This is a question that keeps popping up from time to time. Usually it's when I meet new people and tell them about the documentary. The first thing they ask is, "where will I be able to see it?"
Because of the agreement made with Loggerhead MarineLife Center, the film (in DVD format) will be sold exclusively through their gift shop at LMC's campus. That is chiefly so the film's distribution can go towards directly helping the injured/ill sea turtles at the center. 
Part of what I am doing is delivering more than 200 copies of the DVD (in cases with printed "dust jackets") to LMC. Since  am not accepting payment for the film or DVDs, they will be able to use all of the revenue for food, medical supplies and other logistical expenses related to turtle rehab.
So that's the long-winded way to answer the original question. If you wish to see Journey Home, I ask that you purchase a copy from Loggerhead MarineLife Center (please note they DO NOT have the film yet).
The other way to see the film will be to attend a screening (likely at LMC or a venue here in south Florida) or catch it at any of the film fests I will be entering it in.
But, hey, that's all still a long way off. I'm not done filming yet and post production will take a few months. I still aim to screen the film for the first time by the end of July. ...ok, that just made my heartbeat go up!

Cheers,
-Rick

When I go through and look at the stats for how many views I've had for certain blog posts, I've come to realize one thing in earnest. People like "action." Yeah, I know..."duh."
One of the pitfalls in doing a website and blog, while still filming the documentary is that it provides plenty of down-time between action. If this were a pure nature doc (that is to say, if I were filming animals in the wild), every post would contain some kind of "action."
Truth is Journey Home is still waiting for a few key events before I can start putting the exciting bits together. Don't get me wrong, the rehab center is still going full-tilt and new turtles come in every week. For me, now, it's like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and I only have about four or five pieces to put in.
So, for now, the exciting news is that I fixed my HD underwater camera! I was really bummed when one of the waterproof latched malfunctioned but through a little research (and a lot of patience keeping me from hurling it across the room) I was able to find and apply a solution.
So, when it comes time for the "big" release scene, I've at full strength in the camera department! :)
...now, if I could only find a volunteer to act as my second camera person....

Cheers,
-Rick

The end run.
The final moments of a game are usually the most intense... filming a documentary can be like that, too.
I filmed a release of a juvenile green sea turtle today that was a great practice run for the upcoming release of one of the film's "stars."
I hate to call them that, really. They didn't ask to be injured by humans and they sure as heck aren't happy to have suffered through unimaginable pain and peril just to end up as patients at LMC.
Watching center staff gently place the young turtle into the lightly rolling surf is almost a religious experience. It sure is spiritual in the moment.
The turtle took off, its flippers flapping in anticipation before it even hit the salt water. Then it was simply gone.
Part of me hopes to see something different when my "star" is released next week. Part of me wishes for a quick surfacing just past the breakers...a momentary look back towards those who cared so dilligently for it. A larger part of me sincerely hopes the little turtle shoots away like a torpedo and never, never looks back.
I'll cry. I didn't think I would be this attached...but I am. It won't happen in the moment. I'll film it, all of my attention will be on that moment behind the lens. But later...watching the footage...I have no doubt it will hit me.
I was there when it arrived, injured and sick. I was there when the LMC staff and volunteers nursed it back to health. I was there when it went from a small, shallow pool to a large deep pool. I was there for all of it.
They will be happy tears and grateful ones for having been allowed the chance to get to know such a brave and courageous survivor.
In the end, the release only lasts for half of a minute. The lesson I'll carry away...the story I will share with the world...will last a lifetime.

Rollercoasters and reflections


I heard some good news today. One of the injured green sea turtles that I followed from the day they’d come into the center, broken and ill, is cleared for release back into the wild.

The day “he” came in to the turtle hospital was my first day of filming in early November.  Man, it really has been an incredible journey… for “him” and for me.

While filming today I noticed something. I saw a behavior that I hadn’t noticed before.

I arrived at LMC just as the first staff members unlocked the gate to the personnel entrance. The turtle yard is quiet then. The only sound that wafts through the air is the faucet-like bubbling of the tank current and the occasional “hiss” or “snort” of one of the patients taking a breath.

Even without the flurry of visiting guests and attendant staff and volunteers, the yard is alive with
activity.

Each turtle is doing their own personal, daily ritual. Some are swimming lazy circles in their pools. Others are taking short, resting dives to the tank’s bottom. Still, others – and quite a few others – are… well, the best way I put it is that they are watching themselves in the mirrored reflection of the viewing ports on the side on most of the tanks.

Certain turtles seem to be somewhat vain. I watched them (there were about three that did this behavior today). At first, I
thought they were anxiously peering out of the window, looking for people.  But upon second glance – and after looking at a close-up from an image I just shot – that wasn’t the case. These turtles were entranced by their own reflections.

It would be premature from one observation (and not just a little anthropomorphic of me) to say they were playing or even that the reptiles could recognize themselves in the reflection. I simply noticed that three turtles, in three separate tanks, chose to do similar behaviors a in the “calm”of the early morning.

Every new experience I have with sea turtles opens my mind to a wider realm of understanding who they are – not just as a species of “animal” – but as sentient individuals. I also know more about me since embarking on this documentary. I now know about the dearth of knowledge I had about sea turtles. I know about the animal preferences – prejudices, really – that I carried with me from childhood. 

Most of all, I now know that some of my greatest heroes and inspirations have a carapace.

Well, I guess this is what I get for being so excited about being busy again... now, I'm not busy and I'm pacing the floor like an expectant father.
I can't say that I'm not doing anything, though. I've been doing a lot of book work, researching the biology and life-cycles of various sea turtles.
I've also been testing out new rigging for the underwater video cam. I think I finally have it set up the way I like it. :)
I will say this much, it's easy to stay motivated during these "down" times.
All I have to do is look at a picture like the one below. Suddenly, I remember exactly what this project is all about.

Take care,
-RW

So, the past few days have been a blur of working on the film, doing photo shoots and processing images.
Today, I was at LMC early so I could film the turtles in their tanks without getting in anyone's way. One of the things that I try to do is be neither underfoot (for the staff) or "in the way" for center guests. As you can imagine, people are not there to see a doughy, 40-year-old guy sitting in front of the viewport of the turtle tanks.
I did grab some more underwater shots today of "Zoe." (See the clip below)

Otherwise, I got great B-roll and establishing shots.
Turtle-wise, all of my "stars" are doing fairly well. "Trace" is back on par and "Zoe," well, that turtle is just a great survivor. :)