Independent Videographer Documentaries Capture Reality
Documentaries are a powerful way for an independent film producer to convey a specific social message to the world. By viewing documentaries, it encourages critical thinking about aspects of the world that you may not have known about. When you see actual facts, you can eliminate any superstitions or myths that are associated with certain issues. Documentaries that are tied to a specific subject have the ability to educate you at the same time that you are enjoying the documentary that you’re watching.
The scope of documentaries can also create a way to open up history in a manner that’s thoughtful and interesting to watch. Where you might not want to study the aspects of a certain subject by reading it in a book, when it is presented through film, it’s easier to get interested in the topic at hand and quickly learn about the factors involved in that subject.
Travel Without Traveling Via Underwater Video Production
For a number of years, Macdonald Productions has helped individuals like you learn about the world that’s hidden by our oceans. Aquatic animals and plant life make up a large portion of the Earth’s landscape, but it just happens to be deep under the water. Through our years of capturing this beautiful world on film, we strive to make you aware of sea creatures and environments by allowing you to virtually travel to those destinations without having to actually travel at all. As independent producers of thousands of hours of aquatic footage, we have provided the opportunity to take a glance at a world you would never see otherwise.
An example of some of the hidden treasures that our underwater film production has uncovered can be seen through our series “Secrets of California Waters.” We traveled to areas that are often not visited by humans so that we could capture moments in sea life that are rarely ever seen. Having a chance to watch the behavior of sea lions and see how they interact is one small segment of the footage that was filmed over a four-year period of discovery.
However, when we are raising awareness of sea life in the oceans, it’s important to capture both the good and bad aspects of the environment. As an independent producer, we have documented one of the major challenges that’s occurring in our oceans right now. In “Synthetic Sea,” we film and discuss the enormous amounts of marine debris that is currently polluting our oceans around the globe. This film was actually turned into a series so that it could be digested easier by a worldwide audience.
“The Watershed Steward” is another example of an independent film production that we created, which dealt with one man’s way to handle plastic trash and debris. In this film, it focuses on Lenny Arkinstall and his quest to remove thousands of tons of unwanted plastic debris away from the San Gabriel River watershed.
While working with the X-Prize Foundation, we produced another documentary that uncovered the issue surrounding marine debris. In The World Ocean “Trashed,” it outlines the critical aspects that must be addressed when dealing with this problem. In 2010, we received an award for production excellence for our work on this project.
Promotional Video Production for Brands
We are also involved in promotional video production and have experience with all types of productions. In one project that was completed for Truth Aquatics, we visited the Channel Islands, which are known for their great diving areas. “Diving California’s Channel Islands” used a soundtrack from the popular folk-rock band Crosby, Stills and Nash alongside our footage of diving adventures. This corporate video has been distributed to a large number of sports diving groups that are located in various areas around the world.
We’ve also worked on promotional film projects in Baja and Sipadan. These were used to promote the Hotel Cabo San Lucas and some of the best destinations for underwater diving in the world.
Documentaries Are Fun and Interesting
Documentaries are also fun and entertaining to watch. They provide one of the easiest ways to learn new information about subjects that you might not think about in our daily lives. One example of this is our work with Crosby, Stills and Nash. They wanted a visual representation to show to their audience while they played “Wind on the Water” on stage.” This request came during the time when we were working with The Cousteau Society. For this visual representation, we dug into the Cousteau filmography archives and pulled out clips of dolphins and whales. This video has been seen on both TV and through the experience of live concerts by millions of individuals.
Another project we worked on that was action-packed and fun was for Comcast Cablevision. Our task was to film, produce and host a 10 episode series that covered action sports in the water. “Coastal Focus” depicted the action and fun involved in Southern California’s fascination with surfing, ballooning, scuba diving and canoe racing.
An interesting project that dealt with physical disability in humans was produced by Bill Macdonald Productions in 1984. In “Freedom in Depth,” it showed how freeing the underwater world can be for individuals who have physical disabilities. Without the strong effect of gravity holding them down, disabled scuba divers were able to enjoy the freedom that being surrounded by water provides.
Learning Never Ends
Documentaries have the ability to educate and inspire you into taking specific steps, which you may not have taken otherwise. Lives can be changed and environments can be saved when more people learn about certain topics. Becoming aware and knowledgeable is valuable for the human condition. Showing this through a documentary is one of the best ways that you can tap into the emotions of your audience.
When facts are visually recorded, the evidence surrounding them becomes invincible, which provides the power to inspire others to take action. This is an excellent way to create awareness.
At Macdonald Productions, we have the ability to take your project from a beginning concept and develop it to suit your needs. Our experience in camerawork and production spans the last four decades.
For TV Documentary Production get in touch with us.