"Coming up!" "Coming straight at us..." "50 meters, under the bow." "Making a motion-picture about creatures as unpredictable and elusive as whales, presents a clear challenge for any movie-producer." "So film-makers has joint forces with conservationists, educators and scientists, for the production for this big screen IMAX adventure." "Through the unique co-operation of authorized whale researchers working under government permits, the production-team has been allowed access to endangered whale species." "Allowed to bring cameras into the whales natural habitat." "Dr. Roger Payne is one of the worlds leading conservation scientists." "He has spent nearly 30 years studying the variety of whale species." "As co-director of the film, Payne has developed a plan to guide the production to the best locations for whale observation and photography." "Aboard the research-vessel Odyssey the film-makers are transported across the worlds oceans in a constant search for whale activity." "Inside the main cabin, the IMAX camera is prepared for operation." "Because of the extreme shooting conditions, great care is taken to clear it of debris." "Even the smallest speck of dirt can scratch the film rendering it useless." "And footage of whales, is to valuable to take any chances." "Unlike 16mm or video-cameras used for most documentaries, the IMAX-camera is to heavy for handheld operation." "So specially designed platforms provide necessary portability." "Working closely with the camera-crew, co-director and co-producer David Clark inspects the unit prior to each shooting session." "Clark and his fellow film-makers are striving for some of the highest quality whale footage ever captured." "And accomplishing this, means getting as close as possible." "Thou tracking and photographing whales is difficult enough, shooting them in the IMAX format is doubly challenging." "But the results..." "Larger the life images that immerse audiences in the whale environment, are only possible in the big screen format." "This is 35mm film, used for most Hollywood movies." "Whales has been photographed in 15 perforations 70mm, the worlds largest film format." "Now with a picture area 10 times larger then normal, images of stunning clarity are presented on movie screens up to 7 stories high." "Using the large the large format the film-makers can transport audiences into the ocean depths, were whales can be fully appreciated for their size- and experienced for their beauty." "For visually dynamic points of view, much of the film is shot from the air." "The camera is mounted to a gyroscopic stabilizer and positioned in the open door of a helicopter." "David Clark checks the camera as Roger Payne prepares for flight." "I'm going to be sitting out the door here..." "Watching whales and telling Andy were I see them." "Cause its very hard for him to see them through the viewfinder of the camera." "And we talk through these headsets cause the noise is deafening otherwise." "And we can also hear Fred down from the water who is telling us what he see." "So all we have to do is live through it." "That is not my favourite part of flying I can tell you." "He is doing it for the whales..." "What Roger will do for the whales, hang out of a helicopter..." "What ever it takes!" "Roger knows the behaviour of the whales." "So he can tell the crew how the whales are going to behave." "The hardest part is knowing when they roll, that's were Roger is the expert." "From this high vantage point, spectacular aerial images are possible." "Of the coast of California near the channel islands" "Blue Whales, the largest animal to ever inhabit the planet." "Aerial photography allows the film-makers to successfully record moving images of otherwise elusive creatures." "It also lets viewers experience the thrill of flight when soaring over exotic locations- like Patagonia." "The production has come here to peninsula Valdez renowned for its beautiful scenery - and wildlife." "The cliffs overlooking peninsula Valdez offer the best view of Right Whales." "The rarest of all whale species." "The camera is carefully brought down the steep embankment and prepared for a scene that Roger Payne has created." "The shot I decided I wanted back about almost 20 years ago, when one of the students that was here, took a boat down below us and we saw it right next to a whale." "Absolutely beautiful!" "So that's when we decided..." "Let's do it!" "Filming the scene requires the help of Payne's research assistance, who moved into the bay." "You hearing anything?" "I can hear Roger." "Put down the anchor." "Don't make noise." "I don't want you to scare the whales of." "You want to put Kim on the point?" "Payne has learned that Right Whales routinely swim near this coastline." "Making observation convenient for the researchers below, and the film-crew above." "It isn't long before whales appear, moving steadily closer to shore." "The camera and Kim." "As whale and human swim together, unique moments of close contact are forever preserved on film." "Capturing these dramatic underwater images meant sending the camera beneath the surface." "Not far of the Patagonia coast, the underwater crew scans the area for Right Whales." "Once sighted, cameraman Paul Markler and assistant Manny Hernandez prepare for their own close encounter." "Secured inside its watertight housing, the IMAX-camera is loaded and ready to roll." "The 200 pound unit is lifted out of the boat and down into the water." "If Paul and Manny run into any trouble, the housing is buoyant and will float to the surface were it can be retrieved." "They prepare to film the nearby whales, holding the camera just under the surface before diving." "Under water, the whales seem ready for their close-ups." "The divers describe the experience..." "The first pass by she looked at me very curious." "The second time, she stuck with me like glue." "She was so playful..." "Its incredibly!" "They really suck you along, they pull you right along with them." "The look right at you..." "They come up..." "His eye was right against the camera." "Never!" "I have never seen anything like that." "Obtaining close-up footage like this can be dangerous, especially when a whales 1000 pound tale swings so close to the camera, it bumps in to it." "The cameraman here was caught of guard as so graced by a speeding semi, but kept rolling, transforming a routine shot into a special encounter." "For similar encounters with another whale species, the production heads for Hawaii." "The breeding ground of Humpback Whales." "To film these creatures in the clear Hawaiian waters, the producers have called on co-director Al Giddings one of the worlds pre-eminent underwater cinema-photographers." "Giddings has spent the past 25 years filming in every ocean from the North Pole to Antarctica." "His credits include motion-pictures like The Abyss, The Deep and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Orly." "Filming Humpbacks can be an arduous process." "Once a group of whales is spotted," "Giddings must quickly get in the water and roll film before they leave the area." "It takes all of Giddings experience and skill to handle the cameras cheer mass." "While at the same time recording - breathtaking images." "After this successful outing the camera is pulled back up." "For Al Gidding it's some of the best whale footage he has ever shot." "That same group that we had before..." "Two males, one female and a calf." "Nice shot!" "For a scene following Dolphins, a unique visual perspective was desired." "Capitalising on the fact, that Dolphins routinely swim alongside a ships bow, the film-makers have devised a way to let audiences see what Dolphins see." "A special camera rig was constructed expressly for this purpose." "The metal frames lowered from the Odyssey into the water, were it is manually placed into position." "The crew stabilises the structure with ropes tied to several points on the deck." "Below the surface, the rig is secured to the hull." "Every bolt tightened, everything double checked, before entrusting it with the IMAX camera." "Later with the camera protected inside it's underwater housing, and positioned directly beneath the Odyssey's bow it's time to film Dolphins." "Out on the ocean they soon appear, riding of the bow as predicted." "Moving with them, the camera assumes a dolphins point of view." "With Unique shots like this the Odyssey proves to be a reliable and flexible camera platform." "Nowhere is this more true, then in the icy waters of Alaska." "The reason we come to Alaska, is because Humpback Whales comes to Alaska." "And they are here only during the summertime, which is their feeding season." "To give the film-makers greater options when photographing Humpbacks." "a special boom arm was constructed and extended out from the Odyssey's deck." "The camera is carefully brought to the far end and mounted to its platform." "Out over the water the boom gives director of photography and Andrew Kitzanuk, the flexibility to pan and tilt the camera as needed, without the Odyssey obstructing his view." "Now he can follow Humpbacks closely, even hover above them for an array of incredibly images." "Away from the Odyssey, in deep water, the camera crew prepares for a scene showcasing the Humback whales most visually exciting behaviour " "Lunge Feeding!" "Because this feeding pattern is difficult to predict, the film-makers have enlisted the aid of Fred Sharp, a whale researcher and expert on Humpbacks in Alaska." "OK, what we want to do is, before we get to close, monitor a couple of the..." "Sharp guides the camera crew, looking for the tell tale sign of feeding Humpbacks." "Looks like we are getting a nice, strong bubble net." "We've got calm conditions, so we should have plenty of lead time." "Just film everything when they are diving." "They have been down a long time, they could come up anywhere now." "Sometimes the whales elude the camera team." "Other times they come close enough to touch, but seem so aware of their own size and strength they almost never do." "Know that a whale can easily capsize the vessel with a simple flip of it's tail, it chooses to swim by without incident." "For the camera crew who have been tracking whales for days the encounter proves more frustrating then dangerous." "It's time to reload and try again." "When bubble nets do appear, extraordinary images of lunge feeding are recorded." "Lunge feeding takes place by a single animal alone or a whole bunch of whales coming around at the same moment." "That's the most spectacular of all, that's when you see whole groups of whales rising to the surface in great rush." "After months of principal photography in distant locations around the world- a group of film-makers, conservationists, educators and scientists has brought whales to the giant IMAX screen." "Thanks to stunning cinematography, from the air and beneath the waves- along with skill, determination and endurance, the production team has combined art and science to create a new perspective on these mysterious marine animals." "Never in all the years I have been doing this have I had anything remotely approach the kind of success and the results that we have had here." "For all those involved in the making of whales the motion picture, the journey spanning thousands of miles across the worlds oceans has proved challenging, rewarding and inspiring." "This trip has been unbelievable!" " Subtitling:" "John Grunditz" " Escapi New Media Studios AB"