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In Issue 93 of Australian Geographic...


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Lights, camera,
potato cod
A new IMAX 3D film dives
deep to capture marine life.

O
N THE FLOOR of the Great Barrier
Reef, 20 m below the surface, four
divers point a huge camera at the
coral rubble and wait for a stonefish to
attack its unsuspecting prey.
“Normally there’s some sign; a dilation
of the animal’s pupil, an increased move-
ment of the gills…something that gives
me a clue,” says Howard Hall, who after
a lifetime of diving believes he’s able to
anticipate a fish’s behaviour.
The impracticality of “directing” such
unwitting film stars is an everyday chal-

PHOTOS: MARK SPENCER


lenge for California-based Howard and
Michele Hall, who are just completing
their latest IMAX 3D film, Under The Sea 3D
– the product of more than five months
of underwater work in Indonesia, Papua
New Guinea, and the Great Barrier Reef Wet film set. Diver Brendon
and southern coastline of Australia. Robinson (above, at le�),
Diver and underwater photographer stabilises the 570 kg camera
Mark Spencer, a regular AG contributor and housing for Je� Wilder-
(A Solitary Life, AG 86), was part of the team muth, who’ll tow it to the sea
floor using an underwater
involved in the August 2008 Great Barrier
scooter. Once there, camera-
Reef leg. His job as “launcher and recov-
men Peter Kragh (le�, at le�)
erer” was to ferry the hefty camera between
and Howard Hall switch on the
boat and ocean floor for film changes. lights – powered via cable
“We would take one or two scooters from a 110 V generator aboard
[underwater propulsion vehicles] to re- the boat – and roll camera.
cover the camera and tow it back,” Mark
says. The process of raising the camera
out of the water by crane, changing the “They also wanted to get a shot of THE IMAX 3D CAMERA
film and lifting it back into the ocean took turtles eating jellyfish,” Mark says. “While
about 40 minutes. that wasn’t amazing in itself, it looks really IMAX = Image MAXimum
Weight: 570 kg (including the
The four-member film team – two good in IMAX.
underwater housing)
cameramen and two technical divers – “Howard explained to me that the ideal Film stock: 600-plus m
spent an average of two hours under water 3D effect was obtained when the subject (two 303 m film spools running
for each three-minute sequence. The day was about 0.75 m from the camera. It cre- simultaneously) of 15/70 mm
colour-negative film provides
they filmed the stonefish, they were ates the illusion that it’s off the screen: three minutes of footage
immersed for six hours. Fish such as the right there in front of the viewer’s face.” IMAX 3D cameras worldwide: six
potato cod were better ‘talent’ because, MARTHA TATTERSALL Cost: $3 million when first developed
curious by nature, they had no fear of Cost of underwater housing: $416,000
swimming right up to the camera. Under the Sea 3D is due for release in March 2008.
Take them out
of the classroom...
LIFT

DRAG

…and into the fascinating world of science, HEAD


environment, adventure, history with Australian
Facing down. Li�ing
FLYING IN A WINGSUIT LEGS SHOULDERS the head creates extra
THE SUIT is made from 300 panels of zero- Legs are kept apart Rolled forward. drag and causes a loss
ARMS
Geographic, packed with informative articles, porosity nylon. It has a wing-shaped pocket from without stretching Steering is achieved of horizontal speed.
each arm to the torso, and a similar pocket the wing. The legwing Always open, but by dipping the le� Dropping the head
between the legs. With a total wing-surface area controls the speed. wings are not shoulder to turn le� sends the flyer into

spectacular photography and state-of-the-art of up to 16 sq � (1.5 sq m), the amount of drag The straighter the stretched. Elbows are and vice versa. a dive.
and li� the wings create requires immense body legs, the faster rolled forward so they
strength and fitness to hold it in flying position. the flight. are the leading edge

illustrations and diagrams. They won’t even THE WINGS act as air foils, directing the airflow
of the armwings.

in such a way that the pressure above the wing is

know they’re learning. less than the pressure below, thus generating li�.
This allows the pilot to fly forward 3 m for every 1

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