Logging, logging, logging.
Hi folks, Ricardo here with the first behind-the-scenes blog update!
It’s been a huge journey so far to bring this film into creation. As anyone who has followed the progress so far on other sites / social media will know, the journey for me began began in 2011 when I travelled to Simonstown, South Africa to shark cage dive (along with Rachel) out at Seal Island – the world famous Great White hotspot, and home to the famous “flying” sharks of False Bay. We were privileged to have travelled out under the guidance of skipper Rob Lawrence – a man whose journey began many years before when he established his company African Shark Eco-Charters. When I say privileged, I do not say so lightly. For a shark enthusiast wanting to experience the presence of Great White Sharks in South Africa, there is no other choice. Rob Lawrence has been to Seal Island most likely more than any single human being on this planet and his expertise in understanding, locating and getting you close to Great Whites in a completely ecologically responsible way is second to none.
So having travelled out as guests, our lives changed with a new respect and understanding of these magnificent animals. We were not alone. Fellow guests came back from those trips to Seal Island….changed. Some more than others, but undeniably all with a different perception of one of the most misunderstood creatures in the oceans. Fear – reduced or gone. On our return home, even with the most remarkable footage, pictures and stories to share we still came up against the usual comments of how we “must be mad” for cage diving. It became a spark of interest in how we, as film-makers and story tellers, could challenge that notion.
So over the course of a couple years, whilst working with Rob and Karen Lawrence on some awesome promos for ASEC, I began to wonder if we could really push the boat out and do something so much more. It seemed the only way to really change people’s fears and misunderstandings of Great Whites was to go out and actually see them. Your opinion can change in a second. But not everyone is able to do that. It’s expensive. It’s time consuming. It’s not something done on a casual whim – but we became obsessed by the idea that people’s perceptions need to TRULY change to protect these animals, and that would not happen with mainstream TV content or Hollywood movies.
So I began forming the idea of something bold. A feature documentary that could bring that up close experience to YOU. To pose, and answer, the question of what is it REALLY like to live and work alongside one of the most potentially deadly creatures known to humans? How could you swim in the waters off the beaches at Simonstown, Fishhoek, or Cape Town? How could you let your children do so? What does it feel like to step out of your door and be only feet away from the oceans apex predator?
So after working on a master plan, and gathering the support of some really amazing people and companies to assist, we shot for a 3 week period in South Africa in June and July 2013. Knowing that we would need to get closer than ever before to these animals, and in tight spaces, I opted to utilise a large portion of the filming on the amazing GoPro cameras. Shrugging off the initial snobbery and scoffing of some fellow film-makers that a camera smaller than your palm could actual hold up for a feature shoot, I returned with some amazing footage that’s as close as you can possibly get to a Great White Shark and silenced many of those doubting views of others.
Coupled with the incredibly rich and heartfelt contributions of remarkable interviewees and local residents I am now sat in the long long long process of logging and labelling all that footage. By the time I have completed weeding out the material I don’t need I will be looking at close to 200 hours of footage. No small task. Along with this, in order to craft and tell this remarkable insight and story I am also transcribing and studying each and every word of the generous people who chose to buy in to what we are attempting with this ambitious film, by granting us their time and knowledge in front of the camera.
With that in mind, with this dedicated site for the project now live, and before I head off to the dark depths of the edit room once more, I would like to pause and give a thanks to some amazing people.
My darling wife Rachel comes top of that list. Not only is she an able camera woman, she also serves as my harshest critic to ensure the end film is the best it can be.
Rob Lawrence, Karen Lawerence, Tamsyn Munnik, Gary Carstens, Wellington, Graham, Allison Skidmore, Deborah and Brandon Kilbride – the amazing team at the best shark diving operator there is – African Shark Eco-Charters (www.ultimate-animals.com) for collaborating and having sharks first and foremost in their hearts.
Alison Kock and the team at Sharkspotters – who are protecting, researching and keeping the balance between swimmer and shark in check on a daily basis. (www.sharspotters.org.za)
Dirk Schmidt for his wonderful books and his tireless work in maintaining the Great White Shark Advocacy group – and to all it’s contributors for keeping debate lively and sharks top of the list of concerns! (www.facebook.com/groups/whitesharkadvocacy)
Beth Sissons representing GoPro gets a personal thanks for her assistance and support, and the team at GoPro (www.gopro.com) for making these amazing cameras in the first place – truly changing how things are done.
Dirk and Denise at the wonderful Cheriton Guest House, Simonstown (www.cheriton.co.za) for keeping us well maintained and warm during a gruelling shoot and long hours.
The extremely talented photographer Tiago Rodrigues (www.tii7.com) who was not only a pleasure to be at sea with, but also shared some of his images for our project (you can see a few in the gallery pages).
The wonderful and welcoming people of Simonstown and the Cape Area for their time, generosity and insight without which we could not tell this story to the wider world.
There’s so many people to thank – not least all the wonderful people we met out at sea each day, but we’ll thanks them all in the credits and at the premiere! And of course… the biggest thanks of all to the amazing, awe inspiring, playful, curious, and unpredictable Great White Sharks of False Bay for doing what you’ve been doing for millions of years – and millions more to come.
Right…back to the logging and transcribing my friends….keep posted for updates and we’ll have something more to show you real soon!
Ricardo Lacombe