A Vancouver Island underwater cinematographer calls his experience on a National Geographic series incredible.
Maxwel Hohn is a cinematographer known for showcasing underwater diversity around the globe, having been a part of the Emmy-nominated series Island of the Sea Wolves.
He recently was part of a new series from National Geographic called Secrets of the Octopus. Narrated by Paul Rudd and executive produced by James Cameron, it focuses on uncovering the animal’s secrets.
Hohn, who worked on the only Canadian aspect of the show, says shows like these see a year of development and research.
“When they are in that stage of development, they are looking for local experts in all of these different areas of the world,” said Hohn. “So they reached out to locals on Vancouver Island… people pointed to my direction because of my experience working in these cold environments. They came out to meet me and it just took off from there.”
The aspect Hohn worked on was a look into the Giant Pacific Octopus, the largest octopus in the world, located in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
He says with most marine species and wildlife, it requires a lot of time and patience to get the shots.
“We can’t dictate what the wildlife is going to do, so it requires us to spend a lot of time in the water hoping that maybe we’ll get lucky and this octopus would get interested enough,” said Hohn. “We eventually found one that would come out of its den and greet us every time, so we had this great opportunity to show someone being calm and natural in these incredible environments.”
In a release, Hohn says he worked on the segment with Krystal Janicki, a painter on the Island known as the “octopus whisperer” for her ability to bond with octopuses.
Others who helped in the filming include safety divers Tynan Callesen and Shannon Groenewegen, dive supervisors Manfred Lippe and Russell Clark, and skipper Roger McDonell.
The series has three episodes, and the first one aired last Sunday.
“This is definitely one of the top experiences I have had.”
