“Pirate Island“, a feature-length documentary that recently made its world premiere on the History Channel, follows legendary underwater archeologist Barry Clifford as he searches for pirate shipwrecks in the waters near Île Sainte-Marie, a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar. As with Somali pirates today, the Indian Ocean was terrorized in the 18th century by marauding seamen, who amassed huge fortunes by pillaging commercial vessels. Clifford, the only person to previously have found a pirate shipwreck, was seeking evidence of these early pirates and their booty.nnThe documentary is produced by www.originalfilm.com.>Original, a bi-coastal production company and one of the country’s top producers of television commercials. The company, which produced the film entirely in-house, has a desire to create a wide range of content both as part of a diversification strategy and to develop unique opportunities for its staff of directors and other talent. nnGeoffrey Madeja, who served as producer and cinematographer, developed the concept for the doc with Clifford, and led the crew on a five week shoot (that included extensive underwater shoots with dive teams). Editorial, computer animation and other post work was completed at www.originalfilm.com.>Original‘s production headquarters in Los Angeles.nn
nnMadeja and his crew recorded Clifford making a number of incredible finds, including five sunken pirate ships, some the obvious result of combat with British naval ships. Clifford and his dive teams retrieved cannon, cannonballs and homemade hand grenades, as well as Austrian and Dutch gold coins. They also found some lead coins used by pirates as gambling tokens. “We didn’t have time to fully excavate the shipwrecks; that will take years,” observes Madeja. “We just opened the glove compartment.”nnMadeja brought in a team of geologists who made what may have been the most intriguing discovery revealed in the show. Using scanning equipment to scour the grounds of a tiny islet, they unearthed a system of subterranean tunnels used by pirates to hide their loot.nnShooting in Madagascar posed a number of logistical hurdles. Upon landing on the island, Madeja found that his film permits had been revoked, prompting a new round of negotiations with local authorities. “There was also the challenge of getting film equipment, our crew and the excavation team to the remote location,” Madeja says. “Once production began, we were doing two or three dives a day, plus hiking through mountain and jungle environments.”nnMurky Indian Ocean waters also proved difficult to shoot in. “Often we couldn’t see more than a foot in front of us,” Madeja recalls. “We were also very careful to avoid stone fish and sea urchins—which had foot long tentacles.”nnBack in the more relaxed confines of www.originalfilm.com.>Original‘s production offices, a team of CG animators produced computer animated simulations of 18th century sea battles. Madeja’s crews shot live action background plates for the animated sequences to increase the sense of realism.nnAs challenging as the documentary was to pull off, Madeja suggests it would have been impossible without the resources offered by www.originalfilm.com.>Original. “The writers, the editors, the animators…we’ve got it all here under one roof,” he says. “That was really great.”n nAbout www.originalfilm.com.>Originalnwww.originalfilm.com.>Original is led by executive producers Bruce Mellon, Joe Piccirillo and Marc Lasko and maintains production offices in Los Angeles and New York City. The company’s post production division, headed by Jonathan Del Gatto, provides editorial, design, graphics and visual effects services. www.originalfilm.com.>Original is represented on the West Coast by Options, (310) 578-9383; on the East Coast by Jeff Devlin, (212) 832 2271 and Rich Scafler, 212 750-8111; in the Midwest by KK Reps (312) 533-4047; and in Texas by Jack Reed, (214) 213-8249. For more information, call (310) 445-9000 or (212) 832-2271, or visit www.originalfilm.com.www.originalfilm.com.>Original Joe Piccirillo Executive Producer (310)445-9000 Contact Joe via email
Contact:Media: Linda Rosner ArtisansPR 310.837.6008 Contact Linda via email
The Light and BIEN Form Creative & Strategic Alliance
Production company The Light and motion design studio BIEN have forged a strategic alliance that nurtures inclusivity and sustainability throughout the life cycle of every project.
The Light Founder/CEO Becky Morrison and BIEN Co-Founder Ricardo Roberts were first introduced by a mutual client who recognized their parallel ethos. Both Morrison and Roberts are advocates for industry change, and have built successful companies that demonstrate the benefits of human-centered and sustainable production in live action and motion design, respectively.
“I admire the thoughtfulness, specificity, and artistry with which BIEN produces animation and design and their attention to representing the full spectrum of humanity,” notes Morrison. “Their work behind the scenes to foster a diverse creative community is equally impressive. It feels like the perfect moment to partner with another mission-driven company who cares so deeply about creative excellence and social change.”
“I immediately hit it off with Becky and love that she has so many ideas that are tactical, scalable and make a powerful difference,” adds Roberts. “She challenges the status quo while producing beautiful, world-class content. With this partnership, we can better serve our clients and carry our mission forward together.”
The Light is a production company guided by the principle that an emotionally healthy environment is paramount for creativity and high performance. From its inception in 2014, The Light has centered under-represented talent, with equity and sustainability as key pillars to delivering creative projects for... Read More