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In the Press“Close Encounters” at OceanFootage! Monterey, CA. March 31, 2005 – The talented cinematographers who contribute to OceanFootage help create the world’s most comprehensive online source for ocean footage, in one easy and convenient location. These contributors have devoted their lives to the documentation of the world beneath the sea in encounters that take place at a respectful distance. Sometimes a creature becomes curious about that strange “diver with a camera,” and approaches to examine more closely. The result is an assortment of truly spectacular encounters between humans and the mysterious wildlife of the sea. These exciting encounters make up the newest collection at OceanFootage, entitled People and the Sea (Browse People and the Sea). “ These amazing encounters not only show us ocean wildlife at its best, but really show the respect and gentleness our contributors have for ocean life,” comments OceanFootage founder Dan Baron. “They’re situations in which people are approached by the animal in many cases out of curiosity or perhaps even friendship. It’s a remarkable collection.” The animal encounters in the People and the Sea collection include divers – in most cases, the cinematographers themselves – peacefully interacting with wildlife such as sharks, dolphins, whales, manatees, sea horses, turtles, fish, giant octopi, giant Humboldt Squid, jellyfish, kelp forests, moray eels, pilot whales, mola mola, sea snakes, coral reef life, and much more. Some of the most memorable moments include vivid encounters with whales, by such respected cinematographers as Harrison Stubbs, Pawel Achtel or Jennifer Durnin. A career highlight for Stubbs was an encounter between himself and a friendly, inquisitive Sperm Whale calf that came right over to investigate him close-up, examining him with each eye. The baby whale then ‘spy-hopped’ to take a better look at him above the water, did a few tail slaps, and went back over to its mother. The encounter was only four minutes, but remains a cherished memory for Stubbs. Adds cinematographer Durnin, “It seems that every whale I encounter has its own personality. The ones that are the most fun are those whales that approach us who really seem to be ‘mugging’ for a shot from the cameras on the boat. To me these whales seem genuinely curious about who we are.” Other encounters are more surprising, such as one between
cinematographer Pawel Achtel (Sydney, Australia) and a giant octopus. On
a calm night in the Sydney,
Australia harbor, Achtel was quietly lying on the ocean bottom, attempting
to film an eel that lay motionless in the sand. He was so busy watching for
movement that when he felt a gentle tug on his left hand, he didn’t pay
much attention to it. However, soon the tugging became more insistent so he
looked over to his left and was startled to find himself eye to eye with a
huge Octopus that seemed to be pulling at his left hand with one of its tentacles.
Achtel was startled – and tried to pull away – as did the equally
startled Octopus. They paused, staring at each other, the tentacle still around
Achtel’s hand, and then the octopus (somewhat regretfully, it seemed
to Achtel), let go of its new toy. “Looking in its eye, I thought I saw
real disappointment,” said Achtel. “It wanted to keep my hand as
a “toy,” but it knew it had to let go in order to get away from
me. It blinked, it let go, and we both went on our separate ways.” The
next day, Achtel went back to see the octopus again. This time, there was no
trace of fear from the octopus and the two were now old acquaintances, so he
was able to take even more dramatic footage of the beautiful giant creature. Some of the most heart-wrenching footage in the new “People and the Sea” section are those in which humans attempt to rescue beached or stranded whales or dolphins. Johnson, a member of the rescue team at Wellfleet Harbor in Massachusetts, has also been involved in many of these scenarios firsthand: “Our tides span 22 to 12 feet, so it’s pretty easy for the animals to get caught on a new shallow as the tide rushes out. The hardest thing is that if one dolphin beaches, all the others will go to try and help, and that means some of them often get stuck on the shallows too.” The collection includes much more, including hours of absorbing footage ranging from the playful to the dramatic. And all of the footage can be previewed online simply by visiting OceanFootage. About OceanFootage Founded by a team of accomplished ocean video producers and marine experts, stock footage leader OceanFootage provides the world’s largest and finest online collection of ocean stock footage. The people at OceanFootage have gone to great lengths – and depths – to provide the most diverse and visually stunning footage collections available anywhere. From DV to HD video and film, OceanFootage’s large collection and industry-leading e-commerce interface offers clients the best in search, preview, purchase, and delivery for rapid and easy access to ocean footage.
For more information on OceanFootage’s opportunities for providers, or for information on its collections, capabilities, and services, please contact the company’s founder, Dan Baron at 1-831-375-2313, or dan@footagesearch.com. For a media kit, magnificent stills from some of its collections, or additional background information on OceanFootage, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell, at 1-904-982-8043 or angela@footagesearch.com. # # # |
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