Out of the Blue

“In this Virtual Reality film, Sylvia Earle invites viewers into an incredible journey through time from past to present inside the marine heritage of a fishermen community in Mexico, in the region of Baja California Sur. Here, we adopt the perspective of Judith, once a little girl who is now a mother belonging to this fishermen community of Cabo Pulmo. It is Judith’s son,Yerick, who will inherit this priceless legacy from his family: an ocean which is alive.
“My desire was to bring an immersive experience to the viewer, not only through space, but also through time. I’ve previously employed the use of cartoons to tell compelling stories and travel to areas which were difficult to access. The past is one of those places you
cannot revisit with a camera. By using animation, we are able to document this period and bring this story to life in a visceral and dramatic way.
“The film uses 360 degree creative spaces to take the viewer on a journey through the lives of a Mexican family of former fishermen.Viewers experience a wholly immersive space.The past is travelled through via animation, but in the present, the viewer flies through the town of Cabo Pulmo before diving into its underwater heritage with magical sea creature encounters, all thanks to 360 underwater technology, 360 drone technology and 360 topside technology.
“These technological storytelling devices brings the viewer into a completely new and innovative immersive experience by allowing them to explore in full 360 degrees the most hopeful and rich legacy left by a community to its children today.

“Their imagination is triggered through animated tales, and emotions are awakened when invited into the intimate relationship of a mother with her child. A 360 degree underwater experience allows the viewer to be closer to wild ocean animals than they’ve ever experienced before.
“Music, sound effects and voiceover accompany the intense, emotional and poetic experience of the viewer through the film to create a deep connection with the Castro family and allow the audience to feel first hand the challenges they’ve been through, as well as the choices they’ve made to allow positive change for the children of today and tomorrow.
“Yerick’s mother’s voice is like a love letter to her child which we, as outsiders, are privileged to hear and to feel. Her words go directly to your heart, while the environment we evolve into is astonishing. This is an intimate and moving experience to feel the emotions of a little girl, grown into a committed and loving mother, pass on a legacy to her child which has taken years of family commitment.
“As a director, creating a linear story in 360 requires the consideration of every choice a viewer has. Directing a feature documentary film in VR is completely different to a traditional format.This was a wonderful and exciting experience, with complete freedom given to creativity.This was a new opportunity to invent immersive content and to finesse and master the 360 space to ensure the viewer never misses an action or emotion. As with so many non-for-profit films, ‘Out Of The Blue’ relies heavily on the incredible generosity of the talents of many.
“Shooting ‘Out Of The Blue’ in Mexico and working with a team coming from all over the world (the US, France, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Russia and Mexico) was a great privilege for me. The VR in this film allows each viewer to take the same journey our crew undertook ourselves with Yerick, his mother Judith and their community of Cabo Pulmo. Thanks to the sacrifice of this family and the power of Virtual Reality, we now are able to enjoy a unique reality and understand the benefits for each of us and for our children to make a small sacrifice in order to preserve one of the most precious things in the world. I am honoured to partner alongside such an inspiring family who have now become a model to the world of conservancy and an example to communities worldwide.”