Underwater videography is not an easy field to break into and it is highly challenging, but it can also be rewarding for those who are passionate about all things that reside underwater and is perhaps the most interesting of all the video employment opportunities.
Underwater Videography Equipment
These days underwater videography shares much of the same equipment and techniques with, underwater photography. Their job is to film or photo anything that resides underwater. Video and photo can be produced during recreational diving, commercial or independent documentary or for movie-making purposes. Videographers capture stills and video for use in reports, publications, and exhibits. We use our videographers at Big Blue Movies to accompany divers and take portraits and videos of divers and students while they are underwater, as well as incorporating our videographers skills to produce and edit underwater videos for commercial distribution.
The Work Environment
Though most underwater videography is done at sport-level in tropical or warm waters, working as an underwater videographer can be extremely dangerous in some cases. The most common danger in this work environment is that of task loading, a term that refers to the fact that divers already have so many tasks that they are responsible for when completing a safe dive and that failure can occur when they try to do too much.
The work environment also represents the regular risks often associated with diving. Broadly speaking, the work environment can vary slightly depending on what is being filmed and where. Shooting stock footage of underwater organisms that live in very cold waters off the coast of South America varies considerably to filming Open Water students in the Gulf of Thailand! Typically, most underwater videographers use specialized high-performance digital single-lens reflex camera in water housings because, while they are capable of shooting stills, they are also fine for shooting video. This footage is then edited into scenes and, in our case, soundtrack or audio is recorded over the footage.
A Videographers Responsibilities
Generally the responsibilities of an underwater videographer include producing, shooting and editing stock footage, preparing audio-visual manuals, maintaining inventory of stock footage and, remaining abreast of the technological advances in underwater videography equipment and filming techniques.
Big Blue Movies
Most underwater videography schools, including Big Blue Movies do not accept students who have performed fewer than 50-100 dives. So, if you are interested in becoming an underwater videographer, get your diving certificate first. At Big Blue Movies all our Videographers are Certified Divemasters. A degree or certificate in video editing is helpful too, but not essential, as is being familiar with underwater photography and videography trends and techniques and understanding the principles of light under water and an ability to use natural and artificial light to produce high-quality video. Being knowledgeable in Final Cut Pro, Photoshop and other video production or editing software is also a bonus but that can also be taught during our Video Internship program.
Becoming a Professional
But first things first; if you want to work as an underwater videographer, then you will need diving certification credentials. At Big Blue Diving we can train you up to a professional level as a Divemaster or an Instructor and then during your Videography Internship we can teach you everything you need to be a great underwater videographer but unfortunately, as of yet, there are no degrees awarded to the completion of underwater videography courses, only certificates. But experience is what counts most & a 3 month Internship with us at Big Blue Movies that can lead to excellence in this potentially rewarding career.
If you wish to know more about the Videography Internship drop us a line or check out our website for more details.
