Oregon State University Produced a Film to Show the Global Decline of Coral Reefs
In a struggle to keep alive one of the most beautiful ecosystems in the world, scientists have been studying the coral reefs around the world, trying to find a way to save them. A team of filmmakers from Oregon State University followed scientists to record all the findings. They got footage for a documentary which has made its debut this past weekend in Eugene.
This Brown Rubble Was Once A Coral Reef
The documentary is called ‘Saving Atlantis’ and Peter Coyote is the narrator. The first scenes show a beautiful ocean and some amazingly colored living corals, up-close. Then, Coyote’s voice starts in the background, bringing us to reality:
“When early scientists and explorers encountered corals they didn’t know what to make of them. The brown rubble that lurked just below the surface of tropical seas was a barrier. A labyrinth. A mystery. But those who lived along coral reefs who fished their waters, they knew.”
The narrators continued explaining that in the last 50 years over half of the living corals in the world have died off. The script was written by David Baker, media producer with Oregon State Productions. He said that the project was originally meant to be only a series of videos created for the National Science Foundation:
“When we went on our first shoot right away we saw how dramatic this problem was.”
Talking to Local Communities
They interviewed the locals near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Red Sea off of Saudi Arabia. Before diving, they took scuba diving lessons to record coral reefs. Baker said the following:
“For our scientists it was really eye-opening because we came along and pointed our cameras at the local communities that were affected by the corals. And we did a lot of interviews with […] people who live along these reefs and derive their livelihood from it.”
Saving Atlantis has been screened first at Broadway Metro Theater in Eugene on 29 April as part of a festival circuit. It will later be streamed online.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.
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