Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyis film, The Rescue tells the story of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in which twelve boys' from the Wild Boars Football Club and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave complex in Thailand. Documenting the huge risks taken by a team of specialist divers during the rescue, the production combines documentary footage with painstaking dramatic reconstructions shot by top underwater cinematographer Ian Seabrook.
Seabrook's earliest dives were on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a visual spectacle that prompted him to combine the twin passions of diving and photography and to focus on one job - as underwater cinematographer. Initially starting out on documentary and commercial productions, by the late 90s Seabrook was working in narrative as well, and today has an extensive list of underwater credits including Batman v Superman, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales, Deadpool 2,and Jungle Cruise.
The Rescue began preproduction in 2019, with Seabrook's experience in both narrative and documentary production immediately crucial. The filmmakers came to me to recreate the rescue operation, and I was given autonomy with regards to camera, lens, and format selection. Seabrook chose the ARRI Alexa MINI LF, recording its sensor in open-gate, with ZEISS Supreme Prime and Supreme Prime Radiance lenses.
One reason behind the decision was, Seabrook, says, we thought the film might get an IMAX release due to the subject matter and fact that the directors prior film, Free Solo, benefitted from an IMAX release. The Rescue is an amalgamation of news footage, interview footage that was photographed in a few countries, and aerial photography from Thailand. I felt that with the underwater portion of it being photographed in open gate, the images would have their own unique look and allow the audience to become immersed in the environment.
Creating images worthy of the biggest of big screens meant finding the right methodology to illuminate an environment that is oppressively dark. It was a confined cave environment, Seabrook says, and the only illumination was the divers' headlights. I had several meetings beforehand with the actual cave divers who performed the rescue operation, who told me how things were handled, and what they used for illumination during the dives.
With the Supreme Prime Radiance, each light source brought a unique quality of light and subsequent life to the frame. One of the reasons I settled on the Radiance was due to the unique blue flare patterns that the lenses were designed to create, Seabrook confirms. I shot tests underwater with the lenses wide open at T1.5 and also at a more desirable T4-5.6. With some of the divers' lights, we found that when we shot it wide open, the lights basically bloomed and there was little to no detail prevalent. I then selected an aperture I wanted to shoot at and tested that with a few different ISO combinations until I arrived at what I found to be the sweet spot for this project. Thats one of the main reasons why that lens and sensor combo was spectacular.
Leveraging the depth-of-field control offered by large format camerawork was just as crucial. The reason I shot at a certain aperture was to hide the fact that there was less cave structure set than we had access to, Seabrook says. We were able to camouflage the fact that we did not have miles of cave to shoot in. At the same time, the Supreme Primes' close-focus capability was crucial for a shoot where the camera and subject distance would be in loose proximity to one another.
The close focus distance on the Supremes was an amazing asset, Seabrook enthuses. I didnt have to use auxiliary diopters because the close focus of those lenses was at most fourteen inches. Normally what anyone will require with a dome port is between sixteen and eighteen inches, so the fact that the lens focuses even closer was an enormous benefit. When we were doing re-creation work for the surface portion of the shoot with the vials of sedatives that were injected into the children, I could get close enough to read the names, ketamine, and atropine, on the labels.
To the delight of everyone involved, The Rescue was to get its hoped-for huge-screen finish, and Seabrook saw his images projected at a vast scale. I saw it on an IMAX screen TIFF, Seabrook recalls, and the underwater imagery had great detail and, at that size, was immersive. The real-world story behind those images, meanwhile, created lasting memories. Working with the actual divers who did the rescue was an honor such amazing individuals who were selfless and brave. They were able to go into an environment that very few people would even be able to survive in, let alone succeed in doing the impossible. I felt that needed to be represented in the best way possible. And for me, the best way was to shoot it with that sensor and those lenses.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
13/01/2026
April 10, 2025
First Gulf has taken a significant step in its U.S. expansion with the launch of its first industrial development in the country.
First Westla...
13/01/2026
April 11, 2025
Canadian footwear retailer SoftMoc has signed a lease for 145,600 square feet at 901 Hopkins Street in Whitby, where the space will serve as a w...
13/01/2026
April 14, 2025
First Gulf is proud to announce that 25 Ontario has officially received its occupancy permit, marking the transition from an active construction...
13/01/2026
April 28, 2025
First Gulf has been awarded a design-build lease for a new 350,000 square foot office and warehouse facility for Sherwin-Williams. This project ...
13/01/2026
August 13, 2025
First Gulf Expands U.S. Industrial Footprint with First Savanna...
13/01/2026
August 13, 2025
First Gulf is proud to partner with Toromont Industries Ltd. to...
13/01/2026
October 10, 2025
First Gulf is pleased to announce that PPFD, a leading third-party logistics company, has leased 146,536 square feet at 901 Hopkins Street in ...
13/01/2026
Singapore - January 13, 2026 - Nielsen today announced the appointment of Matty Lin to its Commercial Organization as APAC regional sales leader.
Based in Sing...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Nine-week performance series brings music, dance, theatre, and storytelling to downtown Durham, January - March 2026 (Durham, NC) The Chamber Orchestra of the T...
13/01/2026
Berklee Launches AIMS, an Artist-Centered Summit on Music and AI Hosted by the Berklee Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL), the event will focus on the i...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Luxembourg, December 17, 2025 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading spa...
13/01/2026
Live broadcasts from RT 2FM Breakfast with Carl, Roz & Aisling, RT Radio 1 Tod...
12/01/2026
Sports and Music Unite: A Look Back at the Operationally Ambitious FIFA Club Wor...
12/01/2026
Nielsen Panel Discussion Highlights World Cup Impact for FOX, Telemundo, MetLife...
12/01/2026
FIFA President Infantino Highlights How AI Will Impact 2026 FIFA World Cup and B...
12/01/2026
Baltimore Ravens' Jack Dana on Telling a Better Story With Media Management ...
12/01/2026
FOX Sports' Brad Cheney on Spectrum Debate's Impact on the Sports-Produc...
12/01/2026
Spotify's new co-CEOs, Alex Norstr m and Gustav S derstr m, start off the new year with a message of renewed leadership, creative responsibility, and what&#...
12/01/2026
At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we beli...
12/01/2026
Spotify's global editors and Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships team spend their days immersed in new music, tracking the writers behind the songs breaking...
12/01/2026
Nominations open for the fifth Australia for UNHCR - SBS Les Murray Award for Re...
12/01/2026
Australia and New Zealand VP Alan Clements shares L3Harris' leadership insig...
12/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
12/01/2026
Berklee International Folk Festival Celebrates 40 Years Featuring Grammy-winning alumna Arooj Aftab, the milestone concert and weeklong festival marks four de...
12/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
12/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
12/01/2026
X-Rite and Rhopoint Launch Rhopoint PANTORA Aesthetix to Streamline Creation of...
12/01/2026
12 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot in Lviv Lviv, January 12, 2026 - VEON, a global digital operator (Nasdaq: VEON), today announces that Kyivsta...
12/01/2026
Monday 12 January 2026
The ultimate betrayal: Harry and Jamie Redknapp, Paul Me...
12/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan to increase its support for the Jap...
12/01/2026
Back to All News
WWE By the Numbers: Celebrating One Year on Netflix
From left to right: Rey Mysterio, Intercontinental Champion John Cena and Sheamus celebr...
12/01/2026
Welcome to the AVECO team: introducing new members of management
At AVECO, we are continuing to implement our #newAVECO strategy, which aims to build an even s...
12/01/2026
For the first time in the nine-year history of Dancing with the Stars, the first...
10/01/2026
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
10/01/2026
This year, podcasts are making their Golden Globes debut with a new category honoring the medium's leading shows and creators. To mark the occasion, Spotify...
10/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyis film, The Rescue tells the story of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in which twelve boys' from the Wild Boars Football Club and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave complex in Thailand. Documenting the huge risks taken by a team of specialist divers during the rescue, the production combines documentary footage with painstaking dramatic reconstructions shot by top underwater cinematographer Ian Seabrook. 
