Remains of Pacific WarShark Bay Films

Announcing our new documentary series – Remains of War

Our exciting new documentary series – Remains of War. Because in 3 hour long episodes we explore the debris of the merciless battles of World War 2 across the remote islands of the Pacific. Here’s a link to the preview video. 

Remains of War series

Intact sea plane

80th anniversary of end of war in Pacific

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War, this series follows the original path of the American naval advance northwards towards Japan. From battle-ravaged Guadalcanal to former Japanese stronghold of Truk. Roaming through the jungles and islands of Papua New Guinea and tracking the savage fight for the tiny island of Peleliu. As a result, we reveal some of the fascinating and forgotten tales of the conflict, and the people involved. Eighty years on, wreckage is easy to find – not only under the ocean but also on land.

Underwater documentary series

Medicine bottles in medical room on sunken Japanese freighter

Extensive archive footage

Archive footage from the time, shot in the heat of the original battles will give relevance to the rusting remains.

Wrecks of all types of ships still contain their cargoes. Some are partly beached where invasion forces landed supplies. While others lie deep below the waves where they were sunk by air attack or in sea battle. We dive on a Japanese submarine, lost with all her crew. Dozens of aircraft, from large bombers to small fighter planes lie scattered on the seabed – often intact.

Marine filming specialists Cornwall

Filming inside fuselage of sunken plane wreck

On land, artillery pieces still aim where they last fired over 80 years ago, and abandoned tanks lie rusting in the jungle. Subterranean Japanese hospitals and tunnel complexes, vehicles and weapons all make up this military scrapyard. Additionally, we reveal the full story behind the recently discovered remains of Admiral Yamamoto’s plane, shot down by US forces after a secret operation

Marine filming Cornwall

Wrecked tank in Jungle

Multiple filming locations

Eventually we filmed across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Palau and Truk. As a result, the series provides a unique history of yesterday’s war through today’s visible remains. We will be releasing the new documentary series n early 2024 as a Shark Bay Films / Crow Creative production

Underwater documentary

 

Cornish based marine filming expertsShark Bay Films
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Cornish marine filming specialists – in Palau

A different project for we Cornish marine filming specialists. Just back from an amazing filming trip to Palau.

Marine filming experts Cornwall

Rock Islands, Palau

While most divers go there for the great corals and fish life – plus the sharks – we went on a very different mission. Because our aim was to film the remains of the Second World War – both underwater and above. Although many people overlook them, there is a true fleet of sunken and virtually intact ships – and plane wrecks too.

Cornish marine filming

Plane wreck under the ocean

The new documentary

We had planned the expedition carefully. As this was a shoot for our next television documentary. We had our own dedicated dive boat, driver, and two very experienced underwater guides with an intimate knowledge of the wrecks.

Penetrating the wreck

Penetrating the wreck

Palau was a crucial pivot in the Pacific War. Because not only was it a vital naval base. But it also had an airfield on Peleliu controlling vast tracts of the region. Whoever controlled the airfield had control of thousands of square miles of ocean.

WW2 tank Peleliu

WW2 tank Peleliu

Peleliu

Peleliu was one of the bloodiest and costliest battles of WW” in the pacific. Although a tiny island just 5 miles square, it took almost 3 months for the US Marines to take. The Japanese fought to the last man – virtually the entire Japanese garrison of 11,000 was wiped out.

Today the remains of that battle litter the island – from tanks and field guns to a huge Japanese tunnel system.

Cornish marine filming specialists

Wartime tunnel system Peleliu

Ghost Fleet

Underwater the shipwrecks are fascinating. A huge ghost fleet of intact ships. We dived deep into many of these, exploring engine rooms, cargo holds and bridges. Sometimes we found it scary – so deep inside these undersea graves that daylight never penetrated.

Marine filming Cornwall

Deep into the wreck…

We have already produced one film on the remains of war in the Pacific. We have made many successful sales of our film from Truk Lagoon to television stations around the world. So we are hoping to cash in on that success with this follow-up.

Just another day’s work for the leading Cornish marine filming specialists.

Underwater stock footage - turtlesShark Bay Films
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The Last Turtles?

So here it is. Our latest film. It’s called The Last Turtles? Check out this promo clip…

Locations

Fionn and I have filmed this over the last 12 months in some incredible locations around the planet. And had some incredible experiences. Sharing a beach with tens of thousands of turtles in Central America. Watching tiny hatchlings emerging from the nest. Living on the beach of one of Africa’s most remote and uninhabited islands for a week. Seeing the planet’s hugest turtle – the weight of a small car – laying its eggs on a beach shared with jungle elephants and hippos.

Remote African Island

Poilao Island, Guinea Bissau

The Initial Concept

The original film concept was brought to us by a young film maker Dan Marsh. Dan had learnt of the story while working in Raratonga, deep in the South Pacific. And we used some of Dan’s footage in the film.

True Wildlife Mystery

Researchers have discovered that in recent years less and less turtle hatchlings are males – in some locations the ratio is over 100 females to every male hatched. If this trend continues there will be no males to fertilise the females. And turtles will disappear forever from our oceans. What is the cause? And is there hope for the species?

Scientific Adviser

We also had the good fortune to work with Professor Brendan Godley  Brendan is based on Exeter University’s Penryn Campus, just a few miles from our studio. Brendan opened many doors for us. He introduced us to many researchers working in the field in different countries. And his involvement as our scientific adviser ensured access to strictly controlled locations where we would otherwise never have been able to travel and film. Plus he ensured that we got our facts right!

Distributor

Andrew Jackson of Plimsoll Productions provided invaluable help and advice in structuring the film. Plimsoll own Magnify Media who will be selling the film for us. Hopefully to television broadcasters worldwide…

On Location Help And Support

And the film couldn’t have been made without the amazing support we received from so many people in the countries where we filmed. Thanks to every single one of you…

Baby Loggerheads

Baby Loggerheads

Nat Geo LogoNational Geographic Channel

Our television sales list

How we sell our films

I was recently asked how we sell our films. I have to admit that it’s not the greatest business model!

When I have an idea I approach my agents with it. If they think that the film will sell then we enter into a distribution agreement for the finished film. I have nothing to do with the marketing side of things. A little like a midwife, I hand over the film as soon as it is born. From then on I get updates every 3 months in the shape of royalty reports.

How well do they do?

Some films do well – others not quite so well. I think our most successful financially was Castro’s Secret Reef which was acquired as a presale by Smithsonian for North America and Nat Geo for the rest of the world. That film was also put forward for an EMMY .

Films also have a long shelf life – quality underwater documentaries do not date quickly and are just as valid many years later as on the day that they are released. So for example, Castro’s Secret Reef has just been relicensed by Smithsonian eight years after its original release.

And who buys them?

I’ve listed below where there has been one major sale to a prestigious international broadcaster. They will acquire rights to various territories for fixed terms, and then there will be sales to other broadcasters for residual territories.  However most films incomes are made up through a number of smaller sales to individual broadcasters. Just one – small – example. Global Whale Shark Mystery sold to individual broadcasters in China, Switzerland, Portugal, Thailand, Sweden, Malaysia, Latvia, UAE, Denmark, Algeria – and Turkish Airlines – before being picked up by the major French Television station Canal Plus.

And Sea’s Strangest Square Mile sold to a total of 33 different broadcasters in different countries – often small sales individually but all adding up! This is when the agents really earn their commissions… A 5 minute contest version of that film was picked up by Washington Post and the last time I checked had over 1.5 million hits.

TITLE                                                                 YEAR OF PRODUCTION                   PRINCIPAL SALE

 

CAYMANIA                                                                          1991                                             National Geographic   

TREASURES OF COCOS ISLAND                                        1992                                             Discovery USA       

THE ROCK ISLANDS OF PALAU                                         1993                                             Various   

EXPEDITION ALDABRA                                                      1994                                             Various   

SHARK FEEDERS                                                                1997                                              National Geographic

OCEAN OASES – SIX PART SERIES                                    1998                                             National Geographic

CRITTERS TRILOGY    3 x 26 mins                                                         

Critters                                                                                 2000                                          National Geographic

Night Critters                                                                       2000                                         National Geographic

Coral Critters                                                                        2001                                         National Geographic                   

There is also a one hour version of critters

E-MAIL FROM A SHARK                                                         2002                                            Various                                     

UNDERSEA HOMES

2 x 26 minutes and 1 x 1 hour                                            2003                                          Canal Plus France / RAI Italy 

SECRETS OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA                                   2004                                           Australian Broadcasting                       

JUNGLE BLUE                                                                         2005                                            Various                      

OCEAN WEIRDOS                                                                   2005                                            Various                      

SECRETS OF THE GIANT SHARKS                                          2008                                            RAI Italy

 KLIN WARA                                                                            2008                                            Various   

 FREAKS OF THE SEA                                                             2009                                            National Geographic              

FILMSTAR FISH                                                                      2010                                            National  Geographic Asia                   

PIRATES IN PARADISE                                                         2012                                              Swedish TV / SBC Seychelles

 SEA’S STRANGEST SQUARE MILE                                      2013                                              NGC International worldwide

THE GLOBAL WHALE SHARK MYSTERY                              2013                                            Canal Plus

CASTRO’S SECRET REEF                                                       2015                                            NGC International / Smithsonian

ISLANDS IN A DESERT SEA                                                  2017                                            France TV

TRUK LAGOON – JAPAN’S PEARL HARBOUR                      2018                                            RAI Italy / Foxtel Australia & NZ

THE LAST TURTLES?                                                             2020                                            Italy, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, China, Thailand, Germany

– with more sales to come!