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As we complete our work at the
Virginia site and move on to the Halo, my
excitement about being a part of this project continues to grow. About
a month ago, Dennis Aig, with whom I have worked
many times on many different kinds of productions, asked me if I would
work with him on a demanding but unusual shoot in the Gulf of Mexico.
Everything about the project
sounded larger than normal: seven ships, eighteen days, one
comprehensive doc[umentary], Keene Haywood’s
MFA project work, and a video documenting the ROV operations. Thee would
only be four of us and, along with the video work, we would coordinate
items for the project website and help with publicity. Since Dennis and
I had met many challenges before, I said “Ok.”
Lance Dreamer, the project's Director of
Photography, taping action during deployment of the collection basket.
After only four days
on the boat, I am very glad I accepted
the invitation to work on the project. Every day I learn something new
about the sea, about archaeology, about history, about biology, and
about working on board a boat. A ship is both a dynamic and dangerous
environment. There are wonderful views and full moons and moments of
quiet. There are also complex machines, diesel fumes, noisy engines,
exhaust systems, water on the deck, and confined spaces. The need for
constant vigilance affects everything and makes all the senses sharper.
It keeps you safe and also keeps the edge on your art.
Lance risks it all for the shot. . . .
The most interesting element of
the project to me so far has been the extraordinarily eclectic group of
people who are making the project possible. They come from many
different backgrounds and disciplines. They include the ship’s crew,
who must have skills ranging from cooking to electronics. The
ROV crew can do everything from welding
to video camera adjustments. And the science team is extremely
impressive in both their knowledge and ability to deal with the
unexpected. Everyone seems to be in problem-solving mode – problems on
a project like this are inevitable, and everyone shares the confidence
that these unexpected problems can be resolved. Most scientific
documentaries are very dry and filled with data. I think ours will be
informative but filled with the very cool people who are making all the
work possible. I very much enjoy working with all of them.
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