When Pawel first approached me with this project and showed me his footage I was immediately struck by the quality of his work and his unbridled passion for underwater photography. When he then played me some of Gordon's music I knew we could not treat this project as just another "David Attenborough" style wildlife documentary. Gordon's music was far too evocative and far too good to spend it's time buried under a didactic narrative. The pictures and music must be allowed to tell their own story. The result is a visual and auditory experience with just enough of Andrew Ford's brilliant words, richly and luxuriously spoken by Tim Elliot, to guide the viewer effortlessly through the work.

There are creatures living just the other side of the boundary between land and sea that are stranger than any we might find in outer space. Creatures with three hearts and blue blood, animals that look like plants and ones whose males give birth. Hence the analogy with aliens and the thought that we should acknowledge the strange and wonderful creatures on our own planet before heading for others. Maybe with this understanding we will not be so ready to pollute Earth with spilt oil, poisons and raw sewage.

Michael Wooller - A Background:

Michael Wooller's career in Public and Commercial Broadcasting has spanned over thirty years. Originally trained by the BBC, London, Michael migrated to Australia in 1970 and joined the ABC, Sydney. He quickly rose to the rank of senior studio cameraman and then first assistant director. In 1979 he struck out on his own and embarked on a career of writing, producing, directing and editing for the corporate market. On his client list were IBM, Union Carbide, Monsanto Chemicals, Central Coast Area Health Service, Lady Mary Fairfax and many, many more. In 1986 he was invited back into the ABC where he made corporate documentaries and training videos for internal consumption, including one that helped convince the Government to fund the construction of the ABC's Ultimo Head Office and Radio Headquarters. Although Michael now has other business interests, he is still producing special purpose videos and was honoured to be involved in Pawel Achtel's award winning production, "Alien's of the Sea", as director/editor. Michael is a well rounded and seasoned performer in the television industry. Over the past 18 months, in conjunction with Pawel Achtel he has developed the ability to direct underwater productions - whilst remaining on the surface!