Ocean Messengers

Enviromental Film, made in PE!

http://www.theherald.co.za/article.aspx?id=556771

http://www.mype.co.za/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=4752

AFTER spending a week collecting footage of marine life in Algoa Bay, an impressed Israeli film director has spoken of the huge, untapped potential of the area.

World-renowned Gil Arbel, from Tel Aviv, was in Nelson Mandela Bay to film Vanishing World of our Oceans, a predominantly underwater film production which will show natural events and species which could soon disappear.

Arbel has worked on marine documentaries for, among others, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Galatée Films.

“Through this conservation film, we want to make the world aware of the marine species and illegal poaching. I feel it’s a way of doing what we can to help save the planet,” he said on Friday.

“From day one we found not only sardines, which we followed all day through all weather and sea conditions, but I was also able to capture amazing images in slow motion of penguins working on a sardine bait ball, as well as dolphins following the activities.”

Although he was happy with the footage he had gathered, Arbel said, he would return for more next year.

“We have a reason to come back to complete the sequence. It is difficult to collect enough footage in one week. I spent a lot of time on a boat and the sea was not always calm.”

He described seeing large concentrations of different species.

“It was good to see how these species co-operate to get sardines.”

The film would be out in a few years’ time when enough footage had been gathered, he said.

Arbel came to the Bay after a visit to East London two years ago.

“While there, I filmed a killer whale killing a dolphin. This is rare. I also heard of Rainer Schimpf (of Port Elizabeth), who filmed the same thing ... and we got talking,” he said.