Amy co-composed the score for James Cameron’s 3D feature documentary, Deepsea Challenge. This film documents his incredible descent to the deepest part of the world’s oceans, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. James Cameron is loved the world over for his epic feature films (Titanic, Avatar and Terminator to name a few). In Deepsea Challenge, we are thrown into the adventure, the challenge, the breath-takingly emotional and incredibly heroic journey to the deepest depths of the ocean.
On Friday the 8th of August 2014, Deepsea Challenge opened in more than 300 locations across the United States, to reviews such as “…an enthralling documentary” (Wall Street Journal) and “…it’s an amazing piece of work, a fascinating insight...” (Margaret Pomeranz, At The Movies ABC1). Deepsea Challenge screened in cinemas across the United States, Asia, in Australia and throughout Europe. Deepsea Challenge also screened on-board all Virgin Australia flights during its international release. Amy’s work on the documentary recently earned her a nomination for ‘Best Original Score’ at the 2015 AFI/AACTA Awards.
Check out the trailer or take a peek around the Deep Sea Challenge website.
| Format | Feature Documentary (2014) |
|---|---|
| Client | National Geographic |
| Director | Ray Quint |
| Producers | Lisa Truitt, James Cameron |
| Post Production Supervisor | Marc van Buuren |
| Composers | Amy Bastow, Brett Aplin and Ricky Edwards |
| Score Producer | David Hirschfelder |
| Orchestrator | James Lee |
| Recorded at | Allan Eaton Studio, Melbourne |
| Performed by | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra |
| Conducted by | Brett Kelly |
| Mixed at | Trackdown Studios, Sydney (5.1 surround sound) |
| Mixed by | Jason Fernandez |
| Music Manager and Guru | Peter Hoyland |
| Nominations/Awards |
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| Festivals |
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What the Critics Say
“…it’s an amazing piece of work, a fascinating insight…”
“4 Stars” from Margaret Pomeranz, At The Movies ABC1, 2014
“…enthralling documentary…”
The Wall St Journal, 7 August 2014
“…Cameron has been able to mix business with pleasure by applying his fertile imagination to actual science…”
Martin Tsai, LA Times, 8 August 2014
“…The film is compelling, suspenseful, and very personal…”
Nicole Sperling, Entertainment Weekly, 5 August 2014
“…pretty exciting…”
Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 August 2014
“…fans of the director and oceanography gearheads should swoon to the immersive, visually spectacular images of the ocean floor, plus the nuts-and-bolts details of getting there and back again…”
Scott Foundas, Variety, 1 August 2014
“…When Deepsea Challenge hones in on the story of a team battling the odds, it’s riveting. The build stage’s parabolic successes snowball into pure tension during the crew’s eventual trial missions in the South Pacific. A scene where Cameron’s guys fight off rough winds and faulty equipment to cast off before rougher tide times is like a nerdier “Perfect Storm”…”
Matt Patches, IGN, 7 August 2014