I just finished it. The short version: Fantastic class, all of us loved it, and it was the first GUE class I've ever taken that I was sad to see end.
The long version:
This is a class that was created by JP Bresser as a way to get GUE divers some training and a common platform for slotting into diving projects. He had noticed that, when participating in projects around the world, he had to spend significant time getting divers up to speed on things ranging from project management to media skills to image processing or writing . . . so he created a class to give divers those pieces of the puzzle BEFORE they showed up to take part in diving projects.
We had five divers in our group, with GUE Instructor Koos du Preez interning (and he is now signed off to teach the class). JP was the main instructor, and I can say that he richly deserves his "GUE Instructor of the Year" award. He's animated and entertaining, and at the same time methodical, organized and clear. And, of course, getting instruction on photography and video from someone with JP's experience AND talent is a rare treat!
Day 1 was project design and management. It turned out that we had two people in the class with formal training in this, and very quickly, jargon was flying around the room until my head swum. It was probably three days later before I finally got clear what "dependencies" actually were . . . But the basic approach to organizing a project, and how one thing would determine another, made very good sense. The list of things to consider was extensive, and I made the probably not very PC comment, when we were discussion nutrition, that that's why you have to have women on a project, because we THINK of such things
Day 1's dive (which was two dives combined, since we had used up so much time in the classroom) was a tour of several spots we had considered as possible "mini-project" sites, combined with a skills evaluation. The dreaded valve drill, S-drill and kicks reared their heads here . . . but that is all the drilling in the class; once our platforms and skills passed muster, the rest of the dives were spent on things we could use that skill base to DO.
Day 2 began with lecture on media -- on photography, videography, lighting and the use of (and skills of being) models. I'd had a short exposure to JP as a photography teacher on our Red Sea trip, where he graciously gave those of us who were interested a morning's session on taking pictures, followed by a homework dive. He describes the material well by saying that he gives you a ton of information to create understanding, and then some simple execution ideas to make things work.
Day 2's dives were to practice photography and videography at our chosen site. We had some fun toys to play with -- some AMAZING LED floodlights for off-axis lighting. And of course, the spectrum of photographic equipment spread among our group was impressive. I would have enjoyed these dives more had I not left my camera locked in my classmate's car . . . but I got to play model (and get the CO2 headache that comes from trying too hard not to exhale during a shot) and I got to handle the megalight, which was really fun. We learned, of course, that team awareness goes to pot when you are handling new equipment and new responsibilities (and I also decided there should be a rule that no more than three people should be permitted on a site in the same color dry suit). There was a lot of "Three Stooges shoot underwater" going on, but it got better as we kept at it.
Day 2's homework was to watch a documentary from the 1950's, a Jacques Cousteau movie, with a critical eye to the composition and filming. Unfortunately, we could not get the file to play on any equipment we had available to us, so we got about 25 minutes of it watched before we hit the drop dead time and had to go home. I now have the file for my own enjoyment (if I can get it to play on something).
Which brings up a point I think is important, especially in view of my husband's long-standing criticisms of GUE's educational programs. JP ran this class from 9 to 6. We arrived at 9, and he left at 6 every day. If we had group homework, it was to end by 7. None of the 5am to 11 pm days for JP! As a result, we did four days of learning and diving, and nobody (except poor Sam, who was simultaneously hosting the class, taking the class, and hosting his in-laws) was exhausted. I really believe this played a role in how positive and inspirational we all found the class to be.
Day 3 was survey and measurements. This was stuff that was entirely new to me, as my cave classes didn't include any survey work. We had a plan for laying out our site with line and ray poles, and then we were all to sketch the contents of the site. The line laying went okay (a 3 pound half v-weight makes a GREAT hammer), but again, we had some team separation issues, and some minor communication glitches that just drove home how important clarity is BEFORE you get in the water. We all completed sketches, and once we were on land, we compared them, and that was pretty funny. No two of us had exactly the same items in the same places, although I think we all agreed there was a boat somewhere in the site . . . But surprisingly, as we brought the sketches together, we were able to reach some consensus and build a basic map, from which we could make a list of measurements we wanted to do on the next dive.
Which we did. LOTS of measurements and angles . . . But I wasn't doing them. I was doing video work, and it was the first time I have ever done video underwater with an eye to trying to be artistic with it. I've filmed classes, which is quite different. This time, I was thinking, "How would I shoot this to have the scene flow, or to add drama, or to make the shot prettier." I must have been thinking along the right lines, because everywhere I went, I kept literally running INTO JP! I had one of my classmates holding the underwater sun for additional lighting, and it was just incredible fun. I came up cursing JP and had to go find out exactly what kind of camera it was that I had been borrowing . . .
After a short debrief, our homework was to plot the data. We had been given the names of a couple of pieces of software that will do it, but when a couple of IT guys couldn't get one of them to work, I left and went to RiteAid and bought some graph paper and a protractor. I then sat down and plotted the data the old way -- by HAND. And it was very interesting, because it was clear that there were some errors in the data, because one of the boxes plotted as being inside out I was seriously hoping that I would show up the next morning as the only person with a map, but it turned out Max had gotten the program to work, so he had one, too. (His box was inside out as well.)
So the last day's lecture stuff was on mosaic photography and image processing and writing -- a lot of information packed into a short time, but really, you can't give a class on video processing unless you know which specific tools the divers are using, so it was more conceptual than procedural. Then we had to decide what we wanted to do with the last dive . . . and a class lesson grew organically out of that. One of the decisions in projects is what you can accomplish in the time and with the resources available, and how to get the most bang for your buck. Although all of us wanted to go down and refine the measurements we had taken, so as to correct the map, it was necessary to step back and think about what we were there for -- which was NOT to map a small area in the bottom of Cove 2. We were there to learn techniques, and it was better to spend time working on lighting strategies and doing a mosaic photograph than to go back down and do something we already understood.
We went back for the written exam, and then repaired to my house for the remaining hurdle of every GUE class, the swim test. I was dreading it, because I hadn't done one in four years, and hadn't done the swimming practice I swore I was going to do ahead of time, but in fact, I not only passed it, but for the first time ever, did the entire test in the crawl. Hooray for me!
The evening ended with a Meet and Greet with JP and a nice group of our GUE Seattle members, and a chance to watch both the Atlanta Project video and the MCEP video on our big screen TV. It was fascinating to do that with new eyes -- not just passively enjoying the video, but critically looking at how the filming was done, and asking JP questions about the equipment and techniques used to do it.
So, what use will this class be to me? I am nominally in charge of one of our Seattle Project Baseline sites, which has languished because my first attempts at doing something with it were pretty miserable failures. I learned a LOT about project management from the class, including setting small, achievable objectives; defining what "success" would actually be; using team resources, including brainstorming on project design, and what is possible in terms of documentation of sites and structures. I have some solid ideas of how we can start, and we're already planning some dives utilizing the team members from the class, to try to get some good work done that we can present to our community and inspire others to join us. And I'm afraid we're probably going to be buying some lights . . .
I think anybody who is considering project work, whether it's Project Baseline or wreck documentation or any other kind of storytelling of activity underwater, would learn a great deal from this class. I'm sure I don't realize yet how much information there was, and JP also impressed upon us that the class doesn't actually END -- if we have questions about how to do things in the future, he is happy to help us answer them.
It was a fun class, and it really was the first GUE class I've ever taken that I was sad to see end. We really saw a team come together and got a real glimpse of what we can accomplish . . . and even more, I think we all came away inspired to go and accomplish it.
Thank you, JP!
---------- Post added July 22nd, 2013 at 03:59 PM ----------
JP put up a short video clip of our class: https://vimeo.com/70816442
I have to say I'm impressed as all get-out that he has this up already. I think most of us are just about getting around to thinking about where all the footage, photos and other data from the class ended up . . . and JP's got his movie done already!
The long version:
This is a class that was created by JP Bresser as a way to get GUE divers some training and a common platform for slotting into diving projects. He had noticed that, when participating in projects around the world, he had to spend significant time getting divers up to speed on things ranging from project management to media skills to image processing or writing . . . so he created a class to give divers those pieces of the puzzle BEFORE they showed up to take part in diving projects.
We had five divers in our group, with GUE Instructor Koos du Preez interning (and he is now signed off to teach the class). JP was the main instructor, and I can say that he richly deserves his "GUE Instructor of the Year" award. He's animated and entertaining, and at the same time methodical, organized and clear. And, of course, getting instruction on photography and video from someone with JP's experience AND talent is a rare treat!
Day 1 was project design and management. It turned out that we had two people in the class with formal training in this, and very quickly, jargon was flying around the room until my head swum. It was probably three days later before I finally got clear what "dependencies" actually were . . . But the basic approach to organizing a project, and how one thing would determine another, made very good sense. The list of things to consider was extensive, and I made the probably not very PC comment, when we were discussion nutrition, that that's why you have to have women on a project, because we THINK of such things
Day 1's dive (which was two dives combined, since we had used up so much time in the classroom) was a tour of several spots we had considered as possible "mini-project" sites, combined with a skills evaluation. The dreaded valve drill, S-drill and kicks reared their heads here . . . but that is all the drilling in the class; once our platforms and skills passed muster, the rest of the dives were spent on things we could use that skill base to DO.
Day 2 began with lecture on media -- on photography, videography, lighting and the use of (and skills of being) models. I'd had a short exposure to JP as a photography teacher on our Red Sea trip, where he graciously gave those of us who were interested a morning's session on taking pictures, followed by a homework dive. He describes the material well by saying that he gives you a ton of information to create understanding, and then some simple execution ideas to make things work.
Day 2's dives were to practice photography and videography at our chosen site. We had some fun toys to play with -- some AMAZING LED floodlights for off-axis lighting. And of course, the spectrum of photographic equipment spread among our group was impressive. I would have enjoyed these dives more had I not left my camera locked in my classmate's car . . . but I got to play model (and get the CO2 headache that comes from trying too hard not to exhale during a shot) and I got to handle the megalight, which was really fun. We learned, of course, that team awareness goes to pot when you are handling new equipment and new responsibilities (and I also decided there should be a rule that no more than three people should be permitted on a site in the same color dry suit). There was a lot of "Three Stooges shoot underwater" going on, but it got better as we kept at it.
Day 2's homework was to watch a documentary from the 1950's, a Jacques Cousteau movie, with a critical eye to the composition and filming. Unfortunately, we could not get the file to play on any equipment we had available to us, so we got about 25 minutes of it watched before we hit the drop dead time and had to go home. I now have the file for my own enjoyment (if I can get it to play on something).
Which brings up a point I think is important, especially in view of my husband's long-standing criticisms of GUE's educational programs. JP ran this class from 9 to 6. We arrived at 9, and he left at 6 every day. If we had group homework, it was to end by 7. None of the 5am to 11 pm days for JP! As a result, we did four days of learning and diving, and nobody (except poor Sam, who was simultaneously hosting the class, taking the class, and hosting his in-laws) was exhausted. I really believe this played a role in how positive and inspirational we all found the class to be.
Day 3 was survey and measurements. This was stuff that was entirely new to me, as my cave classes didn't include any survey work. We had a plan for laying out our site with line and ray poles, and then we were all to sketch the contents of the site. The line laying went okay (a 3 pound half v-weight makes a GREAT hammer), but again, we had some team separation issues, and some minor communication glitches that just drove home how important clarity is BEFORE you get in the water. We all completed sketches, and once we were on land, we compared them, and that was pretty funny. No two of us had exactly the same items in the same places, although I think we all agreed there was a boat somewhere in the site . . . But surprisingly, as we brought the sketches together, we were able to reach some consensus and build a basic map, from which we could make a list of measurements we wanted to do on the next dive.
Which we did. LOTS of measurements and angles . . . But I wasn't doing them. I was doing video work, and it was the first time I have ever done video underwater with an eye to trying to be artistic with it. I've filmed classes, which is quite different. This time, I was thinking, "How would I shoot this to have the scene flow, or to add drama, or to make the shot prettier." I must have been thinking along the right lines, because everywhere I went, I kept literally running INTO JP! I had one of my classmates holding the underwater sun for additional lighting, and it was just incredible fun. I came up cursing JP and had to go find out exactly what kind of camera it was that I had been borrowing . . .
After a short debrief, our homework was to plot the data. We had been given the names of a couple of pieces of software that will do it, but when a couple of IT guys couldn't get one of them to work, I left and went to RiteAid and bought some graph paper and a protractor. I then sat down and plotted the data the old way -- by HAND. And it was very interesting, because it was clear that there were some errors in the data, because one of the boxes plotted as being inside out
I was seriously hoping that I would show up the next morning as the only person with a map, but it turned out Max had gotten the program to work, so he had one, too. (His box was inside out as well.)So the last day's lecture stuff was on mosaic photography and image processing and writing -- a lot of information packed into a short time, but really, you can't give a class on video processing unless you know which specific tools the divers are using, so it was more conceptual than procedural. Then we had to decide what we wanted to do with the last dive . . . and a class lesson grew organically out of that. One of the decisions in projects is what you can accomplish in the time and with the resources available, and how to get the most bang for your buck. Although all of us wanted to go down and refine the measurements we had taken, so as to correct the map, it was necessary to step back and think about what we were there for -- which was NOT to map a small area in the bottom of Cove 2. We were there to learn techniques, and it was better to spend time working on lighting strategies and doing a mosaic photograph than to go back down and do something we already understood.
We went back for the written exam, and then repaired to my house for the remaining hurdle of every GUE class, the swim test. I was dreading it, because I hadn't done one in four years, and hadn't done the swimming practice I swore I was going to do ahead of time, but in fact, I not only passed it, but for the first time ever, did the entire test in the crawl. Hooray for me!
The evening ended with a Meet and Greet with JP and a nice group of our GUE Seattle members, and a chance to watch both the Atlanta Project video and the MCEP video on our big screen TV. It was fascinating to do that with new eyes -- not just passively enjoying the video, but critically looking at how the filming was done, and asking JP questions about the equipment and techniques used to do it.
So, what use will this class be to me? I am nominally in charge of one of our Seattle Project Baseline sites, which has languished because my first attempts at doing something with it were pretty miserable failures. I learned a LOT about project management from the class, including setting small, achievable objectives; defining what "success" would actually be; using team resources, including brainstorming on project design, and what is possible in terms of documentation of sites and structures. I have some solid ideas of how we can start, and we're already planning some dives utilizing the team members from the class, to try to get some good work done that we can present to our community and inspire others to join us. And I'm afraid we're probably going to be buying some lights . . .
I think anybody who is considering project work, whether it's Project Baseline or wreck documentation or any other kind of storytelling of activity underwater, would learn a great deal from this class. I'm sure I don't realize yet how much information there was, and JP also impressed upon us that the class doesn't actually END -- if we have questions about how to do things in the future, he is happy to help us answer them.
It was a fun class, and it really was the first GUE class I've ever taken that I was sad to see end. We really saw a team come together and got a real glimpse of what we can accomplish . . . and even more, I think we all came away inspired to go and accomplish it.
Thank you, JP!
---------- Post added July 22nd, 2013 at 03:59 PM ----------
JP put up a short video clip of our class: https://vimeo.com/70816442
I have to say I'm impressed as all get-out that he has this up already. I think most of us are just about getting around to thinking about where all the footage, photos and other data from the class ended up . . . and JP's got his movie done already!
