Meanwhile, a fun vid from the Marine Labs…

It’s always fun to see the island in the videos, movies & pictures people make with their time here…and it’s easy to see Monika LaPlante had a good time while she was here, with the video above, as well as her marine-themed eHarmony parody SeaHarmony (click here to see, or sea), and the Love Letter below, which will look familiar since it was filmed at the Labs as well.

I asked Monika a little about what her time here consisted of, and what she’s up to these days, and she responded:

Q: Hey, Monika! Thanks for checking in! First – where is your work located, if someone wanted to see a portfolio? I love the nature pictures…

A: Thanks for asking! My YouTube page is here and my personal website is here (with some Friday Harbor photography if you hit the “Land” tab – it is the first bunch.)

Q: What were you up to, here at the Marine Labs?

A: This past school year I was a part of a program out of Northeastern University called Three Seas. We studied and experienced applied marine biology in three different marine environments.

Our last stop was in Friday Harbor, Washington, where we took courses in Environmental Conservation, Marine Birds and Mammals, and Physiological and Molecular Marine Biology. As an aspiring film maker, I was made aware that the group ScienceFilm was going to be teaching a class in science and film at the labs while I was there.

I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I signed up and charged my camera, anxiously awaiting what I knew was going to be an incredible opportunity. I had always believed that film was an aspect of society that was not properly utilized by all parties, especially scientists.

Video is such an incredible way to convey a message that may not be done justice by the written word. The ScienceFilm course made me believe that to be even more true. We were taught by film gurus who encouraged us in all the right directions, regardless of our skill level, and I know I am a much better videographer as a result of it.

Q: What kinds of things did you learn in these projects?

A: We made a short film every day using the new techniques we had learned in the daily lesson. The day I made “The Love Letter,” we had learned about sound. I decided that dialogue was something I was familiar with, but sound effects were not. Every noise in a film is created after the shooting and is commonly overlooked by an audience. I chose to make a silent film so I could focus on sound effects. Also, without dialogue, expression and body language become the most important vector of communication. “seaHarmony” was my final project for the class. It was a fun short to make and I had the opportunity to dabble in lighting.

Q: The “Bye Bye Bye Wetsuit” vid looked like you & your friends were having a great time…where did you get the idea?

A: A few days prior to the film class, I had thought of a funny idea for a music video and rounded up my friends. We learned some choreography and then suited up and made a “Wetsuit Edition” of N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” I love how it turned out. We played up the fact that wetsuits are the antonym of sexy, as anyone who dives would understand.

Monika is currently working as a steward with the Lake George Association in New York, inspectinng boats for invasive species, removing suspicious plants and animals, and educating boaters about the threats of invasive species to Lake George.

When we were filming, they were all wearing 7mm suits with hoods and gloves, and the sun was beating down on them. We had to shoot the choreography a few times and at the end they all almost vomited from heat exhaustion! I felt so bad for them, but they jumped in the water and the filming commenced.

Q: So, what are you up to these days, and where are you located?

A: I am currently working in upstate New York in the Adirondack Mountains for the Lake George Association as the Assistant Coordinator for our stewardship program. In addition to my main duties, I am also producing videos for the LGA, but more along the lines of video blogs rather than shorts – although I do hope to make a few!

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