The Charleston District has received plenty of local media coverage over the years, but it is a rare opportunity to experience national media coverage. Recently, a production team contracting for the Discovery Channel was in town to film for an upcoming story in an eight-episode series on “Mega Marine Machines.”
The three specialists from Arcadia Entertainment traveled to Charleston from Canada to learn about how our survey team paves the way for dredging to take place in Charleston Harbor. The episode will feature the dredging industry and how their mega machines make it possible for container ships, another type of mega machines, to come into ports. With the harbor deepening project construction underway, getting information about both pre- and active-dredging operations was a unique opportunity. Aboard the Survey Vessel Evans, the crew learned how the survey team constantly monitors the depth of the harbor to ensure navigation is safe by being at the required depths. The survey team showcased their equipment, including the multi-beam sonar system that is used to see through the water and produce an image of what the channel looks like underwater.
The production crew, which included a producer, Andrew Killiwee, and two videographers, Doug Graham and Bob Daly, spent their time on the boat filming interviews and lots of b-roll footage. They learned about the process and filmed various aspects, including computer imagery, lowering the multi-beam, and normal boat operations, as well as footage of ships, Charleston and the SV Evans itself, which was done with a small drone. The crew used a variety of camera equipment to get the shots they needed in order to make sure that the show is interesting.
The crew will return to Charleston this summer when the Charleston Harbor deepening is underway in order to learn more about the tough dredging machines for the second half of their story. The series will run on the Discovery Channel sometime in the spring of 2019. Stay tuned to our social media channels later in the year for more information.