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Seven
years ago Martin Gaunt was promoting alternative wildlife camping
holidays for people.
He
used to take them out in a boat and show the holiday-makers amazing
sights of nature which they would not usually see.
"We
would go to beaches they couldn't usually get to, and wildlife underwater,"
says Martin. "That's when I thought it would be great to take it
to other people."
Martin
did not have a film background but he did have the enthusiasm. He
decided to build up his skills in Cornwall.
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| Marine
Team film producers Martin Gaunt and Martin Davies work on editing
film |
"I
went to Falmouth College Of Art, did a degree, and did some work
placements including at Anglia TV," says Martin.
"My
family and I made a decision that we would sell our main assett,
our house, to fund Oscha Productions in Penryn. Martin Davies was
also working at the campsite, he decided to train and has been working
with me ever since."
The
cost of buying the production equipment needed can be vast. Both
Martins wanted to be able to produce broadcast quality films, and
they do not come cheap.
"A
basic camera without a lense can be seven thousand pounds," says
Martin. "For some of the more dangerous stuff, the mini cams were
still around the three thousand pound mark! We did lose a couple
of those. One was when we were filming the Minke rescue in Cornwall.
It was raining but we didnt want to stop filming and eventually
the camera was ruined."
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| For
his first major project Martin Gaunt was to work very closely
with seals in Cornwall |
The
biggest outlay for the film-makers has been the edit suite. It had
to be of broadcast standard. The amount of time spent on editing
film is lengthy.
"Any
film person will tell you the filming is ten percent of the job,"
says Martin. "The amount of blood, sweat and tears that goes into
editing can be a nightmare. Quite often the shot you want will go
out of focus at the point you need and you have to decide how many
frames you need, and you are taking out frames, and adding them
all the time."
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| Carys
the seal gives her verbal approval at the Marine Team filming
her! |
Martin
had spent time contacting TV companies about producing work for
them. Many came back saying they already had a team of established
producers working for them which left Martin in a catch 22 situation.
Companies
were prepared to take him on if he had the experience, getting that
essential experience was the problem.
The
small but dedicated team at Oscha Productions decided instead of
waiting for the projects to be commissioned they would start producing
them anyway, and then try to sell the finished product.
Marine
Team
"In
terms of trying to establish a viable film company in Cornwall there
are a lot of disadvantages so you have to highlight the advantages
when choosing a project," explains Martin.
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| Filming
took place at The Seal Sanctuary in Gweek where the film makers
met Flake |
"We
wanted our first filming project to be animal based and show interaction
with people. The treasures we have got around our coastline are
very under-exposed. So we came up with Marine Team."
Martin
decided to concentrate on the South West region. He worked closely
with local wildlife organisations and made sure he was on call 24-7
to cover a variety of coastline emergencies.
As
a result Martin has got some incredible footage that London based
wildlife film-makers would never have been able to achieve because
of time elements.
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| Martin
was able to film the Minke whale rescue while it was on-going
in west Cornwall in May |
Martin's
team were able to follow the rescuing of a five metre long minke
whale off Longrock in Penzance in May. It took 20 people more than
four hours to free her and guide her to safety.
The
incident was filmed by Martin and appears on the Marine Team video.
Local diving and marine life experts were joined by the RSPCA and
National Seal Sanctuary for the dramatic rescue. The whale was floated
onto a makeshift pontoon before being towed to safety.
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| Close
up of a young seal pup |
"As
a film crew we knew emergencies like the Minke whale were important
to be covered but had to be dealt with quickly," explains Martin.
"As
a team in Penryn, if anything happens around the coastline we are
able to get there quickly, often within half an hour. We managed
to get footage that other tv production companies were not able
to get."
'Marine
Team' focuses on the human/animal interaction phenomenon, the dedication
and skill of those who care for seals, dolphins and other marine
mammals. Their life is incredibly precarious it can often be a thin
line between life and death and this film reflects the lottery of
survival. A powerful combination of humour, fear, joy and pain.
Along
the way Martin not only worked with some incredible wildlife, he
also met many characters.
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| Stephen
Westcott searches for seals in Cornwall |
Stephen
Westcott is affectionately known as 'Cornwall's Seal Man'. He dedicates
his life to investigating seal behaviour and the marine environment
in which seals live. For Martin working with Stephen was an adventure.
"I
think Stephen is half-man, half-seal," smiles Martin. "He spends
so much of his time right at the sharp end of conservation. One
of the great saving graces with Stephen is that he believes wildlife
is there for everyone to enjoy. We became great friends. I havent
seen anybody who puts as much work at the front end of research
as Stephen does. We have been on camp with him and he is up at six
in the morning washing in the sea and it will be raining. He is
so hardy and used to spending time in caves and the places people
don't usually go because of possible danger that's where Stephen
is."
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| Martin
did a lot of filming in caves in Cornwall |
Martin
managed to get some great footage of seal pups and their parents
in deep caves around the Cornish coast but it was hard work to achieve.
"A
lot of the work Stephen does is in caves and that was a pretty mindblowing
experience for us," remembers Martin.
"Everybody
knows that caves are dark, but they are also very loud. The sound
of the sea gets magnified four or five times, so even a small swell
can sound like a tidal wave coming towards you. Stephen has already
told us we are heading to the back of the cave where the seal pups
are and where their parents are protecting them."
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| Seals
are protective of each other and are wary of strangers as this
photo shows |
People
believe seals are cute but many have more teeth than a rottweiler.
Martin was once in the water, in darkness when he had an unfortunate
meeting with a jellyfish!
"We
came to a part of the cave where there were two turnings and we
had to decide which one Stephen had gone down," remembers Martin.
"Next
thing I know a jellyfish has stung me across part of my face. My
face is burning, I can't see anything, I don't know what is in the
water beneath me and I can't help but think to myself that their
must be easier films to make!"
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| This
seal was filmed swimming in a cave |
But
the darkness, cold, and maybe even the jellyfish sting were worth
it for the footage Martin was able to get while working with Stephen.
This can all be seen on the new video, 'Marine Team'.
The
video shot over the course of a year brings the viewer face to face
with seals, dolphins, a minke whale and much more. Martin followed
several dedicated individuals who rescue and serve the sometimes
fragile marine life we have in Cornwall.
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| Another
still from Martin's film shows a relaxed seal in Cornwall |
Popular
actress and Cornish resident Jenny Agutter narrates the Marine Team
video. She feels passionate about wildlife around the coast and
this comes across in the video. Jenny brings a sense of urgency
and compassion to the tales of survival that feature in the production.
The
video and DVD are available for sale online at www.marineteamvideo.com
Amongst
others the video will initially be stocked in the region by selected
Tourist Information Centres and other council visitor centres, National
Trust properties and high street retailers such as WH Smith and
ASDA.
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