“As film-makers, film lovers and creative entrepreneurs we like to share our knowledge and learn from others as much as we can. The Creative Scramble podcast gives us the opportunity to chat to a variety of industry professionals - ranging from commercial directors to accredited film crew to dissect their road to success.”
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Mark gives an insight into the world of underwater film-making and seeing nature up close and personal
‘The role is a multi-faceted one…. it’s technical in that you work with the Producer to establish the best tools for the job (camera, lenses, lighting, grip and even sometimes developing new kit such as underwater sliders or quadpods). You also wear an editorial hat in the field – we are storytellers too and an important part of our role is to interpret the storyboard when on location; it’s a collaborative process. In the moment (when the wildlife behaviour presents itself) the creative juices are flowing and you are firing on all cylinders to make sure you get the shots in the bag’
‘It’s like I’m a miner with a pickaxe – all you can do is to keep on digging and then provide a truck load of raw material; dirt but also gold and gems! It’s then down to the Editor and the Producer to finely craft the pieces into a work of art. It’s really satisfying and exciting to see the sequence come together… it takes me right back to the shoot and that specific moment on location’
‘You’re doing everything you can to minimise your presence in the water; rebreathers don’t produce bubbles and are much quieter, you can wear camouflaged dive gear so that you can blend in visually too and gradually edge closer to your subject. What I feel I can bring to the table is to be very calm within that environment – almost taking on the mindset of the animal and doing what I can to remove ‘myself’ from the scenario and ‘not be there’ whilst getting the footage’
‘The fundamental rule of anyone wanting to get into underwater camerawork is that you’ve got to be an absolute master scuba diver and conquered the skill of neutral buoyancy; that needs to be second nature so it’s a completely automatic process allowing you to be weightless underwater and in a position to move and follow wildlife without even thinking about it’
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