Alumnus Rich Maskey has volunteered his skills to help make five short feature films about the people of the Underwater Realm

Alumnus Ric Maskey (Biosciences 2011) hopes the Underwater Realm films will encourage a passion for the world’s oceans

Aquatic role for cameraman

An ambitious young cameraman is volunteering his skills as part of a planned project to create five short feature films, which it’s hoped will help instil a love of the oceans across the wider public.

Alumnus Rich Maskey (Biosciences 2011) has already travelled to the Red Sea and the famous Shepperton Studios in London as part of The Underwater Realm project.

The project aims to create five short fictional films about the people of The Underwater Realm, with the vast majority of the drama taking place underwater.

Rich’s role is to create a documentary about the project, which has already entailed diving alongside the production team.

Already a qualified diver when he came to Exeter, Rich decided towards the end of his degree that he would like to pursue a career as a cameraman and editor, focussing on natural history.

He and the rest of the team hope The Underwater Realm films will encourage a passion for the world’s oceans, leading to increased protection.

“The aim of the project is to bring the oceans to the cinema, inspiring our audience, similar to the way that the BBC Frozen Planet documentaries have done for the Arctic,” he said.

“Cinema gives the opportunity to really create an impact. We hope people who see the films will fall in love with the oceans and want to go out and explore them. You can come out of the cinema, learn to dive and go and explore this world for yourself.”

Date: 20 December 2011