Dive Deeper into the GoPro Orca Rescue in 4K

Dive Deeper into the GoPro Orca Rescue in 4K

GoPro Creative Director, Bradford Schmidt, wanted to tell a new story about orcas. Often stereotyped by their carnivorous habits or theme park acrobatics, killer whales are rarely referenced for their extreme intelligence or grace in the water. Inspired by the documentary Blackfish, Schmidt sought an expert who understood the orca whale and was devoted to protecting these beautiful animals for a storyline in the Adventure of Life in 4K video series

Research and advice from two-time Emmy Award winning cinematographer and shark guru, Andy Casagrande, led our GoPro media team, including Annemarie Hennes, Taylor Turner and Schmidt, on an expedition to the North Island of New Zealand to learn from the foremost authority on the giant mammal; Dr. Ingrid Visser. Dr Visser was the main contributor of the wild orca footage for BlackFish.

Above: Dr. Ingrid Visser patrolling the waters in search or an orca in need of assistance.

Dr. Visser is a marine biologist, who works with a team of researchers to understand how the 200 remaining wild orcas are impacted by human elements, climate change and health conditions. Dr. Visser patrols the waters around her home and responds to calls on the Orca Hotline from residents who spot orcas while feeding and in need of help. Dr. Visser has dedicated her life to the cause and her work was instrumental in the New Zealand Government's reclassification of local orcas from Common in the Threat Classification System to Nationally Critical.

Above: Dr. Visser swimming along side a clan of Orcas with a HERO4 Black Edition Camera

The media team spent time in New Zealand giving Dr. Visser extensive training on the GoPro camera and equipment, enabling her to capture compelling content to help tell her story. There were no orca distress calls during GoPro's time in New Zealand, but much of the footage shown in the Orca Rescue edit was procured by Dr. Visser on her various expeditions over the last 2 years, proving that she is as talented at GoPro photography and videography as she is at championing for these amazing mammals! Using the skills she learned from our team, Dr. Visser documented never before seen perspectives including an orca being set free from a net and amazing dorsal fin POV shots.

Above: Dr. Visser cutting the rope from a net that has trapped an orca, which could have led to his death.

The GoPro media team used multiple HERO4 Black cameras to capture content for the Orca Rescue piece, and put their creativity to the test when it came to mounting cameras for the beauty shots. They used weights and zip ties to keep the GoPro's in place underwater, which allowed nearby fish to swim and interact without being spooked by the cameras. The team also utilized the Night Lapse feature on the HERO4 Black to get time-lapse video of the stunning New Zealand night sky and used gimbals and jet boots from Scripps Institute of Oceanography to make their footage extra smooth.

Above: GoPro Media Production team Bradford Schmidt, Annemarie Hennes, and Taylor Turner laugh while studying orcas in Vissers classroom.

Dr. Ingrid Visser established the Orca Research Trust in 1992 after getting her PHD in Zoology. She envisions a world where there are no orcas living in captivity. The work that Dr. Visser did was instrumental in releasing Keiko the star of the Free Willy movies. Her goal is to expand on the idea of reintegration of orcas back into the wild. Dr. Visser inspires children to understand more about orcas as well, noting, its nice to see the ways kids think. That generation is going to be the generation that protects the orca in the future. If I could give the kids that I teach one message it would be to not buy a ticket to see whales and dolphins in captivity .

As impactful as all the stories within the HERO4 Adventure Series, Dr. Visser is an embodiment of the ultimate HERO and a fantastic crescendo to the Adventure Series. Her mission is to saves lives; humans and whales alike. If you are interested in getting involved with her cause please visit the site to contribute.

LINK:	http://gopro.com/news/dive-deeper-into-the-gopro-orca-rescue-in-4k...
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