Introduction

Time to head home; back to the ocean!

In devlog #3 for The Connection Programme, we take a look at the swim kit I’ll be training in and then we’ll follow this with some test shoot in Southsea. This will include:

• Testing the GoPro underwater with the underwater housing.
• Testing the grey/chrome ball underwater.
• Testing the colour chart underwater.

The aim here is to primarily test the swim kit but also managing the camera and the additional reference objects. This project is in collaboration with the wonderful team at Haiti Ocean Project, so make sure to check out their important work.

Underwater Swim Kit Overview

In this video, we take a look at the underwater swim kit we’ll be looking to take with us for the shoot. Please note, we may add a few more bits of kit here and there.

The swim kit I sourced from Wetsuit Centre in Bournemouth, UK. They were a super helpful and friendly bunch, so if you are looking for some swim gear, make sure to check them out.

An Unofficial Tour of Southsea

To get to the ocean, it takes me around 10 mins to walk or 6 mins to jog. This was shot to test the GoPro under running conditions. And please note, I do not run this fast, this has been sped up 😉

Testing the GoPro Underwater

This was the initial test of using the GoPro with the underwater housing. Overall, all looks good but from the looks of things, I’ll need to take a look at some filters to reduce some of the colour issues.

Testing the Grey/Chrome Ball Underwater

Here I tested the grey and chrome ball underwater.

It was interesting to see the effects of the caustics and specularity underwater. This is something we’ll be looking to keep an eye on when it comes to reproducing the believability in CG.

Testing the Colour Chart Underwater

Similar to the grey/chrome ball, here I tested the colour chart.

Random Test Shots with the GoPro

And just for the fun of it, here are some random test shots using the GoPro.

Testing the Insta360 X3 Underwater

A few days later, I headed back to Southsea beach with the Insta360 X3 and the Underwater Dive Kit casing. The results seem pretty good and overall. the setup should be valuable as a method to capture underwater reference.

Haiti Ocean Project

For Season 01, 100% of all proceeds generated will be donated to Haiti Ocean Project and the amazing work they do to support the ocean and marine conservation.

The primary mission of Haiti Ocean Project is the conservation and protection of high-profile marine life such as marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks and stingrays through education of youth, research and data collection, community awareness, public policy and ecotourism.

HOP is also a leading actor in advocacy between Haiti and the world, to influence communities, fishermen, youth, policies, structures and systems in order to bring about change in the way marine species are viewed in Haiti and persuading all stakeholders to act in more just and equitable ways toward them. At the core, it is about building relationships. It is about tackling the root causes of poverty which endangers the marine species and promoting their protection in Haiti.

The Connection Programme

If you are a fan of mixing science with art, or maths with creative thinking, then join our Connection Programme, where we’ll be exploring VFX, animation and games from the core fundamentals:

• The Connection Programme

Support CAVE Academy

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