Anna Dimitriadis Testimonial
Professional Underwater Filmmaker Course Review by Anna Dimitriadis
“Liquid Motion made me realise that my dream really was tangible. The instruction during the Professional Underwater Filmmaker Career Course was just amazing. And it worked perfectly as things began to fall in place and my shots were soon exactly what I visualised.
Guy taught me the core techniques of underwater cinematography, but also opened my eyes to the sheer scope of creative possibility when it comes to both film and photography. He’s taught me to look at every environment I’m in and ask myself ‘how would I capture this moment?”
“Liquid Motion made me realise that my dream really was tangible”
“What brought me to the blissful Mexican island of Cozumel, on the other side of the world? Diving. And more to the point Liquid Motion Academy..”
“Liquid Motion equipped me with all the skills and creative flare that I need to work professionally, and gave me an even larger spark of passion on my journey to becoming a Professional Underwater Filmmaker…”
“About a year ago I decided I wanted a career change. Although filming along sunny European coastlines for UK TV has its perks, I quickly realised it wasn’t cutting it for my adventurous soul. Diving was something I first discovered at twelve years old, then rediscovered a few years ago and swiftly fell – head over fins – in love with. Combining a career where I could be underwater and utilise my camera-skills simultaneously seemed like a no-brainer“
“My arrival to the stunning and warm waters of Cozumel in November 2020 was pure heaven. I had booked the course at Liquid Motion Academy five months in advance and Anita and I exchanged a number of in-depth and extremely informative emails, covering everything from what I wanted to achieve whilst on the course, to finding and booking the perfect accommodation. Discovering that Anita comes from a small village close to where my family come from and travels the world, diving, filming and living on remote islands made me realise that my dream really was tangible. Anita offered me the chance to stay for a full two-months, the first three weeks to do the full Professional Filmmaker Course and then to work with Liquid Motion for the rest of my stay as an intern. In under a week, my flights were booked.
We began by concentrating on camera theory. Guy constantly adapted and tailored the course to my level and although I imagined I had a good grasp of the basics – having worked with cameras for four years – I realised there was a lot of key knowledge that I was missing.
The course uses an extensive library of footage that Anita and Guy have developed over a lifetime of filming. Through this and a range of demonstrative videos, Guy built on the basis of my camera knowledge with underwater camera skills.
Guy showed me how to achieve different camera moves to make shots more visually exciting. He also demonstrated the importance of colour temperature whilst underwater – for example – how to remove the red tinge on marine subjects using cyan light filters.
He is extremely knowledgeable about all things camera and so he was able to answer any question I threw his way. (And I had a lot!).
Armed with my new knowledge, we began to plan our first dives.”
“Soon I began to see a huge improvement in my footage and I began making progress really fast!”
“The Professional Underwater Filmmaker Course is very hands-on, so for someone like me, who had dreamed of using a professional underwater camera, the chance to finally handle one was an exciting moment. Guy first demonstrated how to set up the camera with a vacuum, and how to assure that it was always in perfect working order before hitting the water. From then on, it was my job to set up the camera before each dive, assuring that I had a solid grasp on the checklist, one that makes the difference between flooding a camera worth thousands!”
“In the water, the camera was mine to experiment with.
After every dive, we reviewed my footage and I quickly realised that without perfect buoyancy control and smooth movements, my shots weren’t and wouldn’t be good enough, so for the first few dives, this was what I worked on. Soon I began to see a huge improvement in my footage and I began making progress really fast!
Guy allowed me total creative freedom, drawing my attention to any particularly screen-worthy creatures that he found, yet otherwise keeping a few meters away allowing me to work as I wished.”
“When reviewing my footage, I found that things had really begun to fall into place, and my shots were smooth.
Right at the end of one of my boat dives, I saw a shoal of Jacks in the distance and getting the nod from Guy, I powered in their direction. I even noticed a difference in myself, in terms of the way I approached the Jacks. Instead of heading straight towards them, I came from an angle in which I sensed that they would turn. It worked perfectly and my shots were exactly what I had visualised.
Guy taught me all the core techniques of underwater cinematography, and he also opened my eyes to the sheer scope of creative possibility when it comes to both film and photography. He’s taught me to look at every environment I’m in and ask myself ‘how would I capture this moment?’ One phrase that I will forever remember is – ‘this is Fish ID!’– in other words, an unimaginative profile shot of a fish, like one you might find in a fish identification book. Guy is always looking for something more stimulating in a shot, whether it’s in the way you light it, to the angle and framing, to how you will use it in post.
The most valuable part of my time at Liquid Motion Academy, was the constructive criticism I received. Perhaps the most French person I’ve ever met, both in terms of general attitude to the world and more-so the passion he has for his work, Guy’s not afraid to give you the honest truth and he’ll keep working with you until you get it right.”
“Once I had completed the course, I began my internship, working alongside Guy and Anita on their current projects. This ranged from creating and editing content for their website and YouTube channel, to shooting their sponsorship films for corporate clients. Creating both topside and underwater videos, from storyboarding all the way to colour correcting and foley, I was able to gain a solid knowledge of the entire creative and technical process. This was invaluable experience and it made me realise the importance of planning every shot in advance. If not, I’d get to the edit and find that something wasn’t quite fitting together.
Being given complete creative freedom in the first four weeks arguably taught me more valuable lessons than in my previous four years of working in the strictly formatted world of day-time television.
“The Academy equipped me with all the skills and creative flare that I need to work professionally, and it has also given me an even greater spark of passion on my journey to becoming a Professional Underwater Filmmaker.
Thank you so much!”
“Guy taught me all the core techniques of underwater cinematography, and he also opened my eyes to the sheer scope of creative possibility when it comes to both film and photography. He’s taught me to look at every environment I’m in and ask myself ‘how would I capture this moment?’ “