“We should all go to the bottom!”, or the secrets of underwater filming

Colossal work is behind the filming of an ordinary film, and underwater filming complicates the task several times

Films set in the depths of the sea are incredibly spectacular and spectacular, and attract the special attention of moviegoers. But a few minutes of screen time hide behind a huge amount of work on the organization of filming. 

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In modern cinema, there are many techniques that allow you to create an “underwater” effect. But once upon a time cinematographers came up with the most daring and unexpected solutions to keep up with the plot. Take, for example, the cult Soviet film “Amphibian Man". To remove the Ichthyander going under the water, the operator, wearing scuba gear, went under the water together with the camera in a special cart. The cart itself was moving along rails laid from the beach into the depths of the water. Part of the filming was carried out in a huge aquarium, where rare fish and marine animals were specially launched. But just the “aquarium” method of filming was not innovative. This technique has been known since 1904, when Georges Méliès first used it in the film “The Mermaid”, and then in 1907 in the film “20 thousand leagues under the sea".

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The world-famous cinematographer Pavel Klushantsev invented a new method of underwater filming for the film "People of the Seabed. Marine equipment". This happened in 1939. Initially, he conceived a special diving helmet, to which an operator's camera was attached. But for health reasons, Klushantsev could not dive, and the other operators did not know how to operate a camera of this type. Then a “glass” with glazed windows was made from a six-meter steamer tube. It was submerged to a depth, and through the windows the operators were shooting.

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The dry-for-wet technique was very popular in Hollywood. It is used to this day and is an imitation of actions under water in an ordinary dry pavilion. In other words, the actors are just imitating movements underwater. For the first time such a technique was used in the film “The Thief of Baghdad” in 1924. Underwater scenes were shot through gauze, rapid shooting was also used, and algae was suspended on a thin fishing line throughout the pavilion.

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Director James Cameron, preparing for the filming of the movie “Titanic", thoroughly approached the case. He used the services of Russian submariners - rented the Mstislav Keldysh research vessel and deep-sea bathyscaphes. In total, the team together with the director made 12 dives, and each took several hours. There, at a depth of over 3 kilometers, they used a special deep-sea camera. It was designed by Michael Cameron, the director's brother. So unique underwater shots were made, which were then included in the film.

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Nowadays, the development of computer technology has made it possible to “finish” underwater scenes on a computer. However, even here there are difficulties. For example, it is not possible to artificially recreate the refraction of light in water - for this you have to pass the spotlight through a real aquarium. Therefore, most often a combination of different methods is used on the set. 

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From recent examples: when working on Guillermo del Toro's “The Shape of Water”, the dry-for-wet technique was used. The actors were hanging on special cables during the filming. At the same time, a smoke screen was activated, and lighting devices were “hiding” in it, creating the illusion of underwater glow. Then some elements of the scenes were “finished” using a computer. And - the final stage. All unnecessary elements (cables, etc.) were removed from the frames. And then bubbles were “added". So, a real underwater world was created in several stages. But the erotic scene between the main characters was no longer filmed in the pavilion, but in a huge swimming pool. For this purpose, the decoration of the heroine's room was built. At the second stage, it was installed on a hydraulic lift. And during the filming, they lowered it into the pool water.

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Real diving is the most difficult and dangerous way of filming. That is why none of the team involved in the filming of the film “Abyss”, then did not want to cooperate with James Cameron. The only exception was Michael Bean. When Cameron was working, he refused stuntmen. All participants of the filming received certificates of divers. The filming itself was carried out in the pit of an unfinished nuclear power plant, and at night, to create the desired effect. Actors and cameramen had to go upstairs every now and then to decompress. Moreover, Cameron plunged along with everyone else to lead the process, and then viewed the footage in the pressure chamber.

Colossal work is behind the filming of an ordinary film, and underwater filming complicates the task several times. Only dedicated people can endure all the difficulties associated with this, which is demonstrated by successful films that are applauded by millions of viewers.

Author - Nika Terentyeva