The Valley of the Whales

Jude Ryan got back in touch recently. He is one of my oldest friends from the days when, both nine years old, we met after moving to Paris and confronted learning the French language together in school.

Jude has accumulated an impressive travel record, and amongst those travels, a penchant for endurance events.
He ran an ultra marathon in the Gobi desert, which involved covering roughly 250 kms on foot, in the space of 7 days.

Although far from his level of training, I too have on occasion put my body through some grueling but rewarding adventures. In Tasmania with my partner Kelsi, we carried 30 kg packs for a distance of 34 kilometers in two days, sometimes through mud we would sink mid-thigh deep into AND stopping to film along the way. On a couple of occasions, alone and with Kelsi and others, I carried those same 30 kgs up into a remote region of the Northern Flinders ranges in South Australia, under a relentless sun.

So Jude and I have long been toying with the idea of participating in an endurance event together. I doubt I could keep up with him as he is a runner. I really am not. But I might just make it to the finish line.

The reality is that apart from those anomalous spurts of adventure, I have spent the past 12 years in dark rooms, in front of computers. The only rate I raised was not my heart's, but the speed of renders of computer generated imagery for blockbuster movies.

Jude probably knew he had the perfect hook when he contacted me about the Sahara desert race. Same format as the Gobi desert more or less: 40 kms per day for 6 days, and 10 kms the last day, for a total of 250 kms in 7 days. But the race crosses a place called the Valley of the Whales, and as Jude explained this location to me, I felt the familiar tug of a decision I would many times curse, before ultimately treasuring it for the rest of my life.

In the Valley of the Whales, paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains, millions of years old, of whales that had only just recently (in evolutionary terms) returned to live in the oceans after an abortive attempt at life on land. The remains had small rear legs which the whale probably trailed behind it as it swam, without much use for them (since they eventually completely disappeared).

The poetry of running an endurance event through such a place to raise awareness and funds for Whale Like Me and the work of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society was too strong to resist. Somewhere, I would have to find my running legs to make it through the resting place of whale ancestors who had abandoned theirs. A part of the Sahara desert, that once shallow sea is now one of the hottest and driest places on our planet. To run there, and then by night imagine the sound of the sea and the call of whales now dead almost 40 million years...

Training began at the end of March in Bali. I have to work my way up from a pathetic 5 minute run that first day along the Sanur beach front... to being capable of running roughly 2 hours and walking another 5, with a 10 kilo pack, day after day for a week.

Without underestimating the difficulty, I feel I have a chance. Early May, and I am now able to run one hour per day with a 5 kg pack. After a few years of work for the advancement of a new way to relate to whales and dolphins, it feels amazing to be able to do something simple, direct and physical towards that goal along side the usual work with concepts, digital communication and pre-production work on the feature documentary Whale Like Me. The effects of abstract work are long term and during the effort itself, their results are hard to gauge. This requires a sustained act of faith - over the weeks, months and years of hard work - that the vision is worth it all.

Running, in comparison, is pure simplicity. One foot in front of the other. Each step gets you a step further. After so many steps (a quantifiable amount), you reach your goal. Never mind that it hurts like hell. Never mind that this is the type of race seasoned athletes turn to as they seek greater challenges. I have embraced this and I'm grateful to Jude for having opened this door for me, to the Valley of the Whales.

To all my friends, and all those who support Whale Like Me, there is a standing invitation to join us to run through the Valley of the Whales in October 2011. You can also sponsor our run. If you are interested in either, write to

sponsor@whalelikeme.com

If you have a friend who you think might be 'our kind of crazy', connect us please.

You can find out more about the endurance event at:

http://www.4deserts.com/sahararace/rtpsrtp.php?SID=2&SBID=RD3

You can have two but not three...

Things do not always manifest in the order we expect them to - hence the lack of updates on the short film contest, folks: we're holding off so that we can give all of the pertinent info in one go, and we expect it all to be in place by the end of May!

For now, I'm back in Japan, ramping up for principle photography to start mid June. I'm doing my best to learn as much Japanese as I can cram into my poor brain: a mission of some importance since I'll be spending close to a month on my own in the whaling town and will probably feel isolated and alienated as it is, without even considering the language barrier.

Progress is good: I can write and read hirigana characters (if you give me long enough) and I will learn katakana next week. Vocabulary is expanding and I can recognize a few kanjis. Learning Japanese is a real adventure, with moments of intense love and hate. One day, I hate kanjis: I find them overly complex, with little squiggles that seem arbitrary and annoyingly slow to draw, let alone remember... sometimes representing a word that would take a second to write in hirigana, katakana or romaji. Other days, I love them: I see ones that I recognize on signs in the street and feel this warm glow of understanding, like getting glimpses of a cozy lounge with a fire place from outside in the cold. And they tell me that sometimes kanji can be very economical, using one ideogram to express what would otherwise take several words. I must trust that they do not lie about this.

The tragic events here are still unfolding. The ground shakes every day in Tokyo, usually only slightly but sometimes with a good jolt - many more aftershocks of various magnitudes are expected. The Fukushima situation 'seems' stable but what do I know: the inner circles of nuclear tinkering don't share their inner-most thoughts with me. With so much controversy over the effects of 'low level radiation' exposure, I've found the most prudent path is to eat very few leafy vegetables, and to stick to bottled water. Though the movement of at-risk produce is supposed to be strictly controlled, there have been a couple of cases of tainted produce making it to market in Tokyo over the past 6 weeks. Likewise with the tap water: current levels of radionuclides are too low to really mention, but should that change following some nightmarish development at Fukushima, who is to tell the information would reach me before I took a long drink from a tall, cool glass of very hot water?

Tokyoites are subdued right now - the national character imposes a general observance of propriety in the face of disaster. It is not appropriate to enjoy oneself too much, to consume too much, whether it be power or food or other goods. This is, in essence, an impressive show of solidarity in the face of hardship and I have great admiration for it. Its definitely preferable to looting, scamming and general selfishness often exhibited in other parts of the world when things go seriously wrong. It is the flip side of the sometimes exasperating respect for authority, protocol and established patterns of behavior, and a powerful reminder that we all have the flaws of our qualities, and the qualities of our flaws.

Whale Like Me will not be the same film it would have been, had we made it before March 11th 2011. The changed face of this nation has influenced our exploration into the stalemate over whaling in a number of ways, and has increased the potent symbolism of a number of events and characters featuring in the film.

Script, breakdown and schedule are being worked on simultaneously and organically, trying to optimize the work so that we are best prepared for the smaller shoots we will be doing before the real schedule in June commences.

The reality on the budget front is grim: we're working with one third of what we need. So grim that even though it took all my energy and processing power to get myself and the gear over here and set things into motion, I am tempted to take up a VFX job offer in Sydney that would take me away from the work here for 3 weeks. It would be very disruptive to the film making process, reducing the amount of Japanese I can learn by perhaps two thirds, and halving the time I get to spend with co-director Hideki for planning and prepping... but the reality is that the money I can earn on this job could end up saving the Japanese shoot if nothing else bears fruit between now and early July.

Its a diabolically imperfect situation, involving not only time working on the film and money to fund it, but my own personal energy which is stretched thin as it is. Carrying out all the pre-production planning for a third of the feature length documentary, script writing, cramming my brain with Japanese lessons, AND training to run an ultra marathon (yes, more on that later) might seem like some sort of hard limit. But flying off to Sydney to work long hours on a VFX job, added to that list, gives a perfect triangle of which I can choose two corners but not three. Enough physical energy to survive, enough money to scrape through the shoot, and enough time to craft the shoot so that it is worth all the effort being put into it.

Fate may have decided for me already as the VFX job remains in limbo. It turns out the Australian company does not yet have a green light for the work, and this may be the best outcome. There is still time for funding to materialize from a couple of sources, but the time I would lose from prep work here with Hideki could never be recuperated.

Also we have been graced by money-saving help from a number of sources. The team is proving to be highly committed, with all core participants willing to work with little or no pay during this period. My dear friend and colleague Dylan Neil is flying himself to Japan in June to join us as second unit DP, complete with his own gear. This, I publicly confess, means I owe him. Big time. Possibly 'my first born' big time. Dylan, would you like my first born?

So we're going to scrape through one way or another. The alchemy of choosing which corners the film can afford to cut while maintaining its quality and core power is one we intend to excel at.

So did I say something about an ultra marathon? I believe I did. Details to come tomorrow.

Lots of love to you all, wherever you are on our magnificent Ocean Planet!

--- Want to contribute to our shooting budget? Come toss us a few coins at here! ---

Whale Like Me Short Film Contest

So the contest is on!

http://www.whalelikeme.com/contest

What does whaling mean to you? Are you for or against it? Why? How do you view our relationship with whales? Your film should explore some of these questions, and will shine light on how close we are to - or how far from - accepting cetaceans into our circle of kinship.

For the first time in history, a global community seems close to seeking protection and inalienable rights for a non-human order of species - Cetacea: whales and dolphins.

Whether you see whales as 'persons' deserving of rights, or as consumable resources - join us in presenting to the world how humans view whales in 2011.

Deadline for submissions is now April 20th 2012. Our Awards event will take place May 22nd 2012, anniversary date of the Declaration of Cetacean Rights.

In the coming weeks we'll have a number of announcements to make about the contest, including contest partners and prizes.

You can come like our contest Facebook page to stay on top of developments:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whale-Like-Me-Short-Film-Contest/123075754431806

If you intend to participate, you can add yourself to our Whale of Fame wall by sending us a picture of yourself and a brief note on what moves you to make a short film. Send these to whaleoffame@whalelikeme.com.

The question of rights for non-human persons is an important step on the road to defining the value of our environment, and to becoming a mature and balanced species. The Whale of Fame wall will serve as a historical record of those who got involved early by lending their voices to this process of reconsidering our relationship towards cetaceans - whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Whether your film is funny or serious, for or against whaling, humble or ambitious - we want to know how you feel about whales today!

Our good news...

A belated happy New Year to all!

2011 is here, lets make it count.

So, I'd promised some good news. We wanted to make sure of some of it before sharing it here, but now its time.

The Hayden Family Foundation has granted 25,000 USD to the Whale Like Me production. In a single sweep, they have provided us with almost a quarter of our shooting budget. Everyone here is immensely grateful for their generosity, and honored by the trust and appreciation the Hayden Family Foundation has for our work.

We also have the pleasure of welcoming Gina Ross to our team, as a producer. Gina has 8 years of production experience, and previously 11 years in various marketing executive roles at Disney and Nickelodeon. She joins EP Vincent Burke of Top Shelf productions, and EP Don Reynolds – both veteran documentary and long form producers.

This was apparently not quite enough: we also had to launch the Whale Like Me short film competition.

Whether you are for or against whaling, we want your short films to bear witness to how the world views whales and dolphins and our relationship with them, in 2011.

There’s more to tell about the competition – we’re really excited about it and we insist you find out why!

I’ll wax lyrical about it in the next post – for now you can check it out at:

http://www.whalelikeme.com/contest/intro

The Orca Project - a must-read

Hello again everyone!

The next post was to be an announcement of a number of pieces of good news... That is still coming but for now, here is a link to a study which, at a first glance, appears to be of great value in the growing debate over cetacean captivity.

I urge everyone to take the time to at least take in some of the information.

http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/keto-tilikum-express-stress-of-orca-captivity/

More soon!

Our first year online: a thank you

Whale Like Me's journey started in 2006. For those just tuning in: Whale Like Me is the feature documentary production poised to shake up the stand off between whalers and conservationists, and - we hope - open new ways of understanding whales, and the way humans relate to them.

Our web presence started in May 2010, and in this space just after Christmas, before we launch into an exciting New Year for the project, I'd like to put out some very well-deserved thanks to those responsible for Whale Like Me online.

Emily Frances Knox and her partner, Michael Gregg, devote time and energy to maintaining our Facebook and Twitter presence, and in the space of just a few months, they have established a cetacean news service many have come to rely on for interesting developments in what we know of - and how we relate to - whales and dolphins.

Web developer Sid Bachtiar, based in Levin, has patiently implemented our web designs - here he is with his dad... ok, just kidding. Here he is with his son Josh.

As the site continues to grow, you can be sure Sid is to thank, weaving code.

Sid's company Bluehorn is based in Levin, New Zealand... just a pleasant drive away from our beautiful city of Wellington.








More news in the New Year - positive news: stay tuned.

We meet again

Apologies for the lack of updates - we have been busy working hard to advance the project, which leaves little-to-no time to actually blog about it. I’ll try to make up for this with more frequent entries this month.

I returned to Japan in late November – my third trip there in the past 5 months.

Hideki and I met with various officials, and were surprised by the good welcome we received. Of course there was caution, as we expected, but the bottom line was a very proper, official neutrality towards our project. Neutrality is the proper response, and one I would expect from both sides.

As a point of interesting comparison, we have had more trouble meeting with Australian officials than we have had with the Japanese. Our work seems to be situated on an active fault line between both sides, where neither side feels sure of their footing. I have experienced initial distrust from Australian, American and Japanese interested parties alike – the Australians and Americans being uncomfortable with the presence of a Japanese co-director and a collaborative approach, and the Japanese being uncomfortable with my Australian/American nationality and the international nature of the production.

My impressions may certainly evolve, but it seems to me that the Japanese concern is the more natural of the two, since they are the ones under scrutiny by the international community over this issue, and since foreign media attention is so often one-sided against their interests. This makes it all the more interesting that we have had more trouble meeting with Australian officials than we have had with Japanese ones, while benefiting from personal references and introductions on both sides.

Next, we journeyed to the coastal town I am becoming better and better acquainted with – to meet the whaler again.

I must refer to him as the whaler for now, until all formalities have been taken care of and we have agreed on how his identity is revealed.

The meeting was informal, and as we talked, I realized that I like him. As with the first meeting, the difficult issues brought tension to the air – there is no escaping this and on the contrary, I am glad we are both staunch defenders of our positions, but in all other instances there was almost a sense of camaraderie.

This makes our interaction all the more interesting – what I seek would spell the end of his livelihood as a whaler, and what he seeks would spell the continuing practice of what I see as murder – yet we seem to be embarking upon a friendship, based on the rare conviction that our stories should be told alongside each other, and at least for me, on a sense of wonder that such a thing is turning out to be possible.

My Japanese is improving incrementally: I now hear the language very well. The different words register clearly in my mind as I hear them, even though I only understand a fraction of them. The whaler’s English remains a blessing, making communication easy, and allowing co-director Hideki Fuji to be a full participant in our conversations rather than a translator.

During this meeting, we were advised of a fascinating event which we will have the honor of attending and filming, in January 2011 – details to be revealed in a future update. We also discussed my attendance of Japanese language school in March followed by 4 to 6 weeks of immersion, living in the coastal town, meeting its residents and absorbing something of its nature.

More news very soon, and best wishes to you all – wherever you hail from on this Ocean Planet.