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Camera to Cloud for Underwater Filmmakers

Commercial videographer and Early Access Program winner Adnan Velic takes the plunge to create a unique project using Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) and FUJIFILM X-H2S

“To me, it feels like you’re flying,” enthuses Adnan Velic, a commercial videographer turned underwater filmmaker. He has taken a step into the unknown, diving to the ocean floor to create a documentary about the regeneration of a failed artificial reef. “You have so much visibility, so you can see things far below you. It’s the closest thing to flying like Superman.”

For Adnan, there’s nothing strange about this change of course. It’s what connects his two worlds of work that stands out: the opportunity to discover a narrative.

“I primarily create content for fine-dining restaurants and resorts. But I do it because I want to tell a story about that establishment. I like talking to the chefs and the staff to get an understanding of what these people do. That’s what I enjoy doing – telling a story.”

This passion for storytelling has led Adnan beneath the waves to document one man’s attempt to right a historic ecological wrong. A participant in the Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) Early Access Program, he was furnished with cutting-edge technology to help achieve this task.

When plans were made in the seventies to create an artificial reef off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, FL – using the plentiful waste resource of used tires – it was seen as a forward-thinking way to turn discarded material into a new habitat for game fish.

Two million tires were bundled up with steel clips and deposited about a mile from the shore, covering an area of approximately 36 acres to form the Osborne Reef. In a glaring oversight, the steel clips were not designed to survive the corrosive environment of the ocean, leaving the tires to drift apart.

Washed around by the undercurrents, these tires are now scattered across the Floridian coast. Too mobile to create any kind of habitat for wildlife, they have wiped out a vast area’s ability to maintain an ecosystem. During storms, individual tires are known to smash into nearby coral reefs, further intensifying the environmental damage.

Efforts have been made throughout the years to bring the tires back ashore. But even once back on dry land, the issue of what to do with them remains. This is where Richard Spreen comes in, with a plan in the spirit of the original Osborne Reef project.

“Richard is an entrepreneur. Nine years ago, he came up with this idea of taking the tires and turning them into building material,” explains Adnan. Always on the lookout for compelling narratives, he was drawn toward this plan of not only reversing the damage to the marine environment, but transforming a destructive event into a sustainable way of building.

“It’s an extraordinary thing. The fact it ties into the Osborne Reef – a unique ecological disaster – made this a great story.”

However, with a new filming environment came unforeseen struggles. Over a mile from shore and up to 80 feet beneath the waves, Adnan found himself a long way from the luxury resorts that comprise the usual scenery for his work.

“We were dealing with so many things. We were on a boat, and scuba diving is a challenge in itself – but now you’re scuba diving with all this gear, and have to focus on getting through your shot list.

“The fewer aspects to worry about, the better. C2C helped in that regard, as it streamlined our process and made it way more efficient.”

Using FUJIFILM X-H2S with FT-XH File Transmitter, all hooked up to a mobile hotspot modem, Adnan could upload his footage direct out of camera to Frame.io while still on the boat and have his off-site editor start work in real time – not only getting a head start on the post-production pipeline, but also ensuring that everything being recorded was in order.

“One of the big things with underwater videography is making sure the white balance is correct,” explains Adnan. “With C2C, the editor can see that in real time and tell me either way. If there are issues, we can jump straight back in the water and try again, instead of waiting until I get back on land, transferring the footage to another device, and uploading it.”

For an on-location job with as many moving parts as this, Adnan knew there would be no second chances. That made C2C technology a priceless addition.

“The editor will let me know if we have everything we need. That means I don’t have to go out the second day, hire a whole crew, get the boat back out, and do the entire thing all over again just to film two or three clips. Meanwhile, the conditions could be different, the lighting could be different – it’s invaluable.”

What’s more, having an editor concurrently working on the footage meant the team had something substantial to show for their efforts by the end of the working day. “When we got off the boat at the end, Richard was able to see a rough cut of the timeline,” Adnan adds. “That’s amazing, even for a little glimpse.”

A seasoned image maker, Adnan is quick to recognize the value in this capability for other creatives. “Imagine a wedding photographer; they make a bunch of images which are uploaded immediately. The bride and groom don’t have to ask when these will be ready. They’re ready right now – here’s the link!”

Regarding his own workflow, Adnan explains that the collaborative aspect of Frame.io permits a vast step forward in speed and ease. “We used to have a different communication process – online calls or meetings – and would handle the timeline like that. But this is much more efficient because it’s so much clearer. I can go to a clip and say, ‘OK, at second 23, I want you to make a cut; I need you to put a transition here’. Before I would have to phone up and try to explain.

This has precipitated a fundamental change in the way Adnan organizes his time. “I can plan ahead differently now,” he continues. “When I look at how long something will take me, I can cut a couple hours from what it would have been because my footage is automatically transferred to my editor – and they can start straight away. It streamlines my process much better.”

Adnan believes this workflow will become the norm as C2C is more widely adopted. “It’s incredible that we have access to this type of technology now. Even big production houses have had to rig out cinema cameras, or maybe had an IT person on staff to set it up. Fujifilm has made it so simple to use that anybody could do it.”

Whether by creating a documentary or inventing a new, sustainable building material, it’s people’s capacity to harness their own individual brilliance that Adnan considers the biggest virtue.

“Richard’s story is about perseverance – he’s been doing this for around nine years. He embodies the idea that you can go out there as one individual and make a huge change. That’s why it was worth telling his story.”

Ultimately, Richard’s Osborne Reef project and Fujifilm’s adoption of C2C technology are united by the selfsame philosophy – looking forward but thinking laterally.

“Fujifilm is an early adopter of where all cameras are headed eventually. You have your smartphone, where you make images and everything goes to the cloud. So why not do that with cameras?

“That is definitely the future. C2C is going to revolutionize how content is created. And we’re just in the early stages – there’s no limitation on what this technology can do.”

Want to read more? Hear from another C2C Early Access Program participant, Director of Photography Nona Catusanu-Popp, who talks about her C2C experience here.

The world’s first native digital stills camera integration for Frame.io Camera to Cloud is now available for FUJIFILM X-H2 and X-H2S via FT-XH File Transmitter, and is fully integrated into FUJIFILM GFX100 II. Learn more about the integration here.

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Adnan Velic

Adnan Velic is a Florida-based camera operator, colorist, and editor with a keen eye for a story. Working with clients in the hospitality industry to create enticing content, Adnan is also a certified scuba diver with a passion for underwater videography.
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