A Ray of Light II - Online And Available Now!

The wait is finally over!

You can now watch A Ray of Light II in its entirety, free of charge, HERE (Click this link)

If you have any feedback, comments or anything at all, please leave a comment in the comments section of this blog or if you're registered on Vimeo, in the comments section of the film itself.

If you want to help us continue to make these films, the Tip Jar feature is enabled on the Vimeo page, it's non-obligatory of course but any donations, big or small, really do help and they are hugely appreciated!

If you want to embed the film on your websites or blogs, please feel free to do so and if possible, let me know so I can point people towards your site!

So, what are you waiting for!? Watch it and if you like it, please share with friends on Social Media!

Please support Asociacion Ondine as well because without funding, they cannot continue the vital work they are doing! Link here - http://www.gofundme.com/asociacionondine

Edit: - Thank you Mike!

A Ray of Light II Going Live on Monday, December 8th

Ready and waiting for you!

It's not been easy sitting on A Ray of Light II for so long, it seems like forever really, but I'm excited to say that it will finally see the light of day on an internet near you sometime around midday UK time on Monday, December 8th.

If you haven't already seen them, please do take a bit of time to check out Lockie's two "Making Of" featurettes below:

The three weeks in Mallorca shooting the film was a big challenge to say the least, exhausting both physically and mentally and at times emotionally draining and it shows in the film.

Whereas the first film was a pretty straightforward affair, this was anything but and has a far more expansive, documentary feel to it. As opposed to taking a retrospective look at things that have already happened, A Ray of Light II gives you an insight into things as they happen and an intimate and deeply personal look at how Brad's life has changed in the two years from the first film.

It's a longer film, coming in at just under 29 minutes, the cinematography is better, the sound is better, the story is better and the overall look of the film is a vast improvement from the first, which people still comment very favourably on. The post production of the film was a big job, much bigger than I expected and I think the time and effort I took to get the film how I wanted really shows in the finished result.

A small group of people have already seen the film outside of the premiere and feedback from both has all been overwhelmingly positive so I'm pretty confident if you liked the first, you'll hopefully like (maybe even really like) A Ray of Light II.

As with the first film, A Ray of Light II will be free to view online wherever you are in the world (barring maybe North Korea), that doesn't mean it was a cheap production, far from it! With that in mind, Vimeo's "Tip Jar" feature will be enabled so if you enjoy the film and want to show your appreciation, feel free to chuck a few quid/dollars/yen/whatever in there, every little bit helps recoup costs but of course there is no obligation.

I do ask though that if you enjoy it and value the film and/or the project featured within, that you share the film on your Social Media, Blogs and Websites with a description of why you're sharing it, the more people aware of the work of small, independent Conservation orgs like Asociacion Ondine, the better, they really are a shining light in the marine conservation world.

So, set a reminder, mark your calendars, A Ray of Light II is out this coming Monday. As always, feedback is warmly welcomed!

A Ray of Light II - Behind The Scenes Films

A pic from my time in Palma

I've just got back to the UK from five weeks in Palma on a commercial film shoot for a plastic pollution educational film, not only that, it was also the premiere for A Ray of Light II which was a huge success. If you're wondering where the film is, it will be out in the next few weeks and I can't wait for you all to see it, those who have, all seem to have very passionate feelings about it, or at least various aspects and it certainly created a lot of discussion about its content, to the degree where it wasn't unusual to hear the film being discussed in the bars of Palma by people completely unaware that people responsible for it were within earshot and totally unable to avoid listening in! That was a pretty weird experience for me!

The filming process for part II was much longer, much more complex and a more intense experience, I knew it would be beforehand so enlisted the help of the newest addition to the Scarlet View Media team, Lachlan Stewart-Baker, or as he's better known, "Lockie".

Lockie is new to Film-Making but he's super passionate, enthusiastic and a great person to have on set. For  a big project like this with a lot of expectation attached, it would have been much easier, maybe even more sensible to take someone with experience but Lockie's biggest attribute is his attitude and willingness to get involved and learn.

To help Lockie gain experience in both shooting and editing, alongside helping with the shooting of the film itself, I asked him to make a Behind The Scenes film of the process. I think BTS featurettes are great, they are an excellent promotional tool and really help a viewer engage with the people involved in the production and thus, hopefully, the story in the film itself.

I'm really happy to say that Lockie has now finished his BTS film, which he has split into two parts and I think he's done a great job!

They films feature footage from A Ray of Light II and also, of course, some BTS stuff and both are based around an interview I did with Lockie for which he had total control over the content. I offered advice here and there when asked but these are without doubt, Lockie's own work and he should receive all the credit for their creation. So, here they are!

Part 1:

 

Part 2:






Let us know what you think and if you like them, please share them on your social media groups and pages, not only do they give an insight into the film itself, but also highlights the massive amount of effort which went into making it and if you're in Palma, Lockie owns Mojo Bar so pop in, buy a beer and say hello!

Great stuff Lockie!

Mexico Pelagico - Brilliant!

THIS is how you do it!

Yesterday was really weird, really, really weird. Thank you to the 200 or so people for your very kind messages regarding the blog which, when I woke up in the morning, had exploded everywhere which I hadn't really expected at all as I was only chipping in my bit on a "hot" topic. Thank you also to the very small handful of people for the not so nice messages, whether you were in support of the overall message (as 99% were) or not, you engaged directly and I enjoy that so cheers, but I do ask of everyone, please, stop posting under the cloak of anonymity if at all possible. I put ownership on everything I say, I think it's fair to ask others to do the same although that does raise the issue that many of the people who contacted me who are active conservationists and advocates stated they were afraid of the backlash they may face from others if they dared speak out but that's for another time.

Today, I want to focus on everything right in conservation media.

I had a lovely chat yesterday with Jorge Cervera Hauser who is part of Pelagic Life, an organisation I have admired from afar for a while now and it appears we have a mutual admiration and he is someone who shares many of the same opinions and ambitions I have. In amongst the fallout from all the other stuff that's been going on this week, it was great to have an intelligent, articulate and inspiring conversation with someone representing a group who completely "get"what conservation and media messaging is about in 2014.

Pelagic Life was formed off the back of work they were doing in the Baja Peninsuala, paying fishermen to allow them to free the sharks they had hooked. It was a small gesture in the overall grand scheme of things but it is such a great message, to see passionate watermen and women giving something back to the ocean and the sharks who have given them so much pleasure and it also raised awareness of the issues facing sharks in Mexican waters. You can see several short videos of there work here and I strongly suggest you do because they are great!

These are not noisy, privileged, white people stomping into a developing nation screaming at people to "stop shark finning," these are intelligent, articulate, informed and pragmatic people who understand that shark conservation is a far more complex issue than mindless sloganeering and catchphrases, it's a socio-economic issue that is as much about social disparity and capitalist exploitation of the poor as it is about environmentalism. These guys get it and I respect them enormously.

I was lucky enough that Jorge gave me the chance to see their film, "Mexico Pelagico" and I have to say, I was mightily impressed. It's well made, with a great message and as a group, they all come across incredibly well, as articulate, well informed people with warmth and a genuine desire to do something good. This really is brilliant conservation media that has a soul and spirit you only really find in films that are truly independent productions. This is the kind of film we, as people passionate about shark conservation, need to get behind and push out there to a wider audience.

Check out the trailer, join their Facebook page and give them your support. These are people out there, boots on the ground, doing it off their own back with a sustainable and innovative long term goal.

Great stuff!

PS - More from Jorge here!



Mexico Pelagico | Trailer (2) English from Pelagic Life on Vimeo.

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.

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.

 

Jesus Loves "Of Shark and Man" - Marching On Towards Release

Thanks mate - New trailer officially JC approved 

So, it's been two weeks since the second Teaser Trailer was released and thought I'd give you some stats on that and also catch up on how the first one is doing.

In the first fourteen days of release we have trailer 2 on:

•  6418 Vimeo Player and embedded player views
• Vimeo Player version viewed in 101 countries
• Facebook plays and other embeds unknown but likely c3000
• Top 10 views by country - USA, UK, Australia, Germany, Fiji, Spain, France, Canada, Italy, Norway
• Honourable mentions to views in the following far flung places - Burkina Faso, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, New Caledonia, Azerbaijan, Northern Mariana Islands

In regards to that last point, it was also interesting to see that in the wake of the fatal attack last week there was a spike in views that day and in the following two days in La Reunion, the first time I've got stats for views of anything in that part of the world.





In the six months since the first Teaser Trailer, the available stats show:

• 22,878 Vimeo Player and embedded player views
• Vimeo Player version viewed in 140 countries
• Facebook and other embeds unknown but likely c10,000
• Top 10 views by country - US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Spain, France, Fiji, South Africa
• Honourable mentions to views in the following far flung places -Yemen, Reunion (as a result of the above), Cape Verde, Honduras, Mongolia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Bhutan  

All this is of course, with promotion from only social media sites and I must stress again, if you like what I do, please, please join the street team, you only get emailed when there is something cool to share, you don't get spammed, your details aren't shared with anyone and it is so easy and requires only the most basic effort but it really, really helps get the word out there and in order for this film to achieve anything, it needs an audience.

The feedback on the new trailer has been slightly different to the first in that where the first piqued people's interest and had them wondering what the film was really about (mission accomplished, go me...) this second one has seemingly encouraged genuine excitement for the film thanks in no small part to the "Shark Effect" phenomenon, which actually exists by the way, wherein simply putting sharks in stuff makes more people want to look at it.

It's not quite that easy though because we now live in a world where art isn't as valued as it used to be because everybody has developed a sense of entitlement whereby they automatically feel they should get everything for free.

You've probably seen on your Facebook, at least one person share the trailer for Blackfish, which, if it lives up to the trailer and promo campaign, could be one of the best documentaries in years.

It's a great story, looks very well made and carries an important message and as such, I am going to make a point, despite being broke, to pay to see this film and not download a pirated copy, simply because it deserves to be valued and this relates directly to "Of Shark and Man," in a specific way.

The fact the trailer keeps appearing on your Twitter feed and Facebook Timeline is because it's good, but mainly because it's had money spent on it, a lot of money. Promo campaigns as good as this don't emanate from Facebook shares and likes, nor do they come from out of nowhere. There is a team of creative and dynamic people leading this campaign, who will have been paid handsomely to do so and rightly so because the campaign has been very good.

Basic business follows the principle that you have an idea for a product, in this case a film, you then create that product to be absolutely the best it can be and when it's ready, in order to sell it to make money (to pay off your own cost in making said product, pay rent, eat food, feed your kids etc) you need to alert the consumers in your intended market as to its availability and all this costs money and this is a stage I am closing in on with "Of Shark and Man" now.

I can unequivocally state that, unlike "A Ray of Light," "Of Shark and Man" will not be hosted online to view for free. It simply can't be from a financial or realistic perspective, if I was a millionaire, I would make it available for nothing but I'm not so I can't.

One of the coolest things about this entire project for me has been the involvement and support of brilliant, talented and kind hearted people, friends and strangers alike. It's a big aspect of the whole production really, beating the odds and making something truly special with people volunteering and chipping in where and when they can, I really get a kick out of that. The animation team have blown me away with what they have come up with so far, there are people who regularly share and get involved with the promotion of trailers, Mark and his help with music and sound and of course, the commercial support I get from Novatech (especially Tim who is a dream to deal with), Fourth Element, Canon UK and of course, Tourism Fiji / FijiMe along with the continued support and encouragement from Mike Neumann.

So with that collaborative goodwill in mind here's a bit of a scoop on what to expect in the upcoming weeks and months with the release in mind, as such, let me begin with what my release plan is at present although, this could change dependent upon advice and suggestions from people with a lot more experience than I, so in order of what there is left to do...

1.  Finish the first cut with finished animation
2. Sound Design and Audio Edit
3. Soundtrack (composition, recording and collect third party submissions)
4. Colour Correction and Grade
5. Final touches to the look build

That will mean a final version first cut signifying the start of the final process before release:

1. Individual, Industry Test Screenings
2. Re-edits and adjustments based on feedback
3. Public theatre Test Screenings
4. Re-edits and adjustments based on feedback
5. Final Version DVD sent to handpicked VIPs and press
6. Premiere Screening Event
7. Submissions to Festivals
8. Fee Paid Screenings with Q&A session Nationwide
9. Secure distribution
10. Blu-Ray and DVD release

The above ten points are all dependent on various things but this film will have a "proper" release and the success of that is reliant upon two areas, how much I can spend on it and how many people are prepared to help along the way.

In the next few weeks there will be a new crowd funding campaign to raise the funds for the release of the film, stuff like screenings, Legal Documentation, Digi-Beta copies, merchandise, marketing support, promotional material, sound-design production, special edition DVDs, design work and so on and so on. I am working on the perks to offer and have some cool ideas but I just need to figure out how to offer them so in the event I don't reach target, I end up having to spend any money raised on the perks leaving me with nothing and the whole campaign rendered completely pointless! Incidentally, to those who donated to the first Indiegogo campaign, those perks will start going out (the physical object perks anyway) when the film has its premiere.

I also have some very cool ideas for things to promote the film which would go online for free, stuff like a Behind The Scenes look at the film, songs from the soundtrack, stuff like that and in order to actually present the film properly and give it the best foundation possible I am looking for the following people so if you think you can help, please get in touch at david@officetoocean.com or david@scarletviewmedia.com

• Distributor
• Graphic Designer (posters/DVD covers/merchandise etc)
• Promotional Teams
• PR Firms
• Marketing Consultants
• Independent Cinemas

It goes without saying that all well meaning people offering their services is always hugely appreciated and humbling but I would ask at this stage that if you want to offer your services that you be of a professional standard or a ridiculously talented and enthusiastic semi-pro looking to break into that field. The stuff I can't do, the stuff I just don't have a talent for (graphic design being a prime example) I need that to be really, really shit hot, the kind of quality you would expect from a major studio release.

Part of the point of the crowd-funding campaign is to raise the money to pay for exactly this type of thing and it's an uncomfortable truth that without the help of others and being left to do this on my own, this film will almost certainly fail.

You can actually be a part of revolutionisingg how we view sharks and their relationships with humans on film and that's pretty cool no? With Shark Week looming and the obligatory campaigns about how it damages the public perception of sharks, you have a chance to actually do something to change that so if you don't like it, do something about it and climb aboard the good ship HMS OSAM!

Thanks to everyone who has shared the trailers so far, if you haven't yet, please do so, if you have a blog, please write about it, if you think you can help with the release, please get in touch and most of all, keep talking about Fiji's amazing Bull Sharks.

Here's Trailer 1...



All you aspiring Film-makers out there, watch this beautiful and inspiring piece by Philip Bloom about Cinematography

Have a look at this old John McCosker doc that was linked on Facebook yesterday, I really enjoyed watching it again :)

Have a great weekend!

Unedited Interview Segment from the filming of "Of Shark and Man" - My Back Story

Unedited Interview Segement from the filming of "Of Shark and Man" from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

I get asked a lot about my motivations behind the "From the Office to the Ocean" project, why I wanted to do it, what I had to do to get it off the ground, the difficulties and issues I faced and also what I hope to achieve. Feedback from people about the film and its content is often that they want to know more about this kind of stuff because it taps into the "everyman" aspect I am so passionate to highlight.

With that in mind and having approached the part of the edit of "Of Shark and Man" where this is discussed, I went over an interview/piece to camera I shot in Fiji where I asked Hamish to ask me questions that related to what he thought the audience of the film might be interested in with respect to the twelve months leading up to production in Fiji, to treat it as though he had only just met me, knew a tiny bit about the film and wanted to know more.

This also gives an indication into how the narrative of the film is delivered, very little is scripted, instead, the majority of the voice over narrative is taken from these natural, conversational interviews so the viewer hopefully feels that they are being involved in the film and not just talked at as an uninvolved third party.

It's interesting for me to watch it back now, eighteen months after it was filmed, most of all, because it all still applies and is still completely relevant to me now, in 2013. There is no colour correction, grade or audio processing and it has been heavily compressed down to run at 5Mbps as opposed to broadcast standard 50Mbps. The few cuts merely cover long questions and the answers are unedited.

It's just over fifteen minutes in length with no cutaways so it really is completely raw.

This interview has now been edited down significantly for the film but after feedback from members of the Facebook group I thought some of you might be interested to see the whole thing so here it is.

As always, feedback and comments are warmly welcomed and I hope that somewhere in there, you find some stuff that you can relate to or which help you in your own endeavours. I would also be really keen to hear any suggestions of things not in this interview that you think would be interesting for me to address so please, feel free to suggest away!

Thanks

A Big Blog for the Aspiring Film-Maker Part II!

 

One from the Liber Necris shoot

I'll start by apologising, aside from the thirty-two years prior to "From the Office to the Ocean," this five weeks or so has been the longest I've gone without a blog so sorry for that but I have just been so immensely busy I have literally not had the time to put aside to write one! I've been busy doing photo shoots for bands (nice, gritty and doomy stuff, see above), filming projects for Scarlet View Media, setting up the company in the legal sense, trying to drum up business, building the social media and website, building the new "From the Office..." website with Kris and trying to get through proposals for future projects, all the while soldiering on with "Of Shark and Man."

The long term goal for Scarlet View Media is for it to be the production company for creative, exciting and ethical shark film-making and programming but to do that, it needs to grow, to grow, it needs money so that's what I'm working on at the moment because life as a Film-Maker is tough, make no mistake about that! What I do feel proud about though is that people regularly contact me asking my advice on starting out in the independent film world. I am certainly not the oracle, I'm not even the best person to ask but I do my best and the reason people ask is because I am happy to help, using my own experience.

Henceforth, we pick up from where we left off with part II to the previous blog.

You have your camera, you have your sound recording gear and you have some great ideas and bundles of enthusiasm so get out there and shoot first and foremost. Before spunking all your money on expensive kit you need to get what you have in the field and get to grips with it and it's only when you do this, you appreciate the benefit of what's up next. Stabilisation and movement accessories.

A good, solid and smooth, fluid head video tripod needs to be very high up on your list for two reasons. Firstly, the ability to set up a rock solid shot with zero wobble gives you an edge over the casual amateur because unless it's a dramatic "in the moment" type shot that benefits from camera shake, a stable shot just looks so much better. Secondly, the capability to add camera movement whilst retaining that stability.

The fluid head on a proper video tripod will allow smooth, silky pans and tilts, getting rid of those horrible, jerky, awkward movements you get with non-video tripod heads. As with seemingly everything to do with video though, they're not cheap.

Some models are more expensive than others of course, the most common names you'll encounter will be Manfrotto and Velbon but there is a dizzying array on the market, some of which top the £1000 mark. Being on a budget, I chose to go with the Fancier 717 Pro and although not "cheap," it is still way below a lot of the other tripods in its class.

What's good about it? It's sturdy, lightweight, the handle extends to a really long length and the drag on it is really pretty damn good. The downsides are that the base plate could be a little smoother, the quick release lock switch cannot fully turn on a DSLR (although it is securely fastened) and the tightened drag on the tilt (up and down) isn't quite fully locked, those aside though, it's great value and I would recommend it highly to those on a budget. Extra advice for free...Get a spare quick release plate and a spare base plate adaptor.

 

Shoulder Rig Set Up

I use a tripod for probably 85% of what I shoot, what can I say, I like nice stable shots, but sometimes you want, need or are forced to go hand-held which can be a brilliant creative tool in itself and particularly if you have one of the DSLR model cameras or similar, modern devices like the Black Magic or C300, you'll need a shoulder support, the idea being the more points of contact with your body, the more stability and in my experience, hand holding a DSLR for sustained periods is uncomfortable and usually the footage requires stabilising in post.

If you haven't already looked around, these things are expensive, overly expensive in fact, the DSLR accessory market is one which sets its pricing in the upper scale so if you're willing to pay for a decent shoulder rig set up, shop around and take your time! I finally got my perfect set up a couple of weeks ago, two years after I started looking, more on that in a second though...

A cautionary tale...

If you have looked around for your own rig, you will undoubtedly have come across one of these rigs in the picture, I did, I bought one! £29, bargain! I shot Behind Blue Glass on it and used it for the first few days in Fiji but here in begins a cautionary tale...Yes they're cheap, they're cheap because they're made of plastic and plastic melts in the sun, which almost cost me an expensive camera on the second day of shooting in Fiji which would have been a catastrophe. Do they stabilise the camera? Yes...If you don't breathe when filming...Would I recommend you attach your expensive hard earned camera to one? No, no I wouldn't.

After almost losing my 7D to a six foot fall onto a hard stone floor I decided to give the cheap options a swerve and get a proper rig, that was in July of last year and I have only just got one I am happy with, I say happy, I mean delighted, I love it!

 

Finally sorted!

There is a huge range of 15mm rail based shoulder rigs for DSLRs out there nowadays, from the top end, ridiculously expensive but very good RedRock and Zacuto the cheaper but still not cheap Indisystem, Jag35 and Express35 who make decent, well made rigs for the serious amateur or prosumer and then you have the budget rigs from Habbycam and Opteka, a fair bit cheaper but then don't expect the same as you'd get with a Zacuto!

I've missed one name off that list, Lanparte, sourced via Cinegear Pro in London. I had flirted with Indisystem, Jag35 and Express35, even paying someone to fabricate one for me but Indisystem were out in front, flashing their affordability and seemingly pretty well made rigs at me and winking, I was that close to deciding on them until I stumbled across CinegearPro, a company I had not previously encountered and their Lanparte (ditto) rigs.

 

So I did a bit of research starting, as always, on Vimeo and Youtube for video reviews and found this dude reviewing his Lanparte rig. After a few months research and with the lovely surprise of HM Revenues and Tax giving me a tax rebate out of the blue (woohoo!!) and having been down to see Miguel at Cinegear Pro, I decided to take the plunge and kit myself out properly. I figured now was the right time, I needed a good set up so sod it, I'll take the hit now and go for it. The beauty of these types of set up is the flexibility so here are the components I went for, but before I do, I'm not telling you to buy these, I'm not saying it's the right answer and I did pay for them, this isn't in return for a freebie!

• 4x 12 inch Rods
• Shoulder Support
• Z Shape Offset Raiser
• Handles
• Baseplate
• C Shape Cage
• Follow Focus
• Articulated Monitor Arm
• Single Rod Clamp

I then also blatantly copied this brilliant idea to avoid paying over a hundred quid for a counter weight and voila! A Shoulder Rig but is it any good?

The answer can really only be a resounding yes! Firstly, it wasn't cheap so it was a serious investment for me and there are cheaper options on the market but the quality of every aspect of each component is absolutely top class, super solid, rugged, ergonomic and really, really well made, when you screw any of this stuff in it locks completely and feels 100% secure. It's all as light as possible as well yet reassuringly weighty in the components to which you would attach your camera and it just feels "right."

The handles are amazing, articulating any which way you want and locking tight with zero wobble, the articulated monitor arm is the only thing I have used which solidly supports my Lilliput monitor and the shoulder mount, whilst hardly covered in the softest of cashmere is more than comfortable enough. The follow focus is brilliant, again, really well made and the care to make it so it folds down and out of the way when not in use is the kind of added touch I really like. Be aware though, on some Canon lenses with infinite focus rings (like my workhorse 15-85mm lens) the follow focus isn't effective if the focus limits are exceeded making those perfect focus pulls just too fiddly but on lenses without infinite focus, it works like a dream and the results look just stunning.

The rig packs down into each individual component taking about five minutes to set up and when broken down fits perfectly into the big one of these which incidentally is one of my favourite acquisitions in ages, less than £25 for three solid, light flight cases which have served me brilliantly, the big one for the rig, the medium one for sound equipment and monitor and the small one I am searching for a use for (I have two small ones now). They keep everything together, weatherproof, safe and neat and are very affordable.

Why all the detail on the shoulder rig...Simple really, it took me so long to find the right one and for a big investment I was becoming frustrated that everything seemed good but just not good enough, or perfect but well out of my price range. In this Lanparte gear I've found the best of both worlds, the perfect set up at a price which although isn't cheap, is still value for money. For me, these components and rigs are better than all the RedRock ones I have seen (and cheaper) and at least as good if not better than what I have seen from Zacuto as well, plus, for a little more money, you get a far higher elevation of quality over the mid-range stuff and it's all built to last. Also, I must point out the level of customer service I got from Miguel and Derek at CinegearPro was outstanding. Both are film-makers themselves (check out Derek's excellent film "Homeless, A Mile In Their Shoes") so understood my needs and helped me in assembling exactly the best components for my rig. I would recommend them extremely highly so if you're in the market for a rig or rig parts, get in touch with them.

One of the primary things which adds production value, that is, stuff which makes your video look high budget even if it wasn't, is smooth camera movement. Watch any major motion picture or big budget drama, all of them will have gorgeous sweeping camera movements which set the scene, build tension, introduce a character or establish motivation. A good example is the first shot after the credits in the film "Panic Room."

I really, really like "dolly" or "slider" shots and if you're not aware what that means, it is the movement of the camera towards a point of interest or into a scene, it's an incredibly flexible, stylish and cool way to elevate a scene above the ordinary and unusually for a factual "docu-film" I included a few in "Of Shark and Man" with great effect which you will see when it's finally finished! To give you an idea, here is a nice example of ways to use a cheap slider to get great results.


Konova Slider Montage Film from Dave Dugdale on Vimeo.

There are loads of slider options on the market nowadays, ranging from super cheap mini sliders to the expensive longer ones. Kessler and Cinevate make some fantastic sliders and dollies at the higher end of the financial scale with Indisystem, CinegearPro, Glidetrack and Cobra Crane also making some great sliders for those on a lower budget.

The slider I use is the 80cm Konova Slider which I got for about £320 if I remember right, last year. It's a great budget slider which I would definitely recommend with one caveat...You need to buy either another fluid tripod head or a solid ball head camera mount with a quick release so you can articulate your camera angles easily so budget for that.

Another brilliant option for impressive, cinematic camera moves is the DSLR Devices Mini Jib, I have used one but I don't have one, however I want one. Badly. I want one like I want the new GoPro and that's a lot.

This is a great review which showcases what this ingenious piece of kit can achieve and for £220 it's an absolute bargain, in fact, that £220 will add probably at least £500 to the value of your video each time you use it if you use it creatively and that's pretty good business in anyone's book.

So that's part II and once again, apologies for the delay, I know there is no need for me to apologise since I have been so ridiculously busy but it's just good form isn't it. Next up in part III will be smaller accessories and lighting!

I'll try not to keep it too long until the next blog I promise! If you're going to DEMA, go see Andrew at the Beqa Adventure Divers  stand and tell them I sent you :)

The life of the lone film-maker. It's hard.

Since I started out on this life altering career change, I have been contacted a lot by people who have offered encouragement and some incredibly kind words, I have also been contacted by people who are also trying to set out on their own path and finally do the things about which they are passionate.

One of those is a guy in South Africa with whom I've become friends, he has big ideas and also the belief that he can pull off what is a monumental challenge which is the biggest part of doing anything like this, you have to believe it is possible, which of course, most things are.

I did the difficult bit in that I actually got to Fiji and did what needed to be done, plus, despite the fact I was working all day, every day, it's hard to look at what I was doing as "work," I was doing what I have always wanted to do, there was always a support system there to bounce ideas off and I was spending every day with sharks!

The reality of film-making though is that the fun part is only the tip of the iceberg, normally after production, most of the crew disband and disappear off to do other things whilst the director and producer take the footage to the post production unit to work on the "back end" of the production, getting it ready for broadcast and that is no different on this production, only I don't have post-production team, I am the post production team.

 

During pre-production, a team of people sit around a table, storyboarding and bouncing ideas of each other, while a line production team do all the running around and planning of logistics so the creative people don't have to worry about all that. The same or at least similar applies to production and in the post-production stage, a team of editors will sit with the director and they will thrash out the best way to tell the story through image, sound and music, several pairs of eyes and ears digesting every nuance and this is how great things happen, talented, creative people, being creative together.

Herein lies the problem, I had and have none of that.

I love the editing process, from cutting things together to choosing music, to colour correction, the whole shebang, I love it and it seems to appeal to my meticulous nature but there comes a time when inspiration dries up or logistics dictate you hit a brick wall.

I currently live (temporarily I hasten to add) in York, if you don't already know, York is a place in England beloved of American tourists, primarily because it adds to the illusion that England is still very much in the 18th century because York hasn't really progressed much since then, to be totally honest, it is an inspirational void, I don't know anyone here and the only people I see on a daily basis are my parents.

This is not good for the post-production of the most important film I will ever make.

My view...every day

I made a specific decision to edit in sequence, that is, to edit the film in the order in which I want it to run, there are a few reasons for this and one of those is the highly stylised and conceptual intro to the film. That intro sets the tone for what follows and it is imperative I get it right. Most of the shots for the intro have been done and have involved repeated trips back to Manchester on the train, lugging a camera, lenses, tripod and slider around all day, hoping I can find the images I need. The shots I still need to get are shots which I simply cannot do on my own, they either feature me in them or require actors and locations. I am awaiting confirmation of two locations but that of course is out of my control and Liam who worked with me on Behind Blue Glass is booked in for April 7th to shoot the stuff with me in, stuff which pretty much has to be done in one day only.

All these shots have had to be conceptualised in my own mind with nobody there to offer alternative ideas, suggestions, criticisms, encouragement or to simply listen to me describing them. Such an internal and insular approach to what is intended to be expressive, thought provoking and fresh is not conducive to the process moving quickly and as such, this process of putting together the intro is going painfully and frustratingly slowly.

Since returning from Fiji in August, I have had sole responsibility for converting every single shot from up to four cameras, logging and editing that footage into manageable Premiere Pro folders and syncing up all the sound from two mics, that took until January to complete. I have put together two short films I was commissioned to make, negotiated my way around a distribution deal for "Behind Blue Glass," started sourcing and recording music, written, re-written, re-re-written and re-re-re-written scripts and structure notes, written a five page magazine article and in amongst all of this, navigated my way around basic survival and getting money in any way I possibly can.

What I will say that is more positive, is that what I have of the intro, looks superb, I mean really, really frickin' good, the music is amazing (done by an incredibly talented musician I stumbled across online) and the concept is getting there, it's incredibly complex and every single shot has to be nothing less than perfect so if my two location requests happen, Liam and the Banter Media crew can help me get these shots done with me in and if I can nail the images to fit three specific narrative points, then I will be in a position to crack on with the actual sharky stuff! It will also mean that the trailers will be forthcoming...

 

If I could, I would get myself back into 21st century civilisation and surround myself with things which inspire me but until then, I'll be burning the candle at both ends to get this intro sorted as soon as possible. One good thing to come of the obstacles and barriers which have been out of my control, is that it has afforded me opportunities to let ideas breathe and develop and for opportunites to arise to shoot some amazing things. I said from the offset that I won't consider this film finished until I am certain I cannot improve upon it, no matter how long it takes, so please be patient, I'm not just obsessing over details for the sake of it, this film is as much for you as it is me, I also owe it to the people of Fiji to do the job properly.

If I could offer any advice to anyone reading this it is to think ahead to when you will be in the lonely part of film-making, can you ensure you will be in a good location with good enthusiastic and supportive people? If so, get that nailed down and build a team around you who you know have the best interests of your film at heart because they will be your most valuable asset. If you can't guarantee that, steel yourself for months and months of long, long days, for challenges, obstacles and for the kind of frustrations that at times, make you want to scream but...stick with it!

And to you, the people who will actually watch this film when it's done, please be patient, it will be worth the wait.

I never said this would be easy...

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