Beneath the waves diaries
Mike Bullivant's diary about the challenge for the Beneath the Waves programme, part of the fifth BBC/OU TV series Rough Science, based in Zanzibar
This next programme, Programme 6, will actually be the last to be broadcast next March (2005), even though it's only the fifth to be shot. I don't know why it's been filmed out of sequence. The lead director for this programme, Claire, is one of the two researchers on the team. She's been working on developing the challenges for something like three months now; and is understandably a little nervous at what we scientists are going to do with her baby. Claire directed the second and third programmes when Emma, one of the assistant producers, went down with malaria early on in the shoot.
Ellen and I are to cast some lead weights for incorporation into the design of an underwater breathing apparatus for Kate. Not too difficult, and there are two of us working on it, which will make things easier
First we have to work out, using Archimedes' Principle, exactly how much lead we'll need in order to weigh Kate down underwater. I'm a little irritated when Ellen goes ahead without too much in the way of consultation. 'We' get ourselves into one almighty mess using a beam as a balance, and are only saved by the regular intervention of soundman Rob's common sense. We end up spending far too much time getting the balance to work, and tempers are frayed by the process. Not the best of days for me.
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Content last updated: 26/01/2005
