EthiPelagic offers consultancy in preparation for tank shoots, as well as the option for assistance on location.
Consultancy
+ Tank and System Design & Build
Tailoring tanks, systems and animal holding to specific requirements for the animals and the shoot
+ Acquisition of Animals
Liaising with suppliers. Knowing who to go to for which animals, which questions to ask and what to expect.
+ Animal Compatibility
Are your animals going to eat each other? This sounds obvious but it’s more complex than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and so many people get it wrong.
+ Maintenance Routines
Clear instructions for your team to keep the tank and system in optimum conditions without requiring lots of prior experience.
+ Animal Diet & Feeding
Specific nutritional choices and feeding regimes to make sure every animal gets what it needs in a form that it can actually consume.
+ Health & Safety for Animals & Systems
How best to work with your animals and systems so neither you nor the animals get hurt.
+ Long Term Plans for Animals
It’s not ethical, and sometimes not legal to avoid planning for the long term even if the filming window is short. Finding the best future for these animals.
+ Ethical Implications of Desired Sequences
Is your subject’s unique behaviour just how much damage it does to others? What considerations are there, and is there an alternative?
Assistance on Location
+ Transport of Animals & Equipment
Moving animals from source to set, and on from there. Packing tank components properly and travelling with them.
+ Plumbing in Systems
Putting together all of the equipment, doing the necessary plumbing and fine tuning to get systems up and running.
+ Set Building & Aqua-Scaping
Building the set for optimal filming, animal welfare and realism.
+ Quarantining & Holding New Arrivals
Making sure new animals don’t bring any diseases or pests to your set as well as organising appropriate holding tanks and systems as required.
+ Handling Animals Appropriately
Animal choreography, moving animals between tanks or systems, avoiding harming or being harmed by the animals.
+ Habitat Maintenance & Automation
Keeping everything clean and functional. Automation for better monitoring and minimal interruptions to filming.
+ Food Preparation & Feeding
Making sure each animal gets the right food in a form it can make use of, minimising competition and avoiding overfeeding.
+ Water Chemistry Testing & Analysis
Monitoring the water quality, interpreting data and making adjustments to equipment for a healthy system.