've taken a big risk with the trailer. Basically I got bored of seeing the same thing over and over again and as this film is geared towards a mass market audience, I need to appreciate how that audience works. The shark crowd will look after themselves, if you like sharks or films about sharks, you shouldn't need too much convincing to make the effort to see the film. Unfortunately, to the average person, pure conservation films are "boring" and their trailers often don't do anything to convince them otherwise. They've been at work all day (probably at a job they hate), they're tired, they want to be entertained so the thought of a plodding documentary talking at them about something they really don't care about is not going to rev their engine so to speak. Of Shark and Man isn't really a pure conservation film either, it's an engaging story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things in a tropical paradise.<br />
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The idea here is to use those preconceived misconceptions against those people in a way, to hook them in with something they can totally relate to, then let them choose to ask questions of what they thought they knew whilst getting a bit of a thrill along the way. They are in no way being misled, they are instead being told "hey, all those other documentaries you would never normally watch, well this isn't one of them."<br />
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Look at the trailer for Blackfish, a trailer I think is one of the best I have seen in a long time and it's no coincidence the film was such a big success because the trailer screams out "watch me!"<br />
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With regards to the trailer, I did a first edit and showed it to a few people, here's an excerpt of feedback I got one from one very trusted person who knows about this stuff:<br />
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<i><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">"My
husband and I sat here together and watched the trailer. After it was
over, I looked at him and said, "What did you think?" His eyes were
huge, and his mouth was slightly agape. He said, "I just realized I was
holding my breath." He was so mesmerized by what he was watching, that
he didn't even realize he was holding his breath. So that's definitely a
good sign! </span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">I mean, I want him to start breathing again eventually, of
course. <span class="emoticon emoticon_wink" title=";)"></span> So
here's my impression: For me it was like taking a short, powerful
journey. The first minute or so I felt like I was looking at myself in
the mirror - sitting in a stale office, the vacant expression, just
existing from one day to the next. Then the swimming scene - it really
resonated with me, and I think it will with your audience too. How many
of us just want to dive out of our mundane existence, and go toward
something meaningful? Something completely different from what we
experience every day? </span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">Then to suddenly get that break, where the music
becomes stronger, the colors brighter, the motion faster.... I feel like
I'm traveling with you because of how you have engaged the senses of
the viewer. And I keep asking myself, "What's going to happen next?" </span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">I
think that is the mark of a great storyteller, if the audience is so
engaged that they have to know what happens next. And part of the reason
the viewer wants to know what happens next is because early on in the
trailer, by relaying your story of your unfulfilled life, and your
desire for something more, you have made the audience care about you and
what happens to you. The viewer becomes emotionally invested in the
first few seconds, and that emotional investment only becomes stronger
throughout the rest of the trailer. </span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">I thought the footage and music tied
together beautifully - I know you were especially conscious of the
music, and it shows. There was only one little nagging question mark I
had in my mind at the end of the trailer, and that had to do with the
ambiguity of the plot. I was trying to view the trailer as someone who
maybe doesn't know your story. So I was asking myself, "What is the
ultimate reason he is doing all of this? Is it to face fears? Challenge
himself? Tell the story of the sharks of Fiji? Tell people why sharks
are important and need to be helped?" But I don't think that ambiguity
is necessarily a negative thing. Asking those questions of oneself would
make the viewer want to watch the entire feature to learn the answer.
So while part of me was wondering, well, what EXACTLY is this about? The
other part of me is thinking, actually that's not a bad thing to leave
it a little ambiguous in order to pique curiosity. </span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".9v.$mid=11427595282790=2c2e5f188d6f95cda51.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">But what it comes
right down to is that I thought the trailer was exceptional. Obviously
my husband did too, and I'm happy to inform you that he is indeed
breathing again. <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" title=":)"></span> Anyway, I hope all of this is helpful, and I didn't mean to write a dissertation. Well done, David. Very, very well done</span></span></span></i>"<br />
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I was of course delighted with this feedback, especially with the comment about ambiguity which may surprise you, as I think ambiguity can drive an audience to watch the film to find out what the trailer i actually alluding to. My idea is, as a very good friend once said to me, "sell the sizzle, not the sausage." Give them just enough to pique their interest and curiosity so they <i><b>have</b></i> to see the film.<br />
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By the weekend there should be two functioning trailers and some of you out there will actually get a chance to see them and give me feedback which helps me choose which I release. It's not often a film-maker does that so if you're interested, email me at <a href="mailto:david@scarletviewmedia.com" target="_blank">david@scarletviewmedia.com</a><br />
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Finally, how about this... "Of Shark and Man" will get its first ever official public screening on April 25th at Il Muestra De Cine Submarino De Aguimes in Aguimes, Gran Canaria!<br />
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Fernando who runs the festival and also <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tiburonescanarias" target="_blank">Alianza Por Los Tiburones De Canarias</a> was super, super keen to screen the film, which at that point, hadn't even been completed and when the city offered to put me up in my own Villa to go and screen the film along with a Q&A, it was an offer simply too good to turn down! This is going to be an amazing event and a great opportunity to see the reaction to the Director's Cut from an International audience.<br />
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I am really looking forward to this, Spain and the Spanish territories have been very supportive of my work, my career started there with A Ray of Light so Fernando's enthusiasm really meant a lot to me. Not only that, it was even announced on TV there that I was going!<br />
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Watch from 46:28!<br />
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So, if you're in Gran Canaria on Saturday April 25th, come along. The new David Doubilet film is also showing so I'm looking forward to that too!<br />
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Bit of a longer blog this time but I thought you all deserved a proper update! Keep an eye out for the trailer and remember, if you want a chance to choose which one goes out, email me!<br />
<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-35930270974992630282015-03-05T02:20:00.000+00:002015-03-05T02:21:46.437+00:00I Have Finally Watched Of Shark And Man In Full<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I did something I've been wanting to do for four years, I actually watched Of Shark and Man start to finish in one full go.<br />
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That might sound odd but during the edit process the intro section was in a separate timeline as about a year ago I decided what I had wasn't cutting it and ripped the whole thing apart. This was stressful for me as I initially really liked it but as time wore on it just started to seem a bit...ordinary. These days shark films all tend to blend into one another, some good but unoriginal, others utterly turgid and uninspiring, occasionally there is the odd gem (<a href="http://officetoocean.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/mexico-pelagico-brilliant.html" target="_blank">Mexico Pelagico</a> immediately springs to mind) and of course it's impossible not to judge the work of others against your own, so while watching other films was motivated by an interest in anything that had sharks in, there was also an element of seeing what others were doing, with or without proper budgets.<br />
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I never looked at these films as a possible source of inspiration though, even the ones I liked (and believe me, if there's a shark film available out there online, on TV or any other format, I've seen it) because I have known what I was going to do with "Of Shark and Man" for almost ten years now and my inspiration comes less and less from shark documentaries as time progresses because I don't just want to be the same as everyone else or take an easy option and I certainly don't want Of Shark and Man to simply become "just another shark film."<br />
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So, back to my original point, I was stressing about the intro because although it was certainly different, its execution was ordinary and a bit corny. It took probably a full year to come up with something that really presented the film as it deserves in the first few minutes, both conceptually and artistically because, as wanky as it may sound, I do see Of Shark and Man as a piece of art but of course, art is subjective...</div>
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Over the last year we (myself, David Lawrie and various talented Musicians) have been working (and losing sleep) on the soundtrack and sound design for the film and now the intro music has been finalised and believe me, that was a big, big job, I was able to actually take the intro and stick it onto the rest of the film and thus, tonight I got to watch he whole thing as it should be seen.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Screen Grab from Of Shark and Man</span></div>
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Theoretically I could have watched it sooner extremely easily but truth be told, I almost didn't want to, I was nervous, what if I didn't like it? What if I thought it was boring or kept seeing mistakes? I had actually been putting off watching the film because although people tell me I'm quite good at what I do and people seem to like it, when you've had the amount of people telling you that you're wasting your time or kidding yourself as I have had in the last few years (if I had a pound for every time I heard the phrase "cloud cuckoo land"...) then you undoubtedly experience periods of intense self doubt.<br />
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I exist in a bizarre mindset of supreme confidence shadowed by crippling self doubt all of which is driven by an almost psychotic desire to achieve perfection, if that even exists, all of which has both inspired and almost destroyed me in the last few years and all because of a film. It's kind of ridiculous when you think about it but hey, none of us are perfect right?... I am course, trying to address that...<br />
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So tonight was the night, the volume levels were all over the place as there is still a bit of sound design to add and a couple of music tracks to complete (next week) but it was still a functioning piece of work. So what did I discover?<br />
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My biggest fear is that the film would drag and get lost in a morass of self indulgence, at over 102 minutes, it would be really easy to bore an audience into a stupefying coma of disinterest and thankfully, even as my own biggest critic, the film absolutely flew by and that, to be honest, surprised me.</div>
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When you venture over the sixty minute mark, you're taking a big risk that you will lose your audience, sharks are awesome, we all like sharks but there are people out there who don't and it is they, if you have any aspirations of "changing the perception of sharks," who you need to engage.<br />
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Thankfully because of the sheer weight of content and calibre of the people on camera, the film carries everything really well. If anyone was going to get bored of the film it would be me, I have lived with it for almost five years now but at no point did I feel I was being weighed down by the feeling I had to finish it because I'd just spent the last hour watching it.<br />
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The music works really, really well and the sound design is fantastic, lack of sound design will kill a film before it gets going and that was a major reason why, when I started the edit, I spoke to David Lawrie about my idea to have sound be another character in the story, to accent, intensify and breathe life into the images on screen. Needless to say Dave has done an incredible job.</div>
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Also, and this was a <i><b>big</b></i> thing for me, the film just looks totally different to any other shark film out there and absolutely nothing like a documentary and that is exactly what I wanted because I don't see Of Shark and Man as a documentary, rather a feature length film with factual content. It was a difficult process to get that look right and it started with the filming itself. There is not a great deal of the "guerilla" style of cinematography, achieving this meant impressing on anybody filming when I wasn't, to see the beauty and the drama in what they were shooting. Cinematic was the order of the day and I think we achieved that.<br />
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The grade of course plays a big part in the look of the film too and I leaned heavily towards the filmic look, quite high contrast and using colour to tell the story with an almost 1970's look but brought into the modern era. It's not as super sharp as had I shot it on C100/300/500 or RED as I would have done if I were shooting it today (I own a C100 now) but the slightly softer edge actually gives the footage a more distinctive look from everything else in these days of 4,5 and 6K and lends itself well to that filmic look I was so passionate about capturing.</div>
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Now, of course it would be easy to say I was biased, of course I am and I certainly wouldn't be here saying "hey, I watched my film tonight, guess what, it sucks!" but I do think anybody with an interest in sharks will enjoy it, learn from it and take something, probably many things away after viewing it, but more importantly to me, I think it fulfils a goal I set from the start, to appeal to people who have <i><b>no</b></i> interest in sharks.</div>
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I think the thing I'm happiest with is the concept itself, bridging that gap between the urban landscape and a South Pacific paradise, the "everyman" idea which drives the whole story. Of Shark and Man is not merely people sitting down reeling off facts, it's a journey, a very real story told be real people who are being honest. I had no interest in taking a scientific approach, I didn't want to talk to an endless conveyor belt of researchers in labs repeating statistics, this is about visceral escapism.<br />
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That's not to say the film is light on facts, far from it, factual content drives everything in the film and regardless of your level of knowledge, you absolutely will learn something you don't already know, not only that, you will see things you have never seen before and that can only be a good thing can't it.<br />
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So what now? <br />
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Well, the official trailer is now almost complete and will give you a far better idea of what to expect than simply reading the above. The plan for that is that I will allow a few people to see the trailer privately and give their feedback before its release and this could include <i><b>you</b></i>, more on that in the coming weeks.<br />
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The website has been registered and is being designed, as are the Twitter and Facebook pages. Behind the Scenes videos will be coming out soon and most importantly, opportunities for you to actually see the film and make up your own mind!<br />
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There is also a brilliant opportunity that has been presented to me which I am 99.9% certain I will be able to to do which excites me enormously!<br />
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Finally, I just want to say this, if you are an independent Film-Maker who has made or is making your own film about sharks, I applaud you for getting out there and having a go at doing something. The more independent shark films out there the better in my opinion. If you're an aspiring Film-Maker and you have no idea where to start or you have questions nobody else seems willing to answer, please, always feel free to drop me a line and I will always try to help you if I can. I may not be Fincher, Kubrick or Spielberg (obviously, I wish I was!) but I'm always happy to be of any assistance I can.</div>
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As always, keep your peepers peeled for updates, after years of hearing "it's almost done," I can now tell you that unequivocally, it's almost done!</div>
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OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-8771123595091896932015-02-28T17:23:00.000+00:002015-02-28T17:23:32.277+00:00Eugenie Clark and Richard Theiss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dr Eugenie Clark - A True Pioneer</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>I know it's probably a little late but I still felt I should mark the passing of Eugenie Clark, a woman who was a massive influence on me and who can claim some responsibility for the existence of this blog and everything I have done in relation to my work with sharks over the last twenty or so years.</div>
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The world of shark diving and its influence on popular culture, although seemingly a macho pursuit was in fact pioneered by women and none more so the Dr Clark. She was a lady with bigger balls than most men I know, a huge intellect and passion and by all accounts a truly lovely, down to earth and friendly person.</div>
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As a kid I vividly remember being in 2nd year at primary school, what is now known in the UK as Year 4 (I think) and already being shark mad, I found a book in our classroom about Eugenie and her adventures with sharks, it may have been the original pressing of "The Lady and The Sharks," and reading about when she and her kids were at the beach, all of them in the water when a large Hammerhead approached, as everyone else made a swift exit from the water, Eugenie described how she and her kids just stared in wonder, overjoyed at such a close encounter and that really stuck with me. There was also the National Geographic documentary featuring her work with the Moses Sole and both the book and that film were staples of my formative passion for sharks.<br /><br />Thanks for the inspiration Dr Clark.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Richard Theiss - A great pro and a wonderful man</span></div>
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I also want to mention the sad passing of <a href="http://www.rtsea.com/" target="_blank">Richard Theiss</a>. A passionate shark lover, great pro and a really nice guy, Richard and I would chat via email intermittently and he helped me a lot when I was starting this journey. Richard really was one of the good guys and his immense popularity amongst his peers is testament to this. I won't post lengthy platitudes about Richard as that is for people who knew him far better than I but I do want to say to Richard, thank you for everything.<br /><br />Condolences and best wishes to his family and close friends whom it was obvious he cared for deeply.<br /><br />We've lost two of the genuine leaders in our world and they will be greatly missed.</div>
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OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-19655650727831931242015-02-05T23:40:00.001+00:002015-02-05T23:52:06.781+00:00More Pelagic Life Awesomeness / Of Shark and Man Update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a really big fan of <a href="http://www.pelagiclife.org/">Pelagic Life</a>, I love their <a href="https://vimeo.com/pelagiclife">media output</a>, I love their ideas, I admire their professionalism and approach to their work but most of all I love their attitude. They're genuine, passionate, informed and they have that cool edge that you can't teach, that streetwise approach to achieving goals that doesn't come from a textbook but from dirt, sweat and long, arduous days battling against the odds.<br />
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I was lucky enough to see <a href="http://officetoocean.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/mexico-pelagico-brilliant.html">Mexico Pelagico</a> which I thought was an absolute triumph. There's a lot of shark films coming out at the moment and in the last few years, some with bigger budgets, other with smaller more indie set ups, I take my hat off to them all for getting out there and doing something, most aren't really my cup of tea to be honest but that's just a personal taste thing, however this really stood out for me (as did <a href="http://extinctionsoupmovie.com/">Extinction Soup</a> which I also enjoyed) as being way ahead of the pack in terms of quality. Everything about it was testament to what is good in conservation media and of which there should be so much more.<br />
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I was excited then to see that the guys and girls at Pelagic Life had released a new film which you can view <a href="http://www.pelagiclife.org/call-of-the-shark/">here</a> (please do so!) and having just watched it, it's more of the same. Good, genuine and honest media by a group of people who truly understand what it is they're doing. The best thing about Call of The Shark is that it highlights once again that PL are not just highlighting a problem but proactively trying to fix it. They <i><b>get</b></i> it, they understand the wider issues affecting sharks and they have obviously committed to something which is a long term goal. I also love the idea of the collective working together to achieve that goal. They are absolutely one of my favourite sharky things around at the moment, I especially like that they clearly enjoy doing what they do, there's so much po faced schmaltz attached to conservation that seeing genuine joy and fulfilment at fighting the good fight is inspiring.<br />
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One of 2015's major goals for me is to get over to the States for a couple of months as part of the promotion for <a href="https://vimeo.com/79927310">"Of Shark and Man"</a> and during that time I would be in California and if the chance arose, I would absolutely love to see for myself what they are doing, if they'd have me of course!<br />
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Speaking of OSAM...<br />
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Last night I recorded the guitar tracks for another piece of music for the soundtrack which sounded awesome (natch) so progress is being made there. There are two other pieces being worked on at the moment which means there is the last dive segment music and a short piece in the middle of the film left and that's it. The end credits have even been done, it's at the stage now where I am waiting for the finishing touches and mastering of tracks to be completed and I can then get the official trailer out and also, I have been toying around with releasing a couple of short clips from the film so you can see and hear for yourself what you're going to be getting.<br />
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I can confirm at this stage, the soundtrack is not going to be what you're used to in this kind of film, not at all what you're used to. There is no Arabic wailing music or symphonic orchestral pieces, nor is there any Techno (sorry Mike!) I have no problem with any of that kind of music, it's just not where I'm going. There are varying styles in there (there is a lot of music) and each piece has been chosen and composed specifically to complement the accompanying segment of the film and contrary to what you might be thinking and despite the occasional urge, there is no super heavy stuff either, it just doesn't work.<br />
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The approach to the music has been a cinematic one, not just shoving something in there because it sounds nice and is free to use. The sound design and soundtrack sessions for the film have taken a year, there's a reason for that and it will show because I am extremely lucky to have some stupendously talented friends who are some of the best musicians and producers around at the moment and the advice to all of them has been "express yourselves." I have provided ideas and guidance on what I'm hearing in my head but I want them to feel free to be able to put their talents to good use and gain fulfilment from being involved and they certainly seem to be.<br />
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The official trailer will start being put together when I have one specific piece of music back so that shouldn't be long and there will be some out there getting access to the first cut in a password protected streaming copy. There will also be an official website, the www.officetoocean.com site has not been updated or used for ages, that will be replaced by the full site which will be regularly updated and will host everything. That is part of the marketing for the film and I need £5000 to pay for everything so if your company wants to know more about very affordable sponsorship packages for the site (which will be the central hub for an aggressive marketing campaign) then please get in touch at <a href="mailto:david@scarletviewmedia.com" target="_blank">david@scarletviewmedia.com</a><br />
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So there we are, we're metaphorically applying the film's lipstick and final splashes of expensive perfume before I send her out into the wild to turn some heads and break some hearts!<br />
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Speaking of music, recently, after breaking out the axe again and playing properly I've been feeling all nostalgic about my old life as a penniless wannabe Rock star so I uploaded some tracks from those days, almost 10 years ago, time really flies! If you're bored and fancy checking them out, please feel free to do so and run around your bedroom smashing the place up in glorious riff fuelled over enthusiasm.<br />
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Rock on.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/77749455&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-18777476083726292082015-01-27T18:08:00.000+00:002015-01-29T17:19:08.013+00:00Does Film Have a Role To Play In Shark Conservation?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by the amazing Michael Patrick O'Neill</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marine Conservation is a pretty big thing nowadays, to the point where it regularly gets media exposure and every day on Social Media, I am being asked to sign a petition to do with some aspect of saving/protecting some form of marine eco-system or animal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once the preserve of the scientific community, Marine Conservation is now so mainstream that a phrase now exists for ordinary members of the community getting involved in Scientific research and studies, "Citizen Science." I don't really like that term though to be honest, science is science even if it's carried out by people who aren't actual "scientists" and the disconnect between the two is something I feel only serves to alienate the everyman further from the scientific community.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm interested in Marine Science and Science in general but more in its practical application and its effects in the outside world, I have no desire to sit indoors writing papers or any of that stuff, I like what it teaches me and I like how it helps me understand the world and without the people who actually want to do the paper shuffling and late nights behind a computer, I wouldn't have that so they are undoubtedly a valuable commodity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, more and more of the scientific community are now creeping out from the labs and classrooms into the social media world and utilising Twitter and Facebook to spread news of their work, take <a href="https://twitter.com/mggttaylor">Matt Taylor</a>, he of the ludicrous <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/11/shirtgate-newflash-wearing-terrible-shirt-doesnt-make-you-terrible-person">"Shirtgate"</a> controversy in which he was the victim of a baying (albeit small) online mob of people desperate to be outraged by something who single handedly ruined his experience of achieving <a href="http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/01260947-rosetta-science-results.html">something truly, mindbogglingly incredible</a> with his life and bullied him into a tearful apology on TV all for the heinous crime of wearing an awesome shirt. Regardless of all that, Taylor is clearly a cool guy, the opposite of what many think of when they think "Scientist." He's a rockabilly type dude, tattooed with a love for cool music and the esoteric, he's engaging, funny and clearly, astonishingly intelligent and because of all that, people who don't normally "like" science, like him and as such, it helps to inform "ordinary" people further about the work he and his colleagues undertake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are others of course, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and so on, all of whom are proving a bit of a hit with Twitter, not only that, there is of course <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IFeakingLoveScience">I Fucking Love Science</a> with almost 20 million likes on Facebook. Some are, of course, better than others, more entertaining than others and most importantly, more engaging than others. Whilst there are those who stick to sharing their work, there are others who invite us into their lives and those who, through having a few Twitter followers are now actively courting the media as they attempt to grow their own perceived "celebrity" status.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">With this growth in the use of Social Media outreach, has come more interest in using Film and Video as a tool to spread word of their ongoing research and this is something being embraced most by non-scientists and that is the point of this blog.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Scientist and Film-Maker are two totally different things, Film is art and Science is the pursuit of knowledge. Facts are facts whereas art is a subjective thing in which reality can be manipulated, messages can be hidden and in which interpretation is something which may differ from individual to individual so how can the two worlds meet? How can something as "rigid" as science be presented in art which by its very nature is totally open to personal interpretation? <br /><br />Well, it can and has been for centuries but it's not easy and is a scientist the best person to create art which highlights his work? Short answer, no, he is not, much like if my car broke down, I wouldn't ask an Opera Tenor to fix it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course there are exceptions, Scientists who are skilled Film-Makers and Film-Makers who have an expert understanding of Science but with Marine Conservation Science, it's slightly different because it's all about hearts and minds, you need to get people to care about your science if you want it to be effective and simply grabbing a camcorder and telling people about your findings will not do that because your intended audience simply won't have an interest in watching it, you need to make them care and doing so in Film is very difficult and a skill not many people have.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I saw a Twitter discussion a while back where one scientist was asking others about "making a video" about their work, i.e. doing it themselves and at no point in the long discussion did anyone even think of suggesting they actually speak to a Film-Maker and get their advice. They've got a camera and iMovie so it's easy right? Wrong. Yes you could shoot something and cut it together but it being any good and actually engaging enough to reach an audience is another and although its all very well if your friends, family and other Scientists watch it, it's of no use whatsoever if your film and therefore message, fails to reach a wide audience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are also those, often lamented (rightly so) by the Scientific community who are making films about Marine Conservation issues and getting the Science completely wrong so therefore spreading a message which is at best misleading, at worst damaging to the cause as a whole.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">All this highlights the single biggest problem, the Scientific and Creative communities just don't communicate with each other enough.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://asociacionondine.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10330363_665328196854592_3376974895830115088_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://asociacionondine.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10330363_665328196854592_3376974895830115088_n.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mallorca Stingray Survey</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now of course, the big stumbling block is money, no professional worth his salt will work for free on what could be a long, arduous and time intensive Film project because, believe it or not, we have bills, rent, kids etc and we have to eat, not only that, we don't conjure up the thousands of pounds worth of equipment we use (and <i><b>need</b></i>) out of thin air. You don't work for free, why should we?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">With that in mind, Science is not an industry where money is easy to come by and that brings me on to my next point, another recent Twitter discussion, that of crowdfunding scientific research projects. This is actually a great idea but if you're going to do this, first of all, speak to a proper Film-Maker with experience of this kind of work and discuss what you want from your film and most of all, listen, he or she knows a lot more about this kind of stuff than you do. When you have your idea, find out how much it will cost to make, don't offer them a figure you've plucked out of thin air, actually ask them. When you know, add it to the figure you need to crowd fund, don't do what so many others do, raise an amount then ask a professional to work for free because you didn't plan your campaign properly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">You may be planning to make the film yourself, after all, you have a GoPro and a Mac and you're a PADI Open Water Diver, that's all you need right? If you have £20,000 to spend on your wedding, would you get <a href="http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/wedding4.jpeg">Uncle Bob</a> to do the photos because he has a DSLR or do you <a href="http://www.richardmilnesblog.com/category/allposts/">hire a pro</a>?... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you're a Film-Maker with dreams of making a Marine Conservation film, talk to experts in the field and get your content rock solid and not just scientists either. If a Scientist is an expert on Shark Biology and spends their life in classrooms, labs, or on boats but barely, if any, time in the water, can they ever claim to be an expert on the shark behaviour in your location? No, they can't, speak to the divers who spend every day in the water with the sharks as well as others who can give you the expert insight you need. You may have seen a few documentaries and read a few books, that doesn't make <i><b>you</b></i> an expert, make sure to include those who are!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I began my career as a Film-Maker I did it for two reasons, neither of which are particularly noble, I wanted to make myself happy and nobody was making the films I want to see so just figured I'd just do it myself. Overly dry and science heavy films bored me to tears and the hyper-sensationalist macho man/hippy chick films were equally as boring with the added annoyance factor thrown in, nobody was making films about real people and most importantly, where was the storytelling?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So can using film media help your cause? Undoubtedly, I know this from personal experience, <a href="https://vimeo.com/44105823">A Ray of Light</a> helped raise upwards of 80,000 Euros for <a href="http://asociacionondine.org/">Asociacion Ondine</a> to fund ongoing grass roots conservation projects, of which I didn't take a single penny (I actually paid for that production out of my own money) and <a href="https://vimeo.com/110704343">A Ray of Light II</a> is proving hugely popular, most importantly with ordinary people of all ages who are now showing passionate interest in the marine animals in their own back yard.</span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/110704343" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/110704343">A Ray of Light II</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/scarletviewmedia">Scarlet View Media</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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A Ray of Light II focuses more on the actual work undertaken by Asociacion Ondine so fits the style more appropriate for all you Scientists out there, the idea however, still being to engage the public through a story they can relate to, thus drawing them in to the actual research project itself.<br />
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The reason this was such a successful production was down to something extremely simple. The Research team (proper scientists) were left to do what they do best, I had complete control over the production of the film and the boat crew were in charge of running the boat. Much as I didn't tell the Research drew how to tag the Stingrays, they didn't try to tell me how to do my job, in short, the experts were allowed to do what they're experts at and the results are clear.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/79927310">"Of Shark and Man" Teaser Trailer 3 (Letterboxed Version)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/scarletviewmedia">Scarlet View Media</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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With Of Shark and Man which will be released this year, this is undoubtedly the most in-depth look at the Shark Reef story in existence and also the most comprehensive look at Shark Feeding on film certainly and probably anywhere else but that aside, this was always intended to be a hugely ambitious and complex piece of art, Marine Conservation inspiration delivered through absolute free creative expression. <br />
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Put simply, if you believe your Scientific work and credentials deserve the absolute best, do not scrimp on your film output if that's an area you want to explore and do not think it's something you can do yourself. Speak to Film-Makers with the appropriate expertise and if you're a Film-Maker, don't cut out the Scientific community, we should all be working together and remember, some people are made to be in front of a camera, others are not, if you have an ego, leave it at home, it won't do you any good in the long run.<br />
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<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-15776013412156975922015-01-12T14:53:00.000+00:002015-01-12T14:53:44.255+00:00Some More Press For Of Shark and Man And A New Milestone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got a nice surprise the other day from Mike who emailed me a link to an article about me by the very cool people at "The Coral Triangle" that I didn't realise had been online since November!<br />
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If you went to any of the Beneath The Waves Film Festival events in 2013 you would have almost certainly seen the film <a href="https://vimeo.com/17419531" target="_blank">"The People of The Coral Triangle"</a> which really is very, very good. James and Jonny are both very talented guys and are doing some great things so please check them out!<br /><br />I did the interview with Jonny ages ago and had forgotten about it so it was a nice surprise when it landed in my inbox. You can read it <a href="http://www.thecoraltriangle.com/content/stories/2014/11/the-man-who-left-his-job-for-some-bull-sharks">here.</a><br />
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Speaking of <a href="http://www.beneaththewavesfilmfest.org/">Beneath The Waves</a> I have entered <a href="https://vimeo.com/110704343">A Ray of Light II</a> into this year's festival. The criteria for film's is that they must be ten minutes or less and with A Ray of Light II coming in at 28 minutes 40 seconds, I was unsure whether to apply but they actually asked for it personally so I'm hopeful it gets in as I think BTWFF is one of the best underwater film festivals around and I like Austin a lot. I'm not going to lie either, if it gets in and is considered for an award, I hope it gets one!<br /><br />I'll be entering it in some other festivals as well so watch this space.<br /><br />As for <a href="https://vimeo.com/79927310">Of Shark and Man, </a>we are half way through the music which is the last thing that needs doing so there will be an official trailer soon! On Wednesday we are doing some more work on the marketing side including the website which looks absolutely fantastic! The branding is done, the content is being readied and as we start 2015, a release of the film is not far away at all. All this means that very soon, there will be some exciting stuff coming your way including content from the film, merchandise and ways you can help get the film out to the masses.<br /><br />2015 marks the 40th anniversary of JAWS and later this year, the BBC are airing a three part series dedicated to sharks which will be incredible, I know this because a good friend is working on it and from what he has told me, it will be yet more world beating brilliance from the best in the business at this kind of stuff.<br />
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This year has also seen his blog reach a bit of a milestone as it has now surpassed <i><b>a quarter of a million</b></i> views! That is no mean feat given its only promotion comes from links shared on the Facebook "shark community" hich is pretty over saturated with content meaning these kinds of shares get lost easily and quickly. Pretty amazing that with that in mind, this is one of the most popular shark related blogs in the world!<br />
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Here's to reaching half a million before 2016! ;)OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-40470184691956791492014-12-23T18:38:00.000+00:002014-12-23T18:38:00.558+00:00I Was Interviewed By Save The Sharks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yy2DcAJT2w4/VJm1qTTj_UI/AAAAAAAAAtI/uRheksyM32k/s1600/10432471_765099133539935_4037134913423014784_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yy2DcAJT2w4/VJm1qTTj_UI/AAAAAAAAAtI/uRheksyM32k/s1600/10432471_765099133539935_4037134913423014784_n.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
The other day I was asked to do a short interview with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savethesharks" target="_blank">Save The Sharks</a> about the process of filming <a href="https://vimeo.com/110704343" target="_blank">A Ray of Light II</a> and my approach to work in general, alongside a few thoughts about the issues facing Conservation Film.<br />
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Have a read of it <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/save-the-sharks/save-the-sharks-interview-behind-the-scenes-look-at-a-ray-of-light-2-with-david-/771765676206614" target="_blank">here!</a><br />
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Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all!<br />
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<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-51514066041631423322014-12-18T16:38:00.000+00:002014-12-18T17:19:05.533+00:00Gigantic Great White Shark in Mallorca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWyF9MKVvws/VJL9mtpoMCI/AAAAAAAAAs4/NhShBjqY9VQ/s1600/495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWyF9MKVvws/VJL9mtpoMCI/AAAAAAAAAs4/NhShBjqY9VQ/s1600/495.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">At Biel's house with a jaw taken from a Mallorquin Great White</span></div>
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Any reader of this blog should know by now I have a special passion for sharks in the Mediterranean, especially around the Balearic Islands and in particular Mallorca. For those that don't know, Mallorca actually has a fascinating history with the Great White Shark with twenty seven confirmed captures between the 1920's and 1976.<br />
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My good friend and Mallorquin Biologist, Gabriel Morey and I, will often talk about Great Whites around the island, not only does he share my passion for the stories but he also happens to be one of Europe's leading authorities on Great White Sharks in the Med and is the go to guy for everything related to sharks around the Balearics.<br />
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One of the main topics which always arises is that of the gigantic Great White captured in El Delta in 1969, a 6.2m specimen captured close to shore, the primary reason being that El Delta is where we handle our work with the Stingrays featured in both <a href="https://vimeo.com/44105823" target="_blank">A Ray of Light</a> and <a href="https://vimeo.com/110704343" target="_blank">A Ray of Light II</a>. It's amazing when I dive that area to think that such a huge White Shark was once swimming around there and to be honest, I get a kick out of it.<br />
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Today, Anton at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shark-Alley/160696530680520" target="_blank">Shark Alley</a> (Anton's a cool guy, go like them on Facebook) posted <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tVi-tXY7hs" target="_blank">this video</a>:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-tVi-tXY7hs" width="560"></iframe>
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I have already seen this footage a few years ago but it has now found it's way online and I originally thought this was one of two sharks given the date, a 5.5m specimen taken from Alcudia by Oscar Pinet or the first shark (5.35m) caught by Xisco Perez, who would later catch the second biggest Great White captured anywhere on the planet (1976) and the final confirmed Great White caught around the island.<br />
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However, after checking with Biel it turns out the date on the footage is wrong and that this is actually the specimen caught by Guillem Farragut in El Delta in 1969, coming in at a whopping 6.2m! I never knew this was in fact the shark we have talked so much about. There is video footage of a few of the White Sharks taken around Mallorca but much of it is unavailable online but I have been fortunate enough to see it all and one thing which stands out about these sharks is that they are <b>huge!</b><br />
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Not only that, but they are very much still there, only recently there was proof of this but I'm afraid I'm sworn to secrecy on that...<br />
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Anyway, if you want to see the area where this shark was caught, check out A Ray of Light II!
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/110704343" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/110704343">A Ray of Light II</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/scarletviewmedia">Scarlet View Media</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024089322275291847.post-47429645656088429482014-12-08T12:56:00.000+00:002014-12-09T14:35:34.717+00:00A Ray of Light II - Online And Available Now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvZiBGyzuHk/VIWeVp56bhI/AAAAAAAAAso/4yztY0bN4cQ/s1600/A%2BRay%2Bof%2BLight%2BII%2BStage%2B3.Still002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvZiBGyzuHk/VIWeVp56bhI/AAAAAAAAAso/4yztY0bN4cQ/s1600/A%2BRay%2Bof%2BLight%2BII%2BStage%2B3.Still002.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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The wait is finally over!<br />
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You can now watch A Ray of Light II in its entirety, free of charge, <a href="https://vimeo.com/110704343" target="_blank">HERE (Click this link)</a><br />
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If you have any feedback, comments or anything at all, please leave a comment in the comments section of this blog or if you're registered on Vimeo, in the comments section of the film itself.<br />
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If you want to help us continue to make these films, the Tip Jar feature is enabled on the Vimeo page, it's non-obligatory of course but any donations, big or small, really do help and they are hugely appreciated!<br />
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If you want to embed the film on your websites or blogs, please feel free to do so and if possible, let me know so I can point people towards your site! <br />
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So, what are you waiting for!? Watch it and if you like it, please share with friends on Social Media!<br />
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Please support Asociacion Ondine as well because without funding, they cannot continue the vital work they are doing! Link here - <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/asociacionondine" target="_blank">http://www.gofundme.com/asociacionondine</a><br />
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Edit: - <a href="http://fijisharkdiving.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/a-ray-of-light-ii-finally-online.html" target="_blank">Thank you Mike! </a><br />
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<br />OfficetoOceanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994215418331139925noreply@blogger.com0