Con los terroristas. Ey Shake. Ey Shake. Ey, Ey, Ey, Ey.
I’ve enjoyed a number of the Harlem Shake renditions sweeping the net recently, but had to give a special nod to the Maayafushi dive centre at TGI Maldives for their underwater performance.
This month’s video has prompted me to add a ‘video’ tag to the Maldives Complete as the Blog now boasts 14 different video posts.
Shake, Ta. Ta. And do the Harlem Shake. Ey Shake, Ey.
Did you miss out on an Oscar again this year? Want to refine your filming technique with some world class mentoring to improve your chances with the Academy next year? Then, sign up for LUX* Maldives’ Underwater Festival 15-21 April 2013.
“An intense ensemble of water activities stretched over one week of lighter learning for keen divers, photography fanatics and water enthusiastic or just simply curious guests in search of a holiday with a difference. With a strong focus on underwater photography, the festival’s attendees have the opportunity to join training sessions with the experts throughout the week!”
Now we’re talking something a bit closer to my professional expertise – filming diving. Though my filming is more above water than under. My company, Piero, brought to the London 2012 Olympics the now infamous ‘Splashometer’ to the BBC and NBC coverage of the ‘Diving’ competition. Though I have done a bit of more conventional diving film here. Look out Spielberg!
And the winner of the ‘Best Online Video Series’ for the Maldives Academy Awards goes to…[drumroll]… Conrad Maldives Rangali
One of the first things I put on the design list for the Maldives Complete Resort Profiles was a link to videos. No matter how professional the sumptuous photography of this colourful paradise, a video is worth even more words than a picture. Even photographer extraordinaire Sakis Papadopolous has started doing more videography in his Dreaming of Maldives portfolio.
At first, I was quite frustrated by the available videos of the resorts. The worst were the pictures-set-to-music (with a bit of special effects thrown in). These slide shows really added nothing (except saving some the mouse clicks of going through a gallery. Other clips were amateur holiday clips that sometimes provided a quite thorough guided tour of the island (for the entertainment or envy of their friends and family back home).
We are starting to see some really comprehensive and well done videos on the web now. Leading the way is Rangali who have introduced their own YouTube channel of nicely done videos of everything from the Spa Experiences to Resort Jobs (subtitle: “From Life As A Submarine Driver To Window Cleaner At The Underwater Restaurant.”)
Sunshine, Camera, Action!
And gong goes to…
The Grammy for ‘Best Meditative Inspiration’ goes to…[drumroll]…Gili Lankanfushi. Nominated by Sakis of ‘Dreaming of Maldives’. He featured these ambient instruments in a recent post complete with a video so you can enjoy their soothing tones.
You can get up close and personal with musical creatures on land as well. Paradise Island features an extremely friendly family trio (mom, dad and kid) of parakeets. My Maldive expert network informs me that another resort also has one, but Paradise Island has 3! The video clip above shows just how appreciative they are of their fans!
A real international and cultural treat perfectly timed to ring in the London 2012 Olympics with the Maldives featured with bodu beru dancing on a white sand beach by a tranquil lagoon next to a horizontal palm tree. Classic.
Conrad Maldives Rangali gets the honours of hosting the cameo here. I haven’t provided the time mark of the Maldives appearance in the video because everyone should watch the entire thing.
Happy International Children’s Day!
The children are our future and in Kuramathi’s latest eco-initiative, they are taking the lead in preserving it. Both in style and in protagonist. Kuramathi has produced a charming animated video on tips for preserving the environment in the Maldives. The style might seem a little…well…childish. But it works it still works on a number of levels. First, it’s not taking itself too seriously which keeps it entertaining and helps keep people from being turned off like some preachy or pedantic approach might do. Secondly, there is no speaking. This means that people from all countries and languages can benefit from it equally. It reminds me of the cartoon videos they now use for the safety briefings on the BA flights. A little cheeky, a lot useful.
“The 10 minute plot revolves around two characters, a father and his son holidaying on a tropical island. While they are lazing around, the father unknowingly and unintentionally harms the environment in each sequence, to which the modern day, ‘eco-aware’ child halts his action, supported by an eco-brochure and corrects him by fast forwarding to the distant future in a thought bubble. The child succeeds in informing his father the right way to protect and preserve the natural surroundings. A brief synopsis of each setting describes how important it is to respect the environment and how we can go about doing it. Each sequence gives off a subliminal message to its viewers. Employing proper snorkelling etiquette by observing the fragile coral garden from a safe distance, dispersing rubbish into litter bins, and respecting nature by not touching shells, corals and other animals are key notable messages portrayed in the movie. This original masterpiece was created by Thomas Krajcovic and Matej Petrek, two Austrian students, who was invited by the Kuramathi team to spend one week on the resort, in order to study the island, and its environment and dynamics, selecting the key messages to embed into the film’s storyboard. Under our senior marine biologists’ guidance, the plot was soon finalized and later taken over by the two students for the production of the film. Due credit is also given to the generous patronage by TUI – world famous European tour operator who supported this initiative by sponsoring the flights for the two students.”
In honor of Dhivehi Language Day yesterday, we feature a post on a universal language. One familiar to speakers of all languages who dive in the Maldives.
Diving is probably most people’s first introduction to actually using sign language. That is except for the hearing impaired, of course, for whom the underwater world is just as east to converse in as above water. Worldwide Dave and Sail offers a range of diving holidays for the deaf and this week takes them to the Maldives for a wide ranging itinerary including a stop at the Kuramathi house reef.
“Ever wanted to take the plunge, but you have been unable to take that giant leap because you are D/deaf or hard of hearing? Do you find it hard to understand instructors in big classes? FRUSTRATED?? Not anymore… Welcome to Worldwide Dive and Sail where your worries will disappear. We use a wide range of communication methods to ensure that everyone can understand and participate; these being: BSL, ASL, lip-speaking, gestures and fingerspelling. We aim to accommodate everyone, whatever their communication needs are! Please note, however, that all our trips will be a mix of D/deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people.”
The trip goes from 18-28 April and includes Male, Rasdhoo, Ari,Thaa, Nilhande and Laamu atolls.
If you would like to enhance your silent vocabulary of underwater words, then I highly recommend Scuba Hanna’s YouTube channel which is the most complete collection I have found. She does an entire 3 minute video on just different signs for different species of shark, and all sorts of fish I never knew the signals for like angel fish, and clown fish.
Facebook, Twitter, Forums, Foursquare…all of this look a social media and I have not yet looked at one of the big ones, YouTube.
As it happens, the best eye to Maldivian spectacle has expanded his lens from photography to videography recently. Sakis Papadolpolous now has a collection of video vignettes for resorts he has produced available not just on his own Dreaming of Maldives site, but also on Vimeo and his own YouTube channel. They are simply the best resort videos going. Sakis does produce some seriously beautiful staged ‘mood’ shots to highlight a languid hammock or a tantalising cocktail. But he also includes plemty of panoramic material which provides a good perspective on the look and feel of the landscape itself and facility itself.
Since the inception, I have included a video of the resort in the main Profile page if there was a decent video available on YouTube. I limited myself to YouTube do to the ease of embedding into the Profile page. I limited myself to’decent’ because I loathe those fake slide-show “videos” (in air quotes) which are just the picture gallery set to music with some tired transitions. Many of my resort clips were guests simply doing a walk through to capture a feel for the resort for their friends or their own memories. Production quality not be much, but their utility and effectiveness to give people an authentic feel for the resort is invaluable.
Video is definitely taking over the web. A decent video of your resort is as much online table-stakes as an FAQ, map of the island and contact details.
I’ve now changed the videos in the Profiles to Sakis’ pieces for the resorts that he has done so far – Six Senses Laamu, Huvafenfushi, Dhonakulhi Island Hideaway and Lily Beach. Hopefully, more resorts will produce such vivid illustrations and hopefully, they will all use Sakis’ artistic talents to do so.
You don’t have to be a pro to ride the surf in the Maldives. One of the big appeals there is their long, gentle breaks. One of the best beginner breaks is ‘Prewitts Left’ near Anantara. Resident surf instructor Kym Everett explains that it has an “Easy take off and easy ending in a soft area that finishes in deep water…ideal for a someone just starting out.” Like the young lad on the video above taken at Prewitts Left. Unfortunately, the cameraman/instructor needs a bit more practice!