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EXPERIMENTAL MEDIA
Filming under water can be painstaking difficult, a logistical nightmare that is fraught with health and safety concerns in often very dangerous conditions. One need only look at the long and troubled production history of James Cameron’s 1989 film The Abyss, set almost entirely in an underwater deep sea drilling platform and the ocean surrounding an abyssal plain, in order to understand why no other film maker has been willing to take on the responsibility of shooting so extensively under water ever since. It’s not for nothing that several key members of the production crew often refer to The Abyss as “The Abuse” instead! For these reasons I realize that it will be next to impossible to portray an underwater environment on film that is actually submerged in a volume of water with the experience and resources I have available to me now. Using the Abyss as an example, a realistic underwater environment can be achieved through a level of darkness, density of air, appropriate lighting and proper filtering of sound as in the scene when a downed nuclear submarine is discovered on the ocean floor. Having considered the above problems and how to overcome them I’m thinking of my project in terms of being presented as an instillation in a room or enclosed space that can be designed to represent the feel of being in an underwater environment as opposed to being presented exclusively on film where I will have to shoot underwater. This space, if manipulated successfully, would also allow a much deeper level of emersion for those interacting with my project, a level that could not be achieved by just viewing images on a screen. This would also allow my audience to connect on a deeper emotional level with the subject of my project. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMy name is Clay Sandford and I am currently studying an FDA in Film and Media Production at University Centre Weston. I have a keen interest in directing, cinematography and camera operating. Archives
April 2017
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