Combining Education in Television + Diving

[redheadeddiver]

Hi everyone,

I am considering going into a broadcasting media/television program here in vancouver, and then going on to a unrestricted occupational scuba diver course also here in vancouver. If anyone has any experience in the video/media side of diving (not recreationally but professionally) I would be very gracious for your opinion on whether or not taking a two year course in television production would assist me later on in life. (shooting underwater video for docu/tv would be great!!!)

 

[sharkfood]

TV is a skill. Most of what you need to know can be learned on the job. I recommend getting an internship and going from there. I did and wound up interning with 2 guys who graduated with masters degree's from USC film. I got the paying job before them. It all about advancing your skills and getting into a shop that does UW or documentary stuff and going from there. Good Luck.

 

[nautilusvideo]

On Being an Underwater Cinematographer

Here are some things to keep in mind about a career in u/w cinematography.
1. You are talking about a very small slice of a very specialized pie. Take a look around and ask yourself how many shows or documentaries that are on TV are about the u/w world? Not Many. And with the fragmentation of the media into broadcast, online, cable, etc. the budgets get smaller while the quality demands grow.

2. On these u/w shows or docs how much of the show is actually underwater? At best less than 50%. The rest of the story is shot above the water.

3. Because most u/w shows aren't actually underwater you need camera, lighting, audio, producing, writing and editing skills. You need to have a proficiency in at least a couple of the above skills and an understanding of all of them.

4. You must be an awesome/experienced diver and shooter. The u/w world is unforgiving and if you don't know how to stay alive at depth AND make great pictures then you won't do either well. These skills are earned with time not bought in a class.

5. You also need to know something about business because in the end bean counters make the decision about whether to fund you and your project. Great ideas are a dime a dozen selling them is the real skill. In my best years only about 20% of my income has come from u/w work. The rest of my work involves shooting footage for terrestrial clients.

6. Finally, build yourself a solid skill base. There are lots of ways to get to your goal. Most of them are probably ok but there aren't any shortcuts. Find your niche and own it. Taking a course in video production certainly won't hurt but it's only the first step.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[drbill]

I've been producing underwater television shows for about 8 years now. I find that people love to watch them, but hate to pay for them (on DVD). There are over 100 episodes of my "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" TV show on several cable providers, but it is a public access show and I don't make a dime off it. I'm a devoted educator so that is my motivation.

I'm hopefully my new series, "Munching & Mating in the Macrocystis" (giant kelp) will be successful as a commercial show. I'm working on the 23rd episode of that show.

Few are really a financial success in this business, at least not at the level we're at. I've worked with the likes of the Cousteaus and Dr. Guy Harvey who have been successful of course, but I'm just a little guppy in this field. That's why I swim and dive in a small pond!

 

[Rogersea]

Hey thanks for the thoughtful and coherent answer to the question.. While I did not ask it, I benifited from it.. Thanks again.

 

[bkotheimer]

I've been working professionally in TV and video production for 20 years (diving for about 4). I went to grad school for broadcasting, and I believe it has served me well. First of all, you get access to gear that you may not be even get to touch on the job for a long time. You get an organized and structured introduction to both concepts and specific techniques that you can then perfect and practice when you actually land a job in the industry. And as far as getting that first internship to get a foot in the door, that is also easier to land if you're actually enrolled somewhere. It's required, in fact, in some instances that you be in school.

I worked in the industry before I went back to school for it, and I definitely would say that the job market opened up more for me after I got out.

I'm not saying that there aren't other ways to pick up the necessary skills for video production. I certainly wouldn't go so far as to draw a parallel with the importance of professional scuba instruction, due to the obvious safety issues with the latter. You're not going to kill yourself learning editing on your own.

What I'd be interested in is who does better overall in the UW video world... a seasoned diver who then decides to pick up video production later down the road, or a seasoned TV producer (like me) who then decides to start diving.

 

[ronscuba]

I'd say experience in production is much more valuable and difficult. Good production can make up for so-so footage and great footage can be ruined by bad production.

My girlfriend recently borrowed my camcorder and camera and went to a friends wedding. She asked me to make a little wedding video with what she recorded. UT-OH:shocked2: I told her I would try, but no guarantees. Shaky footage, shot in auto everything.

A little creativity, a romantic soundtrack and mixing in still photos, I managed to put together a short decent 3 minute video. Girlfriend and bride are very happy.

 

[redheadeddiver]

Thanks everyone for the in-depth replies. It's been really encouraging and a lot of help. I've applied for the program and will hopefully only go forward (not backward) from there! I agree that experience is super important (not just education) and that getting an internship would be extremely valuable.