Making an Epic Video

Epic footage makes waves

On June 4, 2017, we published a one-minute video on Facebook and Instagram. It was an edit from footage filmed a few years prior, showing a large female great white shark and a human lucky enough to be diving along side her. With both perspectives of the footage coming from the camera I hold in my hands as well as the footage taken of me while next to the shark, we wanted people around the world to see that these creatures are not what they are commonly portrayed in the media. We also wanted to share a universal message which can be addressed to most people around the planet. Stop and take pause. Awe is around us, let it not pass you by unnoticed.
We believe nature has a chance only if humans learn to reconnect with themselves and their surroundings.

We would like to thank all the people for viewing this video both on Facebook and Instagram, for their comments and shares, we had not expected this video to do so well (500K views in less than a week).

********
Editorial

When was the last time something truly moved you, in real life?

When I look back on the many encounters I have had with apex predators, such as the great white shark, there are a few of them that stand out. I was thinking about how we are so captivated by the digital age. As I travel the globe I rarely see anyone who is not immersed in their smart phone. We have access to incredible images and footage of extraordinary adventures from around the globe literally at our fingertips. It’s easy to lose sight of the real life moments of awe that come drifting by from time to time.

On the day this experience was captured on video I was awestruck as I swam next to this great white eye-to-eye. I still remember its every movement: the way the powerful tail stroke so effortlessly propelled her through the water – I remember remarking to myself that she was barely moving her tail fin and yet moving so fast as I was finning as fast as possible and barely able to keep up. Her deep blue eye was scanning back at me from time to time, wondering what I was and what I was doing.

I was caught between two worlds – It was my job to capture images for ID purposes and to explore the area for the study being conducted and so I was in one moment focused on keeping the camera steady and in another moment trying to absorb what was taking place… Despite being immersed underwater I somehow found myself in the very familiar struggle of finding a balance of chasing the digital result or soaking in the moment and let it affect me on a much deeper level. I think it is fantastic that we can share our experiences through digital media as this has already become an integral part of modern societies but, we should never fall into the habit when the real world experience becomes mundane in favour of the digital, thus failing to recognize when we are in the presence of awe.

#sharks #moment #reallife #digital #diving #freediving #greatwhiteshark #swimming #adventure #planet #nature #animals #awe #explore #conservation #ocean #sea #extreme

Footage by @williamwinram, Nicolas Largueze, Sound & Vision Prod.
Music by Jesse Armerding
Edit by @lukaswaterman, Michèle Monico