The filmmakers behind "Chasing Coral" hope to show the world how dire things are under the sea; the annual pop culture nerd-fest known as Comic-Con prepares to welcome huge crowds to the San Diego Convention Center.
'Chasing Coral' director turns his lens on an underwater crisis
The death of the ocean’s coral reefs isn't something most of us see on a regular basis, if at all. But for years now a large percentage of the earth's coral has been bleaching – turning white – and dying. Scuba divers and scientists have known this and now, with the documentary "Chasing Coral," its filmmakers hope to show the world.
is the film's director. He told The Frame's John Horn that he didn't know much at all about coral before making the movie.
ORLOWSKI: Coral reefs are often considered nurseries for the ocean. There's a lot of space, there's a lot of three-dimensional structure that provides homes and nooks and crannies for different animals to live in. And that's really a city. If the coral dies, then all of those homes effectively do too.
Orlowski was joined on The Frame by his sound designer Dustin Cawood who previously worked with Orlowski on the film, "Chasing Ice."
CAWOOD: Jeff has blessed me with two fantastic documentaries and ... the emotion that he brings to his storytelling through these character experiences is as good as any narrative filmmaking out there. You can build threads of these types of themes into a narrative film, but to really show this visually and through sound, it's so rewarding emotionally and so important globally.
One challenge was how to bring the soundscape of the underwater environment to the film because, as Cawood said, "the environment itself is a character." Because some of the cameras that Orlowski and his fellow cinematographer used to shoot underwater didn't record sound, Cawood tapped into the sound library at Skywalker Sound to approximate the undersea environment, along with using whatever footage and audio Orlowski could capture or gather from scientists.
CAWOOD: Jeff brought — through his tons and tons of footage — a tremendous amount of sound. There are a lot of moments in the film where characters are coming up out of the water. One in particular where they come up near this party boat. It's a fantastic sound of being underwater and being all muffled ... then you come up out of the water. You suddenly realize there's a whole other world that's totally oblivious to what's going on beneath the surface.
To create an emotional narrative to accompany the images and sound, Orlowski relied on the scientists featured in the film.
ORLOWSKI: Oftentimes, scientists are trained to be very objective, they speak with great caution and care. They don't use overflowing language or hyperbole when they're describing what they're seeing in their research. And along those same lines ... there's a concern to not express emotion in a lot of the work they do. There's a professional challenge a lot of scientists have — this tug-of-war with what they feel inside about threats to the planet versus the way they very objectively speak about it ...
In the film, there are moments when scientists show the emotional toll that researching coral takes on them. Orlowski saw a value to showing that on film: "You don't often see scientists crying about anything, in fact. Certainly not about the science as it's being described. And this was hopefully a way for audiences to understand what the scientists really feel inside as they're seeing this imagery."
"Chasing Coral" arrives on Netflix at a time when the Trump administration has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement. But, for Orlowski, this film isn't about politics:
ORLOWSKI: My hope is that if somebody is skeptical about the issue [of climate change], they can watch the film and then understand what's happening in a different way. One of the big things we are trying to do is depoliticize it. Just show people the pictures and you can make your own assessment as to what's going on. From all of the scientists we've met and spoken with, nobody has an explanation as to what's going on in the oceans right now, other than attributing it to the warming of the planet because of greenhouse gases.
Orlowski's Twitter bio reads: Director of @chasingice, trying to use film to change the world...
He tells The Frame that it's not hyperbole. He believes in the power of film:
ORLOWSKI: One of the things about film I love the most is people will sit in a dark room and turn their phones off for an hour-and-a-half. They will sit and dedicate their full attention to a story ... Somebody can go and see what we saw first hand and we don't have to preach. We're not here preaching, we're just showing what we saw and experienced. If you can go on that journey with us and see what we've seen, then hopefully it affects you in the same way it affected us emotionally.
To hear the interview click the play button at the top of the page or get The Frame podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.
Your guide to Comic-Con 2017: 11 must-see panels
Last year, fans and observers expressed concern that the major movie studios had opted not to promote their latest at Comic-Con. This year seems to be a reversal, with many high-profile projects gracing the halls of the ever-popular pop culture convention, while stars from Will Smith to Charlize Theron are scheduled to appear. Here are 11 of the most talked about panels at this year's show — good luck getting in!
Netflix's Stranger Things
This year, Netflix is stepping up their Comic-Con presence, with several major panels after only dabbling in San Diego during prior years. The Comic-Con website lets fans make their schedules going in, and the panel with the most people signed up of anything at the convention this year is this one. Get ready to check out footage from season 2, which debuts this October. Netflix will also be showing off "Marvel's The Defenders," the new Will Smith movie "Bright," a late night screening of "Death Note" (based on the popular Japanese manga) and much more.
Doctor Who
The BBC broke the internet with news that, for the first time in the character's more than 50 year history, the next Doctor will be a woman. The panel features a look back at Peter Capaldi's time as Doctor Who and a sneak peek at this year's annual Christmas special — but fans will be crossing their Tardises hoping that new Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker, makes a surprise appearance.
Marvel Studios
Marvel always makes an impact at Comic-Con. While they've largely been teasing info on "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Black Panther," they'll likely be showing footage from "Avengers: Infinity War" and other upcoming Marvel projects. This comes after Disney's D23 convention, which featured tons of Marvel news since Disney is their corporate parent. Still, they've got an hour and a half scheduled, so there should be plenty of time for them to pull out a few surprises. The footage from the next Avengers movie that was screened at D23 hasn't been released online yet, so while they may have been saving some of it to remain a surprise at Comic-Con, don't be surprised to see it show up online soon after.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation
Warner Bros. always offers a movie variety show, filled with surprises. They're already promising looks at Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One," "Blade Runner 2049," "Justice League" and "Aquaman." This panel is star-studded, featuring Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Ryan Gosling, Gal Gadot, Steven Spielberg and many more.
Adam West Celebration
Miss your chance to remember Adam West in downtown Los Angeles when the Bat-Signal lit up City Hall? You've got another chance Thursday night, with writer/director Kevin Smith and other special guests saluting the so-called "Bright Knight" after he passed away just last month. Expect a room full of both joy and sadness — and lots of classic '60s Batman cosplay.
Game of Thrones Panel and Q&A Session
HBO's Game of Thrones has long been a big hit at Comic-Con, but this year is a bit different with the panel happening in the middle of a season. That means there's likely more the cast and creators of the show will be able to talk about. It's one of two HBO shows in the science fiction/fantasy world appearing at Comic-Con — "Westworld" will also be holding a panel, teasing fans about what comes next.
DC: Geoff Johns
For those interested in the comic book world, Geoff Johns is a name often spoken in hushed tones. He's known for getting to the core of classic comic book characters, a skill which he's used in DC's TV and film projects, including the recent hit "Wonder Woman." Fans will get the chance to hear Johns speak in a spotlight panel, with the biggest news being more details coming out about "Doomsday Clock." It's a series bringing characters from one of the most critically acclaimed comics of all time, "Watchmen," into the same world as the rest of DC's heroes, as Superman faces off against Doctor Manhattan. It's sparked controversy due to how beloved "Watchmen" is, so here's where Johns gets to lay out the case for DC breaking from tradition and going there.
Legion Screening and Q&A
This FX show took what was long considered a D-list comic book character and created a critically acclaimed hit, offering a deep dive into the character's psyche. This panel promises a sneak peek at season 2, along with the cast and crew. Along with the panel, there's a Legion offsite offering a virtual reality journey into the show, along with live actors making it a more immersive experience. All the reservations for the event are gone, but you can sign up for the standby list here.
World Premiere of "Batman and Harley Quinn"
"Batman: The Animated Series" is one of the most critically acclaimed cartoons of all time, and this new animated film features a return to that world. Bruce Timm, the man behind that series, returns to that world in this movie. Harley Quinn was a character created for that '90s cartoon, but was so beloved that she went on to appear in the comics, on TV and in the recent movie "Suicide Squad" — and she's even set to get a live-action spinoff. There's going to be more loving tributes to the classic Batman animated series at Comic-Con, including a live podcast taping with the man who's voiced Batman in various projects ever since that original cartoon — Kevin Conroy — as well as screenings of classic episodes each day of the con.
Battlestar Galactica reunion
The cast and crew behind the modern sci-fi (and SyFy) classic recently reunited at the Austin Television Festival, and they're coming together once again in San Diego. The Austin reunion was said to be an event to remember, with big feelings and insight from those who were part of the show, and this one will likely be more of the same.
Stan Lee and Friends: A Celebrity Tribute to the Comics Legend
Legendary Marvel comics writer Stan Lee is getting a tribute panel on Saturday, though it remains unclear if he will be appearing there himself following the recent loss of his wife. In either case, it should be a great celebration of his career. The panel also features footage from a new documentary, "Icons: Face to Face," made in virtual reality. It features Stan and Kevin Smith, who is also set to be on the panel.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical
Need to take a breath after a long weekend at Comic-Con getting your mind blown by cool pop culture? Well, use that breath to sing in the panel that's closed out the convention for the past decade. It's one last chance to share a group moment with fans, and is one of several Buffy panels at the convention this year as the show turns 20 years old.
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Meet the marketer who brought 'Blade Runner' (and Hollywood) to Comic-Con
Movie studios will – once again – be making a big marketing push for their films at this year’s Comic-Con, but it wasn’t always that way.
The man who’s largely credited with bringing Hollywood to Comic-Con is veteran movie marketer Jeff Walker.
Walker has been attending the convention since the early '70s and presented the original 1982 "Blade Runner" film at Comic-Con. The presentation included a 17-minute short and an appearance from Syd Mead – who is credited as a "visual futurist" – about his concept art for the film.
Walker tells The Frame that he was dejected because the movie wasn't initially the rousing success he'd hoped it would be:
When 'Blade Runner' opened to relatively soft numbers I was incredibly depressed and disappointed. I had worked so hard on that movie. And basically I got a pat on the shoulder and [was told], Just imagine what would have happened if we did nothing. And it comes down to that. When you at least make the effort to go out and show your material to the fans you want most to see it, they'll generally come through. They may not tell everyone else to come through, the word of mouth and the critics may chime in at some point as well, and that's certainly going to do what it does when it happens to any genre of film. But I think having the fans involved is a leg up as opposed to anything else.
Walker went on to work on the marketing campaigns for the Batman, Lord of the Rings, and The Matrix movies at Comic-Con.
At this year's convention, he says he's excited to be an observer at the presentation for the new "Blade Runner 2049" film, coming out this year:
I'm really looking forward to it. I think more than anything I'm anxious to see how the film finally resolves whether or not [Rick] Deckard is a replicant. Because anyone who has seen the original and the boxed set in which the filmmaker asked everyone who worked on the film what they thought, Ridley [Scott] said, 'Yes, he's a replicant,' and Harrison [Ford] said, 'No.' So it'll be interesting to see how they came together and what they decided.
To hear the full interview with Jeff Walker, click the blue player above.