The River Project, Live From the Bottom of the Harbor!
Challenge
The River Project’s mission is to promote and protect the health of the Hudson River and New York Bay. Many people think of the Hudson as a dying and polluted river, but it’s actually a rebounding, vibrant ecosystem. So The River Project produces engaging public events designed to get people to interact with the river - to see and touch the water and all its critters and to foster protection of the river through appreciation and understanding.
The surface of the Hudson River at night is both serene and spectacular. Seeing what lies and lives beneath all this quiet beauty, in real time, is technically complex and presents a formidable challenge. Inviting the audience to participate is more challenging!
Solution
A team of three intrepid cameramen/divers were sent below as approximately 400 people above watched them in an unused pier building. Video and audio was sent live up to the audience as they alternatively applauded and gasped at the sight of blue crabs, oyster beds, flounders and even seahorses. The divers narrated on camera as they explored, and demonstrated pre-arranged underwater experiments. The audience even had the opportunity to ask questions of the divers while they were underwater. Between dives, marine biologists and engineers gave presentations on the state of the river, its marine life, and why aggressively working to continue to improve the health of the Hudson is essential to the city’s future.
TF is proud to produce this recurring technically complex, ecologically important, and information rich event.
