RMS Niagara with Boxfish ROV: History and Confronting Environmental Challenges
RMS Niagara and its Story The tragic tale of the RMS Niagara dates back 84 years, when the trans-Pacific liner met its fate near New Zealand’s Bream Head. On June…
Ocean Cinematography with Boxfish Luna
The sea life at Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium had an unusual visitor in 2022 – our professional cinematography drone, Boxfish Luna.
In addition to filming sea life, we interviewed Craig Anderson, Boxfish co-founder, about the features of the underwater drone and why it’s perfect for ocean cinematography. Watch the videos to learn more about Boxfish Luna and see fantastic underwater footage from our clients!
Stable Filming Platform for Ocean Cinematography — Video Transcript
Boxfish Luna is designed to carry a really large camera payload, and with the Sony Alpha One (α1) and also the A7SIII, we’ve really been able to achieve what we set out to six years ago, and that is to have a really stable platform. So it’s designed so that whatever angle and however you tilt the camera, the vehicle doesn’t need any energy to hold itself in that position. It’s really just using the thrusters to stabilize its position, and as a result, you get really stable video. It’s really easily manoeuvrable because we’ve got control over all six axes.
Improved Safety & Camera Control — Video Transcript
Compared to divers, ROVs have a few advantages. One is the health and safety aspects. So you operate in remote areas and at depths which would be unsafe to do ordinarily, and of course, the very deep dives were where divers don’t go. But even in the shallows, the ROV has huge advantages over an operator with a camera. One is that you’re at the surface. You’ve got access to all the controls. You’ve got three cameras looking around. So you can see behind you, to the side of where you’re filming. And that offers really good situational awareness—better situational awareness than you have with a diver.
Low Impact on Ocean & Freshwater Wildlife Behaviour — Video Transcript
Another great thing about filming with an ROV is the impact on wildlife behaviour is really low. Compared with divers, we find that we can get very close to fish and marine mammals, where we have permits and other creatures without disturbing them.
Want to learn more about the Boxfish Luna? Visit our product page to explore the features and technical specs.
Boxfish Luna Underwater Drone for Ocean Cinematography Filming at Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium
