18 Years - A Story of a Broken Curse

[Mantadude]

Hello all,

I wanted to share a short film I have put together. Those that know me and my filming style, know that I don't personally like to narrate, nor have divers in my shots....well with this film this was all unavoidable.

Ever since I have been diving, I have wanted to have an up close and personal interaction with Manta Rays. I have been all of the world waiting for this magical opportunity. Thousands of miles traveled and dollars spent, I went to some of the best places in the world to pursue this dream of mine. Whether it be weather, bad luck, or illness, something always seemed to get in the way. It was very frustrating.

This film is about how the manta curse eventually got broken. I figured this is my story, and I needed to tell it. So outsourcing the narration didn't make sense. Hence the poor narration....

Anyhow, Please let me know things you like and don't like about it. Always willing to try to improve and get pointers from others.
I hope you enjoy it!

Dustin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLvkUjNXhe0

 

[Ozarker]

Great video and great narration voice! What did you shoot with?

 

[Northstar]

Hello all,

I wanted to share a short film I have put together. Those that know me and my filming style, know that I don't personally like to narrate, nor have divers in my shots....well with this film this was all unavoidable.

Ever since I have been diving, I have wanted to have an up close and personal interaction with Manta Rays. I have been all of the world waiting for this magical opportunity. Thousands of miles traveled and dollars spent, I went to some of the best places in the world to pursue this dream of mine. Whether it be weather, bad luck, or illness, something always seemed to get in the way. It was very frustrating.

This film is about how the manta curse eventually got broken. I figured this is my story, and I needed to tell it. So outsourcing the narration didn't make sense. Hence the poor narration....

Anyhow, Please let me know things you like and don't like about it. Always willing to try to improve and get pointers from others.
I hope you enjoy it!

Dustin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLvkUjNXhe0

Great video! I really like it, thanks for posting!

 

[CanadianInvestor]

Very nicely done, Mantadude. The narration prior to the pause sets the scene. The first part of the narration after the pause was a bit laboured but the ending was appropriate. Nice voice.

You're going to be hard pressed to top this. Many thanks for sharing.

 

[Click]

Great video. Well done, Dustin. Thanks for sharing.

 

[rcarca]

A staggering video. Beautifully done. Thank you for sharing and inspiring me. Although I regret to say, I will not be following in your wake - I am not a great sea man! But I love what you have shared.

Richard

 

[Don Haines]

Very nice.

I like how it starts with b/w narration and no distracting background... and leads up to the dive... then the Mantas burst forth in colour..... it has a nice flow to it and the voice really works with the film.

WELL DONE!

 

[lion rock]

First, let's hope it's not another 18 years before another encounter. 18 months should be long enough, don't you think?!
Second, the narration is excellent, rivals those of the documentaries. Well done!
Third, beautifully executed photography.

Rant: A closer up plus a size comparison would be very welcomed. From the video, those mantas seemed huge, but the perspectives with people in there are inconclusive.

Anyway, thank you for presenting to us, mere non swimmers/divers, a different world.
-r

 

[unfocused]

Like all your stuff, this is beautifully filmed and edited.

You are asking for critiques, but I'm not sure what to say to improve it. Also, it's always difficult, because there is a tendency to look at another person's work and twist their vision into your own.

If I had any criticism, I would say it's primarily with the story. I think it gets to the climax too early. I'd like to see a bit more tension building at the beginning. Maybe seeing some failed attempts or seeing prepping for the dive -- worrying that there will be no Mantas in the area -- excitement when someone spots one, etc., so we get a better idea of just how elusive and difficult it has been to achieve this goal. (Are Manta's hard to find, or did you just have bad luck?)

Also, as a non-diver and non-expert, I have so many questions that I'd like answered: What are those other fish riding on the Mantas? Are Mantas dangerous? Are they endangered? What are those things sticking out (eyes, fins or what)?

Of course, it would be a very different video if you had more of a story and made it a more conventional "Manta Ray Documentary" and I know that's not necessarily what you were going for, but just some random thoughts.

By the way, I actually love your voice. Sounds very much like Wade Goodwyn of NPR.

 

[rfdesigner]

Wonderful film there.. you've pitched it perfectly.

As for the footage.. truely excellent, I could have been watching a BBC natural history documentary.

 

[distant.star]

.
No interest -- until I read some of the well-deserved praise comments. Now I've shared it folks on other media (and got confirmation it's also on Vimeo, which I prefer).

Your own voice works very well, and it adds to the personal story. It would have been diminished if I'd heard some guy saying "Dustin has been looking for a Manta for 18 years, and he's had a string of hard luck. Is all that now in the past?"

Love the soft, mysterious opening. The shots are excellent, growing into the story line. And the closing is perfect -- best fade to black I've seen!!

Congratulations!!

And thanks to other posters for comments that got me to watch this.

 

[Mantadude]

Great video and great narration voice! What did you shoot with?

Thanks for watching it. I used the canon 5dII with the 15mm fisheye.

 

[Mantadude]

Hello all,

I wanted to share a short film I have put together. Those that know me and my filming style, know that I don't personally like to narrate, nor have divers in my shots....well with this film this was all unavoidable.

Ever since I have been diving, I have wanted to have an up close and personal interaction with Manta Rays. I have been all of the world waiting for this magical opportunity. Thousands of miles traveled and dollars spent, I went to some of the best places in the world to pursue this dream of mine. Whether it be weather, bad luck, or illness, something always seemed to get in the way. It was very frustrating.

This film is about how the manta curse eventually got broken. I figured this is my story, and I needed to tell it. So outsourcing the narration didn't make sense. Hence the poor narration....

Anyhow, Please let me know things you like and don't like about it. Always willing to try to improve and get pointers from others.
I hope you enjoy it!

Dustin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLvkUjNXhe0

Great video! I really like it, thanks for posting!

Thank you very much. Glad you liked it.

 

[Mantadude]

Very nicely done, Mantadude. The narration prior to the pause sets the scene. The first part of the narration after the pause was a bit laboured but the ending was appropriate. Nice voice.

You're going to be hard pressed to top this. Many thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the feedback. There are some spots of the narration I wish I could do over....but it will have to remain.
Thanks for watching.

 

[Mantadude]

Great video. Well done, Dustin. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks again! You have always watched my videos and I appreciate it.

 

[Mantadude]

A staggering video. Beautifully done. Thank you for sharing and inspiring me. Although I regret to say, I will not be following in your wake - I am not a great sea man! But I love what you have shared.

Richard

Hi Richard. Thanks for watching it. Diving isn't for everyone. Glad I could show you some scenes of the underwater world.

 

[Mantadude]

Very nice.

I like how it starts with b/w narration and no distracting background... and leads up to the dive... then the Mantas burst forth in colour..... it has a nice flow to it and the voice really works with the film.

WELL DONE!

Wow..thanks Don. I really don't like my voice, as I suppose most people feel that way. To be honest It took me over 6 months to even come to grips with having my voice on there. To hear you and others say the voice is not only tolerable, but decent, is very encouraging.
Thanks for that.

 

[Mantadude]

First, let's hope it's not another 18 years before another encounter. 18 months should be long enough, don't you think?!
Second, the narration is excellent, rivals those of the documentaries. Well done!
Third, beautifully executed photography.

Rant: A closer up plus a size comparison would be very welcomed. From the video, those mantas seemed huge, but the perspectives with people in there are inconclusive.

Anyway, thank you for presenting to us, mere non swimmers/divers, a different world.
-r

First of all..thanks for watching. I agree with your point!!! I will be going to a well known manta cleaning station in Bali in month or so. Have 2 days there...we will see if it was a reprieve or the curse is actually broken...lol.

As for your comment regarding the size. I am not sure how much closer I could get...they hit my dome port on some occasions, and also realize this was shot with a 15 mm fisheye. So they are in some shots a foot or two away from the lens. And to answer your question...they are huge. Most of the ones that were there, had about an 18 foot wingspan! The species is the giant pacific manta ray. They can get up to 25 feet wide. crazy big! These are much bigger than the traditional ones that are seen on reefs.

Glad you liked it. Thanks for comment!

 

[Mantadude]

Like all your stuff, this is beautifully filmed and edited.

You are asking for critiques, but I'm not sure what to say to improve it. Also, it's always difficult, because there is a tendency to look at another person's work and twist their vision into your own.

If I had any criticism, I would say it's primarily with the story. I think it gets to the climax too early. I'd like to see a bit more tension building at the beginning. Maybe seeing some failed attempts or seeing prepping for the dive -- worrying that there will be no Mantas in the area -- excitement when someone spots one, etc., so we get a better idea of just how elusive and difficult it has been to achieve this goal. (Are Manta's hard to find, or did you just have bad luck?)

Also, as a non-diver and non-expert, I have so many questions that I'd like answered: What are those other fish riding on the Mantas? Are Mantas dangerous? Are they endangered? What are those things sticking out (eyes, fins or what)?

Of course, it would be a very different video if you had more of a story and made it a more conventional "Manta Ray Documentary" and I know that's not necessarily what you were going for, but just some random thoughts.

By the way, I actually love your voice. Sounds very much like Wade Goodwyn of NPR.

Thanks for watching it. I do work with a few constraints...I try to enter these in film festivals and competitions. Most of which have a 5 minute limit, and a certain % needs to be shot underwater. Ideally, I could have spent another 3-4 minutes building the story a bit more.
Mantas are becoming a more endangered species. The use of long line nets, by catch as well as the Chinese markets are putting a lot of pressure on the species. They only give birth to 1 pup every 5 years, so the population is dwindling rapidly. Overfishing is a huge problem, not just mantas, that many people don't know about of care about. It really is a huge problem. The ocean doesn't provide a sustainable food source unless managed properly.

To answer you questions, the fish hanging off their bodies are a remora fish that has a sucker mouth. They cling onto the bodies of mantas, Sharks, whales. They will remove parasites off their skin. mantas are not dangerous at all, with the exception of me getting hit on the head with one of their wings, which hurt, they are truly gentle giants. Gracefully dancing through the water. They feed on plankton, microscopic food. Have no teeth, and their tail has no stinger on the end. The mantas here in the video, are used to divers and will actually stop and wait for them to come closer. They like bubbles through their gills. They will look into your eye, and connect with you. It is magical!

Mantas are hard to find, unless you go to the right places. Places, that I have tried going to....but as the video shows didn't have good luck. There are maybe 10 places in the world you can go to reliably see them. However, it's the integration that you want. Flybys are okay but, you want them to play with you a bit. That is very rare...at least for me it has been.

All of these positive comments regarding my narration and voice, has been very encouraging for me. I really dislike it, but thank you for your comment regarding it. It makes me want to consider doing it again.

Dustin

 

[Mantadude]

Wonderful film there.. you've pitched it perfectly.

As for the footage.. truely excellent, I could have been watching a BBC natural history documentary.

Thank you! Glad you liked it.