Shot in the Maldives 10 years ago and finally sharing now, why?
Who knows, maybe because it was the first major luxury hospitality film or maybe I was waiting for the 'perfect time'. But here it is, no changes, no tweaks and not vertical format.
The gig: To join the very talented photographer and my dear friend
@catvinton at the end of her 6 week stills assignment.
The brief: To produce a homepage film for Coco Prive's Island escape Kuda Hithi. The approach: I wanted to let the shots do their own work, give them space, let the aerials flow, allow the viewer to arrive, invite them to take a deep breath. No people, just let the natural beauty speak for itself. No ground filming, just aerials, leaving the land virtually untouched without a trace. Ready for your arrival.
The challenges: Filming from sunrise to sunset for 8 days straight, boating back and forth from the sister island. Filming remote luxury islands is of course a privilege, but not without pressure, hot humid sweaty suncream filled pressure. Mistakes are costly, equipment non replaceable. Precision and preparation was essential. Backups of everything. Two drones incase one took a swim, which it nearly did, game over.
It was a different time for drone operators back then, no tracking, no obstacle avoidance, no auto mode. Shaky old GoPro's and lots of jimmy rigging parts. There was no distance, no perspective, no spotters and nowhere to hide from the shot, just palms and the vast ocean. Patience, practice, confidence and a bit of risk taking was key to achieve the desired look.
Final thoughts: 10 years later, sure I would have done a few things differently technically, but I am still very proud of it as a record of our time on the island. And more importantly a chance to document a small slice of the world which sadly may not be there in the future. I hope it is and I get to return one day with my own family. It was pure paradise. Big thanks goes out to all the lovely, welcoming and heartwarming staff we met who work so hard day in and day out... and of course, Cat.
Music licensing:
@musicbed @ptonypterodactyl
Client:
@coco_resorts 
