Latest Shoot: Oklahoma Aquarium

Production on the first adventure of EveryDay Earth has pretty much finished up but we're already working on the second!  Since the curriculum is Oklahoma based we wanted to involve as many educational Oklahoma attractions as possible.

It's also not just Oklahoma rocks and landforms we want to include, we also want to incorporate Oklahoma wildlife to show to show how so many natural systems are connected.   Thankfully the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks was happy to let us stop by and get some footage.

The main focus of the shoot was the "Aquatic Oklahoma" exhibit which features all kinds of local critters that swim, slither, skitter and float around the lakes and rivers of Oklahoma.  It was a great opportunity to get the kind of close up shots of animals that we would never be able to get in the wild.

While out and about, we couldn't help but get some shots at Eufaula Lake.  Water is the main concept covered in the first Module of Everyday Earth so we've shot quite a few of the lakes, rivers, springs, ponds and waterfalls in the state but it never hurts to have more footage.  Plus water is such a crucial part of natural science, geography and culture that there's always a need for extra footage.

And just like that we got some more wildlife shots.  I'm honestly not sure what kind of birds these are so we'll have to check in with our biologist and ornithologist friends to see if they can weigh in.  It was windy and really cold this weekend so outdoor shooting was kept to a minimum but there was one other shot we needed to get:

Coal Miners Memorial Plaza in MacAlester, OK is dedicated to those that lost their lives in the dangerous job of coal mining.  It's also a great visual reminder of the influence of coal in the area.  It has had a large economic impact in the region as well as a cultural one.

We shot footage of this monument years ago for our documentary "Oklahoma Rocks" but that was back in the Standard Definition days.  Since these days we're working in HD 4K video, the older footage would not work in a current project.  But luckily stuff like this is in the neighborhood and it always helps to check back in on an area to make sure our footage is up to date.