Filming in Lower Kane Cave
See the real talent from PBS NOVA
During the July-August 2001 sampling trip, our work was filmed by PBS-NOVA for a documentary on sulfur caves, entitled “Mysterious Life of Caves.” Below are some images captured during the filming, which lasted for 3 days. All of these images were taken by Libby Stern.
The Nova crew carrying their equipment.
Sarah Holt of NOVA the director is checking out a shot above ground. Behind Sarah are Steve Banister (assistant camera) and Tom Zannes (the cameraman). To the Right are Justin (production assistant) and Michael Becker (Sound).
Tom Zannes' posterior filming the bacterial mats at the Upper Spring.
Out-takes from PBS-NOVA Shoot
During the July-August 2001 sampling trip, our work was filmed by PBS-NOVA for a documentary on sulfur caves, entitled “Mysterious Life of Caves.” Below are some images captured during the filming, which lasted for 3 days. All of these images were taken either by Annette Engel or Scott Engel, the most wonderful BEST BOY and Senior Technical Speleological Advisor in the group!
This was actually on the last day, but it seems appropriate to start at the cave entrance. Here are, from left to right, Megan, Phil, Annette, and Libby, also known as the Caving Crew or The Scientists.
At the top of the railroad talus, the Film Crew is hard at work to finish the shot so they can get in the cave and out of the beating sun!
This is an action shot of the Caving Crew near the cave entrance, crawling over mud and trying to stay out of water. This scene was taped about 10 times, and by the end, the Crew was totally covered in mud and had to de-contaminate themselves before entering the sensitive areas of the cave!
Another action shot of the cavers at an area rich with...
Gypsum crusts... gypsum needles... gypsum paste.... gypsum breakdown... a virtual laundry list of gypsum mineralization! Phil gave an excellent interview here explaining biotic speleogenesis mechanisms and how the cave formed.
After filming the Caving Crew walking around the gypsum and through the cave, they finally set up for the science shots, where the Caving Crew now become officially "The Scientists!"
Libby showed how to take accurate pH measurements of biofilms and acid droplets on the cave walls.
Phil set-up for taking water chemistry samples from the Upper Spring (foreground having wonderfully-colored microbial mats).
This area of the cave is quite large and the Film Crew used up a LOT of batteries and lights while filming The Scientists at the microbial mats (lower right). This part of the cave really does rival some of the passages from Carlsbad Caverns....
Annette and Megan (left to right) sat here for several hours while they were filmed collecting microbial mats for DNA analysis and for other scientific experiments. We found out earlier in the week that the highest concentrations of hydrogen sulfide were at this very spot, so everyone wore their respirators for this part of the filming - which made things much more difficult to do.
An action shot. Annette and Megan are sampling the microbial mats in the background while Libby places a microcosm in the cave stream and mats for a calcite dissolution experiment.
Megan and Annette talking about very exciting research findings - snails and snail poop - for a "wild sound" recording. What really resulted was just mumbling to each other with face masks on!
Before packing up and calling it quits, the Film Crew toured the cave in macro to get some really fabulous, artsy shots of the microbial mats and snails. Here they are at the Lower Spring orifice.
A close-up of the Lower Spring, showing where the high H2S water comes in (black area) and where water from upstream comes into the orifice as well (reddish area, lower right). The white patches in the spring orifice are microbial filaments.