Discover the North Sea
A mini-documentary created for The Marine Environment Department of the FPS Health.
From the fascinating seascapes created by the sand mason worm to the sandy stretches, gravel beds, and lively hideouts around shipwrecks and windmills: the film 'Explore the North Sea' takes you on a captivating journey into the underwater life of our sea.
My role
For this project, I took on the roles of writer, director, and editor. The Marine Environment Department of the FPS Health approached us with a request for a short documentary on the hidden habitats of the Belgian North Sea. While we had some footage from previous work with Onze Natuur (filmed by Pim Niesten and Dick Harrewijn), it mostly featured coastal scenes, so we couldn't solely rely on it. To capture more, we faced challenges like the high cost of underwater filming equipment, transportation, and the unpredictable underwater conditions. Given the limited budget, we reached out to Sven Van Haelst of VLIZ, a marine archaeologist with extensive underwater research footage.
My task involved reviewing Sven's footage, selecting high-quality and relevant clips for the story, and then crafting the narrative. To enhance the story, we decided to shoot an additional scene, filmed by Tommy Vuylsteke. Securing a narrator's voice was the next step; initially narrated in Dutch by Bram Verrecas, I later created an English version as requested by FPS Health, providing the voice myself.
For those interested in delving deeper into the restoration of our North Sea habitats, you can find more information on the FPS Health website.