It may not show on this photo, but August 22nd in Antarctica was cold! I'm not in the picture here, because I'm taking it, but trust me, I was just as cold as everyone else. My crew and I had arrived two days prior on an NSF Antarctic Artists and Writers Program grant to shoot a film for four months, and we were already hard at work. Cameraman Sylvestre Guidi, and sound man Richard Fleming are filming Dr. Jennifer Mercer from the University of Wyoming's Department of Atmospheric Science, and Wiesje Mooiweer, a graduate student who was part of Jennifer's field team. This was Jennifer's fifth season on the Ice - and her first as co-PI of the project, which has been measuring the ozone hole over the continent for 20 years. I set out to make this film to put a human face on the science and the work being conducted down there, to give viewers a better understanding of what it feels like to live and work in Antarctica.

After the time we spent in McMurdo, we set up a field camp in the Olympus Range and then moved to the Asgard Range for seven weeks with a group of four geologists - Dr. Allan Ashworth from North Dakota State University, who took two undergraduate students - Kelly Gorz and Andrew Podoll - you see them here in the photo taken by Peter Rejcek of The Antarctic Sun - and Dr. Adam Lewis, who is a fellow at the Byrd Polar Research Center.



Kelly and Andrew were there for the first time, and I think the whole thing was a bit overwhelming to them. It wasn't so much the living conditions that were tough - both are seasoned campers, and they enjoyed the lifestyle - even at the beginning when the temperature went down to -25°F. What occupied their thoughts a lot, I think, was how they could fit in and contribute to the science that was being done on the ground today, and of course, what place they would try to find in their future as scientists.


Photo of our camp taken by Dr. Adam Lewis

It's going to take a few more months of work - of editing to be precise - before you can see the film and decide whether it gives the feeling of really being there and understanding what drives people down there! In the meantime, you can look at our website . There are some more photos and stories, and we'll add more every once in a while. Soon, we'll start putting up some clips from the upcoming film. You can also sign up to our mailing list to get email progress reports and other news.

To read about Jennifer's work, you can go to www-das.uwyo.edu
To find out more about our time down there, you can read Rich, the soundman's, blog at www.antarcticiana.blogspot.com
And, if you want to find out more about me, you can go to www.anneaghionfilms.com

Anne Aghion
Director and Producer