OPERATING UNDERWATER•BRADEN HAGGERTY
BRADEN HAGGERTY•OPERATING UNDERWATER Main picture: Braden Haggerty shooting on Altered Carbon, photo by Herb DeWaal. Opposite: filming on Pachinko, photo by Connor Lucas.
PLUCKY DIPPER By Michael Goldman
D
espite the obstacles she overcame as a woman of colour in the largely male-dominated field of underwater cinematography, Vancouver-based Braden Haggerty has “found a satisfying corner of the market in British Columbia” as one of the most sought-after underwater camera operators. Haggerty started in the industry first as an extra, then in stunts, then in safety diving and as a camera assistant, and now works routinely as an underwater operator on major projects in that part of the world. She has a long list of credits, including recent TV series such as Apple TV+’s Pachinko (2022, DP Florian Hoffmeister BSC/Ante Cheng), Netflix’s Breathe (2022, DPs Jon Joffin ASC/Alicia Robbins), and Disney’s feature Peter Pan & Wendy (2022, DP Bojan Bazelli ASC)
Haggerty emphasises that none of this would have been possible without a solid base from Concordia University’s film production programme (in Montreal) and the mentorship of underwater cinematographer Pauline Heaton CSC, the first female underwater cinematographer in Canada to routinely work on major film productions. “When I went to film school, I worked in the equipment room, and really got to learn the film cameras of that era,” Haggerty recalls. “But I also loved being in the water and had my diving certification. I wondered if I could put that together with cinematography, and a friend told me to look up Pauline when I went back home to Vancouver. She ran a company called Watervisions, and that is where I started my underwater training in the early ‘90s.” Haggerty points out that underwater cinematography has evolved significantly
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since those days. “Back in ‘90s, the underwater assistant worked in the water because you pulled focus right off the housings,” she recalls. “The system I use nowadays has the operator pulling focus from the surface remotely from a cable – they don’t even need to be a diver. Instead of being hands-on the camera, the assistant is wireless at a distance. “I was fortunate to work alongside the camera when I was assisting, and that gave me extra water time to hone my diving skills and be a part of what was happening underwater. “Today, for the most part, when I’m in the water, there is the main cinematographer involved, and that person is working off an image sent from the underwater camera through a video cable to a calibrated monitor where they can manage their light levels and other things with the help of a DIT and gaffer. I’m in the water operating the camera and helping to coordinate putting the shots together with the talent and
the underwater crew. “I used to be a lot more involved with the lighting, as I would have to take all light meter readings. But really, for me, the biggest difference from when I started is that you now know what you have exactly – like focus and exposure – at the time of the shoot, just the same as on land, because it is all digital and you don’t have to wait for dailies to show up.” How hard was it as a woman of colour to break into this specialised industry sector? I have been fortunate – it has been very egalitarian for the most part. I remember early in my career, in the mid-90’s, being on Highlander, and I did not know either the director or the DP – both of whom were male. They came to me and said it was time to do the underwater sequence, and plainly said, ‘You tell us what to do.’ Underwater work is such a mystery to so many people, and they showed a lot of respect because
I knew what had to be done. But you have to be confident in what you tell them. As you get more experience, and things get more complicated, you have that behind you and you speak with more confidence. I think that is where the respect came from. I’ve always gone about it with mutual respect. There may have been times, I suppose, where I was not hired, and a man was chosen instead simply because of gender. But here in Vancouver anyway, I haven’t really felt that way much. But I do wish I had been more aggressive about promoting myself. When I talk to women in this industry, one thing I realise is we are not as good as we should be at self-promoting, even when we work really hard to show we know what we are doing. But it has changed for the better in terms of more opportunities for women in the last five years or so.” Is your attention simply on the creative job of filming actors in the water?
I like to come in as sort of an underwater coordinator and help production in early meetings and come up with a plan of attack. What is the best-sized pool? What depth should the tank be? It can be hard to find tanks, so you have to figure out what body of water you can use. And then, you have to work through all the potential safety concerns. Another big thing is working with the art department. If they don’t have a lot of experience with underwater sets, I can help guide them in a lot of very important directions, so you don’t end up with a set that doesn’t work. I’ve seen, in the past, sets made of Styrofoam or wood, which don’t sink. And certain materials can really impact visibility. You need to avoid those problems ahead of time, and it’s best to use your underwater expert to help coordinate those things. As much as possible, I try to be included in those conversations. I’m also involved in making sure the tank is prepared correctly. We recently found a new fabric
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