Caribbean Film Production

It wasn't accidental that Nassau and the islands of The Bahamas were discovered by moviemakers, particularly when searching for locations for films that included underwater scenes. The clarity of the water and the kindness of the climate were natural lures. Also the myths of the island gave famous figures on the big screen. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie became a classic of the genre, today industry offering from “Pirates of the Caribbean” wallpaper, “Pirates of the Caribbean” soundtrack to “Pirates of the Caribbean” livejournal icons. The movie hit great popularity, also proven by the Disney's “Pirates of Caribbean” success.

The underwater film industry in The Bahamas dates back nearly 90 years. Photographer John Ernest Williamson in 1914 brought his revolutionary Photosphere from Chesapeake Bay to Nassau to make an underwater film. He had already produced still photography with his invention. Williamson's underwater camera was slung from a 30 ft barge. The contraption consisted of a four-ft-wide flexible metal tube 30 ft long, and a 3.5-ton glass-sided viewing chamber from which he filmed. His initial efforts included shooting Bahamian youngsters diving for coins.

He then moved on to the reef world, inhabited by what he described as "creeping, crawling creatures of the deep bumbling silently among the coral." The film, which needed no plot or story line, was shown at Washington's Smithsonian Institution, and later to sellout crowds in London, New York and Chicago. The Williamson Submarine Expedition is still shown on television today.

His first major underwater film production was the original 1916 silent version of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, filmed in The Bahamas. Kirk Douglas, James Mason and Peter Lorre starred in the remake of the movie 38 years later. It was also filmed in Bahamian waters. In 1922, Williamson wrote, produced and introduced the world to slow motion footage with Wonders of the Sea.

The Bahamas film genre, and particularly the underwater branch of it, has spawned a sophisticated industry with all the capabilities of Hollywood. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism saw the importance of the film industry and made it a priority to encourage and facilitate filmmakers. A special section within the ministry was created in 1985, dedicated to encouraging, collaborating and cooperating with the industry.

The Bahamas Film and Television Commission is headed by Angela Archer. She attends film festivals, industry conventions and seminars, and deals with other government departments involved - including Customs, Police, Public Works and Immigration - in a sometimes-complex scenario. For film producers, she is the bridge over the often-troubled waters of red tape.

Feature films can generate up to $30 million for the economy, says Archer. "Most business is commercial and fashion shoots. Harbour Island is a favorite for fashion photography. We do a lot of TV shoots and BBC does a lot of its programmes here”. The average commercial production can leave $200,000 in the local economy over a four-day period.

Parallel with the ministry's efforts, a loosely knit cadre of film people has developed. They include extras, stand-ins, doubles, models, coordinators, gophers, stuntmen and women, artists, technicians, still photographers, cameramen, boat owners and operators, sailors, drivers, divers, dispatchers, set designers and builders, cooks and an infrastructure of knowledgeable helpers who can be assembled at the click of a shutter.

The availability of all this talent, non-unionized production labor, quality of Caribbean production services, clear water, Caribbean film beach locations and accessibility to the US mainland, keep producers returning to The Bahamas. Stuart Cove, who runs Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas on the south side of New Providence, also heads Stuart Cove's Underwater Productions. He taught Sean Connery to dive for the film Never Say Never Again, which was basically a remake of Thunderball, also starring Connery.

Cove's primary role is setting up underwater stunts and action, including shark scenes and attacks. He doubled for Hulk Hogan in Shadow Warriors but spends more time arranging the action, particularly involving sharks. His film and television work includes Flipper and the Flipper series, Sea Quest and a segment in Hard Copy. Developed to meet the multiple needs of film makers, Cove's Underwater Productions is now a leader in underwater shooting and production, and one of the major draws for producers. Cove, his wife Michelle, and experienced diver, stuntman and cinematographer Gavin McKinney, work closely together on underwater filming projects.

Beach accessibility is becoming a problem, especially for beaches with palm trees. Lethal yellow has killed a lot of the palms at Love Beach, and with the development of Old Fort Beach, it has become inaccessible. Paradise Beach is no longer accessible. Sandy Cay is fine but expensive, and then there's the cost of chartering all the boats and transportation for the people and equipment to get out there.

Nevertheless, filming in and about Nassau continues with the Bahamas Film and Television Commission facilitating more than 150 projects of varying sizes during 2002. They included a wide variety of subjects, including music video shoots with Ricki Martin and Lenny Kravitz, a Michael Jordan golf tournament and the PGA father/son tournament on Paradise Island, Kalik, Molson Export and Miller beer commercials, Sandals Royal Bahamian promotional films, Sears Canada spring and summer catalogue shoots, behind-the-scenes filming of Live with Regis and Kathy, fashion shoots for Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Elle and other magazines and catalogues, as well as a host of other film-related projects.

Meanwhile, McKinney has produced Ocean Wonderland 3D, a 42-minute underwater film. Its world premiere was held at Simons IMAX Theatre at the New England Aquarium in Boston in Feb 2003. The film, 18 months in the making, was shot in The Bahamas and Australia, with the support of the World Wildlife Fund, (WWF), the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the environmental voice of the UN.

Ocean Wonderland, originally called Blue Magic by McKinney, is the first large format movie entirely shot with digital technology. Most of the film was shot using natural light. It showcases the incredible beauty of coral reefs and their important role in supporting marine life by providing habitat and food for a wide variety of fish species. It highlights threats facing coral reefs and calls for increased protection.

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