Equipment used:

• Strofoam
• Masking tape
• Duct tape
• Double-sided tape

We decided to use ordinary household containers as alternative housing units and did a test shoot in the pool for each to see how well they compare.

How I experimented:

1. With the ziploc bag, the footage shot was definitely blurry & created a warp-like effect.
   
   
2. With the candy container, it was tough because the container is very light and buoyant, hence difficult to submerge the container. Although when properly submerged, the results were surprisingly good; the film was clear enough and proved that the container would be a great alternative housing if all else failed. We just needed to add some weights to solve the buoyancy problem & determine how well and how deep it can hold underwater.
   
   
3. The last experiment was using a glass jar with a rubber lined gasket lid and secure clamp, and it was the most ideal alternative housing because it’s air-tight. There were some buoyancy issues but the footage was definitely very clear due to the transparent properties of the glass. But because the diameter of the jar was only around 4 to 4 1/2” the resulting footage was a little distorted on the sides. A similar jar with a wider diameter will have produce less distortion.
   
   

The actual shoot was done at Anilao, one of the Philippines’ premiere diving destinations. The setup was the same as the pool’s, the only difference was that I bought an extra battery pack & a larger memory disc to get as much footage as possible. The ideal time to shoot in open water is around 11am-2pm. Since no form of artificial light was used it is crucial that the position of the sun is high above and reflects rays straight down to the water, acting as a spotlight.

Something we did not foresee was the density of the salt water compared to pool water. We had to abort our first attempt because the salt water made the housing too buoyant, so we had to add more weights onto the unit to weigh it down. The result is some truly awesome footage.