Official Of Shark and Man Trailer Now Live!

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.





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!

The website 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!

Thanks to everyone who has shared the trailer and been so far and been so forthcoming with praise, it really means a lot!

Thank you.

More Feedback For Of Shark and Man - Part II

It's been a busy couple of weeks, the Facebook page was properly launched 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!

The Twitter account is also running 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!

The first bits of footage from the film were released in a short tribute to Rusi 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!

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:

"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!" - Lindsay Graff (Shark Researcher)

"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" - Martin Graf (Shark Dive Operator)

"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!" - Save The Sharks

"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." - Ian Campbell (WWF)

"...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.

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.

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.

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." - Jorge Cervera Hauser (Director of "Mexico Pelagico")

"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 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.”)

  

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. 

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." - Rick MacPherson (Marine Conservationists & Shark Specialist)

"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 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 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." - Cristina Zenato (Shark Diver and Expert)

"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!" - Lill Haugen (Underwater Photographer)

"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.

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.

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." - Sarah Richmond (Film-Maker - Sarah Shark)

"WOW! I finally had a chance to see the online screening 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." - Michael Patrick O'Neill (Underwater Photographer)

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.

If you missed part 1 of the Feedback, you can find it here.

Make sure you join the Facebook group and join in with us as we keep posting updates and of course, a load of content for you to enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to watch the film and send me their thoughts, it is greatly appreciated!

Trailer Feedback Is In And There Was a Clear Winner

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!

Here's a selection of quotes from the feedback:

"...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."

"WOW great effort with both! Gave me shivers of excitement while watching both."

"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."

"...congratulations it looks WOW!"


And some more feedback from the full film itself:

"...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"

The trailer will be out as soon as a few promotional details are sorted.

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.

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!
If you're interested in potentially becoming a sponsor, email me at david@scarletviewmedia.com and if you haven't already, join the Facebook page here.

Have a great weekend!

Of Shark and Man - Big News And Major Progress!

Yes, that would be your first look at the official branding for the film

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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 Echo Wants Her Voice Back. 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.

Eleni Skarpari - Reaction to First Viewing of "Of Shark and Man" from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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!"





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:

"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! 

I mean, I want him to start breathing again eventually, of course. 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? 

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?" 

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. 

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. 

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. Anyway, I hope all of this is helpful, and I didn't mean to write a dissertation. Well done, David. Very, very well done"

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 have to see the film.

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 david@scarletviewmedia.com

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!

Fernando who runs the festival and also Alianza Por Los Tiburones De Canarias 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.

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!

Watch from 46:28!

 


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!

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!

I Have Finally Watched Of Shark And Man In Full

Click photo for detail

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.

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 (Mexico Pelagico 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.

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."

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...

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.

Screen Grab from Of Shark and Man

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.

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...

Screen Grab from Of Shark and Man

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Screen Grab from Of Shark and Man

Also, and this was a big 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.

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.

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 no interest in sharks.

Screen Grab from Of Shark and Man

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.

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.

So what now?

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 you, more on that in the coming weeks.

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!

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!

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.

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!

A Vision Realised - How "Of Shark and Man" is finally becoming what it was always meant to be!

Our second day in Fiji, visiting Galoa

It seems about a squillion years ago now that I decided I was sick and tired of doing what everyone else expected of me and not fulfilling my dreams, ambitions and potential and decided to just jack it all in on the back of an absurd notion that I could just swan off to Fiji and make a feature length film that would get on TV, okay, maybe not a squillion but it's been four years and that's a long time to go through the trials and tribulations I've faced.

The constant threat of always being on the verge of going broke, giving up my home, constant (and I mean constant) rejection, self doubt, crises of confidence which literally left me a complete wreck, unable to create anything for weeks, ridicule and criticism, you name it, I've had it thrown at me over the last four years but in amongst the hard times there have also been some glorious highs.

Despite practically everyone telling me to stop being so stupid and just give up, I made it out to Fiji and it only took me nine months and twenty seven days to achieve everything I needed to to do that, a first time film-maker with no pedigree, gaining the funding to shoot a film in which he has complete creative control and 100% ownership of a film with no debt is almost unheard of and for that I have to thank the wonderful, innovative and forward thinking Jane West and Martin Harlow at Tourism Fiji for taking a huge gamble on me and who have offered nothing but support, encouragement and enthusiasm. Anything I achieve in my career will always owe a huge debt of gratitude to them.

I went from not even owning a camera and having never even attempted to make a short film, with zero experience, credibility, contacts, support or money, straight into making my own feature film, for which I would be 90% responsible for all the work, fulfilling every role imaginable along the way. Now, here I am in 2014, a professional full-time film-maker with, I'd like to think, a good reputation around the world, working in film, TV and commercial promo work, I'm a dad to an awesome little boy, I'm involved with some incredible conservation projects around the world and am finally getting a growing platform upon which I can help spread positive messages about sharks and also inform the public about important issues, being regularly approached to discuss in particular, shark feeding and shark attack.

This isn't a "hey look how great I am" post, I hate all that bullshit, anyone who feels compelled to constantly convince people of their talent, knowledge or credibility has nowhere near as much of any of those as they think, in my opinion, (I prefer to let my work and work ethic do the talking), no, instead this is hopefully encouragement for anyone else out there on the verge of taking the leap of faith I did. If you believe in yourself absolutely, you have thick skin, you can take rejection and you are willing to sacrifice and risk everything, go for it. It's a hell of a ride with more downs that ups but the ups will define why you did this in the first place and the downs will only confirm and define your character. If you give up easily or you have serious doubts, stay where you are, choose safety, this isn't for you...

So why all the above?

The last two months has seen massive progress on the film, in fact, it's really not far at all away from a completed first cut and my life has been consumed with Grading the film and overseeing the Sound Design, both of which have made everything explode into life and jump out of the screen at you. The addition of great sound and a great aesthetic has been the realisation that I may be sitting on something pretty amazing here...

Given the above retrospective look at how far this has all come, I figured I'd touch base on a few technical factors and also look back at the progression of the film and myself as a Film-Maker, from a naieve amateur who didn't know what "aperture" or "shutter speed" meant, to someone who people actually pay money to make films, and good ones at that too! :)

First up a few technicals...

A major aspect of this film was that I wanted to shoot it on pro-sumer equipment, that is, gear which is high quality but affordable and available to the man on the street so not the Reds and Arri's of the world but cameras and production equipment most people can realistically afford to buy themselves.

So, a list of the main production equipment:

Cameras:

2x Canon 7D (with 2x Nauticam NA-7D Housings)

1x Sony XD Cam

1x GoPro 2

1x GoPro 3 Black Edition

1x Phantom Flex (Absolutely not affordable! For the "dream sequence" pool shots)

1x Canon Ixus 100 (seriously!)

1x Nokia N8 Mobile Phone (honestly, I'm being serious...)

Lenses:

Canon 15-85mm EF-S

Canon 10-22mm EF

Canon 50mm f1.8 (£60 in Incheon Airport!)

Canon 70-300mm

Canon 18-55mm EF-S

Zeiss 50mm f1.4

Sigma 70-300mm

Audio:

Zoom H1n

Zoom H4n

2x Rode Video Mic

Speedlink Lavalier Mic

Post Production:

1x Custom Built Novatech 32GB RAM Desktop Edit Suite

1x Custom Built Novatech 16GB Laptop

Adobe Production Premium Suite CS6 (disk version)

Da Vinci Resolve Lite

Logic Pro

So that gives you an idea on the budgets I was working on, thankfully and for which I am eternally grateful, Novatech build me my computers for free as a brand ambassador (and they are awesome!) and Canon gave me my camera. The Phantom we got to use for free as part of a test for a TV documentary and the XDCam belongs to Mike who became a member of the underwater cinematography team for a month! I won't say what our budget was but in Film-Making parlance it would be classed as "Micro Budget."

To give you a comparison, the average Shark Week production has a budget of around $200-300K and according to the production release from the company, for the recent "Shark Girl" show they needed to raise between AUS$850,000 - $1,000,000 to get it made.

Needless to say, my budget was a grain of sand on their mile long budgetary beach, but from the outset I set my "competition" not as the amateur "passion pieces" that are becoming more widespread, but films with budgets of £1,000,000+. I'm a one man band doing ninety percent of what's required from a spare room at my parents' house, I can't compete with the BBC but what I felt I could do is aim for a higher quality than that which is typically broadcast on the commercial terrestrial channels, in both content, style and technical film-making. Of course the single most important thing is content and story but the first way a production will be judged against the rest is in how it looks and how it sounds.

With that in mind, here are a few (heavily compressed) screen shots from the sections which have been graded so far so you have an idea of what to expect:

I have gone for a complex grade made up of five separate stages to give the film that "epic" cinematic film look you don't really see much in factual film these days. Colour is a big part of the story and is used very much as a storytelling tool, I may do a breakdown of the grade for the Behind The Scenes film when I've finished everything...Maybe.

Regardless of how amazing your film might look, if the sound sucks, then so will your film unfortunately, you can cheat badly shot footage but bad sound is the killer of films and if your sound is amateur, you will be viewed as "just an amateur." Your story deserves better.

The above is a screenshot of the Sound Design for just a few seconds of "Of Shark and Man," which is being put together by the brilliant David Lawrie and it sounds spectacular. I knew I wanted a huge, ambitious and complex sound design for the film so finding Dave has been such a blessing, not only can he decipher what I am saying in regards to what I want in there and take on board my suggestions of how to achieve that, he uses his considerable expertise to take what I want and make it so much better. Every frame of the film will have probably between 15-20 "elements" of work in it and that is why the film has taken so long to get this far but this was never a sprint, quality is the key and that sometimes takes a long time.

There are four sections remaining to be graded thus meaning the grade will be finished this week, the Sound Design is about halfway done and the intro titles are also almost complete, when all this is done, the film will have a first cut ready for industry tests. I appreciate everyone's patience, most of all Jane, Martin and all associated with Tourism Fiji who made this possible however, I can guarantee the wait will be worth it.

If you want to jog your memory, check out the three teasers below and in which, you can also see the obvious progression the film has taken along the way.

"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.


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

Of Shark and Man Update!

A very good bit of editing trickery

Its been a while since the last blog, I had three weeks in Mallorca then came back to a mountain of things needing to be put in place so I could crack on again with Of Shark and Man and as I am now at that point, I felt an update was long overdue but first...

That video all over Facebook of the dude jumping into the harbour in Manly, it's a fake, a very clever and creative one but a fake nonetheless. The big cut is not the one at 59secs, it's the one at 38secs, it's been uploaded at 480p almost certainly to hide the cuts, the water in which we see the shark is clearly open ocean, not least because the shark is accompanied by pelagic fish species which would not be found in a harbour environment and also, the main source of the video initially was SourceFeed, which is a "Discovery Channel Digital Network" and what do we have just around the corner? Yep it wouldn't surprise me if this was another (admittedly brilliant) viral by Discovery who are quickly becoming the masters of this type of advertising. Shout out as well to the editor, a very skillful piece of cutting!

Okay, on to more pressing and very real matters!

Where is progress with "Of Shark and Man" at the moment? 

The other night, the final section of the voice over went into the edit which is a major step towards completion of the first cut. Basically, the whole thing was cut together to a "rhythm" I had in mind which I felt would work best, the script for the voice over was then finalised and slight changes made to the edit so it all fit together as closely as possible. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Banter Media studios to record the voice over with Adam Steel who was brilliant, the whole thing was done in about five hours and sounds absolutely superb and that's without any eq'ing being done yet.

Bad sound will kill your film, it doesn't matter how great it looks, sucky sound screams out "I'm an amateur" and you lose your audience so the voice over for this film has to sound good and I'm very confident it does. I won't lie though, I'm not a fan of recording them, I certainly don't speak "Queen's English" (I detest that term) and I swear a lot so ensuring people like Americans can actually understand what I'm saying whilst also sounding like me is easier said than done. It's accurate to say the end result sounds like I'm meeting a new girlfriend's mum for the first time and I can live with that.

Recording the Voiceover

Putting the voice over into the edit has really helped as it has streamlined everything and also highlighted where any changes needed to be made, all of which have been done so as of tonight, the process of sending everything off to David Lawrie will begin so he can complete the sound design.

Sound Design has already started and sounds amazing, David and I have been in regular contact where I have been explaining exactly what I want. It is very complex and ridiculously ambitious but then, hasn't this project always been this way? As I said to David the other day, everything these days is so safe and derivative, let's do something completely different, we're not just making "another shark film."

The intro title sequence is currently under construction as well and I am really excited to see what Dave Whittle has done with it, the guy is one of the best graphics guys out there in the UK right now and I am beyond stoked to have him be a part of this film!

The process of sound tracking the film is in it's early stages but will pick up momentum likely next week so currently, we have the final sound design to be completed, the title sequence to finish, the music and next week the colour correction and grading will begin. In short, we are very very close to a finished first cut!

As I have enlisted the help of external experts, I obviously have to wait until they have done what they need to do and at no point will I be rushing them but I would like to say a first cut will be finished and ready for industry screenings by the end of August, start of September and that is allowing plenty of time for the soundtrack to be completed.

So, when each section has gone to David Lawrie and every single clip of audio split into its own track (the most mind numbingly tedious thing ever) the grade will start, whilst at the same time music is being composed and recorded and the title sequence finished... We're almost there folks!

Sorry for the radio silence once again, I'll try to find time for more regular updates in the coming weeks!

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.

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!