'When you spend time by the sea, you'll start to notice the tangible effects of pollution. It's almost impossible to just walk by plastic once you start seeing it'
Free Your Spirit with Mermaid Gin
Back in July 2021, the Adrift team began work on a new project with Mermaid Gin with the aim to capture a new series of story based films. The first instalment would be with ocean activist and paddle board instructor, Sophie Hellyer. Sophie is also the founder of Rise Fierce, a cold-water community, which empowers women through wild swimming and kinship.
With a storyboard and script in place, the team headed down to Cornwall to shoot the campaign in full. Both Sam and Alice have shot in Cornwall before and had some secret spots in mind to pull off the film. Paired with Sophies local knowledge and guidance, the crew were able to find some unique spots to shoot.
Underwater filming requires fairly clear water with good clarity and during the shoot a huge swell was creeping onto the North Cornish coastline. Acting fast we decided to select more sheltered locations for the water based filming. As you can see in the film, some particles in the water feature heavily. A few days later the waves were much too large to shoot in. We were very lucky with the conditions we got.
The aim of the film was to capture an emotive and authentic insight into Sophies love for the ocean intertwined with her action to protect it. We couldn't be more happy and inspired to work with a brand like Mermaid Gin that want to produce campaigns of this kind.
Our work will always try and inspire and encourage people to seek the benefits of being outside. A huge thanks to Sophie for making this project come to life.
We really hope you enjoy the film!
Filmed and edited by Alice Greenfield
Photography and Aerials by Sam Morris
Find out more about Sophie: https://risefierce.com/about
Sophie