THE SIXTY ROARES AND ST. ELMO FIRE, SHOOT IN SUPER-8 FOR "PERFECT ANTARCTIC MADNESS"

One of the worst situations I experienced in polar seas was the one I suffered when accessing Antarctica through the southwest passage, from New Zealand. The Drake Passage, in the northern pass, which I would cross weeks later, is, by comparison, like a kind of placid Round Oval lake, where Princess Diana's body is found: the southern pass is really "the blender", and not Drake's!

On my route to the mythical South Magnetic Pole, it was, for me,  frightening walk stumble along the ship,  with the bowels of the steel hull groaning, beaten with cruel persistence, both bow and starboard, by colossal waves, instigated by the Sixty Roarers, as the winds are called once we exceed 60 degrees latitude.

Heading to Ross Island,  I was able to film, with Kodak Vision 200T film loaded in the ZC1000N, a rarely seen, absolutely terrifying,  natural phenomenon called St. Elmo's Fire, which I knew about thanks to the writings of Jules Verne and Herman Melville who, en “Moby Dick”, which I always have at hand, he wrote (sic): “The masts seemed to be burning completely. Saint Elmo's fire, have mercy on us!"

Pity: grain missing with the upload to the blog

Experiencing St. Elmo's Fire, with a colossal iceberg as a background, is one of those experiences that mark people's retinas for the rest of their existence, and that I was fortunate to shoot, indelibly, with Kodak Super-film. 8, probably for the first and last time in history, or is there someone else who can embark on a project like “Perfect Antarctic Madness” entirely in film? Friends, only the texture of the photochemical image, with its random grain, has the power to transmit to the viewer the fury of unforgiving nature in the face of the mortal insignificance of those of us who were there.

"PERFECT ANTARCTIC MADNESS" will be finished with Spanish narration and English subtitles at the end of 2023 or early 2024,  blow up to 16 mm. 

Festivals interested to book the film, please, write to me: WRITE HERE.   Sorry, not digital prints, ONLY REAL FILM PRINTS.

 

Contact lenses frozen!

• IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THOSE FILMMAKERS WHO WISH TO INCORPORATE SUPER-8 INTO THEIR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO:

For those readers in the professional field who believe it is convenient to offer Super-8 in their service portfolio, I always recommend Pro 8mm, the same provider used by Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee or J.J. Abrams.

My recommendation is proven: it certainly makes me proud to work with Phil and Rhonda Vigeant, whose efforts on Super-8 have been recognized by the ASC.

At Pro 8 mm they serve in Spanish and English, in the following link, and shipping to Europe takes only 3 days!

The complete catalog of products and services can be seen at the following link:

PRO 8MM