Underwater Cinematography

[Tanner Field]

Hey Guys,
Over the last few months I've been working on a script for a short film that takes place partially underwater.. Because of this I've become slightly obsessed with learning about underwater shooting. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good resources that I could take a look at to get a better grasp of it and if people had any favorite lens for their underwater shots, and if you could explain why you choose what you do I'd be most appreciative.

Best,
Tanner

 

[Johnny Friday]

Tanner, i say this in as much seriousness as in jest.....do you have 10-12years to learn it? It's nothing you can just go do in a few weeks. You'll find most of us in the underwater biz to say the same thing.....first, learn to dive and dive very well--this takes years. Then comes the camera. There's a great article by Howard Hall at: http://www.underwatercinema.com/breaking-in-by-howard-hall/ talks about breaking in and there you can read much about it. When talking about housings, cameras and lenses---this will be as amusing as talking about film or digital....

 

[Tanner Field]

Hey Johnny,
Thanks for the reply! I guess I should clarify, it isn't my intent to DP the film or become a professional underwater dp.. I just like to try and get a grasp on the world of underwater photography so that I understand the language and can make informed choices when speaking with the underwater dp. Thank you for the article though, just what I was looking for.

 

[Johnny Friday]

That's good to know. It's often that when it comes to underwater shooting and direction, we as u/w camera men don't get it or enough of it....and for the reason that most directors that don't u/w dp don't understand that realm. So getting to know it and diving is best to work with us as operators. Much like topside work, theres a lens & lighting for each job.

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Hey Tanner,

We are running underwater cinematography courses at all levels. More information on our website: http://achtel.com/course.htm and, of course, feel free to contact me.

edit:

...favorite lens for their underwater shots, and if you could explain why you choose what you do I'd be most appreciative.

hehehe, of course! ... Nikon Nikonos 15mm - the only rectilinear wide angle lens able to resolve the Epic sensor underwater.

 

[Will Keir]

Tanner, are you around California ever? Send me a copy of your short, I might be able to help you get it done. Buying an underwater housing for our Epic very soon. Also working on a silent short based of a short story and Greek Myth.

 

[Tanner Field]

Johnny, I couldn't agree more. From my outside perspective, the biggest challenge with the shoot would be the inherent separation and lack of communication between my crew and talent on set.. But that's also what makes it attractive to me.. I love the water, and for years have been wanting to learn to dive.. So, I'll be using this film as my gateway to that world.. The more I know, the easier it will be to bridge that communication gap on the day..

Pawel, this course sounds amazing. How often do you run them? I'm scheduled to get my open water certification later this month, and then am planning to go from there.. Also, I was looking into the lens you mentioned and was shocked to see that you were able to shoot underwater without a port and just the lens. A very cool design.. Is there anymore footage available online with these lenses?

Will, over the past year I've been out to California more and more. I am actually hoping to shoot the film out there following my permanent move out to LA from Chicago early next summer. I'd be happy to PM you over a copy of the script. I'm out of town at for my brother's wedding until mid next week, and left the script on my desktop, but will get back to you as soon as I get home.

Thank you all for your time and input.. Very much appreciated!

 

[Tanner Field]

Also Will, I found this group a bit back while researching... With the nature of the short you're doing I thought it might be of interest to you:
http://www.theunderwaterrealm.com/

 

[Pawel Achtel]

...Pawel, this course sounds amazing. How often do you run them? I'm scheduled to get my open water certification later this month, and then am planning to go from there.. Also, I was looking into the lens you mentioned and was shocked to see that you were able to shoot underwater without a port and just the lens. A very cool design.. Is there anymore footage available online with these lenses?

Hey, Tanner.

Many thanks your kind feedback. We intend to run the course quarterly or more often, depending on interest. There is a small group of people in US already interested and I'm considering to run it in California some time. Best to send me an email and if we have sufficient numbers I can fly down for a week.

Yes, there is some footage online here: http://achtel.com/DeepX/images.htm

I can also arrange for you to see the footage in 4k at Band Pro. It makes big difference if you evaluate the quality for the larege screen.