Adaptation EP.02 Invasive Carp of Kentucky
Co-Producer, Sound, Additional Videography, Aerials, Additional Editing
PBS
If you can’t beat ‘em, Eat ‘em
This project is the brainchild of National Geographic Explorer and filmmaker Alizé Carrère. It’s a four-part series exploring how humans adapt to change. The series premiered on PBS Digital on September 20th, 2021.
Invasive Species Story
Alizé travels to a small town in western Kentucky to meet Angie Yu, a Chinese-American entrepreneur finding new ways to manage the Invasive Carp problem in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. While Americans may want nothing to do with this bony fish, other parts of the world consider carp a resource to be cherished and celebrated. Can Americans learn to do the same? [Learn More…]
Production Back Story
Director and Producer Alizé Carrère and I were connected through mutual friends because we’re both aspiring “impact” storytellers. Alizé and her cinematographer, Kyle Corea, invited me onto the project as a collaborator for the production of Episode 02, “Invasive Carp of Kentucky.” I had initially helped coordinate a GoPro Gear Kit for the production of episode 03, “Coral Reefs of Vanuatu,” so it was a natural next step. Also, a quick shoutout to the team for their Jackson Wild “Changing Planet- Short form” award (2022) for the “Coral Reefs of Vanuatu” episode.
For the Kentucky carp episode, I supported the production alongside Alizé while Kyle focused on the principal cinematography. Alongside Kyle, I was running sound, aerials, and GoPro footage. Will Miller from Documist and I were able to edit the first assembly, but Rosalina Merrihue edited the final episode at The Front.
We Saw them Leaping out of the water!
We spent about a week with Angie and her team in Wickliffe, Kentucky. You can spend quality time with the characters with smaller, independent productions like this. And these characters are real people doing extraordinary things! By the end of the production, it felt like family, and we all had so much fun capturing the story together.
Redford Center Grantees
Our team also received a grant from the Redford Center in 2018, which allowed us to film the “carp” episode in western Kentucky. Alongside the grant, we were invited to the Storytelling Summit at Sundance, where we were able to meet with different mentors and experts who helped us work through the creative and technical aspects of producing the complete Adaptation series.
Daniel and Alizé at the Storytelling Summit 2018, Courtesy of The Redford Center.
PROTECTING OUR (GOPRO) PLAYGROUNDS WITH THE REDFORD CENTER [GoPro News] 2019
Compliments to the Chef
Side note: After wrapping up each day's production, we were invited to eat dinner with the team, and yes, there was tons of fish, and yes, it was delicious. My personal favorite was the Bighead carp soup!
Credits
Director, Producer, Writer: Alizé Carrère
Creative Producers (On-site): Alizé Carrère, Daniel Sherer
Principal Cinematography: Kyle Corea
Additional Cinematography & Aerial: Daniel. Sherer
Editor: Rosalina Merrihue (The Front)
Assistant Editor: Justin Anderson (The Front)
Assembly Editors: Daniel Sherer, Will Miller (Documist)
Music: TBD
Sound Recording: Daniel Sherer
Animation, Titles, GFX: TBD
Capturing this story was made possible thanks to the generous support from the following organizations & people:
Redford Center (grant)
GoPro (camera gear)
