All of us have looked across the undulating surface of Puget Sound and likely other large bodies of saltwater as well. Yet how many of you have ever wondered what lies just below the waves, and even deeper?
The captivating new film "Deep Sea 3D," which recently opened at Pacific Science Center's Boeing IMAX Theater, gives you a look at this fascinating underwater world.
The film is narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, with an original score by composer Danny Elfman.
Sea life in a whole new way, as they say, to steal a line from their advertising.
Through the use of IMAX 3D technology, audiences are transported below the ocean's surface to swim with some of the planet's most unique, dangerous and colorful creatures.
Present at the screening I attended were director and world-renowned underwater cinematographer Howard Hall and his wife Michele, who is also one of the film's producers.
"When I put on the IMAX 3D glasses to watch 'Deep Sea 3D,' it was like putting on my dive mask," Hall said. He joked that we should avoid spitting into the glasses, as divers do to clear the condensation from their masks.
The IMAX 3D process really is that realistic-far superior to the old-fashioned red/blue anaglyphic 3D, which combines left- and right-eye images onto a single strip of film, compromising sharpness and color. The new technology eliminates this process and enhances the images by using the world's largest film format (15/70mm) in two separate strips of film for both image capture and projection.
The IMAX 3D camera is one of the highest-resolution image-gathering devices in the world. By simultaneously recording separate left- and right-eye images onto two 65mm-wide filmstrips-one for each eye-it helps to create the spectacular high-resolution images that are characteristic of the wide field of view at IMAX presentations.
When I asked about the sheer size of the camera and its waterproof case, I was told that the camera is essentially a 4-foot cube that weighs 1,300 pounds when dry. It's then mounted on a 65-pound tripod.
"Because of its size," Hall told me, "the camera will only hold 7 minutes' worth of film. However, we shot most of it in 3-minute segments. Each shot would take about 2 hours of dive time, because nothing you see on screen is spontaneous.
"We knew exactly what we were going to be shooting," Hall said. "We'd position the camera with a crane off one of the dive boats, then have to wait for the water to settle and clear after the setup."
A large crew was needed to handle such a setup. "We had 12 people who were in the actual dive crew," Howard explained. "They worked off the seven boats we utilized, which ranged in size from 70 to 130 feet."
And how long did it take to film? "We were working from September of 2004 to October of 2005," Howard said. "We were in the field for 130 days, in nine locations ranging from the Sea of Cortez and the Gulf of Mexico, to off Kona, Hawaii. We shot off Moorehead City in North Carolina, were we found some sand tiger sharks in the wrecks of old World War II shipping [vessels].
"We also spent a month off British Columbia filming the strobing lighting effects of the Humbolt squid," he added, "which can grow to over 6 feet in length and can weigh over 130 pounds."
"With so much travel and the immense cost of IMAX filming," I asked, "what was the cost of the film?"
"The whole thing cost $8 million," Howard said. "It cost us just over $2 million to do the film processing alone."
The intent of the film is to present a vivid illustration of the astonishing diversity of undersea life, and show how the many creatures interact with each other.
There are underwater "cleaning stations" at which some large fish, which would normally make a quick lunch out of the smaller fish, allow certain little ones to almost groom them of edible parasites.
The "stars" of this exercise are the incredible marine creatures themselves. You'll see the giant Pacific octopus, which can weigh as much as 400 pounds and measure 25 feet across, yet can squeeze down to a crack that is only large enough for its feeding beak to squeeze through.
And the manta ray that grows to 18 feet from winglike fin tip to fin tip, and can weigh 3,000 pounds. In spite of its size, it is harmless and totally indifferent to humans.
The ocean sunfish (mola mola) is the largest bony fish in the sea and can grow to the size of a pickup truck. Or young green sea turtles that are carnivorous, but become strict vegetarians upon entering adulthood.
These creatures along with many others make this an astonishing film. I've seen a lot of underwater photography, and this is some of the best ever.
As I talked to Hall after viewing the film, we discovered that we'd grown up only a few miles apart from each other down in Orange County, Calif. We were soon comparing which road-ends in Laguna Beach had the best surf, and where the best abalone diving was. Of course, that was 40 years ago- all the abalone are gone.
We must preserve our oceans. Without their diversity, the future of the human race is a bleak one.
Gary McDaniel lives in Magnolia.[[In-content Ad]]
