Underwater Dance Film & Photos
JOIN THE RADICAL CONVERGENCE OF DANCE, OCEAN CONSERVATION, & FILM
"The smallest stone sends its ripples to the edge." ~ Pierre Chardin
[ THE MISSION ]
As our Earth's CO2 levels have officially passed the 400 ppm mark, now, more than ever, we need innovative, creative tools and messages to catapult the environmental movement to the forefront of both the public and political arenas.
This underwater dance conservation image series was pioneered to empower and inspire people to make personal changes in their daily lives - new habits, that will grow and magnify to larger movements and dictate policy level changes.
By supporting this completely unique approach to communicating conservation issues, together we can create an ocean revolution.
It is time, now, for us to choose differently.
To shape a vision of an ocean with a future.
Please help me create the next images in my series.
(Low-res BTS images of 'The Red Road;' shot in Phuket, Thailand to raise awareness about coral bleaching. Credits to Richard Wonka & Adriano Trapani)
(Series title: 'Jellyfish Soup;' shot by Brett Stanley. Click the image for high res versions)
[ THE SERIES ]
Each image in the series pairs with an inspirational video that shines light on a different ocean conservation issue - coral bleaching, plastic pollution, mangrove deforestation, global warming - and ties in with a 30 day behavioral change challenge.
New habits take time to root, and require social support to truly sprout. Over a 30 day period, each series in the project asks that viewers take small daily actions to support the ocean. Past series campaigns have empowered people to vote with their wallets and buy only sustainable seafood (#JellyfIshSoup), as well as remove all plastic purchases from their lives (#BlindSpots).
Click HERE to see more of the short films.
[ THE NEED]
Covered recently by KQED Arts , National Geographic / the Carl Safina Center and ScubaDiverLife , in order to continue adding content to this series, I need to raise enough funds to compensate the post-production artists for the image compositing and video editing.
(Low-res BTS image of 'The Red Road';' shot by Adriano Trapani)
Because there are so many uncontrollable variables with shooting underwater, countless hours go into finalizing the images - such as cleaning up backscatter, removing a stray fin or weight belt, correcting exposure, and in some cases, compositing multiple takes together to create the perfect final image that really drives the message home.
In addition, conceptualizing, then filming and editing each behind-the-scenes video, takes upwards of 60 hours. The videos are an integral part of telling the full story of each series shoot, and this is where I need YOUR help.
I'm now in post-production on my next images in the series....
HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN!
I am raising $3,000 to finish 'The Red Road,' a performance shot out on the open ocean in Phuket, Thailand, over a bleached coral reef.
(Bleached coral reef for composite in 'The Red Road' series)
To-date, this project has been completely self-funded. I've managed to leverage my personal resources and network to get this far, but to continue creating, I need your help to fund and share.
And if I can raise above the target amount of $3,000, all proceeds will go towards future concepts' development and implementation in the series.
[ THE RED ROAD ]
The Red Road was my first underwater performance in the open ocean, and the concept is built around Native American spirituality, roughly translated, in regards to "Walking the Red Road" - a path that means living a life of truth, respect, and harmony with nature, and with others.
After flying myself to Phuket, Thailand, I managed to convince a local underwater photographer, Adriano Trapani, and Sea Bees Diving, to donate their time, tanks, boat, and more... all for a shot at creating beautiful imagery that would raise awareness about coral bleaching.
(As coral bleaching goes global, scientists warn half of the world's corals are at risk of dying by 2050, and 90 percent by 2100.)
[ THE ARTIST ]
With a Master’s in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), Christine is a documentary filmmaker and underwater performer with a dedication to advancing social and environmental causes and a penchant for writing .
With her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, advanced open-water scuba certification, experience running an ecommerce business and more than 20 years as a dancer, she’ll be the first to admit that her skillsets and work history are an eclectic mix. It is precisely this diverse background, however, that has equipped her to revolutionize the way we connect and empower for social change through cutting-edge media techniques.
Find me online at:
| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Vimeo | LinkedIn |
[ PRESS ]
My artwork for this campaign has been covered by a number of press oulets and marine science organizations, including:
National Geographic via the Carl Safina Center
Mission Blue
FStoppers
Scuba Diver Life
Also, Blind Spots has recently been selected to air at the Athens Clarke County Ripple Effect Film Festival .
[ HOW IT'S DONE ]
The process to create each image series is intense. Fabricating props and designing costumes from scratch is only the beginning. All the pre-production aspects take months to assemble, while the actual shoot typically lasts about 4-5 hours start to finish.
The shots for my released series, Jellyfish Soup and Blind Spots , were created in a dive shop pool. Brett Stanley Photography did all the technical setup, shooting each of the props, and my poses, separately in the pool then compositing them together artistically in post on a computer.
An incredible amount of strength and stamina is required to "dance" underwater. As the performer, I have to continuous dive 10 feet down, fix my hair, relax my face, emote, position my body in a completely disorienting medium, and try to hold a pose without the help of gravity - all while wearing various types of fabric that weigh me down.
Needless to say, it's tiring and challenging work, but it's the results achieved, and the cause it's all benefiting that makes everything worth it in the end.
[STRETCH GOALS ]
With $3,000 raised, I can finish post-production imagery and video edits for 'The Red Road.'
As stretch goals, if the campaign is overfunded, I can expand the underwater dance series to include:
$6,000 - series shoot in Hawaii to combat ocean trawling
$9,000 - series shoot in Malaysia to promote mangrove nursery grounds
$13,000 - series shoot on location in Australia to help save the Great Barrier Reef
$25,000 - all 3 of the previously mentioned projects :)
MY DEEPEST THANKS!
<3 CHRISTINE REN
