BioQuest has been entertaining and educating audiences with captivating films about aquatic life for over six years, while Producer/DoP Pete West has over 40 years of experience under his belt. An accomplished maker of quality documentaries, BioQuest’s recent projects include Netflix’s original Puff: Wonders of the Reef which documents the colorful adventures of a baby pufferfish in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
For much of their marine work, at sea and in their comprehensively equipped studio facility in Port Douglas, BioQuest shoots with a RED Gemini camera, whose 5K Super 35mm sensor’s low-light capability captures detailed cinematic images of aquatic animals and plants. Alongside the Gemini, BioQuest also deploys Canon DSLR and Sony mirrorless cameras for critical time-lapse and focus stacking work.
BioQuest shoots underwater and on land, almost always with Atomos monitoring playing a central role in composition, confidence and quality checks. Pete West explained, “We use the Ninja V+ or Shogun 7 both in the studio and underwater. They give the operator access to a large, bright screen and easy access to functions like focus peaking. And, of course, being able to record is invaluable.