“Keep believing in what you are doing. Enjoyment has a positive effect on the end result.”
~ Robert Hughan ~
It is not often, in fact rarely that we are given a chance to be a part of something we care passionately about. So I never would have believed that I would find myself speaking with and writing about, this years Winner of The International Film Festival in Spain. As you can possibly imagine, it was not only off the scale exciting for me to have been given this opportunity, but incredibly ‘back down to earth‘ humbling. Robert Hughan gracefully allowed me the opportunity to discuss his Award Winning Documentary, ‘Life On The Rocks’ including a few amongst his many other achievements. It was a truly memorable day spent in his ‘aquatic office‘ where I had the pleasure of hearing the story he had to tell. And it is with that pleasure and thanks to Robert, that I now get to share it with you.
I wanted to pause for a while and absorb Robert’s quote (above), which says so much to all of us in all our lives in a few short words. His story is such a colorful and vibrant one – so all I had to do, was sit back and watch as it unfolded. Robert’s story depicts the beauty with which we live in and around each day, seen through the eyes and lens of a man who has always (it seems), known this was how his life was destined to play out.
Robert Hughan was born in Beverwijk in 1963. His father served in the Second World War and traveled around the world, in turn Robert’s world and its overflowing abundance opened up to him. When Robert was a year and a half, the family moved to Liberia in West Africa. Robert enjoyed a rather brash youth amidst the impressive African backdrop and plentiful wildlife until he was around eleven years old. Often Robert watched his father film with an 8 mm. camera, which quickly resulted in Robert embracing the family passion. His father had filmed for amusement, but Robert became way more serious – which began with the purchase of his first camera paid for with his very first pay packet.
By this time, the family had moved back to the Netherlands – and films of vacations turned into more serious and professional experimental features for Robert.
Snorkeling was a much beloved activity which led Robert to obtain his diving certification in 1998. With an underwater camera he filmed a whole host of fish and corals, along with the breathtaking beauty of the oceanic world. These two elements blended seemlessly together forming what would soon be his lifelong passion and profession.
Around 2005 Robert founded ‘Goofy Aqua Video’ specialising in above and underwater filming of which the company holds a vast collection of self-shot stock footage. Robert has produced some breathtakingly beautiful underwater footage of turtles in Turtle Mania, including the beauty of Oman “diving the Arabian Sea.“
Robert shares his undeniable passion for filming at seminars and expositions where he passionately describes how the base elements of the oceanic world that we often forget in modern living, are in fact, a pristine reflection of our own existence – and one we should pay far more attention to.
Our oceans are necessary to our lives and living on earth, whether we believe that or not. The ecological balance is delicate and must remain intact if ‘we’ on dry land wish to continue living the way that we have become accustomed to. When we upset the ecological balance of our oceans – we inevitably upset the nature of all living things. By removing a link through over fishing, pollution or ignorance as a whole – what we are doing is making room for an ecological meltdown. The collapse of an incredibly intricate system that will no longer be able to sustain itself if it is forced under pressure in this way. Every living creature serves a purpose and plays a specific role, and therefore should be respected in the same way we respect the place we hold dear for the future of our planet.
As all things are connected, so then are we also connected to this, the largest mass on planet earth. Our Oceans. Robert allowed me a sneak peak of his award winning images – Filmed Spring 2016 on The Costa Brava, Spain.
◊ “Life on the rocks” – Winning production MIMA Medes l’Estartit – International film festival 2016 Spain ◊
The 20 minute long nature documentary was filmed at the Montgrí Coast along the Costa Brava. “Life on the rocks” has rights-covered music provided by Ben van Beugen en Tim de Haan. The professional voice-over is that of Robert Rosier. Robert Hughan’s documentary ”Life On The Rocks” is a production of Goofy Aqua Video.
The Director says:
“The Costa Brava is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Rocks, cliffs and stones are the solid foundation of the underwater world where a lot can be noticed. And If you watch closely… Mother nature has a message!” Life on the rocks,” is a story born from passion for the natural world, above and underwater.
The Costa Brava thanks its name to the jagged rocks, elegant stones and fine pebbles along the coast. Relatively little attention goes to this rock-shaped foundation. Flora and Fauna live in a natural balance and form a unique part of nature. For those who pay close attention, the elements have many things to tell. ‘’Life on the rocks’’ takes you into a flow of experiencing the wonders of the natural world.
The unique images came to life from cooperation between Goofy Aqua Video, Thuurart ASC, Robert Rosier, Ben van Beugen, Stollis Divebase, Triton Diving and several others. They show a close look at a world teaming with life and vibrancy, a world in and around the rocks, above and under the water. Besides rocks and their vegetation, octopi, cuttlefish, anemones and sea-whips are also featured. This beautiful underwater world… is no longer a mystery.
Robert Hughan’s first large scale production was the documentary ‘Geheimen achter de dijk’ (Secrets behind the dike), which premiered at the International Film By The Sea Festival in Flushing – (Robert and his team, pictured below). It tells of the invasion of the island Walcheren in the Second World War and the inundation after the bombing of the dikes of Westkapelle.
“Thank you Robert – Dive Deep”
Video and Images Courtesy of Robert Hughan (Filmographer/Underwater Cameraman and Award Winning Documentary Maker) Goofy Aqua Video
With Special Thanks to Robert Hughan
Websites: www.goofyaquavideo.com