Black and white is just more artistic and dramatic...

...even on film.  Patric Douglas over at Shark Diver just sent an email with the subject line: "As black and white fans" with a link to a video put together by Richard Theiss - from RTSea Productions.  And not just as fans of black and white, but of good work - this video really captures the elegance of sharks (title of the video).  

The video is below - but I would recommend watching it directly on Youtube as you can enjoy the video in a much larger format.

Richard - excellent work, enjoy it very much - reminded me a little bit of the first scenes from David Ulloa's video.

Do you remember Shark Week during the late 80s?

Being nice to a tiger shark...

(Photo: Felix Leander / 2008)

I recorded all the Discovery Shark week episodes this week, and unfortunately I found myself fast forwarding through most of them. How absurd was Myth Busters and Surviving Sharks. It is really unfortunate - watching the show almost had a reverse effect on me; I began to doubt if I should dive with Tigers again...that is just crazy talk! Of course I will, actually this coming November.

On the flip side, a friend of mine also watched the show and has become very interested in sharks; he actually came diving with me in the hopes of seeing one - each to their own I guess.

Around the same time that Shark Week aired, Richard Theiss sent me a copy of his film Island of the Great White Shark - and how refreshing it was to watch. It reminded me of what Shark Week used to be - informative, scientific, and not in the least bit sensational.

While Richard directed, wrote, produced, and edited the film - he did not narrate it or appear in front of the camera...unlike a recent docuMEntary... :-)

So Discovery Channel - go back to the roots, take a look at Richard's film and some of your old tapes, and make a comeback in 2009.

Island of the Great White Shark

Filmmaker Richard Theiss recently released a new film titled "Island of the Great White Shark". In it he captures these beautiful animals in their habitat and chronicles the efforts of dedicated scientists, researchers, and eco-tour operators. Have a look at the promo video. The DVD is now on sale - can be bought through Amazon.