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The Making of “Momentum (2014)” – Coral Spawning Grand Cayman
(Teaser) Momentum | Coral Spawn 2014, Grand Cayman from DNS Diving | Grand Cayman on Vimeo.
The video above is just a small glimpse… Scroll to the bottom to watch the full video – “Momentum”!
This year, Chase Darnell & Dusty Norman from DNS Diving have been working on a project so unique, that only few people in the world get the witness it. After watching the amazing video they created, we asked Chase to tell us about the making of the video. The result is fascinating…
Hi Chase! Can you tell us a bit about the Coral Reef Spawning? Why does that happen and why is it so hard to witness?
Coral Reefs are living and functioning ecosystems. Housing tens of thousands of marine species, these colorful underwater landscapes are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Even though coral reefs cover only one percent of the ocean floor, they actually support about 25 percent of all marine life in our oceans. So to sum it up, it is very important that these ecosystems continue to flourish and especially reproduce, which is how we arrive at the Coral Spawn.
“Coral has the ability to reproduce Asexually and sexually”
The living element of coral itself is called a polyp. They are tiny, soft-bodied organisms that are similar in nature to anemones and jellyfish. These tiny polyps are connected to a protective limestone skeleton called a Calicle, which actually gives reefs their structure. These reefs are formed when a polyp attaches itself to a rock on the sea floor and it begins to divide, forming thousands of clones. These clones begin to connect to one another and this is what creates the massive sections of reef we have been fortunate enough to swim around here in Cayman and the rest of the world.
So how does a living animal that is stationary have the ability to reproduce?
Coral has the ability to reproduce Asexually and sexually. The asexual forms of reproduction are known as Budding and Fragmentation, but the reproduction method we are interested in is the Broadcast Spawning which is a reef’s way of sexually reproducing. About 75% of all hard corals are broadcast spawners. They produce male and/or female gametes and release them into the water column in large numbers in order to distribute their offspring over a larger area. These gametes float to the surface where they begin to join and form living larvae which will float until they find a suitable place to make home on the sea bed. This is where the whole event starts getting really, really cool. These corals must time their release in order to give their gametes the opportunity to latch to the opposite sex and have successful reproduction. This incredible behavior creates a 20 to 60 minute window in which certain types of coral all release their gametes in unison. This is what makes the spawn so special!
“There is no rewind or try again tomorrow button.”
This massive coral reef is so connected that even corals of the same variety that might be a good distance away from each other know to spawn at the same time! This time frame makes the whole event difficult to witness let alone document. There is no rewind or try again tomorrow button. You have to be in the right place at the right time in order to experience this once a year spectacle, not to mention having you settings just right to capture a moment that lasts a split second.
Which gear did you use for making this video? Why did you choose that gear? Was there something missing that you needed?
Canon t2i Tokina 10-17 Ikelite Housing and 2 Sola 1200 video lights
This was my in hand camera for the spawn. The Tokina allowed me to get right up in the action. I was hoping with such a wide focal length I would be able to duck behind some coral heads to avoid the surge, but as the video shows it was difficult at times. The Sola lights performed as to be expected, they are always on point. The natural color they provide proved to be spot on for the wide angle shots I was looking for.
I found that I was hindered by the low light capabilities of the camera. Shooting at night requires some high ISO shots and in some cases I felt that image quality could have improved with a better sensor.
“The Sola lights performed as to be expected, they are always on point”
Canon HFG10, Gates Housing, and 2 Sola 1200 Video Lights.
I had this setup on a tripod. When we first entered the water I found a large head of Star Coral and set up this rig to capture a stable wide angle landscape shot in hopes the coral head would spawn all at once. The shot didn’t turn out, but in this case it was the luck of the draw. If I would have chosen a different coral head that did end up having an awesome spawn the shot would have proved to be useful I am most certain.
Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 100mm, Subsea +10 Diopter, Ikelite Housing, 2 Sola 2000 Video Lights, and a Ultra Light Custom Tripod.
This was Dusty’s rig, he is the go to guy for Macro Shots. As in all macro shooting these close up shots of the coral releasing the spawn would not have been possible without a tripod. To think that all the macro shots in Momentum came from this one setup is beyond impressive. To find a base for the tripod, focus, compose, and shoot all in a matter of seconds is impressive, but remember he did this repeatedly in our 20 minute window to bring us multiple eye catching macro shots of the spawn.
We couldn’t be happier with the footage we acquired from this years spawn and our gear we used. Moving forward, though, to capture the spawn like we want to for our 2015 project we simply need more cameras and higher frame rates. We want to both have multiple cameras to set up prior to the spawn on tripods as well as our in hand cameras. We hope to upgrade to higher frame rate capabilities in order to bring some of the shots in super slow motion.
We chose these setups because they are tried and true. We are in the water with our Canon, Ikelite, and Light and Motion products on a daily basis and they deliver quality work day in and day out.
What was the biggest difficulty in the making of the video?
The most difficult part without a doubt is the small time frame we actually have the ability to get spawn footage in! Before getting in the water we are marching around like football players amped for the Super Bowl! It’s one of those times where you have to nail the shot, because if you don’t, there’s no trying again tomorrow! Even though this is a difficult scenario to put yourself in it is also one of the best things about documenting the coral spawn! Because if you nail it, it’s that much sweeter!
Did you have fun making it? 🙂
I must say this is the most fulfilling project I have ever done! To have the ability to document something this rare and challenging is really special, but to take it a step farther and create a film around this breathtaking event that takes the viewer into the mindset of why we are in the water day after day and why we spend countless hours in the water really makes this project special. We wanted to show people our dedication, passion, and love for the oceans through our underwater videography and I believe Momentum does just that.
“I must say this is the most fulfilling project I have ever done!”
What would you recommend for fellow divers who wish to witness / document this amazing phenomenon?
It might be a simple phrase, but it is truly something that we live by. More hours in the water equals more life changing experiences. If you want to see something special be prepared to put in the hours and put yourself in a situation to succeed. It’s not always easy and it doesn’t always happen on the first attempt, but it’s persistence that will lead to success when looking for experiences in nature. We want to document amazing experiences in the ocean around our home, Grand Cayman, and we do so by being in the water day after day with a camera in our hand.
This is the final result – Momentum:
Momentum | Coral Spawn 2014 (Full Length) from DNS Diving | Grand Cayman on Vimeo.
DNS Diving:
www.dnsdiving.com
DNS Facebook
To follow Chase’s work or get in touch with him:
Chase Underwaterphotography.com Profile
Chase Personal Facebook
Email – chase@dnsdiving.com
Check out last year’s project – Revival (2013) Here
Visit his personal portfolio at www.ranmorphoto.com.
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