Private and confidential
Not to be shared.
ROLE OF SCIENCE AND WAYS IN WHICH WE WILL EXPLORE THIS IN THE FILM:
We will be contrasting the “art” of empathy and expressive dance with the science it relates to through moving conversations with experts.
Using these two strands of Dances with Whales to educate people about the most fascinating creatures on earth, why we are drawn to them, why they sing to us, what they may be trying to tell us and why we should probably listen.
Ultimately, what can we learn from whales about bonding, kindness, communication and survival?
Recently I spoke at Brian Green’s WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL on queer ecology, a lecture I secretly named “WHALES ARE GAY”. Expanding on the facts and observed behaviours in humpback whales of their deep queerness.
Example: Females pair off for most of a calf's childhood, and the partner whale will wet nurse the newborn with her own milk. Male humpbacks will have their “ heat run”, when up to 30 of them will follow one female in a 30 k m long sexually charged marathon of showoffery.
When the female stops and chooses one male to mate with, the rest will expend their pent up sexual energy in a massive cuddle puddle that can turn into a big gay orgy.
This behaviour is common in Tonga as this is where they mate. See the shot list attached, for some of the incredible phenomena witnessed by our myself here.
Science is a character
We will explore the scientific aspects of the story by filming our group discussions on board the boat, before and after whale dance encounters. Featuring our 90 % indigenous cast of dance communicators, free divers, musical communicators and a poet. Plus Indigenous Elders, marine biologists and even linguists and a neuroendocrinologist. The latter to address the neurochemistry of empathy in whales - the same as us: oxytocin. Chloé’s research focus for the last 10 years.
And filming later on land with more experts, discoursing in groups in their own spaces.
Science as a character will provide the opportunity for lively banter between “the colony’s” ideas of what science should be, and what it really is: An infinite investigation into reality and our ability to perceive it.
A good reframe to start with is to realise that populist science is really the cis straight white Victorian male ideal of how nature should work, and indeed their own projections of why whales and all animals behave the way they do. Infact, the projection is so strong, most of the time, in our scientific track record, we have ignored behaviours blindly, because we didn't’ expect them. And it did not suit our narratives, supremacist and separatist over nature as they were and are.
So yes, in all it's destructive, repressed, binary, heteronormative splendour - we will dissect this blindsightedness, with live footage and experts to back us.
Hopefully expanding our ability to see the more objective reality, especially once we remove our restrictive lenses, inherited from these past repressing, projectors and declarers of absurd arbitrary decrees of scientific dogmas.
Inviting discourse with such radical ecofeminist / queer ecologists as Karen Barad, Donna Harroway and many others. We expect to laugh with, and at, this character called “science”. Nature is pretty hilarious.
Because after all, what is science but yesterday’s magical, inexplicable mysteries of the world, brought to proof, by name, category, testing and definition - providing tomorrow’s ABSOLUTE TRUTHS of knowledge.
Until the next radical thinker.
Or until we forget it almost completely and then remember, centuries later of course. When we take the time to listen to indigenous scientific knowledge keepers. That too.
That's why the Socractic constant questioning and re-questioning of ourselves and our own projections and biases is so key. This will be a huge element in the film.
We will be fuelling the potential discussions of scientific knowledge from an Indigenous perspective, truths about reality, science, nature and beyond…that we have forgotten as a species. By the historical systematic erasing campaigns of destruction led by colonialism.
Intriguingly, one indigenous concept we will explore here is around the construct of “linear time”. See section on Artistic Approach.
On the focus of interspecies communication, connection and artistic expression…
We will invite conversations with marine biologists, linguists, physicists and multiple Australian First Nations Elders. Indigenous people in Australia have had a relationship for millenia with these whales, so they will be our primary authority here.
I will attempt to make renowned and respected modern scientists feel comfortable enough to say what they really think and feel.
Often, especially in marine biology in my experience, scientists are terrified to even allow themselves to explore or express ideas of animal sentience, care or even complex social structures. Terrified they will seem soft, hippy or too feminine, (All negative, weak attributes apparently.).
So sadly this fear of being discredited, laughed at or losing tenure in institutional tracks etc, is making people avoid looking in certain corners of unknown.
E.G. : Only in 2013 was it finally proven and agreed that the majority of humans make oxytocin all day long. Experiencing empathy and connection. Before that we were all told it was only women in labour or lactating who make oxytocin. And no one went any further.
This phenomenon in wild animal research disciplines, is equally led by old power dynamics and hierarchies, and has stagnated science for long enough.
ARTISTIC APPROACH - VISUAL STYLE AND ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Visually the world of the whales will be shot very differently than the world of our dancers and their fellow land and air animals.
The blue world will be in a more cinematic aspect ratio - Anamorphic 2:39, allowing our audience to embody the vastness of our planet’s oceans. The shift everytime we descend will emphasise our very real feeling of tight held-ness from the ocean, the way the water presses on you comfortingly from all sides, holds you up and “has you” in a nurturing way. It will feel endless and vast yet all around and enclosed on all sides almost. It’s hard to describe but thats what it feels like. Especially in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Intimate moments between two or more whales, Mothers and calves, friends and partners … as well as between human and whale will be transmitted with the intercut macro style close up shots, demonstrating connection, care and tenderness.
Above the water, just at water level, we will use a 185 spherical lens for a more homopedestrian, cluttered and chaotic feeling. The moments when we prep to go down it is very overwhelming. And everyone’s nervous system is concerned about what lays beneath. Sharks, zealous whales and who knows what other unknowns. But once we descend the whole world changes.
Eventually after enough moments post our character’s transformational journeys, we will keep the aspect ratios of our infinite ocean blue but above sea level. As long as nature is central in those frames. I wish to transmit that calm and the feeling of deep care, the feeling of being seen and even loved by a whale … all that can and does follow you back to the surface. And onward from there into your life. It makes you at one with nature and how much we are it and it is us.
This will be supported hugely by a stellar soundtrack. The original soundtrack will so far be:
A co-creation between Cosmo Sheldrake, (hopefully also Son Lux), and the whales themselves.
The artists on board will sing and make live music for the whales this also will feature in the film.
Further budget is set aside for contemporary indigenous Australian artists, ideally in the lead on guest collaborative songs.
Electric fields, (A proudly queer Australian indigenous pop duo), have been approached and Nai Palm/ Hiatus Kaiyote is being approached in May, face to face in Melbourne.
As well as featuring, hopefully some traditional indigenous songs from those particular seas, (all to be signed off on by the appropriate elders of those nations, in deeply attentive consultation.) Including Australian First nations, Tongan, further Pacific Islander nations and potentially some from the Aotearoa Māori elders that are connected spiritually to whales.
Part of the soundtrack will be the phenomenally emotive and expressive whale song.
Cosmo Sheldrake, the composer has created multiple albums that only use animal sounds to create and remix compositions using their expressions.
Complex fish language and other ocean sounds is all that is used here as Cosmo’s incredible palet for a reimagined soundscape for the BBC:
https://youtu.be/mkraAQbpC8A
ENJOY this with headphones, it’s glorious
Shorter Clip of newer improv here:https://youtu.be/c1pACvWZwGE
Here is his website link tho his latest release WILD WET WORLD
https://www.cosmosheldrake.com/music/wildwetworld
Discussions on board will undoubtedly include the whale song, that is sooooooo loud ww dive down into the water. It shakes you to you core and leaves no cell un vibrated.
I often explain that dancing to these live concertos feel like concepts of Suzuki or Butoh, your cells are moved for you.
It’s a phenomenal feeling.
I want to share that with our audiences at home.
In a perfect world. I would get an Dolby Atmos grant and work with binaural (head shaped) microphones to gather that experience as close as we can, and to include in the special cut of the film.
No one has proven what Whale song is about. It never leads to mating. So that’s a fallacy for sure.
Chloé has ideas that it could be an oral history as it doesn’t change, year to year for our humpback whale friends.
However, it does have sections added each season.
Perhaps updates on what has recently occurred. Breaking news in whale time anyway.
So what are they singing about ?
Chloé thinks it’s obviously an expression of their experience of existence, obviously and their feelings on his.
Like all beings. Art is expression.
So this could include Celebratory highs and joy about community, connection, abundance, safety, love, family and bonding.
But it really does feel like a big section of this long standing song, is a clear lament.
Perhaps a lament for the loss of their habitat, safety, food abundance and loved ones. After all, the incidence of deaths due to mass whale strandings after seismic and sonic boom testing in the ocean, (for oil), is on the rise.
Food sources are disappearing, sharks and other predators are growing more and more desperate and attacking calves more often.
And temperatures are also rising. Fish and phytoplankton are in dramatic decline. Phytoplankton’s main food source is the Phosphorus and nitrogen in the whales' Faecal plumes, (their giant poops.)
And phytoplankton is today responsible for 60 % of our oxygen. So no wonder as the myriads of interconnected systems collapse, that we are getting increased dead zones in the sea, with zero oxygen.
I think it’s fair to conclude that these ancient altruistic creatures who experience deep love for each other in the same neurochemical soup that we do, are singing a sad song.
But this is one of our questions at sea. We wish to undo even the human construct of bad and good experiences. How we attribute a value judgement to moments in our lives. When really it’s all just strings to the next thing. And even the saddest moments in life, are often a sort or rebirthing and or death cycle, waiting to explode into a bloom of new possibilities and hope.
This is another thought Chloé had: inspired by sleeping and working day and night while listening to whale song live, for 8 days in October 2022.
Maybe they don’t do sad or happy songs.
Maybe like the poetic beauty in our sadness. It’s all just a tide of neurochemical intensity to them.
Who are we to decide what is positive or negative, perhaps whales experience more volumes of intensity?
With varying forces of waves, that are beautiful, emotive and poignant…
So no wonder they are attracted by our emotiveness when we sing and play our own live music. And come to the boat to listen to us. Dancing and looking us in the eye when we sing with heart.
And no wonder that the ignition of our modern global conservation movement, has been partially credited to the first LP “Songs of the Humpback Whale” being released by Katye Payne in 1970. This credit was given by Katye and her ex Roger Payne. They as well as Seas shepherd and Greenpeace founder Paul Watson all feel that the blessed “Hippies”, in their immense openness, at that time, really received the expressionate messages of these whales. They felt something was being expressed, actual feelings. And it was definitely music. That relational breakthrough made many people wake up to the SAVE THE WHALES MOVEMENT.
And now we have COP26 and Greta.
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IDEAL SITUATEDNESS OF THE CREATIVE TEAM,
PROPER PROTOCOLS AND AUTHORSHIP with ATSI and BIPOC ARTISTS:
With regards to the elders Chloé wishes to acknowledge and centralise the Butchulla people, of K’Gari, aka Fraser island.
The Yugambeh people who are around the Gold Coast, where she has met many whale.
She will focus on elders also from a few of the clans that make up the Bundjalung Nations, around Byron bay and Nguthunguli, or Julian Rocks - where many whales, mantas and turtle dance duets have been had by her.
The Turrbal and Yaggera people, of Meanjin, or Brisbane, where her production office is.
And of course Tongan elders from Vava’u , the main island group where the most amount of filming has and will occur.
All of these are the original custodians of the lands and seas where this film is made. Places where stories, culture and art have been created and shared for millennia.
Chloé will be recognising their ancestors, and their past, current and future elders; whose sovereign countries were literally never ceded.
Australia always was, and always will be, aboriginal land.
Some of the risks around sharing Indigenous knowledge. And why it is delicate. The reasons why we will work with as many key creatives from ATSI and Pacific Islander cultures as well as the growing list of advisers on Indigenous safety.
E.g. For a start: An indigenous Australian from one “mob” cannot simply learn a ceremonial dance from another nation. It is protected and belongs to that cultural group only for a certain time or event that calls on that ceremony and if not, only approved by the elders of that group.
I often explain this to white people as: Imagine that a Muslim person decided that the traditional hymns and outfits or the even ceremonial movements of a Catholic communion really inspired them. So they wished to learn the moves, the music and the ceremonial stages of a communion as an artistic performance or or even the theme of a party? Or a club night? Why not sure?
That usually gets the message across about why amongst many other reasons, we don’t do that.
A gap in that lesson of course, is that Christianity overall, wasn’t much oppressed in recent times.
But that Christian missionaries systematically destroyed the very indigenous spiritual practices and entire cultures of people, all over the world. Including in Ireland, again a useful example, when relating to a person who may not realise their own racist unconscious biases. Ireland helps white people relate to indigenous people everywhere. I learnt this living and working in remote Indigenous Australian communities, as an Irish ( Spanish/Italian / Belgian) person who had many many difficult conversations with some white Australians who needed my Irish comparisons to see the light, as it were.
Additional Side Note: In both Tonga and the remote Indigenous communities I have worked in, There has always been a massive presence of Christianity. In fact missionaries still travel to these places in private planes regularly to keep pushing their messages. Some I came across were from Texas. Go figure.
It is a complex and nuanced phenomenon that exposes dissonance with practices that involve toplessness for traditional body painting, for example. I find it infuriating but I try to be as delicate as possible and respect the wholeness of the cultural duality as it is today. Especially working in sacred country like Arnhem land, up North in Australia. To be a guest there is very special, a total honour. And as a woman, when I work there, I must cover my legs and arms in the 45 celsius degrees heat, (my male co - worker does not.) An impact of the Christian narrative.
She is approaching two new Australian indigenous women filmmakers this week also. Chloé has no issues with having 3 or even 4 directors working on the film overall and even on varying boats and elements of the productions.
Especially as a huge aspect explained to her by a new collaborator: Brenda Akele Jorde pointed out: As a director who is also part of the group of main characters/ dancers it will will be very challenging to actually direct when we are shooting. So Between the brilliant eyes of our DPs, under and over water and our other directors I think it will be ok. Katie McNeice is definitely one. But Brenda may be one also. See attached doc for her website links. She is a Ghanese / german, woman of colour and a documentary filmmaker. She has come onboard very recently and is fast becoming a key voice and crucial adviser. Her feature doc “The Homes we carry” is truly beautiful and representing other cultures to her own from Mozambique and South Africa with a care and sensitivity that is very skilled and directly connecting us to the main character and their inner lives.
Outside of the indigenous realm, Chloé has the bliss of having many filmmaking mentors, one of which is Irish documentary filmmaker Kim Bartley, she spent three years with her protagonist: Charmaine Weed, a spectacular person, and a Native American bareback horse racer, who is also a lesbian. For their beautiful and emotive film “Pure Grit”.
Kim is a in depth mentor to Chloé and apart from loving her film deeply, and this being the dream pick for Chloé as mentors go, it’s in large part because the story being documented in Pure grit, is so delicate and nuanced and centering around the life of a queer indigenous person.
Kim could be a third or fourth director in the end. There is no limit really. Her DP skills are clear and she also, like Brenda, truly transported the audience to a world, with a view from within.
Feeling like we were one of the characters ourselves, she also well and truly has a female gaze. As she focussed on the constant presence of animals, children, nature, stunning scenery and all the wordless and endlessly powerful moments, had by these with each other.
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HOW TO CONNECT WHALES SUSTAINABLY AND WITH EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS
Chloé Pisco learned unique ways to behave that entice the whales to come meet you, engaging consensually on their own terms and not only get them to come engage for long periods of sustained connection, but even have them sleep around the boat in full bioluminescence. She will use all these lessons on the shoot and in it’s plans.
Mental health and physical risks to the whales is a serious consideration.
Yes, being on sailboats is a lot more expensive. But crucial.
These beings have extremely sensitive hearing and are harassed all day by eco tours chasing mother and calf pairs. They do this for up to an hour… until the mother gives up exhausted and then allows the humans to interact with her child. This IS harassment and unacceptable.
In Tonga and in Australia, Chloé witnessed this detrimental harassment intensely. She also worked hard to source better boats, namely sail boats, and better underwater whale guides and captains, (both who must be Tongan themselves, by Tongan law, and licensed to bring anyone in the water with whales ). This lead to a slew of experiences with quite terrible operators and identification of the ideal guides, captains and vessels.
In sailboats this never happens.
Having our own vessel is ideal, as often in situations when only your group is being visited by a whale, this happens, when you are farther out than the motorised day tours, or even earlier in the day than their tours even begin to run, or indeed later and in the evenings. Which means the whales who come over to our boat, are interested in our music, will not be harassed at these times by motorised “eco” tours.
And when you are surrounded by audibly snoring mother whales, their breastfeeding calves and singing males - all glowing in the dark. This pays off big time. The overnight factor at sea is really wonderful. And staying in one spot, it became clear that it gives the whales the feeling that the boat is perhaps a being - to be trusted, not loud or destructive. We won’t shipstrike them with our engines. None of that. We can be trusted.
Chloé is also going to hire a Marine cetacean behavioural expert to consult on their safety and wellbeing.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACCESSIBILITY
Drafting Access statements:
A full mental health and physical accessibility policy will be researched and published for this project. We have identified Lindsey Sedgewick for a possible lead role in accessibility planning and advisory capacity.
As well as a mental health risk assessment, which is so important.
The core creative team already includes multiple neurodivergent people, artists with chronic illness, LGBTQIA+ folks, people with disabilities and multiple other wondrous humans.
We will consult experts and the people involved, inviting them to ask for the ideal conditions for them to their job well. Optimising this space for the people we want involved, representing the broad gamut of humanity.
Inspired by fabulous advice from Linsey Dryden of Little by Little films and FWD - Filmmakers with disabilities. We will provide for all cast and crew to draft access statements for themselves, as it really supports people to take time to think about what they need, personally to do their optimal best at their job, with greatest ease and pleasure in the art. Wether they identify as having a disabilty or not. We all have access needs actually.
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PARTNERSHIPS AND FURTHER IMPACT INFO
Respect for the sanctity of nature will be woven through the entire production process, as we fulfil sustainable practices every step of the way. As we hire a Sustainability consultant to help us mould our whole production to higher standards of filmmaking.
We will aim to potentially work together with organisations such as:
So I am deeply aware that BIPOC and all marginalised people of all kinds really need to be in the lead in works like this film, and to be seen ALOT to reset the imbalance from decades of non inclusive white washed representations of humanity in our media.
So in the whole cast and crew and creatives. There is not a single straight white male, there are only two white artists/dancers. And there are 90 % indigenous dancers. As mentioned above. I am looking for more creatives behind the camera to lead the project. Especially from First nations people of Australia as it is so central to our story.
10. I have signed up to crew for Sea Shepherd and completed all my certs for working at sea, including my boat licence, medical rescue at sea, firefighting at sea, sea survival and socio- eco responsibility and safety.
So we plan to partner with them to endorse the film, its message and the most urgent direct action campaigns on their plate. And after the promo tour, Chloé can continue her membership with them as a valuable crew member on one of their ships out at sea.
Organisations we will speak to as part of the film and have follow up info on as part of credits:
The UN’s GOOD programme https://ioc.unesco.org/global-ocean-oxygen-decade-good
PETA
Greenpeace
Sea shepherd
Fridays for future
Indigenous organisations dealing with climate change -EG: “To hell with drowning” ( Indigenous climate activists from Canberra.)
Not to be shared.
ROLE OF SCIENCE AND WAYS IN WHICH WE WILL EXPLORE THIS IN THE FILM:
We will be contrasting the “art” of empathy and expressive dance with the science it relates to through moving conversations with experts.
Using these two strands of Dances with Whales to educate people about the most fascinating creatures on earth, why we are drawn to them, why they sing to us, what they may be trying to tell us and why we should probably listen.
Ultimately, what can we learn from whales about bonding, kindness, communication and survival?
Recently I spoke at Brian Green’s WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL on queer ecology, a lecture I secretly named “WHALES ARE GAY”. Expanding on the facts and observed behaviours in humpback whales of their deep queerness.
Example: Females pair off for most of a calf's childhood, and the partner whale will wet nurse the newborn with her own milk. Male humpbacks will have their “ heat run”, when up to 30 of them will follow one female in a 30 k m long sexually charged marathon of showoffery.
When the female stops and chooses one male to mate with, the rest will expend their pent up sexual energy in a massive cuddle puddle that can turn into a big gay orgy.
This behaviour is common in Tonga as this is where they mate. See the shot list attached, for some of the incredible phenomena witnessed by our myself here.
Science is a character
We will explore the scientific aspects of the story by filming our group discussions on board the boat, before and after whale dance encounters. Featuring our 90 % indigenous cast of dance communicators, free divers, musical communicators and a poet. Plus Indigenous Elders, marine biologists and even linguists and a neuroendocrinologist. The latter to address the neurochemistry of empathy in whales - the same as us: oxytocin. Chloé’s research focus for the last 10 years.
And filming later on land with more experts, discoursing in groups in their own spaces.
Science as a character will provide the opportunity for lively banter between “the colony’s” ideas of what science should be, and what it really is: An infinite investigation into reality and our ability to perceive it.
A good reframe to start with is to realise that populist science is really the cis straight white Victorian male ideal of how nature should work, and indeed their own projections of why whales and all animals behave the way they do. Infact, the projection is so strong, most of the time, in our scientific track record, we have ignored behaviours blindly, because we didn't’ expect them. And it did not suit our narratives, supremacist and separatist over nature as they were and are.
So yes, in all it's destructive, repressed, binary, heteronormative splendour - we will dissect this blindsightedness, with live footage and experts to back us.
Hopefully expanding our ability to see the more objective reality, especially once we remove our restrictive lenses, inherited from these past repressing, projectors and declarers of absurd arbitrary decrees of scientific dogmas.
Inviting discourse with such radical ecofeminist / queer ecologists as Karen Barad, Donna Harroway and many others. We expect to laugh with, and at, this character called “science”. Nature is pretty hilarious.
Because after all, what is science but yesterday’s magical, inexplicable mysteries of the world, brought to proof, by name, category, testing and definition - providing tomorrow’s ABSOLUTE TRUTHS of knowledge.
Until the next radical thinker.
Or until we forget it almost completely and then remember, centuries later of course. When we take the time to listen to indigenous scientific knowledge keepers. That too.
That's why the Socractic constant questioning and re-questioning of ourselves and our own projections and biases is so key. This will be a huge element in the film.
We will be fuelling the potential discussions of scientific knowledge from an Indigenous perspective, truths about reality, science, nature and beyond…that we have forgotten as a species. By the historical systematic erasing campaigns of destruction led by colonialism.
Intriguingly, one indigenous concept we will explore here is around the construct of “linear time”. See section on Artistic Approach.
On the focus of interspecies communication, connection and artistic expression…
We will invite conversations with marine biologists, linguists, physicists and multiple Australian First Nations Elders. Indigenous people in Australia have had a relationship for millenia with these whales, so they will be our primary authority here.
I will attempt to make renowned and respected modern scientists feel comfortable enough to say what they really think and feel.
Often, especially in marine biology in my experience, scientists are terrified to even allow themselves to explore or express ideas of animal sentience, care or even complex social structures. Terrified they will seem soft, hippy or too feminine, (All negative, weak attributes apparently.).
So sadly this fear of being discredited, laughed at or losing tenure in institutional tracks etc, is making people avoid looking in certain corners of unknown.
E.G. : Only in 2013 was it finally proven and agreed that the majority of humans make oxytocin all day long. Experiencing empathy and connection. Before that we were all told it was only women in labour or lactating who make oxytocin. And no one went any further.
This phenomenon in wild animal research disciplines, is equally led by old power dynamics and hierarchies, and has stagnated science for long enough.
ARTISTIC APPROACH - VISUAL STYLE AND ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Visually the world of the whales will be shot very differently than the world of our dancers and their fellow land and air animals.
The blue world will be in a more cinematic aspect ratio - Anamorphic 2:39, allowing our audience to embody the vastness of our planet’s oceans. The shift everytime we descend will emphasise our very real feeling of tight held-ness from the ocean, the way the water presses on you comfortingly from all sides, holds you up and “has you” in a nurturing way. It will feel endless and vast yet all around and enclosed on all sides almost. It’s hard to describe but thats what it feels like. Especially in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Intimate moments between two or more whales, Mothers and calves, friends and partners … as well as between human and whale will be transmitted with the intercut macro style close up shots, demonstrating connection, care and tenderness.
Above the water, just at water level, we will use a 185 spherical lens for a more homopedestrian, cluttered and chaotic feeling. The moments when we prep to go down it is very overwhelming. And everyone’s nervous system is concerned about what lays beneath. Sharks, zealous whales and who knows what other unknowns. But once we descend the whole world changes.
Eventually after enough moments post our character’s transformational journeys, we will keep the aspect ratios of our infinite ocean blue but above sea level. As long as nature is central in those frames. I wish to transmit that calm and the feeling of deep care, the feeling of being seen and even loved by a whale … all that can and does follow you back to the surface. And onward from there into your life. It makes you at one with nature and how much we are it and it is us.
This will be supported hugely by a stellar soundtrack. The original soundtrack will so far be:
A co-creation between Cosmo Sheldrake, (hopefully also Son Lux), and the whales themselves.
The artists on board will sing and make live music for the whales this also will feature in the film.
Further budget is set aside for contemporary indigenous Australian artists, ideally in the lead on guest collaborative songs.
Electric fields, (A proudly queer Australian indigenous pop duo), have been approached and Nai Palm/ Hiatus Kaiyote is being approached in May, face to face in Melbourne.
As well as featuring, hopefully some traditional indigenous songs from those particular seas, (all to be signed off on by the appropriate elders of those nations, in deeply attentive consultation.) Including Australian First nations, Tongan, further Pacific Islander nations and potentially some from the Aotearoa Māori elders that are connected spiritually to whales.
Part of the soundtrack will be the phenomenally emotive and expressive whale song.
Cosmo Sheldrake, the composer has created multiple albums that only use animal sounds to create and remix compositions using their expressions.
Complex fish language and other ocean sounds is all that is used here as Cosmo’s incredible palet for a reimagined soundscape for the BBC:
https://youtu.be/mkraAQbpC8A
ENJOY this with headphones, it’s glorious
Shorter Clip of newer improv here:https://youtu.be/c1pACvWZwGE
Here is his website link tho his latest release WILD WET WORLD
https://www.cosmosheldrake.com/music/wildwetworld
Discussions on board will undoubtedly include the whale song, that is sooooooo loud ww dive down into the water. It shakes you to you core and leaves no cell un vibrated.
I often explain that dancing to these live concertos feel like concepts of Suzuki or Butoh, your cells are moved for you.
It’s a phenomenal feeling.
I want to share that with our audiences at home.
In a perfect world. I would get an Dolby Atmos grant and work with binaural (head shaped) microphones to gather that experience as close as we can, and to include in the special cut of the film.
No one has proven what Whale song is about. It never leads to mating. So that’s a fallacy for sure.
Chloé has ideas that it could be an oral history as it doesn’t change, year to year for our humpback whale friends.
However, it does have sections added each season.
Perhaps updates on what has recently occurred. Breaking news in whale time anyway.
So what are they singing about ?
Chloé thinks it’s obviously an expression of their experience of existence, obviously and their feelings on his.
Like all beings. Art is expression.
So this could include Celebratory highs and joy about community, connection, abundance, safety, love, family and bonding.
But it really does feel like a big section of this long standing song, is a clear lament.
Perhaps a lament for the loss of their habitat, safety, food abundance and loved ones. After all, the incidence of deaths due to mass whale strandings after seismic and sonic boom testing in the ocean, (for oil), is on the rise.
Food sources are disappearing, sharks and other predators are growing more and more desperate and attacking calves more often.
And temperatures are also rising. Fish and phytoplankton are in dramatic decline. Phytoplankton’s main food source is the Phosphorus and nitrogen in the whales' Faecal plumes, (their giant poops.)
And phytoplankton is today responsible for 60 % of our oxygen. So no wonder as the myriads of interconnected systems collapse, that we are getting increased dead zones in the sea, with zero oxygen.
I think it’s fair to conclude that these ancient altruistic creatures who experience deep love for each other in the same neurochemical soup that we do, are singing a sad song.
But this is one of our questions at sea. We wish to undo even the human construct of bad and good experiences. How we attribute a value judgement to moments in our lives. When really it’s all just strings to the next thing. And even the saddest moments in life, are often a sort or rebirthing and or death cycle, waiting to explode into a bloom of new possibilities and hope.
This is another thought Chloé had: inspired by sleeping and working day and night while listening to whale song live, for 8 days in October 2022.
Maybe they don’t do sad or happy songs.
Maybe like the poetic beauty in our sadness. It’s all just a tide of neurochemical intensity to them.
Who are we to decide what is positive or negative, perhaps whales experience more volumes of intensity?
With varying forces of waves, that are beautiful, emotive and poignant…
So no wonder they are attracted by our emotiveness when we sing and play our own live music. And come to the boat to listen to us. Dancing and looking us in the eye when we sing with heart.
And no wonder that the ignition of our modern global conservation movement, has been partially credited to the first LP “Songs of the Humpback Whale” being released by Katye Payne in 1970. This credit was given by Katye and her ex Roger Payne. They as well as Seas shepherd and Greenpeace founder Paul Watson all feel that the blessed “Hippies”, in their immense openness, at that time, really received the expressionate messages of these whales. They felt something was being expressed, actual feelings. And it was definitely music. That relational breakthrough made many people wake up to the SAVE THE WHALES MOVEMENT.
And now we have COP26 and Greta.
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IDEAL SITUATEDNESS OF THE CREATIVE TEAM,
PROPER PROTOCOLS AND AUTHORSHIP with ATSI and BIPOC ARTISTS:
With regards to the elders Chloé wishes to acknowledge and centralise the Butchulla people, of K’Gari, aka Fraser island.
The Yugambeh people who are around the Gold Coast, where she has met many whale.
She will focus on elders also from a few of the clans that make up the Bundjalung Nations, around Byron bay and Nguthunguli, or Julian Rocks - where many whales, mantas and turtle dance duets have been had by her.
The Turrbal and Yaggera people, of Meanjin, or Brisbane, where her production office is.
And of course Tongan elders from Vava’u , the main island group where the most amount of filming has and will occur.
All of these are the original custodians of the lands and seas where this film is made. Places where stories, culture and art have been created and shared for millennia.
Chloé will be recognising their ancestors, and their past, current and future elders; whose sovereign countries were literally never ceded.
Australia always was, and always will be, aboriginal land.
Some of the risks around sharing Indigenous knowledge. And why it is delicate. The reasons why we will work with as many key creatives from ATSI and Pacific Islander cultures as well as the growing list of advisers on Indigenous safety.
E.g. For a start: An indigenous Australian from one “mob” cannot simply learn a ceremonial dance from another nation. It is protected and belongs to that cultural group only for a certain time or event that calls on that ceremony and if not, only approved by the elders of that group.
I often explain this to white people as: Imagine that a Muslim person decided that the traditional hymns and outfits or the even ceremonial movements of a Catholic communion really inspired them. So they wished to learn the moves, the music and the ceremonial stages of a communion as an artistic performance or or even the theme of a party? Or a club night? Why not sure?
That usually gets the message across about why amongst many other reasons, we don’t do that.
A gap in that lesson of course, is that Christianity overall, wasn’t much oppressed in recent times.
But that Christian missionaries systematically destroyed the very indigenous spiritual practices and entire cultures of people, all over the world. Including in Ireland, again a useful example, when relating to a person who may not realise their own racist unconscious biases. Ireland helps white people relate to indigenous people everywhere. I learnt this living and working in remote Indigenous Australian communities, as an Irish ( Spanish/Italian / Belgian) person who had many many difficult conversations with some white Australians who needed my Irish comparisons to see the light, as it were.
Additional Side Note: In both Tonga and the remote Indigenous communities I have worked in, There has always been a massive presence of Christianity. In fact missionaries still travel to these places in private planes regularly to keep pushing their messages. Some I came across were from Texas. Go figure.
It is a complex and nuanced phenomenon that exposes dissonance with practices that involve toplessness for traditional body painting, for example. I find it infuriating but I try to be as delicate as possible and respect the wholeness of the cultural duality as it is today. Especially working in sacred country like Arnhem land, up North in Australia. To be a guest there is very special, a total honour. And as a woman, when I work there, I must cover my legs and arms in the 45 celsius degrees heat, (my male co - worker does not.) An impact of the Christian narrative.
She is approaching two new Australian indigenous women filmmakers this week also. Chloé has no issues with having 3 or even 4 directors working on the film overall and even on varying boats and elements of the productions.
Especially as a huge aspect explained to her by a new collaborator: Brenda Akele Jorde pointed out: As a director who is also part of the group of main characters/ dancers it will will be very challenging to actually direct when we are shooting. So Between the brilliant eyes of our DPs, under and over water and our other directors I think it will be ok. Katie McNeice is definitely one. But Brenda may be one also. See attached doc for her website links. She is a Ghanese / german, woman of colour and a documentary filmmaker. She has come onboard very recently and is fast becoming a key voice and crucial adviser. Her feature doc “The Homes we carry” is truly beautiful and representing other cultures to her own from Mozambique and South Africa with a care and sensitivity that is very skilled and directly connecting us to the main character and their inner lives.
Outside of the indigenous realm, Chloé has the bliss of having many filmmaking mentors, one of which is Irish documentary filmmaker Kim Bartley, she spent three years with her protagonist: Charmaine Weed, a spectacular person, and a Native American bareback horse racer, who is also a lesbian. For their beautiful and emotive film “Pure Grit”.
Kim is a in depth mentor to Chloé and apart from loving her film deeply, and this being the dream pick for Chloé as mentors go, it’s in large part because the story being documented in Pure grit, is so delicate and nuanced and centering around the life of a queer indigenous person.
Kim could be a third or fourth director in the end. There is no limit really. Her DP skills are clear and she also, like Brenda, truly transported the audience to a world, with a view from within.
Feeling like we were one of the characters ourselves, she also well and truly has a female gaze. As she focussed on the constant presence of animals, children, nature, stunning scenery and all the wordless and endlessly powerful moments, had by these with each other.
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HOW TO CONNECT WHALES SUSTAINABLY AND WITH EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS
Chloé Pisco learned unique ways to behave that entice the whales to come meet you, engaging consensually on their own terms and not only get them to come engage for long periods of sustained connection, but even have them sleep around the boat in full bioluminescence. She will use all these lessons on the shoot and in it’s plans.
Mental health and physical risks to the whales is a serious consideration.
Yes, being on sailboats is a lot more expensive. But crucial.
These beings have extremely sensitive hearing and are harassed all day by eco tours chasing mother and calf pairs. They do this for up to an hour… until the mother gives up exhausted and then allows the humans to interact with her child. This IS harassment and unacceptable.
In Tonga and in Australia, Chloé witnessed this detrimental harassment intensely. She also worked hard to source better boats, namely sail boats, and better underwater whale guides and captains, (both who must be Tongan themselves, by Tongan law, and licensed to bring anyone in the water with whales ). This lead to a slew of experiences with quite terrible operators and identification of the ideal guides, captains and vessels.
In sailboats this never happens.
Having our own vessel is ideal, as often in situations when only your group is being visited by a whale, this happens, when you are farther out than the motorised day tours, or even earlier in the day than their tours even begin to run, or indeed later and in the evenings. Which means the whales who come over to our boat, are interested in our music, will not be harassed at these times by motorised “eco” tours.
And when you are surrounded by audibly snoring mother whales, their breastfeeding calves and singing males - all glowing in the dark. This pays off big time. The overnight factor at sea is really wonderful. And staying in one spot, it became clear that it gives the whales the feeling that the boat is perhaps a being - to be trusted, not loud or destructive. We won’t shipstrike them with our engines. None of that. We can be trusted.
Chloé is also going to hire a Marine cetacean behavioural expert to consult on their safety and wellbeing.
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ACCESSIBILITY
Drafting Access statements:
A full mental health and physical accessibility policy will be researched and published for this project. We have identified Lindsey Sedgewick for a possible lead role in accessibility planning and advisory capacity.
As well as a mental health risk assessment, which is so important.
The core creative team already includes multiple neurodivergent people, artists with chronic illness, LGBTQIA+ folks, people with disabilities and multiple other wondrous humans.
We will consult experts and the people involved, inviting them to ask for the ideal conditions for them to their job well. Optimising this space for the people we want involved, representing the broad gamut of humanity.
Inspired by fabulous advice from Linsey Dryden of Little by Little films and FWD - Filmmakers with disabilities. We will provide for all cast and crew to draft access statements for themselves, as it really supports people to take time to think about what they need, personally to do their optimal best at their job, with greatest ease and pleasure in the art. Wether they identify as having a disabilty or not. We all have access needs actually.
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PARTNERSHIPS AND FURTHER IMPACT INFO
Respect for the sanctity of nature will be woven through the entire production process, as we fulfil sustainable practices every step of the way. As we hire a Sustainability consultant to help us mould our whole production to higher standards of filmmaking.
We will aim to potentially work together with organisations such as:
- The Albert certification - https://wearealbert.org/ as part of Screen Ireland's sustainability fund for tv and film prodcution, a pilot programme.
- International Consultant Lisanne Fransen on sustainability.
- Greentime.
- Ronny Fritsche
- Hallbar films
6. Local Tongan Eco organisations: To review how we are affecting or integrating the culture, impact on their economy, (our angle of story incl.), respect for their cultural knowledge.
7. Royalties to animals - Cosmo Sheldrake, our composer and some of his colleagues have begun paying royalties to animals they feature in their music. In his case, it’s whole albums full. So this is wonderful. See BBC radio’s “Jamming with birds.”
8. The impact on the world's impression of Indigenous people is very important to me. I want new people to seek them out in their media and face to face. To listen. To seek their take on things. Give them more voice and step aside to allow them to take up space. So with our advisers, we will ensure we take into account all elements of Indigenous artistic and cultural IP too. A wonderful guidebook on this was issued by the Australia council for the arts. Advisers and Elders on our payroll will make sure all is represented appropriately.
9. I wrote a lecture on unconscious bias, its causes , solutions and cyclical problems. http://www.theoxytocinproject.com/un-conscious-bias.html
So I am deeply aware that BIPOC and all marginalised people of all kinds really need to be in the lead in works like this film, and to be seen ALOT to reset the imbalance from decades of non inclusive white washed representations of humanity in our media.
So in the whole cast and crew and creatives. There is not a single straight white male, there are only two white artists/dancers. And there are 90 % indigenous dancers. As mentioned above. I am looking for more creatives behind the camera to lead the project. Especially from First nations people of Australia as it is so central to our story.
10. I have signed up to crew for Sea Shepherd and completed all my certs for working at sea, including my boat licence, medical rescue at sea, firefighting at sea, sea survival and socio- eco responsibility and safety.
So we plan to partner with them to endorse the film, its message and the most urgent direct action campaigns on their plate. And after the promo tour, Chloé can continue her membership with them as a valuable crew member on one of their ships out at sea.
Organisations we will speak to as part of the film and have follow up info on as part of credits:
The UN’s GOOD programme https://ioc.unesco.org/global-ocean-oxygen-decade-good
PETA
Greenpeace
Sea shepherd
Fridays for future
Indigenous organisations dealing with climate change -EG: “To hell with drowning” ( Indigenous climate activists from Canberra.)
We wish to acknowledge the Butchulla people, the Yugambeh people, the clans that make up the Bundjalung Nations, the Turrbal and Yaggera people, as original custodians of the lands and seas where we often work.
Places where stories, culture and art have been made and shared for millennia. Recognising their ancestors, as well as past, current and future elders; whose sovereign country was never ceded.
Australia always was, and always will be, aboriginal land.
Places where stories, culture and art have been made and shared for millennia. Recognising their ancestors, as well as past, current and future elders; whose sovereign country was never ceded.
Australia always was, and always will be, aboriginal land.