Ocean Machine

 

Ocean Machine

Ocean Machine tells the story of human connection to the ocean. Through the eyes of young filmmaker Zac Cause, he reminisces on his life growing up along the sandy shores of Australia and shows that the ocean is much greater than just a resource to mankind.

Written by Zac Cause

 

Ocean Machine came to me due to my connection with the ocean, I grew up a few blocks away from the beach, and I would spend almost every day in the summer at least going to the beach for a quick dip. I always loved it, it was peaceful, fun. But I was also kind of scared of it.

I eventually became a chef and I never lost that connection. I love seafood, and once I worked my way up in the kitchen (I was working waterfront as well) I became known in the kitchen as the seafood guy. I always used most of the fish, and found ways to bring it as a forefront, and taught apprentices not to waste. But as a career, cheffing is stressful. I use to spend what short breaks I would have to actually just go down to the water, and dive under, then I would spend 15 minutes just clearing my mind before returning to the hustle of a kitchen. The ocean has just always had this profound power to calm me, and I wanted to show that the ocean means a lot more than just a breeding ground for fish.

 

Prompt

One thing I really tried to play up was an immersive experience. I tried to craft a lot of sound design into the film, and areas that I let breathe within the film without narration were done after narrating some points of sensory information (the smell, the sound…). I’m also really pleased that due to COVID it put some limitations on filming, and it caused me to take a different route. As a result, it really made me dive into the personal narrative and explore my own emotional connections to the subject; which I think overall the best way to have people reflect and experience the environment within the film, is through an emotional connection.