An amazing true story of an aging underwater filmmaker living in Key West, Florida, who, after discovering a shipwreck in a nearby funky, deep water canal - persuades and trains international model/celebrity Nikki du Plessis from South Africa to freedive nude to the wreck (35 feet from the surface) and pose around and inside the boat; even in the dark, dangerous lower cabin.
Mr. Papp's friends, professional filmmakers themselves, said the project could not be done... too deep, too dangerous, too many variables that could go wrong. Indeed, the wreck was covered with razor sharp barnacles, covered with microscopic silt that plumed with the slightest movement and lastly, the wreck was directly under a boating lane forcing Nikki to surface while staying clear of passing boat propellers.
Discovering Ms. du Plessis is a story itself. When told the details of the project she thought Mr. Papp was delusional. "I smoke 2 packs of cigarettes a day, can barely swim and you want me to do what?" Mr. Papp would hear none of it and asked for a short underwater photo session to prove she was the Sea Siren he had searched for for 12 years. The rest is history. Mr. Papp brought the model back to Key West for the month of August... a 30 day shoot with no days off.
A movie short was made and it premiered at Key West's famous, Tropic Cinema. The film was also uploaded onto the internet and was viewed over 6,000,000 times. A record for a fine-art film that has yet to be bested.
Mr. Papp's friends, professional filmmakers themselves, said the project could not be done... too deep, too dangerous, too many variables that could go wrong. Indeed, the wreck was covered with razor sharp barnacles, covered with microscopic silt that plumed with the slightest movement and lastly, the wreck was directly under a boating lane forcing Nikki to surface while staying clear of passing boat propellers.
Discovering Ms. du Plessis is a story itself. When told the details of the project she thought Mr. Papp was delusional. "I smoke 2 packs of cigarettes a day, can barely swim and you want me to do what?" Mr. Papp would hear none of it and asked for a short underwater photo session to prove she was the Sea Siren he had searched for for 12 years. The rest is history. Mr. Papp brought the model back to Key West for the month of August... a 30 day shoot with no days off.
A movie short was made and it premiered at Key West's famous, Tropic Cinema. The film was also uploaded onto the internet and was viewed over 6,000,000 times. A record for a fine-art film that has yet to be bested.
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A 70 page hard-cover book has been published that chronicles the highs & lows of the making The Sea Siren. 45 images (shown below) are included. Take this link to purchase - Cost is $125. Link
An online eBook of The Sea Siren is also available for downloading and viewing at Amazon. Cost is $7.99 Link
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Video: Birth of a Sea Siren
A young, upcoming filmmaker from Pittsburg was hired to create a behind-the-scenes, how it was made video so that viewers would understand the hardships and perils that beset the production of The Sea Siren.
The Sea Siren Movie
It's worth noting again The Sea Siren was viewed over 6,000,000 on You Tube before it was removed without warning or reason. Efforts to re-issue the video with it's original view numbers were ignored.
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The Image Gallery
