WATERWORLD

By Darek Kuźma

Films about restless individuals pushing the limits of their bodies and minds, going against every possible current to chase the dreams that would consume them if they were left unfulfilled, tend to be pretty inspirational affairs. Even if they glimpse at the inevitable dark side of finding gratification at any cost, they focus primarily on exploring stories of mental fortitude, physical courage and beating the odds.

The Deepest Breath documentary does not shy away from walking down this familiar path, but, because it delves into the yearnings of those who dive the oceanic depths on a single breath, without any scuba gear, it also inescapably has to deal with the heartbreaks and life-threatening situations of living on the edge of what is humanly possible.

McGann represents the freediving community via interweaved stories of Italian champion Alessia Zecchini and her soulmate, Irish safety-diver Stephen Keenan, but never loses sight of the big picture of what it actually means to pursue such an extreme sport.

When McGann invited cinematographer Tim Cragg to explore this alluring and perilous world with her, the DP did not hesitate to get involved.

“It was back in 2020 and although the project had all the extra hassle of shooting mid-pandemic, we had something like six months of prep to discuss what we wanted and to plan ahead,” Cragg recalls. “What I love about documentaries, as opposed to scripted projects that have to be more concise, is their ad hoc nature, and the time you get to shape and be shaped by the story you’re telling.”

A long prep and an unhurried shooting period proved invaluable for a project that was so ambitious location-wise. McGann and the producers were adamant to shoot in real freediving spots and places that felt essential to Zecchini’s and Keenan’s stories. Such as Dahab, Egypt, where the latter established his freediving school and the former attempted the treacherous passage through the infamous Blue Hole and its 85-foot-long tunnel beneath tons of rock.

“The project had a lot of travel to it, Egypt, Italy, the Bahamas, Mexico, France, Ireland, the Czech Republic and the US,” says Cragg. “We used footage shot by divers and had to tweak it with cinematic POVs and other imagery. Going to all of these places was a must. We started in Dahab in the summer of 2020 and wrapped in September 2021.”

It is no wonder then that Cragg lists location work as the project’s greatest challenge.

“Starting from Dahab, which was extremely hot, full of road blocks and Covid restrictions, and which didn’t have any film support, we found problems basically everywhere we went. Especially during the interviews with members of the freediving community and friends and relatives of Alessia and Stephen,” he remarks.

“Early-on, we spoke about shooting everyone in situ, on beaches or in striking locations, but as these conversations usually lasted for five or six hours, even longer with Alessia, we needed controllable environments. So we used Airbnb places, but even then there were surprises in store. In the Bahamas, for example, we had lengthy power cuts and had to run all the lights off batteries, etc.” upset as their stories are told,” he says.

Even if it is about Alessia and Stephen’s blooming romance, as well as the elations and pitfalls of people testing their limits amid the precarious serenity of the big blue, the film is also driven by a tragic accident that shook the freediving world to the core. As we are served bits and pieces of information, initially not even knowing who had actually died, The Deepest Breath plays like a suspenseful thriller.

“We wanted to capture the intimacy, the regret, the emotional weight of what happened and how it changed the people who we interviewed. In documentaries, you often have to put the craft aside and learn to let it go, to stop worrying about a flickering lamp or light coming badly through a window, and understand the importance of what you’re getting.”

Knowing all of this and recognising some of the challenges lying ahead, Cragg decided to use two 5K Red Geminis equipped with a set of Cooke 2x Anamorphics (32, 40, 50, 75 and 100mm).

“I’m currently shooting all of my documentaries using ARRI Alexa LF, but that camera hadn’t been launched back then. I wanted a true 4K camera that was flexible enough to shoot in various surroundings, and went with the Red.”

Whilst the camera is important, Cragg reveals that he perceives lenses as being even more-so.

It did not help that Cragg also had to contend with having a minimal crew.

“It was a small team. Myself, first AC Keir Byatt, sound recordist Adam Prescod and a second AC, whom we picked locally wherever we went to cover the second camera. Once you see the film, you might imagine there was a big team behind it, but one time we flew in a small private jet, and literally had to sit on top of the boxes containing the minimal amount of lights that we could fit into the plane,” Cragg muses.

Yet, having a small crew was sometimes it was a blessing in disguise.

“On a project like this your involvement isn’t just about the craft of cinematography. You’re very much part of the journey. You’re living with the director and the crew. You form close relationships with the people you shoot. You make sure they feel safe enough to bare their souls, and you often get

“I wanted something of a vintage feeling to the images, but not so vintage that it would feel like a pastiche. I love the Cookes and their softness, especially on skin tones. As we were shooting some of the interviews almost like visual exclamation marks, we wanted solid lenses that could handle big close-ups well, so that the audience could feel every muscle and every bit of tension.”

Because he was travelling with a small crew, Cragg did the lighting by himself and decided to rely on a kit consisting essentially of remotelycontrolled Aputure lamps.

“I had about 15 lights. It’s not a big package but fairly big considering the logistical and technical restrictions we were facing. I made the Aputure LS 600d my key lamp, and supplemented it with a number of Aputure 300s to cut up light in different surroundings,” he reminisces.

“As this is a story about dreamers living their dreams, even if that is at a certain cost, Laura wanted to fill the entire film with bright light and a sense of hope that acted like there was a bright window in the background, either in frame or offframe. Most of my work is sombre and dark, so this was quite a pleasant change of pace.”

Although the cinematographer tried to stay within the Aputure family to depict the joy, pride and melancholy that is deeply-embedded in the freediving world, there were times when he had to pick a different light source.

“I had a couple of Astera Helios Tubes to put behind in the locations where I had to tent-out, because I didn’t have bright enough lamps to compete with the real daylight. In Marseille and Prague I had an HMI to cover a bigger space, and I often used 12x12 negative fill, but only to the extent that it didn’t alter the way the characters are presented. This was basically it, all LEDs, all RGB and bi-colours, no filters or gels.”

London-based Big Eye Rentals provided the camera and lens package as well as the entire lighting kit and necessary grip gear, like sliders.

Yet another challenge was to make The Deepest Breath’s two visually-distinct segments – the bright, hopeful land scenes and the dark, enigmatic underwater sequences – complement one another.

“We wanted everything on land to feel cinematic, so we went for the Anamorphic 2.40:1 aspect ratio to create an impression of a visual expanse. The underwater stuff – consisting of the real footage and our shots mimicking or extending what was already shot – were intense and claustrophobic, but also sort of balletic and otherworldly,” he offers. “We thought about shooting in a tank but decided to film the real thing. When people swim or float underwater we open up to this sort of bliss of emptiness. It’s unreal, a sensation that mirrors what most freedivers are addicted to.”

To make the underwater scenes poetic and memorable, Cragg was assisted by cinematographer Julie Gautier and camera operator Florian Fischer.

“Julie is well known for her spatial imagery and was perfect for the job. Everything that goes on beneath the water level was shot on Canon C500s with spherical lenses to enhance the visual tension with what is happening up in a different world above. We later had to downgrade much of our material, add grain or deep resolution to match the archival footage. The grade, done at Molinare in London with colourist Vicki Matich, was mostly about fixing or smoothing-out what we couldn’t control during the shoot. I must say that we really used quite a lot of tricks to make The Deepest Breath look perfectly natural.”

All-in-all, as challenging and volatile as the project was production-wise, Cragg is happy with how the film turned out and hopes the viewers will more than just a film about freediving, it is a cinematic experience that is well-worth your time. recognise The Deepest Breath ’s emotional and visual bravado when they watch it on Netflix.

“Every single interview was draining. Every underwater scene was exhilarating and timeconsuming. But we all resonated with these people who pursue their dreams no matter how risky and surreal they may seem.

“I believe we made an intense, honest, enjoyable work that is rooted in the human experience and makes you look at the world with a different kind of appreciation.”

It is hard to disagree, as The Deepest Breath is