Dive Global :: Photography & Film

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New DVD by Annie Crawley: Your Guide to Creating Underwater Video.

This extremely talented member of the international diving community has been on an amazing journey in the underwater world and now shares her vast experiences by giving us a new tool to learn how to properly shoot and edit our underwater footage into a great DVD.

For an impression of her amazing talent, take a look on Annie's fantastic Web site which features a gallery full of amazing underwater photography and film clips taken by Annie over the years of diving around the world. My favorite is the clip of mating bottle nose dolphins, which is also included on her DVD.

Amongst her many experiences are the years she worked and consulted for the Peter Hughes liveaboards in Papua New Guinea, the Galapagos, Indonesia and Belize. She is also a veteran scuba instructor who managed dive operations in Indonesia, among them the famous Kunkungan Bay Resort in Sulawesi.

She is currently based in Santa Barbara, working full-time as a producer, freelance photographer, filmmaker, writer, model, 100 ton USCG master boat captain, dive instructor and educator. Her personal mission is "to educate and create entertaining multi-media programs to stimulate and awe the world into discovering, learning and protecting our earth, focusing upon the life of our oceans."

And educating she does with her new DVD: "Your Guide to Creating Underwater Video". With digital, non-linear imagery becoming the norm and affordable to everybody, it was time for a new learing tool. Together with master editor Jeff Morse, Annie explains in easy to follow chapters how to shoot good video with the importance of a story line and the editing process in mind. Jeff Morse adds valuable information on the editing process with a slight humorous note.

The DVD consist of ten chapters guiding you step by step through the whole process:

Chapter One: The “Getting Started” section is an overview of what to come in the rest of the DVD.

Chapter Two:“What Is Your Story” focuses on understanding the story you want to tell so your video will be fun to watch and make sense to others as well.

Chapter Three:“Cinematography Basics” explains the theories that provide the majority of the structure by which to shoot video – whether above or below the surface.

Chapter Four: Gives you more detail on the concepts of chapter three by providing concrete concepts of shooting sequences so that they have a flow to them as you begin the eventual editing process.

Chapter Five: Explains real world examples of shooting technique underwater.

Chapter Six: Instructs on lighting techniques once the diver understands the concepts of shooting with natural light and how adding artificial light can add depth and dimension to footage.

Chapter Seven: Takes you from preproduction and shooting to the editing process.

Chapter Eight: Helps you select your equipment. This process can seem a little daunting to many and the information given was without a lot of technical jargon that would confuse the average consumer.

Chapter Nine: Explains considerations a diver might have to contend while shooting.

Chapter Ten: Gives good tips on equipment care and how to prevent a camera from getting flooded and rescue tips in case it does.

All in all very useful information presented in a no nonsense way. We found this DVD to contain valuable information for the novice underwater film maker, as well as a good refresher course and additional tips for the more experienced amongst us.

We give this DVD a HUGE thumbs up here at Dive Global!

For more information and to purchase this DVD, or any of her other work, visit Annie Crawley's website.