The
Story
Cutting the Line follows husband and wife team, Naude and Katja Dreyer, and their three children Dylan, Nina and Marley, as they embark on a mission to rescue entangled seals along the Namibian coastline and raise urgent awareness about ocean plastic pollution. As the seals grow bigger, the debris cuts deeper into their bodies, causing painful wounds that often lead to an agonizing death.
What begins as a few spur-of-the-moment rescues quickly evolves into Ocean Conservation Namibia, a unique environmental organization that finds itself pitted against this mounting global crisis.
Cutting the Line powerfully reveals the truth behind our disposable culture and serves as an inspirational clarion call to find solutions to the tragic consequences of plastic, before its too late.
The Look
& Location
The indigenous San people first named Namibia’s Skeleton Coast “The land God made in anger”. At a glance the name seems apt. It is a harsh, unforgiving environment, forged from boiling desert and freezing ocean. But it also possesses a stark beauty and is teeming with life, especially the nutrient-rich ocean.
This environment forms an integral backdrop to the story and is explored through establishing shots, cutaways and locked-off shots. This visual contrast is ued to draw out the aesthetic of the film, with washed out hues juxtaposed against a rich color palette that echoes the underlying themes of abundance and scarcity, hope and despair, life and death.
How We
Tell the Story
A run-and-gun documentary style, supplemented by first person POV footage is utilized to capture the intensity of the action. This is guided by sit-down interviews and candid vignettes as we follow the Dreyer family and gain insight into their unique organisation and compelling personal story to structure the narrative thread.
Establishing shots, cutaways and locked off shots are wrapped around this to give the story context and depth.
Audio is crucial to underscore the incredible sounds of the animals and the physical intensity of the rescues, with special emphasis placed on sound engineering.
The Crew
A film by
Now Now Media and Plastic Oceans International
In association with Ocean Conservation Namibia
Written and directed by
Will Bendix and Alan van Gysen
Producers
Julie Andersen and Tod Hardin
Executive Producer
William Pfeiffer
Principal cinematography
Alan van Gysen
Aerial cinematography by
Will Bendix
Additional cinematography
Calvin Thompson
Edited by
Brett Shaw
Music by
Sagarias Tsam
The Issue
Plastic pollution is a global crisis that recognizes no borders and shows no mercy. It's impacting every community worldwide, invading our water, land and air; injuring and killing millions of animals each year and impacting human health. Cutting the Line makes a powerful statement against a disposable culture that threatens our existence, while making clear that individuals and communities can indeed make a difference.
Contact Us
Funding and Distribution
Julie Andersen
Tod Hardin
Production
Alan van Gysen
Now Now Media
Plastic Oceans