#011 - The making of our ocean film 'The Map to Paradise'

LORD HOWE ISLAND - Australia's Secret Paradise

4 photo template.jpg

After completing the film The Last Sea Treasure, we realised we had a unique understanding of the issues facing Australia when it came to protecting the sea. However, there was still so much more that needed to be told and there seemed to be a thirst for this type of content. People loved attending the film events and learning about some of the threats to the ocean.
So, we decided that we would start working independently on our first ever feature length film to create something that delved deeper into the global movement to protect our oceans.

We needed to seek out some of the most inspirational ocean leaders and share their stories and achievements.

We wanted the film to show-off the magnificence of the ocean, whilst educating the viewers on the issues surrounding marine protected areas.

This is how our film The Map to Paradise began.

poster.jpg

We wanted to create something beautiful, something that would inspire people to feel proud of their own backyards, so we decided that Lord Howe Island off the northern New South Wales coast would be a great starting point.

We had never been there before, but knew that it was one of Australia's most successful marine protected areas and that the marine life was plentiful. At the time we considered going there, it was also off season. The deals to get there were the best we'd ever seen, so we decided to begin our journey here.

0I6A8257.jpg

Lord Howe Island is a unique place. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Its forests are virtually untouched and they cover most of the island. About 70 percent of the land is protected and its surrounding waters are largely protected as well. The island sits out in the middle of the Tasman Sea and the weather can vary drastically.

In the days leading up to our flight, we had been watching the weather constantly, hoping that it would be good, but it looked like it was deteriorating.

Perhaps, we would get a couple of days of good weather before it turned, but we couldn't be sure.

0I6A7798.jpg

Flying into Lord Howe Island is beautiful; huge cliffs rise out of the water in the middle of the ocean, encircling a gorgeous lagoon on the eastern side of the island. It's such an idyllic paradise.

0I6A8013.jpg

The weather was beautiful when we arrived, so we checked into our accommodation and quickly jumped in the water for a snorkel.

The visibility was amazing. The marine life was abundant. The reefs were so different to anything we had ever seen. They were colourful with green and brown tones, with colourful wrasse darting among the coral garden.

0I6A6831.jpg

We were blown away by the amount of fish just off the shoreline - huge kingfish, snappers, turtles, sharks, it truly was another world - a true example of what life in the ocean should look like.

0I6A8916.jpg

0I6A6762.jpg

0I6A8782.jpg

After the snorkel, we met up with one of the dive shop owners on the island. We arranged to interview him the next day and for him to share some knowledge about the island and show us some special places that he loved.

The next morning we got into the water with him and got some pretty images of him snorkelling around the beautiful reefs.

He shared a few of the reasons why Lord Howe was still so pristine and beautiful. Interestingly, he told us that no commercial fishing existed in the surrounding waters of the island and that there were strict tourism limits on the island, permitting only 400 tourists at any given time.

0I6A9028.jpg

One of the highlights of the area was a dive site at the nearby Balls Pyramid; a giant pinnacle that rises out of the sea.

We thought it would be a great place to get some footage for the film, but he was a bit hesitant about the weather forecast, so we put it on hold.

Later that afternoon, the clouds rolled in and the weather changed drastically.

GOPR3567.jpg

When we woke the next morning the rain had set in. Next came the wind, then came the thunder and lightning.

The low pressure system intensified over the next few days and conditions continued to deteriorate. Flights in and out of the island were cancelled, the dive trip to Balls Pyramid was cancelled and it became increasingly difficult to film around the island.

3 photo template.jpg

The beautiful clear water had been stirred up by the waves and conditions became less than ideal for what we were looking for and it was becoming quite challenging to get what we wanted.

We still persisted though, spending lots of time in the water trying to film the shy Galapagos sharks and the flighty green sea turtles and every now and then when the clouds would part and the sun would shine through, we’d rush off to go film and photograph different things on the land.

0I6A8563.jpg

0I6A8814.jpg

It was frustrating that conditions had deteriorated so much.

We had self funded the trip as we needed to get some great content to create a sample of the film to use to hopefully generate funding for the film. We still loved the island as it was a spectacular place, and we'd jump at the chance to go back.

But, it was a wake up call that filming a feature length documentary with no funding was going to be quite a task.

4 photo template1.jpg

The potential scope of the documentary was enormous, as we were attempting to look into a global movement that had been driven by people all over the world.

We wanted the film to develop organically. We didn’t want a script. It was impossible to develop a proper shooting schedule, as we would need to film this documentary between other jobs.

We had a big journey ahead of us.

0I6A8935.jpg

To be continued…

For more on conservation and the making of our feature film The Map to Paradise, follow us @bluebottlefilms

© 2017 Bluebottle Films

Sort:  

There is nothing beautiful than nature and your capture is just perfect.

Gorgeous! Thanks for bringing us on this journey with you two.
I am moving to Reunion island in a few weeks and hope to experience even a 10th of what you are living and seeing. Although i hope the sharks don't get too close :)

No worries @osmOsis, it’s been an enjoyable journey on steemit thus far, we look forward to sharing more. Reunion Island would be amazing. I look forward to seeing some of your pics once you arrive!

Unfortunately, all my photos will be above sea level to begin with. I'd love to start learning more about underwater photography though. Do you know of a camera or a specific brand for beginners you would recommend?

Have a look into underwater housings for your current camera, if you plan to spend a lot of time in the water it may be a good investment.

Thanks for the tip guys! Might be a good investment. Will look into it :)

nice photos @bluebottlefilms
thank you for sharing

Amazing...

your post is very good, very useful, your post is so inspiration for me and all users of steemit, I am proud of you ... I am amazed to you, you are very fantastic in making a post, hopefully triumph in the work .. Thank you 💏😘

Thanks very much, we’re grateful for the kind words!

Wonderful places! Thank you for efforts to made this interesting article and shots!

Not a problem @alexey78, glad you liked it

I'm new here. Need support. I subscribed to your excellent blog, please subscribe and you are on mine. Thank you!

well, it's a very nice nature view on the beach and underwater, it's a fun friend @bluebottlefilms enjoy the holidays with a lover.

Congratulations @bluebottlefilms, this post is the forth most rewarded post (based on pending payouts) in the last 12 hours written by a User account holder (accounts that hold between 0.1 and 1.0 Mega Vests). The total number of posts by User account holders during this period was 3803 and the total pending payments to posts in this category was $6539.12. To see the full list of highest paid posts across all accounts categories, click here.

If you do not wish to receive these messages in future, please reply stop to this comment.

most beautiful. very professional. I really enjoyed your photos.