The Public Likes Of Shark And Man

Talking to ClubSub about Of Shark and Man

On Monday, I went to Leek, having been invited by the guy behind ClubSub, to give a bit of a talk about "Of Shark and Man," for an audience of about thirty or so people of all ages and during which I showed each of the three teaser trailers.

I hadn't actually thought about it prior to speaking but I realised just before I was due on, that this would be the first time I would ever screen the trailers to an audience where I was actually present. I know I'm not too great at self-promotion and certainly not as keen on it as some others out there, but I really do not enjoy watching myself on the telly, even worse is watching myself on the telly when other people are present, also watching. It makes me very uncomfortable but I am fully aware that I just need to suck it up and get used to it, in fact, I need to embrace the whole "self-promotion" thing, maybe even come up with a snazzy catchphrase or something, I don't know but either way, I digress...

I was originally planning to speak for around ten minutes max but ended up going over the half hour mark, the reason being that the response was really, overwhelmingly positive and there was a genuine interest and enthusiasm about not just the film, but my own back story, the story of Shark Reef and shark conservation in general so, in super-efficient presentation style, are a few bullet points of the stand out things I took from this really quite pleasant evening;

• Not one of the people there, all of whom were divers, knew anything about the story of Shark Reef. This was very encouraging to me as it makes the film more interesting!
• People responded extremely well to the notion that it's just an ordinary bloke with a dream fronting the film and not just another "TV person" or someone making a vanity project.
• The idea of shooting and producing everything using the kind of gear they themselves can realistically go out and buy was also a huge plus point for them.
• The assumption prior to the first trailer however, seemed to be that the quality of the film would not be very high, the kind of "shaky GoPro footage where everything is a slightly different shade of blue" kind of thing.
• After seeing the trailers, everybody seemed not only hugely surprised but also really energised by the quality of everything.
• Delivering a story in a way which resonates with the "everyman" is definitely a winning idea, questions started before I had even got to the "has anybody got any questions" bit.
• Everyone seemed to love the story and the idea of weaving the "everyman" story in with it seemed to help everything stick so to speak.
• The people I spoke to afterwards are very, very interested in shark films and stories relating to sharks but not really at all interested in what they are seeing either on TV or online from Independents currently and all of whom mentioned they thought that this would finally give them what they actually want to see.
• I spoke with two very nice gentlemen, one a 59 year old diver with an interest and passion for sharks going back half a century and another, probably in his late sixties who has dived all over the world chasing the big stuff and both of whom were very excited by the 70's and 80's influence on the film, the former immediately mentioning the "Blue Water White Death" influence. This pleased me enormously.
• After screening the trailers, answering the questions and chatting to everybody afterwards, it seemed that everyone would definitely make an effort to see the film.

It was a really enjoyable evening and everyone was so nice, thanks to Dave for having me and also to Ed and Anna from EDNA who filmed everything for the Making Of featurettes. They've also done a little blog themselves about the evening which you can read here.

So it would seem then that even at this early stage, people really want to see this film and there is a genuine excitement growing that people might actually be getting something different, creative and innovative.

Which was nice...

"Of Shark and Man" Teaser Trailer 3 (Letterboxed Version) from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

Of Shark and Man Update

So here we are, three years and seven months into the making of "Of Shark and Man..." three years and seven months!!

I am of course including the first year which centred entirely around making a hair-brained, absurdly impossible dream become a reality but even at two years and seven months, it's still a hell of a long time. "Is the film finished yet?!" is something I get asked a lot and yes, it does annoy me a bit on one hand but on the other, it makes me feel good because the interest is still there and not only has that interest been ever present but it keeps on growing and growing and I need that, it helps me keep going.

When I started filming in Fiji, I never once thought I'd be here, almost three years later still working on the post-production but there is a very good reason for that. The film is so huge, so ambitious and so complex that to do everything on my own and try and balance it with everyday life and the outside expectations that come with that, is such a monumental task that it could easily send someone over the edge, it almost has in fact, numerous times. I am in the single most difficult period of my life ever whilst doing the single most important professional undertaking of my life ever and I'm doing all the lifting and carrying, the admin, the technical parts and everything which keeps a film moving, alone.

The film will be all the better for the time it has taken to produce however because it's been given time to breathe and to almost take on a life of its own, as I have become more skilled over time, the film has benefited enormously and the biggest help in everything has come from Tourism Fiji. It was Jane West and her associate at the time, Martin Harlow, who pulled the trigger on funding for the film, it is they who believed in the project and most importantly me and it is they who have not once put pressure on its completion. They want to see it as much as anyone and their patience and understanding has been nothing short of astounding and because of that, they will see that patience and belief rewarded ten times over. This could not have been achieved without them and I am eternally grateful.

This seems like a life time ago

Whereas this has very much been a one man job, from the idea, to getting funding and getting out to Fiji, to handling all the media, editing and constructing a feature length film, I always knew (and was enormously excited) that there would come a point where others would be drafted in to help the film go to the next level and I am pleased to say that we are now at that stage and I have not felt this optimistic about the film since I first secured the funding.

So, where are we?

The first cut is done and has, last night, been split into far more manageable segments. When I first saw the almost two hour long timeline, I'll be honest, it intimidated the hell out of me because I need to grade the whole thing, add vfx where needed, I need to construct a soundtrack and do all the things which make it come alive. I also finished the voiceover script this weekend. Narrative for the film comes primarily from conversational, organic interviews but there is an element of scripted content and that has been a big job, ensuring the mood is just right, it sounds natural and engaging and ties everything together as it should.

In splitting the timeline into chunks I am able to concentrate on smaller parts and refine them, grade them separately and it helps enormously in deciding upon the music, all of which streamlines efficiency.

As I said above, I am also enlisting the help of some ridiculously talented and passionate people who will help elevate this film above what I could achieve doing it all myself so here's a little rundown of who is involved and in what:

Music:

Musically the film will sound like no other shark film. I don't have the BBC Philharmonic so trying to compete with them is a waste of time, plus, it's not really the mood I want, there will be no percussion heavy techno and no "Arabic wailing music," not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not where I want to go. Currently I have Hip-Hop producers, Rock Musicians, Electro Producers, Ambient Producers, Avant Garde Composers, Pianists and of course myself, all of whom are contributing to the soundtrack. It's varied, evocative and will be of an immensely high quality coming from both UK and US based talent. At this exact moment in time, as I type this, I am going through a huge list of tracks and am receiving more on a daily basis. expect a Soundtrack to be available as a crowdfund perk or to be available to buy when the film is released.

Sound Design:

A huge job being handled by a talent as equally huge in US based Producer and Sound Design Artist, David Lawrie. I have been very exacting in what I want and suggested a ton of things I want to incorporate and his creativity, talent and total understanding of what I want is very impressive. David is working on Sound Design as we speak.

Colour Correction, Grade and Look Build:
I am doing this myself and it will start in the coming weeks, as soon as I have settled on any refinements to the edit. The look will be stylistic, cinematic and specifically designed to augment the footage. The last Teaser Trailer is a good reference point to how the film will look when it's finished.

Branding &Marketing:
This is a major part of any film as it creates the identity and mood of a film for an audience yet to see it. It also ensures that you the audience, get the most out of your experience before, during and after you actually see the film.

I have enlisted the excellent EDNA who will handle everything from branding, logo design, poster and cover art, merch design, a centralised movie specific website which will feature everything OSAM related, the focused marketing campaigns and it is they who will also be producing the warts and all full "Making Of" story of the film.I still need to raise the funds for this so if you are part of a company or organisation which you feel could benefit from advertising gained through a staggered sponsorship scheme on the site where absolutely everything film related will be hosted, please do get in touch. It's a small amount of money with a potentially huge audience and a great deal of goodwill for you to reach! david@scarletviewmedia.com

Graphics and Title Sequence:
This is something I have been sweating about for ages, I really wanted a jaw droppingly good intro title sequence and it was something I knew I wanted external help with so to say I am over the moon about getting the person I have to help, is a massive understatement. No names yet but he is an industry leading graphic designer and motion effects artist who has worked for some enormous clients including the BBC and Gorillaz and we are on completely the same page as to what we want. I wanted the film to come in with a bang and with this guy involved, that's pretty much guaranteed! The work on this will start in the coming weeks.

Crowdfunding Campaign:
This will start as soon as all the branding is in place and will have some pretty awesome perks involved. The sole reason for the campaign is to raise the funds needed to give the film a proper release and to ultimately achieve international distribution. The money raised will go towards covering Festival costs, screenings, prints of the film, paying for the very small amount of footage I have had to get from outside sources (i.e. footage we couldn't shoot in Fiji), promotional events, legal costs, documentation and everything needed to get a film out in to the wild.

There will be one more trailer coming, an official, full trailer which will be the official advertising to the world that the film is done and ready to go, so full look, sound, music, everything.

This time in my life is as equally difficult as it is exciting and having put every fibre of my being into it, will either make or break me, the very message carried by the film, one of positivity, belief and love has been permeated by heart breaking difficulties and upheavals throughout the last three years. The highs and lows have been ingested by a project which has pushed me to the absolute brink, all because I want to do something different and primarily, because I believe in the pro-shark message the film carries so much and to know I am reaching the point where all this work will be put out to you, is both exhilarating and terrifying. To now have a clear idea of how the finished film will look, feel and sound makes me immensely proud but then, it's out of my control and over to you. With your support this film and its heavily pro-shark message will be a success, so please, if you dig the idea, the concept or just sharks in general, let me know how you can support this film.

"Of Shark and Man" - Teaser Trailer 1 from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

"Of Shark and Man" Teaser Trailer 2 from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

Sharon Burden Speaks Out - Has The Anti-Cull Movement Finally Found Its Spokesperson?

 

I've been a little concerned of late that the anti-cull movement in Western Australia was in danger of turning into a bit of a circus, too many people seeing it as an opportunity to create or further careers, too many hangers on looking for a bit of the media spotlight and then the all too predictable and equally repulsive news that Chris Boyd's girlfriend had received threats from the rabid and oh so terribly brave keyboard commandos who worship at the alter of the PETA's and self appointed sharktivist Svengalis of this world. It looked like it was in real jeopardy of unravelling completely.

Then I saw this, Sharon Burden's address at an anti-cull rally which is everything you wish for in a rallying call for sense and reason. Ms Burden is erudite, articulate, passionate, intelligent and honest and her fifteen minute speech is both moving and inspiring.

I have for a while now, thought that the anti-cull movement needed that one spokesperson, the focal point of the issue to whom the wider public could look to and with whom they could relate and engage and although I am sure Sharon Burden may not want that level of attention, she would, hearing her speak, be the obvious choice. If she were to decide, understandably that this were a role she would not want, then this video of her address would serve as an ideal alternative.

Also to counterbalance my opening paragraph, whilst I and many others have some concerns over the anti-cull protests, for  the most part, in fact, the overwhelming majority of the protest, has been really quite inspiring and well handled, especially those beach rallies. It's also worth noting the efforts in South Africa to organise a protest there to coincide with Barnett's visit. Well done Sharon!

I and all other lovers of sharks and the ocean will continue to stand with those protesting this archaic and pointless throwback to the 1970's. Keep up the good work.

Of Shark and Man Update - Sound Design Has Begun!

 The almighty task begins...David Lawrie hard at work

Today was a bit of a milestone in the production for Of Shark and Man, in fact, so was Tuesday because on Tuesday, the final clips went into the timeline of the first edit, in simple terms, for the first time ever, I can watch the film start to finish without any gaps! Pick up shots were filmed last week (thanks for your help Olli!) and I received the small handful of stock clips I need to accompany a small part of the film we simply couldn't shoot in Fiji (thanks Duncan and Jillian!) All this means that "editing" now makes way for the part of post production I really enjoy the most, making that edit come alive!

So, back to today, well, today saw the first day of active work on the sound design of the film.

What is Sound Design I hear you ask? "Sound Design" is the process of creating what the film sounds like, from ambient, environmental sounds, to recreating incidental sounds which can't be recorded in the moment, mixing the films audio, cleaning everything up so it hits that "broadcast" standard and as I said above, ensuring what you see is augmented and brought to life by what you hear.

The Sound Design is enormously important in a film but is something which in modern times has been largely ignored, or at least treated as an afterthought by factual "documentary" based film-makers, of course there are sounds and sound effects but the artistry in creating an audio landscape which tells a story in itself seems to be a rare commodity in factual film, outside of the BBC and the theatrical IMAX releases of course. It's not a criticism that it's not there, it's just not really seen as a necessity outside of the fictional realm which is fine but from the outset, I always wanted Of Shark and Man to have a ridiculously ambitious and detailed audio identity, it would be another aspect of ensuring this entire project is as good as it deserves to be and if your film looks great, sounds great and has a great story, then you stand a much better chance of it being a success but primarily, the motivation has been to approach the crafting of the film in the traditional sense in that it should be treated lovingly, respected and allowed to grow, almost organically into the film it deserves to be. I appreciate how pretentious and wanky that sounds but it is what it is, the art of film-making, like music, fine art, architecture, cuisine etc is a craft which deserves to be respected.

I recommend you take ten minutes to watch this brilliant little look at the sound design on "Monsters University" as it gives an insight into the kind of sound design I am talking about, layer upon layer of sound that fills the areas around the viewer to create the world in which I am asking you to join me, the idea being a truly immersive experience that is not just a visual feast but one which envelops all your senses.

The idea is create the kind of sound design that the big budget productions have, there's no point setting your sights low after all and given my almost OCD level of obsession for every single tiny little detail, that is a huge task and not a task I can do to the level I want so, enter the incredibly talented David Lawrie. David is a professional musician, artist and producer with a serious level of ability in this field and I am absolutely delighted to have him on board.

We spent most of today going through the concepts for the sound design I have in my head, some of which are very specific and quite avant garde and what really gave me a buzz was that he is on exactly the same page, even making some sounds on the spot for me which I had tried my best to articulate, but far exceeded what I had in mind. I am of the belief that every texture of each sound has to have a reason for being what it is, it must be descriptive and emotive but mustn't become overbearing. The art of sound design is complex and distinct in that it relies on the obsessive attention to every detail in each shot and the themes of the film, not only that, but also the underlying sub-text and depth that creates the subconscious bind between film-maker and audience.

I'm starting to sound like a bit of a chin stroker I'm aware of that but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's really important to me that all of you who watch the film get the absolute maximum bang for your buck and to feel like you are right there with me on this journey every step of the way. The single thing which lets low budget films down more than anything, is bad sound. Muffled voice overs, badly edited audio tracks and no environmental ambiance. The sound on the cut as is, is already pretty good but with David on board, I know it's going to go through the roof quality-wise.

I'm not going to give away any secrets or any conceptual elements but the sound design will be featured in detail in the "making of" documentary so you will get a really in-depth and detailed look at the process. What I heard today though makes me confident it is going to be pretty incredible. You will get your first glimpse into the completed sound design and look of the film when the official trailer is released sometime in the next couple of months.

Once again I am reminded how lucky I am to have so many talented friends and people who believe in this project. When I started out all that time ago, I could never have imagined where this film would take me on my own creative journey and right now, I have never been more excited.

Western Australian Shark Cull Protests - Round 2!

Something I've not had the time to really go over much is the protests in Australia regarding the proposed Shark Cull in Western Australia so I wanted to give a quick heads up for the second round of protests which are taking place around Australia on February 1st. As usual, check through Facebook to find the one nearest you and go down to lend your support.

Seeing the numbers that attended the first lot of protests, I was actually blown away, it was incredible to see so many people turning out to support the sharks and the motion to try and get the government to halt its plans to waste $20million on a knee jerk reaction purely to be seen to be doing something.

From what I can gather, the protests were well organised, friendly, positive and welcoming, seeing people of all ages getting together to make a statement against killing sharks is absolutely wonderful so, to all the attendees and organisers, well done, you did a sterling job and best of luck in Round 2!

With that in mind, to anyone who attended or helped organise, please, please, please pay absolutely no mind to this, I actually find it quite appalling that it's being shared on Facebook by anybody other than the author, because no, you didn't "drop the ball" with your "crappy signs," you did something brilliant and it made world news so do what everybody else does and ignore what the author has to say, not just about this, but about anything, instead, feel positive about what you are doing and keep up the great work!

If the link won't work for you, here is the transcript, like I said though, please be warned, it's a load of bollocks...

"Western Australian shark cull protestors, why are you guys dropping the ball?

January 4, 2014 at 9:38pm

Hello everyone. I am VERY concerned about local efforts to slow or stop the white shark cull. Let me share with you why this is. Thanks. (BTW this message may upset some of my readers since many are working at stopping the cull. Please read ALL of it before you get annoyed. Also realize that this is not to diminish efforts being made. But it is to give you the tools to swiftly win this battle once and for all.)

I keep seeing images shared with me by friends and colleagues in Western Australia. And every time I see protests and demonstrations it's a huge mixed roller-coaster ride for me. Mixed because I am torn between the pride I feel in seeing these folks taking the time to gather and protest and draw media attention to the issue. But also a mix of disbelief, frustration, and anger at the fact that everyone keeps dropping the ball and missing the biggest opportunity that anyone could hope for to get the cull immediately shut down and repealed.

Now if you ask me why I would feel this way and what is this massive weapon that will instantly kill the cull, it's the legal high ground in a battle that should not even be taking place.

I can point the finger at Colin Barnett and decry his stupidity and idiocy at having tried this in the first place. But I am ABSOLUTELY mind blown at all of the heads of the counter movement who are not killing this cull with the most powerful tool possibly imaginable! What the heck is the matter with you folks???? Are you not comprehending the power you have?

From an outside perspective and a logic perspective it's such an easy fix. And from an inside perspective even more so! So why are you guys failing to do the simplest thing possible, which also happens to be the most effective thing possible, to shut the cull down?

Let me spell this out for everyone very clearly. If there is ANY part of this that does not sink in please let me know?


THE CULL ORDER IS ILLEGAL!


Now I want ever shark defender and especially Jeff Hansen and Ross Weir to really pay close attention. I am going to make this as simple as possible. I should not have to but apparently the message just seems to elude everyone. So here it is.

Colin Barnett has no legal ability to cull White sharks in Western Australia or in any other state in the nation. He cannot do this legally because there are 14 White shark conservation laws and conventions and treaties that are both National and International Laws and outweigh any jurisdiction that he has as a state leader to overrule these accords and laws!

Next thing; Colin Barnett plans to use drumlines. These draw sharks closer to bathers and beach goers, set sharks into a feeding/hunting/foraging mindset and INCREASE the danger of a bite incident. This violates the Public Safety laws of Western Australia and Mr. Barnett does not need to fully grasp that he is endangering the public. He needs only attempt something which can put the public in harm and he can be prosecuted under these statutes! Western Australia is one of 4 states in Australia that do not need knowledge of endangerment in order to prosecute for this criminal act.

And then there is the Bycatch issue. Drumlines do not just catch sharks. They also catch Sea turtles (all 7 species worldwide are endangered or critically endangered and protected). This includes the 6 species found in Australian waters! Seals and Sea Lions, also afforded protection, Dolphins and Porpoises, again these animals have protection, Pilot whales, Rays, Dugongs, Non-target shark species, several of which have VERY strong protection. All told there are about 60 conservation laws violated by drumline use!


Signs that every image and picture of every event I have seen in which demonstrators and activists are holding for the News Media all implore the public to oppose the cull, or stop the cull, or support white sharks. But the problem with asking people to help fight the cull is that this presumes that the cull is a legitimate venture that Barnett can legally pull off, but is perhaps an unpopular idea.

None of it says to the public or (and more importantly) the News Media, that this cull is being done in violation of long standing and powerful Laws. No signs that explain to cameras, reporters, and the public that this is a CRIME and that if Barnett pushes it through he is looking at Prison time. Where are those signs??????

Why are you guys not just shutting the whole circus down?

With just that tiny bit of information this would all be over swiftly. I have said it nicely, I've shared the information with Politicians and Reporters, I've shared it with shark advocates, animal rights activists, and supporters, I've written about it, shared it in groups and NGOs. So let me ask everyone, why is this concept so darn difficult for everybody?

You want to stop the cull? Really?

Here's how you do it.

1. STOP holding signs that beg, ask, or attempt to garner sympathy. 

2. START holding up signs that expose this for what it is, ILLEGAL/CRIMINAL activity.

3. Familiarize yourself with Media and Politicians and SHARE THIS INFORMATION with them.

4. Publicly DEMAND that Barnett is investigated, arrested, and tried for these crimes!


Take the focus off of just the sharks and the morality/ethics of this situation, and shift it to where you have an open and shut case, the legality and Barnett's imminent imprisonment!!!!

THAT is how you win this pure and simple. It's so easy a child could do it. Which is why I am so annoyed that so many adults are not doing it. If I seem a bit harsh or critical in my little diatribe here, I am sorry, but it's intended to wake everyone up. If that means upsetting a few friends to get White sharks protected, and other species including beach goers protected, then that's the price of making sure that you guys start doing this correctly and stop half-assing it.

I love you folks in WA. I truly do. But I also love marine life. Those species are counting on you to do the obvious. So please put the crappy signs away, and pick up the big guns! Follow the 4 suggestions and I promise you, Barnett will quickly try to repeal the cull, or back off and escape this. EXPOSE HIM! Stop hiding him and his crime behind your silence!

You guys have voices! Please use them for the sharks. Think with your heads, not just your hearts!

Thanks everyone!

- Erik"

Like I said, nonsense...

This is really good, well said Christopher Neff!

I've been critical of Christopher Neff on this very blog in the past, indeed, I still hate the Erich Ritter invented "shark accident" nonsense which was the thing which brought him to my attention a couple of years back however, that aside, his paper at the time, regarding the politics of shark bites had some great stuff in it, he seems a nice fella and on top of all that, he's still the only person in the history of this blog to have the balls to discuss points raised herein, using his own name, in a public arena and I respect him for that, if only more people shared his candour.

Last week I saw a short piece written by Neff relating to the supposed increase in shark attacks/bites (not accidents, it's never an "accident") and it's really very good, especially this bit;

"Shark bites fall into a special statistical category known as “random, independent events”. This means that the likelihood that a shark bite will happen at a given time and place does not depend on when or where the last one happened. Just like a like a coin toss, if you get heads on the first time, you still only have a 50-50 chance of heads on the next flip.

Yet shark bites often do not look independent or random. Their nature makes them look like intent-based incidents. Any increase in frequency can also look like part of a new pattern, despite these events being independent, random and rare. As a result, the public understandably wants these vivid and frightening incidents stopped, and the government wants to diagnose a problem so it can come up with a solution."

You can read the full piece here.

Bravo!

Calling UK Film-Makers - I have an opportunity for you!!

I WANT YOU! (That's not me in the pic though, sorry)

Recently I mentioned planning something pretty cool to preempt the release of "Of Shark and Man," for a very good reason. When the film is out, that doesn't mean you will be able to see it immediately, the first call for the film will be a premiere screening then the festival circuit, at which time I will also be looking to organise screenings around the UK whilst trying to secure the holy grail that is global distribution.

There will be a very small number of extremely limited edition DVDs and Blu-Rays available as a perk with the crowd-funding campaign for which I am toying with doing something pretty cool making them a bit of a collector's item and ultra personalised but as far as seeing the film as soon as it's out, you're gonna be looking at a screening or a perk from the crowd-funding campaign. 

However...

I have been toying around with an idea to announce the film's arrival in an interesting way and to also involve you in the release and came up with this, I want a talented film-maker to put together a "Behind the Scenes," pre-release, featurette which will not only be released and heavily promoted online before the film gets its official release, you will also be invited to attend the premiere screening and not only that, your film will be on the DVD/Blu-Ray release as the main bonus feature.

The idea with this is to give a talented film-maker the platform to get their talent out to an established and rapidly growing audience and to also give them access to the warts and all story behind the making, and release, of this film. Not only will you have a retrospective look at how this all came together, taken from an interview with me and footage from the film provided, you will also be expected to follow elements of the story of the release and film them as they happen, test-screenings, promotional interviews (if we get them) etc. The idea is not for me to tell you what to do, but give you the basic idea of what I think would be cool and let you run with it, with full access to pretty much anything you want.

If you have a production company, this will be a *insert name* production in conjunction with Scarlet View Media. This would be ideal for a film-maker or group of film-makers looking for a project to help them get off the ground and get their work out to a large audience. This blog has attracted well over 150,000 unique hits since 2010, averaging now, about 5,500 per month, each trailer has done about 3000 views each in the first week of their release with new views from around the world every single day and of course, with this short film being the main driver of the promotion of the film's release, it will be seen by and hopefully shared, by various news and media outlets.

So who would be the ideal candidate?

Ideally you need an interest in this film and the story behind it, you'll have an inquisitive mind and want to know all the details and have a passion for storytelling. You'll have some experience ideally of both filming and editing and own your own camera (minimum DSLR,) sound recording equipment and Editing software and computer. You need to be self reliant and at least of the capability where I can simply hand filming and production over to you, at all points, I would be more than happy to help with advice if you need it but I also want you to feel ownership of what you are doing. A full driving license and transport is also a must.

The perfect candidate would already be producing their own videos and short films and have examples of work to hand, a positive attitude, friendly and enthusiastic nature and generally be a cool person to be around with a solid idea of what they want to achieve.

I'll make sure any travelling is kept to a minimum and make things as easy for you as possible, you'll get access to the footage you need from the film and of course, be able to use your film for your own portfolio. Outside of this, I also always look to work with talented, positive people with a good attitude on a repeat basis so with Scarlet View Media, it could mean future paid work as well.

As with everything I do, I don't want to make fluff, a sanitised yawn-fest designed to serve no other purpose than to be a vanity piece so if we shoot a test screening, we record the reactions regardless of whether people think it sucks or not, you might be interested to know the gory details of all the stuff which wasn't so fun and capture the ups and downs, basically what interests you about this whole journey, that's what I want you to capture.

Hopefully by now, the right kind of people have read this and thought, "yes, that sounds like a cool, fun project to get my teeth into," so you'll be wanting to get in touch and talk to me about it. You can do so by emailing me at david@officetoocean.com or by visiting the Scarlet View Media website and using the contact sheet there.

Please put "Behind The Scenes Film" as the title of your correspondence, I can't stress this enough, I get an awful lot of junk email and I don't want to delete yours by mistake because of an ambiguous title.

So, what are you waiting for? :)

One Week On From Teaser Trailer 3 - Success!

 

Photo by the mighty Michael Patrick O'Neill

So, it's been just over a week since Teaser Trailer 3 was released in the usual low key manner, a blog, some sharing on Facebook and Twitter and a few special emails to special people, the Street Team, and the Mailing List.

The viewing figures are very healthy, the measurable stats showing around the 3000 mark in its first week so it's more than likely in the 4-5K mark thus far. It's being shared in some places I wouldn't automatically expect and not being shared in places where you would automatically think it would be, such are the complexities of life in the modern social media age! The top five viewing countries up to now, in order, are The US, UK, Russia (!!), Spain and Australia and once again, the most positive feedback has come from the shark world pros, the people working with sharks on a daily basis and also, those with no connection to sharks, the "man on the street" if you will. The fact these are the two audiences who really seem to have captured the spirit of the film is hugely satisfying, on one hand you have those whose professional opinions really matter to me and on the other, you have the primary audience this film is being targeted towards, so that is pretty cool.

If you have a group or page on Facebook, a blog or a website dedicated to sharks and shark conservation, please feel free to share this trailer and also trailers 1 & 2 it's an important story that your followers will surely appreciate, there's no gory shark finning footage or end of the world type scenarios, this is a success story, the sharks win, they're the good guys. This is the type of shark media we need more of.

Another cool thing is that opinion on the "letterboxing" of the trailer is overwhelmingly in favour of keeping this look for the film, the non-letterboxed version is here. What do you think? I have also checked the master version of the trailer on various screens, my studio 23" Samsung, 24" Iiyama, an LG 32" HD TV and the 46" LG Smart TV we have in the living room and it looks stunning, the grade really, really works incredibly well and the bigger the screen, the better it looks and that is usually where a bad grade falls apart so this is all very promising.

Mike has had his say and if he likes it, then needless to say, we are on the right track. I would say this third teaser is marginally the most popular, slightly beating out the first one which took me a bit by surprise at how popular that was!

Mike has also beat me to it in thanking the people who took the time to be interviewed during production. The voices you hear in the trailer are Ratu Leone, Michael Patrick O'Neill, Helen Sykes, Manasa Bulivou, Rusi, Alfie Cristoffersen, Jonah from Galoa, Nanise Ledua and of course, Mike Neumann and myself. One of the things I'm proudest of about "Of Shark and Man" is the sheer quality of people involved telling this story and providing input, anything relative to Fiji, is told by Fijians, anything relative to sharks is told by people with the capability and credibility to do so, ditto conservation, photography, history and religion, it's a hell of a line up of people with expertise and passion, unrivalled by most.

So, without further ado, get out there and share it.

"Of Shark and Man" will be released early next year and I'm pretty sure it will be worth the wait. The next thing you'll get is an official theatrical trailer, followed by something pre-empting the release which will be really, really cool and if you are a talented, self starting film-maker, I want to hear from you as this could be a big chance for you to let your talent shine so keep an eye out for the next blog and if you can't wait that long, get in touch at david@scarletviewmedia.com

Teaser Trailer 3 Is Here!

"Of Shark and Man" Teaser Trailer 3 (Letterboxed Version) from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

*Fanfare*

Here it is, the third and final teaser for "Of Shark and Man," and in keeping with the previous two, which you can view here and here, it runs with a separate theme from the film. The first teaser focused on my story, the second on the sharks and this third teaser focuses on the spiritual and most importantly, conservation, issues raised in the film.

Aside from the points alluded to in the trailer, this is also a clear hint at how much closer I am to finding the look I want for the film. I have worked hard on establishing a stylised, cinematic and filmic look for this trailer, I have always wanted this film to stand out, my inspiration for the style of the film is not other shark films, instead it is a host of films from the 70's up to the modern day so for the people interested in this stuff, it was coloured and graded in Da Vinci Resolve 10, with additional look building in Film Convert, with a few extras I will keep to myself for now. It was edited as always, in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 on my custom built Novatech Edit Suite. All footage was shot on location during production using Canon 7D and Sony XD cameras except the shark fin footage which was kindly provided by Shawn Heinrichs, thank you Shawn!

The music is two separate tracks, the first by Before the Beginning entitled "This Memory of You is Immortal" and the second, once again, another Chris Zabriskie track, "I am a Man who will Fight for your Honor."

You will notice that this trailer is letterboxed, if you want to be more technical, instead of the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, this is in 2:35:1, often commonly referred to as Anamorphic. I'll be honest, I never intended to have this kind of look for the film, I only threw it on the trailer initially to see how it would look, expecting it not to work at all but, on the contrary, I love it and I am now seriously considering applying this aspect ratio to the film. Now, I know not everyone likes this look so I, being the nice person I am, I have also uploaded a standard 16:9 version of the trailer;

"Of Shark and Man" Teaser Trailer 3 (Non-Letterboxed) from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

Your feedback is important, so please take the time to watch it and comment and perhaps even more importantly, share it on your social media pages, blogs, mailing lists etc. People won't just search out this stuff on their own, they need a friendly nudge. Be that friendly nudge!

If you do decide to comment, please do so here or on the Facebook page but mainly, share, share, share!!! it only takes a few seconds of your time but the benefit can be huge.

Progress on the edit for the film is going well and the first cut is now only missing a closing sequence, a couple of stock footage shots and some UK stuff which will be filmed soon so we're on track and looking good.

Enjoy the trailer and get in touch!

Sarah Shark - Huge Congratulations!

If you read this blog regularly, hell, if you have only ever read it once, you'll know I love my shark films, the (all too rare) brilliant, the good, the mediocre, the bad and the just plain awful, I always watch them and I regularly feel compelled to comment on them on this blog, passing my super dooper expert judgement on them like a kind of shark world Simon Cowell and more often than not, echoing his withering tones as yet another painted drone with a sense of entitlement, tramples over the legacy of the truly great originals.

If you are a regular reader, you'll know that I'm a big fan of the "Sarah Shark" project, a tiny independent group of film-makers in Australia, making their own short form, TV style documentaries about some of the sharks found in the waters that surround their very sharky country.

Why am I such a fan? Loads of reasons!

Firstly, Sarah is the real deal, an actual biologist and whereas that doesn't necessarily always equate to great TV, it gives her a sense of credibility that you can't get by simply repeating what you've read on the Sea Shepherd website, Facebook or the back of a cereal box. She knows what she's talking about and she gives a shit, as in she really genuinely cares.

She also manages to completely ignore the narcissistic, self styled shark messiah approach so beloved by many these days, preferring a grounded, approachable and engagingly natural style which makes her infinitely more likable, when she speaks, you listen because you want to listen to her. It's a simple, yet all too rare approach in the modern era.

Aside from Sarah herself, the content is always good, not too heavy, ideal for that core audience of young teenagers to those in their mid-twenties (in my opinion), it's serious and factual, but not overbearing and shouty, the conservation message is there, but it's not an over earnest, Americanised, finger jabbing guilt trip and I love the way they make it a central feature, without allowing it to strangle the fun and enjoyment out of each episode.

Primarily though, I just love their attitude, they're doers, they go out on a tiny budget and they get stuff done and when they do it, it's professional, really well made and most importantly of all, it has a heart and soul, each film is borne out of a desire to go out and do something cool the best they can and that is something which should be celebrated far more than it already is.

Shark Party!! Photo: Nicolas Rakotopare

So why all this gratuitous purring over these people from the other side of the planet? Well, they finished the first series (six episodes) and having been in negotiations with the TV in their home country for some time, haven't been able to put episodes 3-6 online for public consumption however, since we have become friends in the last couple of years, Kieren Curry, the creative driving force behind the series, was kind enough to let me see them before their wrap party.

Before I give you my thoughts, I have already mentioned we are friends so does that make me biased? No, it doesn't, if I thought they were really bad, I obviously wouldn't come on here and say "this really sucks, these losers need to get proper jobs" but I would make constructive criticisms of the areas I personally think could and should be improved but again, it's only my opinion. If I say something is good and give it praise on here, it's because it is good and deserves it, full stop.

What's changed then in these later episodes? First and foremost, the production is better, it seems slicker and as the series runs through each episode, those episodes get better and better, you can actually see the development happening from film to film and I really like that. They say they're taking us on a journey and they really mean it, that rough and ready, low budget charm, really, really works because they have obviously strived to make the absolute most of what they had available.

The cinematography has got more ambitious and locations play a bigger part, you can tell they've gone to the effort to set up shots in specific locations because they look good aesthetically, that wasn't so present in the first two I thought but in the latter episodes, it's an obvious progression.

Sarah seems more relaxed on camera and is very good at delivering what is a scripted narrative, both to camera and on voice over, she's clear, articulate, warm and the scripts are actually very good.

A really big winner they have is whoever is doing their graphics, from episode 1 to 6, they are consistently brilliant and creative, the time and effort that has obviously gone into them really shows, they are genuinely top class, whoever you are, please go to the nearest mirror and high five yourself.

The sound is really good too. Normally on low budget films, the sound varies from bad, to really, really, really awful, a muffled mess of badly edited soundbites barely audible above traffic noise or wind (I myself have been culpable in that regard on Behind Blue Glass, a mistake I will never, ever make again) but in each episode, the sound is always, at worst good and at best, excellent.

Where I have been critical in the past is the music, in the first episode it was a bit cheesy, I can sympathise though, stock music is often horribly dreadful, a synth dirge of forgettable and utterly inoffensive pseudo melody, music designed to make you forget music is playing, so at least they made the effort to create their own. The musician behind the Sarah Shark score read my first review and instead of throwing his toys out of the pram and having a strop, took on board the feedback from an opinionated pom he's never met, went into the studio and altered the style of music for future episodes, and it's to his great credit that the music is yet another facet of the production which has taken a drastic upwards curve.

To be honest, each episode showed improvement upon improvement and I am absolutely over the moon for them that they managed to finish the first series because it was a huge task. There is so much good about Sarah Shark I feel I should balance out the onslaught of praise with some stuff that's bad about the films but being completely honest, there is nothing bad about them! Is there room for improvement? Of course, there is in everything, but they have a very solid foundation upon which to build for future series, especially if they are given the money to increase production value and I'm going on record here, if they ever need a Cinematographer, Shark guy, Editor, Colourist etc for a future series, I would jump at the chance to work in that team.

On location in Christmas Island

I know the guys have some exciting things in the offing so I won't spoil that for them by blabbing here but I do want to say a genuine well done to each and everyone of them for such a huge effort and to let them know that there are people around the world who support and enjoy what they are doing and who admire them for their courage and conviction to doing something worthwhile. I think you guys are awesome so the people reading this should hopefully feel the same.

Please check them out on Facebook and give them your support!

Well played Team Sarah Shark, well played indeed.

 

I will miss you Stu...

L- R Me, Alan, Stuart c2000

2013 has been a difficult year with challenges presenting themselves in many forms, financial, lifestyle, creative and of course, the earth shatteringly life changing arrival of my son and all that came with that so after finally getting Lucas home on the 18th of October, I was hoping that the closing weeks of 2013 would see a new optimism and joy but less than twenty four hours of relief and happiness that Nicky and Lucas were finally out of the hospital after a month of hell for both of us, I was brought crashing back to Earth with the news the following day that one of my closest friends, Stuart Meads, had been killed in a tragic accident in London whilst on a night out with his partner, Gavin.

When I say "close friend," I mean I regarded him pretty much as family. My biological brother and I don't have a good relationship, we never have, we've never been close, so the tiny group of friends I count as my closest mates really are my extended family, the brothers I wasn't blessed with by birth but whom I came to know and love during the most formative and influential period of my early adult years and who, along with my immediate family, my son and my girlfriend, are the most important people in my life, so to hear that one of these people had been taken from us has really hit me for six, I am devastated.

I have lost friends before but this is different, this is one of those friends who you just can't imagine your life without and let me tell you, Stu was one of the most brilliant people whom I have ever met anywhere, warm hearted, generous, supremely talented, full of energy with a love of the esoteric, art and music, a gentle and loving guy who could make me laugh like nobody else. Thankfully, through the grief of losing him, I can still laugh out loud at one of a million things we got up to in our sixteen years of unbroken friendship which was never soured with a single angry word.

I had spoken with Stuart only a couple of days before the tragic accident which claimed his life, a typically funny and bizarre conversation probably only we would find funny and we were discussing ideas for the video I was going to shoot for his band Trademark so when our friend Alan, who lived with Stu and is part of that small and tight knit group of ours who have been pals for almost two decades, called me on the Saturday to tell me the news, it came, as these things invariably do, as a horrible shock.

Only in the last few days has it really started to sink in, made worse by the fact I couldn't attend his funeral due to a commercial shoot I was running for a week in Scotland so I feel I haven't had a chance to say goodbye and to be honest, I'm pretty heartbroken.

With that in mind, I can't begin to imagine what Stu's parents, his brother Lawrence and sister Hannah and his family along with Oli and Paul (his closest friends) must be going through, I can only send them my love and best wishes and hope they can find the strength to make it through this awful and difficult time.

Stuart was going to be providing music for Of Shark and Man which now unfortunately won't be the case but of far greater importance is that my life is now a darker place without him in it.

Rest in peace Stu, I love you mate and will miss you every single day.

A new, almighty challenge...But a good one!

Lucas Alexander Anthony Diley and his very tired dad 

It's been a while since I last posted a blog and for a very good reason. On Sunday September 22nd at 10:50am, my son, Lucas was born.

First of all, the name... Lucas is named after the latin for Bull Shark (Carcharinus Leucas), albeit without the "e" as his mum wouldn't let me have that, seeing as people seem to have inexplicable difficulty with my surname as it is!

Unfortunately, what is now, in the 21st century, a relatively straightforward medical process, we haven't been quite so lucky with the birth of our boy. Twenty six hours of labour and excruciating pain meant Nicky had to have an epidural, this was followed by an inducement to attempt to bring on the birthing process. Within the hour, we were rushed into theatre for an emergency cesarean, at which I was present the whole time and let me tell you, it's a frightening experience, bad enough for a father, but ten times worse for the woman. After about forty five minutes, a tiny little, grey human looking thing was flashed in front of our eyes before being whisked away as he was not breathing. Thankfully, after a couple of minutes resuscitation and breathing aides, he came around and was handed to me to hold for the first time. This was only the beginning, with an alarmingly long list of complications, difficulties, discharges from hospital, re admissions to hospital, you name it, if it could go wrong, it has and Nicky is still in hospital, having spent only five of the last twenty four days at home.

Last Monday (October 7th) when the midwife visited on one of the few days we were all at home since Lucas' birth, Nicky told her how poorly she was feeling, running a temperature, lethargic etc, the midwife immediately called the hospital and informed them Nicky would once again be coming in. After various tests, she was given a blood transfusion but continued to deteriorate and on Saturday, was rushed into surgery to remove an infected abscess in her abdomen and uterus.

It's been an extremely tough time to say the least, especially for Nicky of course, she has had to watch a parade of expectant mothers come into the maternity ward one day then leave the next with their babies every single day, all this whilst suffering dreadful pain and discomfort and we haven't been able to do any of the exciting things new parents do with their babies yet. I have been trying to keep on top of the daily household stuff, combined with twice daily visits to the hospital, exhausting all nighters with Lucas on the days Nicky was home so she could sleep and two full day film shoots for a commercial client and the prep work on another commercial film job starting in early November, alongside looking after our dog, Missy, and the continuous cycle of washing baby clothes.

Thankfully for Lucas, he has an extremely brave mum who has had to deal with an awful lot of not just physical pain and stress, but emotional distress too, when every little thing is seemingly going against you, it is difficult not to let it get you to a point where you give up, but she has been a revelation and is already an incredible mum, I knew she would be of course, but she has surprised even me with her determination and resolute attitude. Safe to say, I am extremely proud of both of them.

The idea when I quit my job three years ago was to make my life as simple as possible to focus entirely on the film but obviously, fate has conspired to make this journey as difficult as possible but I wouldn't swap my little boy for anything, with that said however, any notion that this means I am no longer dedicated to "Of Shark and Man" and my film-making career with sharks, is completely redundant. That will not change, if anything, I am now even more focused on making a success of "Of Shark and Man" and all my future films, I am no longer just doing it for me, but also for my son, to make him proud of his dad, to give him a positive future in a better place and to show him that he can do anything he wants with his life, to set an example to him that life doesn't need to be a boring procession of "normality" and a dull 9-5 just to pay the bills, unless of course that is what he wants!

It's going to be hard, really hard, but I know I can do it and I am determined to make this a roaring success so that maybe one day, Lucas can take on the mantle from his old man!

With regards to the film, I haven't been able to do anything with it for the last three weeks but hopefully, will get a chance to do a few hours tonight. I have started on the final dive sequence and when that is complete, it's just a few UK based shots to add and a couple of changes to the intro and I'll be on to the sound design meaning we are really not far away from a first cut.

Now more than ever, if you believe in this project, I need your support. I need people to spread the word, create interest and when the crowd funding campaign for the release starts, I need people to help me make that a success. There will be a new teaser trailer soon, please help me spread that across as many platforms as possible and please, if you want to help, email me at david@officetoocean.com with the subject title "Street Team" and you can play an important role in promoting "Of Shark and Man" doing something incredibly easy which barely takes any time or effort at all!

I want music for the film from artists covering the following genres, Electronic, Ambient, Melodic Piano/String Instrumentals, Hip-Hop/Trip-Hop, Avant Garde... If you want to put forward your music to potentially be in a feature film, please get in touch!

Do you work in Marketing and Promotion or Graphic Design? I want to hear from you too, I need posters, covers, apparel designs etc and strategic marketing campaigns. If you're talented, professional and enthusiastic, I want to hear from you!

Yes, I am slightly behind schedule but it's for good reason and rest assured, "Of Shark and Man" is looking every bit as exciting, ground breaking, innovative and cool as I had hoped, a bold claim maybe, but what the hell, it's true.

In case you haven't heard or seen much about the film, here are teaser trailers 1 & 2, if you dig it, give me a shout and get on board. We can do this!

 

"Of Shark and Man" Teaser Trailer 2 from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

Bluntnose Sixgill Washed up near Ibiza

The Shark was washed up near Formentera

More Mediterranean shark news.

This 3m Bluntnose Sixgill shark was washed up on shore at Calo de S'Oli near Formentera off Ibiza yesterday. This is I think, the second species washed ashore in the region this year and many of the shark captures recorded in the Med, seem to include this particular species, hinting that it is one of the few species with relative abundance in the area.

With all that said, I much prefer the videos and photos of live sharks.

Story here.

Great White Shark Video from Morocco!

H/T Shark Year Magazine

Regular readers of the blog know I love my sharks and they know that when those sharks are Great Whites, they should also know by now that my favourite Great White Sharks, are Mediterranean ones!

Check out the video taken in Al Hoceima in Morocco earlier this month. It's not the first time I've blogged about GWS in Morocco either...

Love seeing these! :)

Sorry it's been a while! "Of Shark and Man" update and a very short film...

Animation - Coming along nicely!

Hello, it's me again, sorry it's been a while since I last updated you all and spewed forth my varying brain farts on to this blog, I've been kinda swamped with editing, work, moving, a pretty huge life change (more on that soon) and generally trying to keep afloat amongst the chaos of my day to day life.

With regards to "Of Shark and Man," things are going great, I am just waiting on a few clips of stock footage for the section about mangroves and that part will be done and then it's on to the final, epic dive sequence and the climax of the film and that's it, first timeline, cut and ready to go into post and audio!

On the subject of stock footage, I purposefully set out from the start to avoid it and use only what was shot during the month I was in Fiji, mainly to stand apart from almost everything else being made about sharks, even by the big studios, go organic and go real. However, much to the benefit of the film, I am including a maximum of around ninety seconds of stock purely because it is footage I simply couldn't shoot myself and which aids the film's narrative, not only that, the footage is being provided by professional cinematographers I both respect and like as people so that's a bonus!

The animation is coming along really well, Lian, Emma and Faeez have been brilliant and all possess some serious talent. I got a look at the almost complete first draft and it looks, not to put too fine a point on it, shit hot! A special shout to Lian who has been a real help through the whole process.

There is also a little more UK stuff to shoot but after that, it's on to the recording studio for the narrative voice over and to start work on the soundtrack and sound design, a huge element in telling this story. The film has evolved over the last two years to become something bigger and better than I had in mind when I first set foot on Fijian soil, don't get me wrong, that was ambitious and big, but it is now more ambitious and bigger and I like big and ambitious, go hard or go home right?

 Seals. Brill.

In amongst the film work, the commercial paid work and life stuff, I managed to sneak in some diving with the seals in the Farne Islands in Northumberland, naturally, I took my camera and I've edited a short little film with some of the footage, nothing fancy, just a quick job with the footage set to some nice music but you might dig it if you have three minutes spare.

Check it out below.



Finally, if you have been looking for updates on the "From the Office..." site and/or the Scarlet View Media page, I'm afraid with regards to the former, I haven't had any time to do updates recently and with the latter, thanks to the Wordpress update and the updates to some of the plugins, the site has been killed and due to Wordpress' sucky support (or lack thereof) I now have to start that again from scratch, new theme, new build, the works, so you can imagine how overjoyed I am at that prospect.

Fear not however, I will prevail.

More to come soon...

Edit: Emma Shepherd, on of the animators working on the film has just launched her new website, please check it out, she's very talented and deserves a break!