The Rag Trade, one year in....

C

CanonMan

Guest
Hi all,
Thought it would be an idea to bring people up to speed on the goings on at liquidmocean, a trend I started last year I think.

Anyway, the rag trade, moreso, the rag trade in Bali. I came into this with the idea, as so many before me, to create a brand synonymous with the surf sub culture that exists on the island. I come from a mainly underwater filming background and thought it would be a nice departure to try something a bit different, whilst retaining that link with the Ocean. The experience one and a half years later sees us realizing that this, the clothing options, may not be our calling. The competition is strong, mainly from entities who can afford mass ordering in bulk direct from manufacturers in Java and even China, we couldn't compete with that. Whilst our budget was small for this we managed, and still do, to make enough for the company to run itself. Not once have we had to delve into our savings to bail it out on a monthly basis and we've always managed to put a small part by, back into the coffers. Not having any experience in this sector it certainly opened our eyes. Whilst we do still sell a few items through four outlets on Bali we are looking to slowly remove the clothing aspect of liquidmocean.

Initially the name liquidmocean was the online representation of my main filming and photographic exploits. Sticking to what I know best seems to be the best way forward so I'm once again picking up the movie cameras, dusting off the dive gear and heading back to water in a filming capacity. Another aspect of the new direction is the fact that the company will also start to make dedicated surf and splash housings for digital cinema cameras. Surf photographers and underwater shooters in environments such as pools and shallow waters need not carry a super heavy rig when one made from composites right here in Bali will suffice. After signing NDA's with a couple of camera companies, one being RED Digital Cinema possibly the most ballsy of all camera ranges owned and run by the billionaire that started and owned the Oakley brand for many years, we now have camera blue prints for two of the leading cameras on the market. The first housings should be ready by the end of October, the prototype and sea tests to follow with already interest from a number of production entities. Where that goes, time will only tell.

Having also won an EMMY Award last year for cinematography for contributions to the National Geographic series 'Great Migrations' I feel there is still more that I want to do and explore as an underwater shooter / producer. The adventures of the years spent shooting a wide range of species is just too damned addicting to let go completely. Currently embarking on a project assessment that will see me bouncing around some islands in the Pacific and Indonesia in search of some pretty wild critters if it gets pulled off, mainly sharks, for a planned production.

So, to wrap, whilst the clothing adventures led us down a crazy path that we feel so many people also experience it allowed me to realize that, in my case, it's best to stick with what one knows. Risks work for some, for others it seems to always just be out of reach....but you gotta keep trying, as you never know where it will take you.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the update, I thought you had cracked it with the clothing line from the earlier posts.
Look forward to the seeing the shark project come together, for some sharks time seems to be running out with the amount of finning happening around the world.
While I got my new dive camera which we discussed and had a great time learning to use it in Sipadan they have a professional video diver on every dive who puts together a great video at the end which you can purchase which of course we did as he caught so much more of all the dives.
Maybe when you get the camera cases up and running you could get a team together for some of the better dive operators in Bali.
 
The clothing industry is fickle with so many people starting businesses and then folding in such a short timeframe kinda made our minds up for us. We had great potential orders but in reality these turned out to be pipe dreams and illusions of grandeur when it came to those making the orders. As much as we enjoyed the foray into that genre of business it's the camera work and photography that remains my true calling. Nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. We took a brief peek and decided, for the most part, the clothing industry is not where we will be concentrating. We do still help a few people with product, people from Europe etc but they are proven clients with ongoing needs. We will not be looking to expand that particular client base.

On the imaging front though I'm soon to open a photo gallery in Sanur and plans with the productions etc are ongoing. There are plenty of stories to be told from around Indonesia as well so will be developing a project timeline in due course. Aiming mainly for TV so not too much in the tourist diver filming realm.

In order to cover costs during seven years living and working around Micronesia in the past I also had a small photographic and underwater video concession on the island of Palau that worked very well. The problem with that in relation to here is that there you have a wide range of omni present marine 'mega-fauna' like sharks, manta, dolphin, pilot whales, turtles and eagle rays that would be seen frequently throughout the year, even the occasional salt water croc. I have known videographers come to Bali with the idea to provide such services etc from land based operators and that kinda dies a slow death. The lack of anything big in the local dived waters, except the Mola Mola and possibly Mantas in Nusa Penida, put paid to any real potential to that side of things. Also in Palau you could sell a DVD of a dive to a diver featuring them in amongst schooling sharks, barracuda or with manta's swooping past them for around $60 to $175 a pop depending on the exclusivity level requested by the diver. I don't think you could do the same thing with them looking at a Nudibranch at Seraya Secrets or amidst a flock of discover divers at the USS Liberty wreck. The only option I think for it to work here would be from a liveaboard based perspective. Another weak point is the massive expense for the gear to then trust it to the hired local shooter. At the end of the day their lack of discipline to clean and prep the gear on a daily basis could well be a headache best left for someone else.

The housings we are building are meant specifically for surf and wet environment, pool, filming applications. They will also feature a video out wet connector so pool shooters, ad companies and controlled sequences can then be tethered to a surface monitor for the director to make adjustments, relayed via hand signals and or surface comms to the camera op. We've had good interest even locally, a movie studio in Ubud making great noises about orders etc. Hoping that all goes well.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
Thanks Mark, an interesting read. Clearly you have learned much from this venture, and I am sure the knowledge will be significant asset as you move forward. You comparison of tourist economies in Palau and Bali is interesting. Makes you think about why it is you can charge a high price in one location, but not another.
 
Hey Ron,
As ever I believe it's down to the simple factor of Ego. In a place where sharks are so prevalent, and mantas, turtles and all other forms of marine 'mega-fauna' divers like to have bragging rights with their buddies and non diving friends. "Look at me hanging with fifty Gray Reef sharks on Palau's Blue Corner dive site, cool eh"? This then brings to light the state of marine conservation efforts to protect that which attracts the massive SCUBA Travel Industry bucks.

In a country similar to Indonesia fishermen are more interested to earn $10 today for the fins of a shark and thus feed his family rather than think of the value placed on the actual lifetime benefit that same shark to a local community when it becomes an integral draw factor for dive tourists. Look at many models where species prevalent in local or impoverished areas have led to improved revenues to fishermen who turn from fishing to guiding. Cendarawasih Bay in Raja Ampat and Donsol in the Philippines are two such locations that spring to mind. Further afield I believe it's been estimated that each shark in the Bahamas that is a resident at many of the staged shark feed dives is valued greater than gold in weigh given the revenue it generates in it's average lifetime in tourist dollars, and all just for doing what sharks do best, eat!

Sadly in Indonesia, or in Bali at least, the predominant encounters on dives tend to be reef fish species, cephalopods and invertebrates. These, whilst certainly attractive and curious, would not hold the same value from a souvenir DVD perspective as hanging with the bigger marine fare.

Cheers,
Mark.

To get things into perspective, sorry for the high compression......

[video=vimeo;6617904]http://vimeo.com/6617904[/video]
 
I hadn't really thoght about it but your right it's the massive schools of bara, jackfisn and bumpheads plus turtles that gives my Sipadan video the showoff factor.
Mind you in saying that you can make a nudibranch look very interesting, nice video thanks for sharing.
If you ever need someone to hold your camera bag underwater you know where to find me.
 
If I was you I would look at doing some kind of digital interactive "book" for the ipad. I am not a Mac geek, but I have heard you can do some good stuff using their ibook software. You probably already have a lot of photos and video, so it would just be a matter of putting it together, or paying someone to put it together. Initially it would be a bit of work, but once it's complete, not much else to do other than a bit of marketing which you could do on your blog/facebook page.
 
Pretty cool shot of the chrinoid shrimp! Already difficult to spot in the first place let alone filming.
 
Cheers all,
For some reason, maybe the wife can enlighten me, but I've always been able to show the smaller things in good light ;) Had a great time a few years back in Lembeh Straits in northern Sulawesi, filming for a personal project over a period of a month. The resulting film got the Palme du Public at the 34th Antibes World Festival of Underwater Films and Imaging.

Sadly a lot of my stock master footage and equipment was damaged beyond repair in a house fire before arriving in Bali. That and losing about 75% of my Manta and Shark stock from Micronesia in 2004 when I had no option but to watch it, and the house I was in, get destroyed by a Typhoon, but that's another story.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
Big Fish and more...

CanonMan said:
Cheers all,
For some reason, maybe the wife can enlighten me, but I've always been able to show the smaller things in good light ;) Had a great time a few years back in Lembeh Straits in northern Sulawesi, filming for a personal project over a period of a month. The resulting film got the Palme du Public at the 34th Antibes World Festival of Underwater Films and Imaging.

Sadly a lot of my stock master footage and equipment was damaged beyond repair in a house fire before arriving in Bali. That and losing about 75% of my Manta and Shark stock from Micronesia in 2004 when I had no option but to watch it, and the house I was in, get destroyed by a Typhoon, but that's another story.

Cheers,
Mark.
Click to expand...

Mark,

Maybe you should just write a book about your trials and tribulations - that would be a best seller by the sounds of it!!
Interesting what you say about the lack of big fish species. I stay on Lembongan and there is rarely a lack of 'big' fish. I do recall that when David Attenborough was asked many years ago (and he was an avid Scuba diver) which country on earth had the greatest diversity above and below the water - he said Indonesia.

In my mind seeing big(ish) species should be reserved for those who are prepared to travel and rough it a bit. If there were lots of places where you could get off a A380 and be touching whale sharks within 1 hour everyone would be doing it...... Oops, Lombok airport is already underway!!

James
 
Haha, hey Jaffa,
I'm six chapters into An Ordinary Life? but the writing fits come in spits and spurts. Not sure if, when it would ever be done, seems more like a cool way to write down my life experience.

Don't hold your breath on this one.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
Cheers for all the feedback. To round out the discussion that went on to underwater video options within Indonesia this is a short (14min) film that I shot in the northern Sulawesi region. It has narration from a buddy of mine which was imperative seeing as I sound like Mickey Mouse on Helium! If anyone here has dived the Lembeh Straits they will have seen some of this Indonesian dive fare, this short took about a month to film, 80 dives in total...

Enjoy,
Mark.

[video=vimeo;6623189]http://vimeo.com/6623189[/video]
 
Sipadan

kiwi said:
Hi Mark,
While I got my new dive camera which we discussed and had a great time learning to use it in Sipadan they have a professional video diver on every dive who puts together a great video at the end which you can purchase which of course we did as he caught so much more of all the dives.
Click to expand...

Kiwi, your post brought back memories from more than 20 years ago.. I'd almost forgotten that I actually spent six months ghost-writing Michael Wong's book Sipadan: Borneo's Underwater Paradise probably the 1st ever photo book on Sipadan.
I take no credit for the pics - they were all Michael's and selected from literally thousands of (mostly) great shots - my involvement was to write all the text 'as told by...." and somehow I never managed to get my feet wet!

Ah such are the memories of a hack for hire!:drunk:

Canonman... sorry to hear about the rag-trade side of life, but one lives & learns - hope it didn't cost you too much.
 
Last edited:
Cheers SHoggard,
Sounds like a great memory, to have been involved with the book etc.

Re the rag trade, nahh, we were fortunate enough that we were prudent not to dive full in. Keeping some in reserve etc for rainy days as the saying goes. Which will probably now get blown on cameras again! Haha, and so the wheel spins...

Thanks,
Mark.
 
Hi Mark,

With all due respect, I think it is a bonus to the rest of us that the rag trade hasn't been so kind to you. Your talents are wasted on making a few t-shirts. Your photography is awesome! I had an entire marine research laboratory in awe the other day when we all watched your 'Majesty of Muck' video - truly incredible. Your photography is mind boggling and a nice reminder to many that some of smallest creatures are actually the most enthralling. I've had a few trips for my work where the emphasis has been looking at lobster phyllosoma down to microscopic levels and the trials and tribulations that can occur at the smallest scales is as exciting, if not more, than the charismatic megafauna that people seem to get all warm and fuzzy about. I'm lucky - I get to see whales, dolphins, manta's, sharks etc on a daily basis but would rather watch a cephalopod in action any day.

Thank you for sharing your video's. Truly sensational pieces of work.

Regards,
Adam
 
Cheers Adam,
I think the wife is also backing up your sentiments, asking why we too that slight detour. Just thought something different would add another cool dimension to the liquidmocean name, happy to back focused on the camera work.

Looking closely at anything reveals struggles and tribulations of epic proportions. I truly love swimming with the big stuff, I've been commissioned on many occasions to do so but there is also a part of me that is super intrigued with the microscopic stuff too.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
Hi Mark, I'm adding my two cents worth of atta boy for all your work, still and video. All of us have been ooohing and aaahhing over your beautiful film. Congratulations.
 
Cheers everyone, much appreciated. One plan I have formulating is to produce a small documentary on the Whalesharks over in Cendarawasih Bay, Raja Ampat. Could be good for my next short film....

Cheers,
Mark.
 
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