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Ocean Odyssey - Windows into the Ocean

When you walk into the Sant Ocean Hall, you will enter the world of water. You may feel as though you have taken a dive into the depths – largely due to the beautiful, choreographed ocean footage that will surround the upper reaches of the Hall in high-tech video. The Ocean Odyssey film projected on the Hall’s high bay walls above you will transport you into the realm beneath the waves. Take a deep breath and enjoy it as you watch whales swim by, huge schools of fish swirl about, and light shimmer through prisms of water.

An Ocean Odyssey

High bay medallions in the restored ocean hall space, March 2007. Image courtesy: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

The custom-made, high definition film called Ocean Odyssey projected onto architectural medallions on the hall’s high bay walls will transform them into windows of ocean life and biodiversity. Through these windows, visitors will see original footage; eight individual shows will play in the Hall’s main gallery. Each show will be 21 minutes long, but all will be edited so they flow together from one to the next. A whale, for example could swim around the hall from window to window. This extraordinary and immersive media experience will become a signature feature of the Hall.

Filming underwater

The filmaker for this experience is Feodor Pitcairn, an experienced producer of underwater films whose aesthetic sense and understanding of the ocean environment is exceptional. To create the Ocean Odyssey film, Mr. Pitcairn shot extensively in sites around the world, including the Galapagos, Indonesia, Belize, the Channel Islands, the Azores, the Cayman Islands, Hawaii, and French Polynesia. Among some of the stunning footage he took are a massive gathering of hammerhead sharks in Galapagos, whale sharks in Belize, giant manta rays, and one very hungry turtle munching on an unfortunate jellyfish.

From small fishes to majestic whales, visitors will be surrounded by the ocean's many inhabitants as they tour the ocean hall. Images courtesy: ©2007 Feodor Pitcairn Productions Ltd.

The power of images

Gathering footage was only the beginning of the process of creating the film you will see. Unlike many other films, it is not a linear story with a beginning and an end. Instead, Ocean Odyssey will be a multi-screen experience that combines different scenes and images in a way that will be highly poetic. It demands a different kind of storytelling, taking the viewer on a journey of shifting mood, momentum and action.

Technology challenge

Since the film is projected onto eight different screens in the hall, it is also a technical challenge. Media planners have to make sure that light levels are appropriate and that all six projectors will work simultaneously with each other so the film flows flawlessly from one window to the next.

Creating a finished product

Rays gliding through the water and across the screens will help create the sense of being in the ocean. Image courtesy: ©2007 Feodor Pitcairn Productions

Ocean hall Core Team members gathered in early March 2007 to look at the collection of scenes Mr. Pitcairn shot and discuss which ones they wanted to see included in the final product. After that, Mr. Pitcairn and his production company began creating rough cuts of each of the eight shows, which was then reviewed, edited and approved by the team.

When completed and installed in 2008, you will feel immersed in the ocean the moment you enter the Hall – and begin to feel its tremendous power and beauty all around you as you explore its many facets.

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