Underwater Footage for the BBC

Hi all - I have just recieved this email, unfortunetly it doesn't really apply to me as I am new to the underwater video world - but thought some (mainly UK divers) people on here may find it interesting!

Underwater Footage for the BBC

 

Following the success of COAST this year, BBC1 are planning a week of programmes on the amazing sea life that can be found in the waters around the UK. This will be for transmission next summer. They are planning to look at a number of marine topics such as global warming, which may be bringing species such as Scorpion fish into UK waters and driving other species away to cooler more northerly waters. They are also interested in Pollution, the effect of oil & gas extraction and their effect on marine habitats.

 

They really want to get the British public involved (NOT professional videographers), and want to hear from anyone that has videoed anything notable underwater around our coasts (please, no holiday videos from the Caribbean or the Med.). This could be species that we don't usually expect to find in UK waters or maybe species that have been swept here by the Gulf Stream. They are keen to look at anything unusual and it doesn't have to be just marine life. Footage of polluted sites or areas that have an interesting story behind them will also be considered.

 

So if you, or anyone you know, has suitable film and would like it to appear on television, please forward it to Carol Giles, Marketing Assistant, PADI International Ltd, Unit 7, St Philips Central, Albert Road, St Phillips, Bristol, BS2 0PD.

 

Material must be received by Friday 2nd December at the absolute latest. Marketing will be reviewing footage before it is sent to the BBC and therefore, to help us out, please indicate on the outside of the tape etc.:

 

Title of the footage (what it concerns)

Timings/point in tape etc. where relevant footage can be viewed

Name & address (especially if you want it returned),

A brief outline \ story behind the footage.

Many thanks,

Carol Giles

carol.giles@padi.co.uk

Tel: 0117 300 7355

Cheers,

Tristan

I may very well be a sour old snapper who reads this like the devil reads the bible...BUT:

"They really want to get the British public involved (NOT professional videographers)" , and the fact that no fee is mentioned anywhere, indicates to me this is someone wanting to make a TV production without paying much for it...

Well, somebody usually makes money from TV productions and I think it would be only fair if the people supplying the footage got their share too. What would a program be without the footage?

So if anyone consider their material good enough for TV, I hope they don't take the livelyhood from professional videographers by giving away their material for free. Everybody else involved in the production gets paid (I think it is safe to assume), so why shouldn't you, the supplier of the most important ingredient?

I agree with Snappy. Seems they just want free clips to build a program and then sell it. I'll drop a note to the beebs and check what's the scoop.

Well I never !!!

I spend hours underwater in cold locations practising my technique, save up to spend, god knows (or Sony) how much on the latest and the greatest in imaging products to compete with the rest and now they just want holiday snaps..

Bugger!!! Back to the drawing board and I'll by back my old TRV50...

Dean (not really botherd) B

Anyone who has any experience of dealing with the BBC know that they are always trading on their name to get anything that they can for free.

Although I don't like this tactic, I guess as a BBC licence fee payer I should!

Alex

Yep, you can have stunning footage but in the end a piece with some bikini girls with a white tip (woman eating dangerous) shark shot on a old 8mm video camera with vignetting and out of foucus-whitebalance-bubbles on the lens, will get put on air.

We should all make our own online adventure docos for everyone to see as the net is getting faster and Divx VOD (video on demand) is just starting to take off. Soon all legal Hollywood flicks will be able to be VOD to you.