06x04 - Jonathan Bird's Blue World

[bunniefuu]

[calm music]

- [Narrator] Today on "Blue World",

Jonathan goes cave diving in the middle

of the Mojave Desert on an IMAX sh**t.

[calm music]

[intense music]

Meet Jonathan Bird,

one of the world's top underwater
nature cinematographers,

traveling the world on assignment

for all the major networks.

He is an Emmy Award-winning authority

on the underwater world.

In freshwater or salt,
reefs, wrecks, or caves,

Jonathan documents the
world beneath the waves.

[intense music continues]

Welcome to the "Blue World".

[ominous music]

- I'm diving into one of the most remote,

most protected caves in the world,

in a most unlikely place deep

beneath the Nevada desert.

[ominous music]

It all started in 2016 when the
Blue World Team started work

on a giant screen film
called "Ancient Caves".

It's about a group of cave
paleo climatologists using

the formations in caves to
study the ancient climate.

One of the most important shoots

of the film involves the
research being done at a remote

site near Death Valley
called Devil's Hole Cave.

If you Google Devil's Hole,

you'll probably find this a
highly protected small pool

in a crack in the rocks,

which harbors the Devil's Hole Pup Fish,

one of the most endangered
animals in the world.

[upbeat music]

Devil's Hole is part

of the Ash Meadow
National Wildlife Refuge,

and administered by the
National Park Service.

Devil's Hole Cave, not to be
confused with Devil's Hole,

is about 600 feet away,
up a path into the Hills.

- Watch out for scorpions.

- [Jonathan] The entrance is
protected by a locked cage.

The science team, Dr. Yuri
Deblansky, Katie Went,

and Dr. Gina Mosley,

who's one of the lead
characters in our film,

have a special permit
from the Park Service

to take core samples in the
cave for their research.

But getting in there is
not as easy as it looks.

- [Filming Team Member 2] Oh man.

- [Filming Team Member] All right.

- [Filming Team Member 2] Good luck.

- [Filming Team Member] Be productive.

- I probably should put the lights on.

- [Jonathan] While the
science team just goes up

and down a single rope.

Getting our film gear in there
adds an additional challenge.

We're setting up some pulley and hardware.

- Theirs is up against the edge,
but is our going down here.

- [Jonathan] But there's another twist

at the bottom of this cave is water,

and our team has a
special permit to explore

and take water samples for the scientists.

Getting the dive gear in

and all the way down to the
water is a huge undertaking.

[upbeat music]

Our first day of production
begins at our rented house in

Pahrump, Nevada.

About 45 minutes from Devil's Hole,

assistant director Julia
Cichowski is planning

for the day while Rick
King, Zach Peterson,

and I are out in the garage
getting the gear set up.

- Just learned that lesson.

- [Jonathan] Cameraman Tim
Gears is building some sunshade

so we can see our monitors
in the bright desert

lighting conditions.
[upbeat music continues]

And the next morning
we awake to gray skies

and rain in the desert.

So under cloudy IMAX
unfriendly skies, we head out

to Devil's Hole Cave with our
portable production office.

Gina, Katie,

and National Geographic
photographer Robbie Shone

lead the charge up to the cave.

With such nasty weather,

we can't sh**t exteriors, so
we need to move our production

inside the cave for the day.

- You know what I was
thinking for the first shot

to get would be our star
repelling into the hole.

- [Jonathan] Robbie goes in first

so we can start sending gear down to him.

Meanwhile, I have to figure out how

to get a $60,000 RED
weapon 8K camera system

down a 60 foot vertical shaft.

[calm music]

- Okay, so let's not destroy the red.

[calm music continues]

- [Jonathan] Once Tim, Robbie and I

are down there with the camera

and tripod, it's time to start
setting up the first shot.

- So if we frame it like this,
this is a kind of an odd,

- [Jonathan] Our goal is

to make the audience
in the theater look up

and follow Gina down into the cave just

as they would in real life.

But first, we need some lighting.

Direct light in caves looks terrible

because you can't see
the patterns in the rock.

- Let's just see where it looks.

- [Jonathan] The trick
is hiding the lights

at oblique angles to
produce dramatic shadows.

- Where'd you bring it
down, one power setting?

Yeah, that was, I like
that. Can I see the, Tim?

Can I see the other one?

[calm music]

That's pretty good actually.
- Yep.

- Yeah.

- Can't see one.

- Rick, tell me when she's ready,

but don't send her until
we give you the go.

[calm music continues]

We are rolling, and this is
a, Gina descends, take one.

All right, send her down.

- Should I turn my light on?

- No.

- Roger.

- My only complaint was

that it might have taken a little long.

- Okay.

- I thought it was really
good. Really good shot.

All right. Gina's all set.

[laughs]

Pull her up nice and slow.

- We, we tested this in a warehouse.

Okay.

It totally worked.

We lifted him. Yeah, we lifted him.

- That's how I'm getting back up. Yeah.

[everyone laughs]

- [Jonathan] While, Gina
is perfectly capable

of climbing up out of the
cave on a rope on her own,

we expect to do this scene a few times

and it would wear her
out to keep climbing up.

So we rig a block and tackle
system to pull her up.

- There she goes.

[laughs]

I'm gonna get a picture of this.

- Oh God.

- Oh, this is awesome.

- Action.

- Action.

- [Jonathan] In the next take,
Gina comes down much faster

and smoother, and the shot is perfect.

- That's a great action shot.

There you come right into
the cave. Woo-hoo. Nice.

You coming right down.

You come into the light.
Perfect landing. Boom.

For the next sequence, we need to get down

to the lower chamber.

Getting down there means squeezing

through a small restriction,
a tiny hole between the rocks.

[calm music]

fitting through isn't that bad,

but passing all the camera
gear down there is a

delicate operation.

- So I guess we don't
need the liquid cooling.

- Behind the scenes
cameraman. Pierre's again,

moves into position for some shots.

Suck it in Pierre.

- Yeah. Ooh.

- [Jonathan] After the squeeze,
we descend down a steep

slope to the water.

It's just a tiny pool with
very little room to work.

Our first task is sh**ting a scene

of the scientists drilling
a core sample from the rock.

- No, you like audio on.
And this is take two.

Pulling the core out, clap.

[sediment pops]

- [Jonathan] At the end of
a long day down in the cave.

It's time to make our way out.

Gina climbs up the slope
using an ascender device

on the rope.

We have to carry all of our gear up

and out through the squeeze.

[calm music]

Then Gina demonstrates the
presic technique of using a pair

of ascenders to climb
out of the upper chamber.

The science team knows how to presic,

but the rest of us get pulled
out with the block and tackle.

[calm music continues]

Then we load everything
back to the vehicles.

- This the last time I'm doing this.

- [Jonathan] The skies are improving,

and today we're scheduled to
sh**t on 70 millimeter film.

The team from McGill of Ray
Freeman, our production partner,

pulls up in their big production truck

and we cross our fingers
that the clouds will clear

for nice blue skies.

Rob Walker's getting a
dolly set up, put together,

- Getting ready to do a dolly shot.

- [Jonathan] It requires carrying a bunch

of gear up the hill.

Up by the cave The
MacGillivray Freeman team

is assembling a nice level
track for a dolly shot.

They use variously sized blocks of wood

to get the track perfectly level.

While the track is
underway, Robbie and Yuri

are getting some safety slings together

to help get the camera
into a precarious position

for a unique shot.

We're setting up a shot
underneath the pergola,

looking into the second
entrance to the cave.

With safety straps on the camera,

the tripod and the people.

Rob and I move the enormous
IMAX camera to the tripod.

- Want me to hold the phone?

- [Jonathan] Rob is one of the most

experienced people in the
giant screen industry,

and I'm incredibly lucky
to get to work with him

and learn about the IMAX camera.

Meanwhile, cinematographer, Brad Oland,

a 30 year IMAX industry veteran is talking

to Gina about the shot

- And, and when you go down,
he'll be going real slow.

So much slower than you go, this is stupid

- [Jonathan] With everyone ready,

Brad comes down under the
pergola and it's time to sh**t.

- Okie dokie, artichokie.

- [Jonathan] With the generator running in

the background to run the lighting

and the incredible noise of the camera,

it's no surprise that we
can't record clean sound.

- Action, action, action.

[generator rumbling]

- And stop.
- Stop.

Look down.

[generator rumbling]

Okay. I'm good.

- Alright.

- Okay. Zip on down there.

Look up.

It's worth mentioning that
between the film processing

and printing, it costs
about $1,000 per minute

to run this camera.

Long takes are expensive.

- And,

and

cut.

- Alright, you're good.

- Dangling at the bottom of the frame.

There's a light there.

- [Jonathan] Second day, see
Jamie Warner runs to the truck

for another film magazine.

Each 1000 foot magazine only
lasts for three minutes.

So in preparation for the next shot, Rob

and Jamie changed the film.

This process takes about five minutes,

quite a bit more complicated
than swapping a memory

on our RED camera.

- Hold on a sec.

- [Jonathan] Art Cohen, the co-writer

and script supervisor, is
looking on in amusement

as we prepare to rehearse the shot.

At $1,000 a minute, you rehearse.

- I've already drilled at five and six.

- Oh yeah. Okay.

- Yeah. We should tonight

get some nice foliage and
the calcites in there.

Do you see any foam?

By the time you get up
here, you're out of frame.

We pick that up in the next shot.

- Okay.

- So you're kind of coming out.

Brad, where do they go out frame?

- [Brad] Right about here.
- Right about here.

So yeah, once you're, once
you're up on this thing,

we're done.

- Okay.
- Okay. Alright.

- Next shot. All right.

- [Jonathan] With our moves down

and the sun finally out,
it's time to sh**t some film.

Action!

[wind blowing]

- Slate.

I don't think it was loud enough.

- [Jonathan] Lunch is
served on the mountain

with a make your own sandwich buffet,

and then it's back to work.

In the next scene, Gina
repels into the cave.

I really enjoy working with Brad, Rob,

and Jamie all day to sh**t
in 70 millimeter IMAX format,

the world's most ultimate film format.

Action.

- [Narrator] Stay tuned. Now
the dive team finally gets

to go diving in Devil's Hole Cave.

- [Jonathan] It's time to start prepping

for the most challenging
part of the project,

the underwater sh**ting.

Brian Kay Cook is filling
tanks for the dive.

- One of the more monotonous
parts of the project.

- [Jonathan] Brian is
not only the lead diver

on this project,

but he was my cave diving instructor.

- Just trying to keep the neighbors happy.

- With him, as Mike Young, a rebreather

and cave diving expert, we hit the road

and you'll notice that the
weather is beautiful on the first

day of underwater sh**ting.

With so much gear to move

to the water, Brian heads down

to help Mike get the process started.

[upbeat music]

Then Rick sends the camera
down inside a big duffle bag.

- Getting the gear to the
side is extremely difficult.

It is, even though we're
only like 200 feet from the

entrance, it's a,

it's a very difficult two
feet from the entrance.

It's all vertical climbing,
lowering of equipment.

You have to have very good

and strong support team
willing to work every day,

hauling both equipment and people.

So you need a good, a good, strong team.

- [Jonathan] Mike is working
like a mole running gear back

and forth from the upper
chamber to the water.

About an hour into this
process, I realized

that I have no idea what we
would be doing without him.

- He's pretty impressive.
I'll tell you that.

- [Jonathan] The last little bit

to the water isn't that far,

but it's a huge pain to move gear down it.

If you drop anything, it
will go into the water

and it may never be found.

At one point we accidentally
dropped the light.

It didn't stop until it hit
a shelf at 150 feet deep.

With our stuff all piled
on top of itself, we have

to take turns putting our gear together

and getting into the water.

Brian is going to 300
feet to take water samples

for Gina's research.

So we're not just making a
film about Gina's research,

but actually assisting with the research.

It means that all the
divers are multitasking.

Todd hops in first.

The good news is that the water here

under the desert is 93 degrees.

That means it's actually
too warm for wetsuits.

So we're all just wearing lycra skins

and nobody gets too cold.

- Jonathan, let me know what
I can move into your position.

- [Jonathan] Okay.

Today our plan is to
get the lay of the land.

Fewer than a dozen people
have ever dived in this cave.

There are some guidelines installed,

but we do not know their condition.

We also have no idea
what the cave looks like.

Todd and I are going scouting
for good locations for shots.

While Brian and Mike are
going to figure out where

to do the deep dive for water
samples and form a plan.

Finally, somewhere past
noon, we start our dive.

[calm music]

Todd and I descend from the
pool down a 45 degree crack

that mirrors the room above.

[calm music continues]

We've tied off a pair

of oxygen decompression
cylinders at 20 feet.

We're not planning a decompression dive,

and it's never a bad idea to be prepared.

Todd leads the way

as we follow the guideline
down into the depths.

[calm music continues]

Everything down here is covered
in a fine layer of silt,

so we have to be really
careful with our fins.

The ceiling of the cave is
like nothing I've ever seen.

The pillowy formation is
called mammillary calcite,

formed by calcite precipitation
in super saturated water.

While being mindful of the fragile nature

of the old guidelines,
we have a look around.

We find a huge chamber that drops down at

that same 45 degree angle.

[calm mysterious music continues]

Famous cave diving pioneer Sheck Exley

went down this very route in 1991

when he explored this cave to 436 feet,

making it one of the deepest,

if not the deepest cave
in the United States.

[calm mysterious music]

At about a hundred feet, I
find a large piece of rock,

which broke off revealing
the thickness of the calcite

that had grown on the underlying bedrock.

But calcite is now forming over the break,

like a thin layer of frosting.

In a few thousand years, this
whole thing will be white.

We turn around and head back up.

At the top of the deep
chamber, we have a look around.

Then Todd leads the way
back towards the entrance.

Devil's Hole Cave in
Nevada has been submerged

for a long time.

There are no dry cave
formations like stalactites

or stalagmites.

Everything has the rounded
pillowy look of formations made

by underwater calcite deposits.

In shallow water, we explore
some overhangs and shelves,

but none of the passages go anywhere.

Some broken pieces

of ceiling show fully a
formation made in a section

of the cave where the
water surface touches it,

and a thick, broken piece
of calcite shows the layers

of deposition that Gina

and her team can use

to tell us much about the
water that created it.

We decide to swim the other direction

and explore the other end of the cave.

The guideline leads through a restriction.

I decide to see if I can fit through.

As soon as we see it, Todd

and I both know that we
will be filming a scene

with this restriction in the film.

It's perfect,

just like the other side of the cave.

This side just goes down and down.

Since we want to do the filming
as shallowly as possible

for safety and bottom time,

we're not exploring anything very deep.

So we head back through the restriction.

After a short safety stop, we head back

to the tiny pool at the surface.

[calm music]

More people have been

to the moon than have been
diving in this cave making us

pretty darn lucky.

- [Mike] Alright, we're
rolling on the lines

and we are rolling on the video.

We are rolling on sound.

This is going under take three. Action.

- Alright, Mike, you set?

- [Mike] All set.

- Alright. We got bailouts,

- [Mike] Bailout, and safety models.

- Alright man. Let's do it.

- [Mike] Alright. Be safe guys.

- [Jonathan] Over four days, we dive

and film underwater scenes
in Devil's Hole Cave.

It's a great honor to work in
a place that is so special,

so rare, and so protected

that fewer than 12 people have ever been

allowed to dive here.

Our dive team is so small
that we have very little

behind the scenes footage of
the actual underwater filming.

But trust me when I tell you
that you're going to want

to see this in an IMAX
theater, especially considering

that Devil's Hole is only one out

of six spectacular locations.

We're filming for ancient caves,

the ultimate cave diving film.

[upbeat music]

[intense music]