Aman is known globally for building high-end resorts in some of the most remote places on Earth, so when their production team invited us to handle the underwater cinematography for a new promotional film on Moyo Island, we were happy to be a part of the team. Moyo is an incredible spot in Indonesia, dense jungle and cashew tree farms surrounded by healthy, protected coral reefs.

Shooting Underwater

Our job was to document the resort’s ocean based guest activities. To pull off a project of this scale, Aman flew in a massive commercial production crew. We spent time working alongside a talented team of directors, cinematographers, lighting technicians, and drone operators. Everyone was pulling together to create seamless promotional short films. Our focus was strictly below the surface. Our job was to film a free diver interacting with a whale shark and exploring the local coral reefs. Filming the whale sharks required a lot of patience and very specific positioning. These animals are massive but move surprisingly fast and timing the free diver swimming with the shark required attention to detail. We had to rely entirely on the natural ambient light cutting through the water to capture their scale next to the diver.

The story crafted by the creative team worked seamlessly to capture the essence of how the whale sharks are a vital part of the existence of the local fishermen. Every frame of the final footage was captured with the goal of making the audience feel the texture of the ocean and the reality of these marine encounters. Collaborating with such a creative crew and a brand like Aman was a rewarding experience.

The Films

Here is a link to the Aman Resorts Youtube Channel. You will see there is an ongoing series of shorts for this project appearing regularly. You can also check out the Aman Resorts homepage where the film is prominently featured.