Cozumel Sun News August 29 2018

Follow me

The Cozumel Sun presents an interview with globally renowned Guy and Anita Chaumette, Movie Producers, Marine Experts, Explorers, Environmentalists, Educators, Authors and Speakers on oceanography & marine protection, multi award-winning Filmmaker pioneers behind Liquid Motion Film located in our very own Cozumel.

This weekend, from Thursday August 30 – Sunday September 2, the first ever Cozumel Film Festival will take place. Filmmakers, musicians, and Artists of all kind are coming together from all over the world to share stories, onscreen and off, throughout an incredible weekend in Cozumel. It will be 4 DAYS OF FILM, FUN, AND FREEDOM, with A MAGICAL MENU OF PRICELESS FILMS AND EVENTS. Cozumel’s own Guy and Anita Chaumette from Liquid Motion will be largely present. We asked them to come in and talk to us.

TALKING IN COLOUR…

Question: Hi Guy, Hi Anita. You are one of the most – tell us about yourselves

A: We’re primarily Filmmakers, specializing in underwater film productions, from documentary to corporate to advertising. We’ve been traveling the globe, living on remote island archipelagos and coral atolls for 30 years, diving, filming, working with Scientists, and making movies for TV channels such as our main partner, National Geographic.

We work with Marine Researchers and Scientists to study and research the latest marine discoveries and new science. Then we bring these amazing new discoveries to the big screen by simplifying the research and creating entertaining, inspiring films that can be enjoyed by all audiences, from children to adults to those who can create change. When we’re not shooting or traveling, the beautiful island of Cozumel is home 🙂

Q: Why did you choose Cozumel?

A: We’ve been looking for the perfect base, a place we could call home and drop our bags between movies for many years.

Cozumel is centralised, so within easy reach of our clients. For us, compared to where we have lived, it’s a ‘big’ island, with plenty of great infrastructure and possibilities. There are some incredible people here, some beautiful personalities and some really inspiring minds. And fundamentally, it has perhaps the best diving in the Caribbean, which was a big factor! Theres an incredible biodiversity and some stunning underwater features, especially at the southern end of the island. For that, and other reasons, Cozumel took our heart.

Q: Where else have you lived?

A: Where haven’t we lived 🙂 Prior to Cozumel, we lived on one of Indonesia’s outer islands for 4 years, then Fiji’s outer islands for 4 years. We’ve lived on islands off Australia, such as Heron Island Research Station, where we made a series of films for National Geographic; in Bermuda, where we made a movie based on the work of Scientists from BIOS (The Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences), The Indian Ocean, The Pacific, and other places in The Caribbean, such as Little Cayman, Roatan. Probably more.

Q: You’ve become one of the most successful husband and wife teams in the industry and unique, creative influences in underwater film-making today. What do you do when not shooting movies?

We create marine art, luxury ocean-clothing, run a non-profit Marine Foundation, and an Underwater Photo & Film Academy when not traveling.

After so many years in the industry, we felt it was time to share our experience and knowledge to help people become filmmakers or photographers, so we opened an ‘Underwater Photo & Film Academy’ on the island, where we now teach private, customised Underwater Photo & Film Courses to clients from all over the world.

Q: So do people come to Cozumel to learn how to film and photograph professionally underwater?

A: Yes, we teach professionals from Hollywood, Cameraman from the BBC, and brand new Camera Operators, who don’t want to spend years of trial and error and endless time in group classes. People who have dreams, visions, passion and who want to go way above the standard ‘Underwater Photographer’ and reach a professional level, fast. Who want to do it on their own terms, in their own time, with a proven Industry Master. The courses are unique in the world in that they are taught privately, one-on-one by a globally acclaimed, award-winning Photographer/Filmmaker and everything is totally customized and tailored to each individual client. And for the hands-on work, the Cozumel Marine Park is the most wonderful classroom 🙂

Q: You sound busy! What do you do in your free time?

We usually spend it underwater, or on the water, with our 6 year old daughter, who has been in the ocean since birth and prefers to spend time underwater than above!

Q: What film will you be showing at the Film Festival?

A: We’ll be showing several films. First National Geographic exclusives ‘City Under the Sea’ and ‘Undersea Metropolis’, which portray the incredible ways that marine animals achieve harmony in a highly predatory environment. The films draw an analogy between the reef and our cities, looking at the inhabitants of the underwater city in a new light and discovering the often bizarre and often astonishing relationships the animals form to create such harmony. From the buildings to the landlord and tenants, penthouses inhabitants to those who clean the streets, the films explore the underwater city to uncover how all residents work closely together to maintain tranquility and peace.

We’ll also be presenting a series of short films, which reveal groundbreaking new discoveries about how marine animals communicate with each other, and how fish use colour to talk. To be able to understand what they say, we need to look at their world through their eyes, not our own, so we also look closely at fishes eyes, and uncover some fascinating facts about what they see – some of them seeing things we cant even dream of!

‘Magic Blue Wave’, is another National Geographic exclusive and the first film ever made about underwater fluorescence, and how marine animals use fluorescence and colour to communicate. This is a way for the aquatic animals to be even more colourful than colourful if you like. They use it when they really have something important to say!

And for those that would like to know more, there will be a seminar and Q&A with the Directors afterwards.

Q: That sounds amazing, I cant wait to see the films! When will they show and where?

A: The festival schedule is on the official website – http://festivaldecinecozumel.com/program/ .   There are some amazing films on the program.

Our underwater films will screen at Cinepolis. We show our first feature at 1PM on Friday 31st, then two more features at 4.30PM, and then finally the short features from 1PM – 3PM Saturday. This is when we follow by Directors Q&A and talk about fish communication by colour.

After that, there’s an interesting discussion panel with all the Film Directors about colour theory in general. A few more films, and then everyone is invited to the Awards Gala at 7.

Q: Well, with everything we are hearing at the moment, the more you can tell the world about whats going on in the ocean the better.

A: Absolutely. We can only protect what we love. And we only love what we know about! When we’ve completed a film, before we release it for TV broadcast, we put children to watch it. If we can capture the attention of a 6 year old for 50 minutes, we know we’re on the right track! The goal is to entertain, and inspire. And through entertainment and inspiration, we educate and ultimately protect. You can’t tell somebody to stop fishing, you have to provide alternatives. Alternatives that allow people to eat, and live, and continue on their same path or a better one. We’ve been involved in marine conservation all over the world. It comes down to people knowing, learning and caring individually, then people caring as a whole, looking for alternatives to pollution, to waste, and making a change.

Q: What does it take to make one of your films?

A: First of all, you cannot make a good film without a great script, so you need to have a great story. In order to make a great story, you need to know your subject inside out, which is why we are working with scientists and follow their research and read their published work, then turn all this marine biology and the research papers papers into a story that the viewer can enjoy and understand. Then it takes countless hours underwater of observing and filming marine life to illustrate the story.

Q: Of all your underwater films you have made, which is your favourite?

A: That will have to be our next film!

Q: What advice would you give to people that want to make underwater documentaries?

A: You first need to be a good story teller. Then you need to be an excellent scuba diver. Then I recommend anybody that is serious about becoming an underwater filmmaker to take a course with someone like us. It will save years of learning and get them to a professional level in few weeks!

BIO

Guy and Anita Chaumette
Contact: production@liquidmotionfilm.com 
www.liquidmotion.com.mx

LIQUID MOTION FILM is an internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning Film Production company, leader in the field of underwater cinematography and Producer of choice for the worlds most prestigious TV broadcasters. With the highest honors in Cinematography, Photography, Directing, Editing and Marine Science, the company has been producing landmark films for private clients, global corporations, advertising campaigns, education and television for over 25 years.

Clients include ARTE, NRK, TVE, FOX & National Geographic Television, Scubapro Ltd, Gates Underwater Products, Fiji Islands Tourism Association, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science, Bonniercorp, Scuba Diving Magazine, and some of the worlds most esteemed TV channels.

Productions include the ‘Triple-Gold’ winning series ‘The Reef’, landmark multi award-winning films ‘Jawfish Nursery’, ‘Colour Talks’ & ‘Beyond The Blue’, Best Camera, Best Photography, Best Director & Gold Award winner ‘Talking With Fishes’, and the internationally acclaimed, National Geographic exclusives ‘City Under the Sea’ and ‘Water Colours’, which brought pioneering discoveries about fluorescence, colour and marine animal communication.

Guy and Anita Chaumette are the globally renowned, multi award-winning Filmmaker pioneers behind Liquid Motion Film. Movie Producers, Marine Experts, Explorers, Environmentalists, Educators, Authors and Speakers on oceanography & marine protection, the couple both produce, direct, research, craft and edit their films, which take several years to produce. During this time, they work closely with Scientists and spend months, sometimes years on location, returning to the same underwater spot.

Their films have garnered over 100 international awards, and received numerous prestigious honours and accolades for their contributions to television and on behalf of the sea.

When not making movies, this entrepreneurial couple direct underwater photo and film shoots for corporate, advertising, TV broadcast and private clients, are instrumental in marine conservation and environmental education through their non-profit, Liquid Motion Foundation, and run a private Underwater Photo & Film Academy, from their Cozumel Island base, receiving clients from all over the world for private, one-on-one underwater photo & film courses. Their award-winning Ocean-Art and luxurious Ocean Clothing Line are stunningly unique. Their 6 year old daughter, underwater and enjoying remote island film shoots from just 3 months, is their biggest critique and an inspiration for all they create.

“Just like the first underwater films from Hans Hass and Cousteau, Liquid Motion’s films really are a milestone, their footage like the first pictures from Mars! Anita & Guy really are the “underwater critter whisperers”!

(O. Steffan Bayer, PhD.)

“Truly worldclass filmmakers. Liquid Motion provided stunningly beautiful footage, ensured the safety of my actors and captured the most beautiful choreographed cinematography and dramatic elements needed to fulfill the films story. I highly recommend Liquid Motion to any film production company…”

(Kat Green, Wonderfly Films, Hollywood, L.A.)

Liquid Motion Academy
School of Cinematography & Film
http://www.liquidmotionacademy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LiquidMotionAcademy
info@liquidmotionacademy.com
(+52) 987 878 9690
Liquid Motion Academy is a high-end photography, film and media Institute specializing in underwater imaging with over 30 years’ accreditation awards and acclaim.
Specials for local Residents are available.

Aurita’s Cozumel Corner

 The Cozumel Sun’s Back to School Project

The schools are out for the summer in Cozumel and we are preparing for the all-important back to school fund raising effort to assist as many Cozumel children with their school needs as possible. We fully fund school supplies and fees to a few families, we give at cost discounts to a few families, we have a layaway plan in place, and offer a 10% discount to the restated in our very own Cozumel.

Donate  School Supplies

We have Gift Cards of $50, $100, and $200 pesos.  In Cozumel, each child receives a list of supplies. This list varies by grade, by teacher, and by school. They specify which brand of notebook, what style, and what color they want for each topic. The same goes for paints, pencils, pens. etc.

Special Thanks:

Thank you Buccanos, Michelle Wright, David and Mary Ellen Leach and Nancy Beeman for helping us with school supplies for six children this month! Please keep our gift cards in mind, for the beginning of the school year and as an alternative gift for birthdays and special events.

Mini Super
35 Avenue with 17th Street Colonia Independencia
Serving 7 Days a Week
Extra Hours Friday, Saturday, and Sundays

Sun Garage Sale

Now collecting items for Distribution and Sales: Please keep donating the items you do not need, drop it off anytime day or night, or call and we will pick up! We are currently displaying the garage sale items in the Papeleria store and items are available to clientele daily.

United States Absentee Ballot

All state laws differ; the sooner you start investigating what you need to do the easier it will be. Visit https://www.fvap.gov/ as soon as possible and find out what the requirements are in your registered state.  In Florida, we must register via mail, so time is of an essence. Once registered, you can vote via FAX. I will be setting up a United States number FAX Machine in the Papeleria.

 

Papeleria y Novedades Mama Lilly
School and Office supplies, copies, printing, FAX, laminating, scanning, and binding.
Cosmetics, Perfumes, Beauty Needs, Gifts and Novelty Items. Avon,
Terramar,  Mary Kay, Refreshments, Ice Cream, Ice, Snacks
Cyber Café and Calls to Mexico, U.S, and Canada.
We are licensed, provide Facturas, and deliver to your home, business, or office.
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY SERVICE AVAILABLE!
Support a Neighborhood Business!
Telephone:   987-869-3119
EMAIL: mapapeleria@outlook.com
06:30 a.m. – 09:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
08:00 a.m. – 08:00 p.m. Saturday
08:00 a.m. – 08:00 p.m. Sunday
https://www.facebook.com/papeleriamamalilly/
35 Avenida Sur Entre Calles 17 y 15 Bis
Colonia Independencia (Near Independencia Sports Center)

 

Aura Holguin-Resch
The Cozumel Sun News
RFC: HORA500201TP1
987-118-4453 CELL
386-445-8702 USA
auraholguin@thecozumelsun.com