17 replies to this topic

[RWBrooks]

Hi all, I wanted to share this with you as I wanted some feed back on whether anyone has seen or has footage of this type and subject. It was filmed in the last month or so in Jellyfish Lake and attempts to show the actual physical migration of the millions of Jellyfish during the day.
If anyone has seen anything like this anywhere else I'd love to know as the motivation behind it was partially that I didn't think that anyone had done it before. That and it's a beautiful place looked at in a different way and good from an educational viewpoint.



Would really like some feedback on this as Jellyfish Lake is one of the most amazing places I've ever been and deserves more attention.

Cheers

Richard

Edited by RWBrooks, 26 September 2012 - 04:22 PM.

[RWBrooks]

Please excuse the whopping great watermark through it, I'm having so many images lifted and used without any agreement lately.....

[scubamarli]

I once saw a documentary that showed this; I can't remember who the producer was. Really interesting, though!

Cheers,
Marli

[RWBrooks]

Would love to find out more, what techniques they used, any other stories from their time there.
This required me to get in amongst the mangroves at times. I have filmed a Saltwater Crocodile there before so I was understandably nervous about getting into their possible territory. I wanted eyes in the back of my head.....

[jonny shaw]

I'm pretty sure Mark Thorpe (camdiver) and Johnny Friday did some timelapse stuff at the lake. What did you shoot it with?

[Aquapaul]

That's pretty good!! I have been dabbling with timelapse for most of a year now but haven't taken it underwater yet. Just curious, what was the shooting interval and play rate if you don't mind sharing?

[RWBrooks]

I simply used an FX7 and sped up the footage 8x.
I've seen the Nat Geo docu (the vimeo version) on the lake and whilst they did do some Timelapse it was of the anemones and benthic critters. So I'm interested if they did do some TL of the migration and it stayed on the cutting room floor.
What I also found interesting was the way the jellies changed their behaviour with varying intensities of light (unreleased footage) and actually how quickly they do so.
If Mark would like to add anything I'm all ears.

Richard

[CamDiver]

Hi Richard,
Nice clip, I think I know that branch!

If you swim to where that platform was in the lake, not sure it it is still there, look at about 30degress left when standing on the main snorkelers platform. Over in that little area there is like a mini version of Blue corner but for Jellies. Mixed with a razor sharp shadow line caused by the growth on the little penninsula that sticks out. That is where we placed a RED One fitted with an Arri 8R Ultra Prime inside an AquaVideo Housing and basically let it roll to fill a 360Gb HDD. We set the system in place for the early morning 'ascension' of Jellies from the depths. The footage was used in the Great Migrations series by Nat Geo.

We also shot topside timelapse and hung a gantry out from a tree far away from the madding crowds and got some stellar 10hr sequences of following the jellies across the surface of the lake, fortunately the days were sunny, hot and just a few mozzies (yeah right).

Whilst we'd heard about the possibility of Salties in the region we never saw hide nor hair of one and we were in the water on rebreathers for the majority of the ten days we were camping on the location. The executive producer was sleeping almost in the mangroves and always had a sound nights kip.

Cheers,
Mark.

[Autopsea]

I'm sure you would like to see this :

http://youtu.be/lAupJzH31tc?t=45s

: )

[RWBrooks]

Hi Mark, yes I remember you had 3(?) different housings for the RED on that shoot? Such cool gear.
What I enjoyed most out of the times that I spent shooting these TL sequences was the tranquility of the Lake, the settled calm. The chance to explore areas that I would normally not have time to see when I'm filming tourists.
It would have been nice to have been doing it CC but I had to go back to basics and did it all free diving, so positioning, framing, exposure, maintenance was all done with me inverted and trying not to disturb the crazily fine sediment.
Coupled with that when I would hear the occasional splash, (probably from fruit falling into the water or a Cormorant diving) it didn't half make me jump. ....Brown Trousers moments I can tell you. Sympathies for the Exec Prod.
Autopsea: That's a beautiful example in the use of Timelapse to show something many people didn't even know existed in a way that obvious to understand. Maximum respect to the crew on that.

Cheers

Richard

[RWBrooks]

http://www.oceanfoot...ips/RBR011_0003
New program pitch"When cameramen S*it themselves"

[Nick Hope]

I see you backed away from it as it approached you Richard. What a chicken

[RWBrooks]

yeah I know, The shame!

[CamDiver]

If it was a Titan Trigger I'd understand the back peddling, but a Saltie? C'mon....

Nice clip, and a fair sized lizard too.

[jonny shaw]

I see you backed away from it as it approached you Richard. What a chicken

LOL

[RWBrooks]

Hi Richard,
Nice clip, I think I know that branch!

If you swim to where that platform was in the lake, not sure it it is still there, look at about 30degress left when standing on the main snorkelers platform. Over in that little area there is like a mini version of Blue corner but for Jellies. Mixed with a razor sharp shadow line caused by the growth on the little penninsula that sticks out. That is where we placed a RED One fitted with an Arri 8R Ultra Prime inside an AquaVideo Housing and basically let it roll to fill a 360Gb HDD. We set the system in place for the early morning 'ascension' of Jellies from the depths. The footage was used in the Great Migrations series by Nat Geo.

We also shot topside timelapse and hung a gantry out from a tree far away from the madding crowds and got some stellar 10hr sequences of following the jellies across the surface of the lake, fortunately the days were sunny, hot and just a few mozzies (yeah right).

Whilst we'd heard about the possibility of Salties in the region we never saw hide nor hair of one and we were in the water on rebreathers for the majority of the ten days we were camping on the location. The executive producer was sleeping almost in the mangroves and always had a sound nights kip.

Cheers,
Mark.

I have been looking high and low for this dawn ascension shot you describe. Can't find it anywhere.... I don't see it on the Migrations film on Vimeo. I guess there are various versions of the migrations jellyfish film. Just wonder why it was omitted on this version.
Do you have a link, I'd love to see it.

Richard

[CamDiver]

Not sure where that would be mate, if not on the finished product, I haven't seen it, then not sure where it would be. I've had TV for about the past three weeks which is the only three weeks I've had it in my life! Watch the odd DVD now and again but don't have the patience to sit through hours of TV which, for the most part, seems to be pretty lame these days.

Cheers,
Mark.

[RWBrooks]

Not sure where that would be mate, if not on the finished product, I haven't seen it, then not sure where it would be. I've had TV for about the past three weeks which is the only three weeks I've had it in my life! Watch the odd DVD now and again but don't have the patience to sit through hours of TV which, for the most part, seems to be pretty lame these days.

Cheers,
Mark.

Same here, no TV for me. miss some cool stuff but that seems to be about 1% of what's on offer.