Underwater Filming Services

Japan offers a wide range of underwater settings within one shoot schedule. Our dive DPs work the coral reefs and clear tropical water of Okinawa and the Yaeyama islands. They also cover the mild kelp beds of Izu Peninsula, a short rail ride from Tokyo.

The same crew dives the cold currents off Hokkaido, where dry suits are a must, and works the marine pens of the Setouchi Inland Sea. Each operator on the roster holds PADI Divemaster or higher with commercial sign-offs, plus focused cinema training. On actor-in-water and stunt scenes, each one pairs with a separate safety diver and surface lead.

On the kit side, we fit Nauticam and Gates housings around ARRI Alexa Mini LF, Sony Venice 2, RED V-Raptor, and the lighter Sony FX6 or Canon C70 bodies. We source these through Imagica, Sony PCL, and pro Tokyo marine vendors.

Pool and tank work routes into the set stages at Toho Studios and Nikkatsu in Chofu. There, HMI light from above and dedicated underwater LEDs give us full creative control of the look. We scope chamber standby, JCG (Japan Coast Guard) notices, and local fishing-co-op liaison into each open-water shoot, so the day stays steady.

Water conditions drive the schedule. Okinawa reefs read clearest outside typhoon season, while the Hokkaido cold-water windows are short and weather-bound. We scout dive sites and book early. Golden Week in May and Obon in August fill coastal dive operators and ferries, so we lock boats and permits ahead. A controlled tank at Toho Studios stays the dependable fallback when an open-water day blows out.

Underwater plates have to match the topside grade, so we protect the look from the dive plan on. Each housing feeds a calibrated underwater monitor on a Rec.709 or HDR reference, and the operator holds the DP's show LUT. We log depth, lens, and frame rate for every take. The colorist gets a clean handoff for a DaVinci Resolve finish, in Tokyo or abroad, with English-language coordination throughout.