The Blockbuster Sphere Gives Water Technology a Supporting Role
by Daryl F. Mallett
Ozone has gone to Hollywood and will be starring in a new film, set for release this winter. That's right, ozone.
The use of ozone as a chemical-free alternative to water treatment is now widely accepted around the world. The history of using ozone in water purification applications can be traced back to the late 1800s in European drinking water plants. More recently, ozone has become a well-recognized method for the treatment of swimming pools, industrial wastewater and marine life support systems.
The most common use of ozone in these various applications is as the primary disinfectant against bacteria and viruses. However, ozone is the strongest oxidizer commercially available and it also helps remove turbidity to clarify water. Turbidity refers to the cloudy or hazy appearance caused by the suspension of organics or fine solids in the water.
Cloudy water is a movie director's worst nightmare. Consequently, water clarity is critical to an underwater film's success--and it is here, in a new Warner Bros. film, that ozone will make its big screen splash.
Making It in Pictures
Warner Bros. has completed filming of Sphere, based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name and originally published in 1987.
Filming began in February 1997 at Mare Island, a former U.S. naval base located in Vallejo, Calif., near San Francisco. The base was shut down on April 1, 1996, a victim of military cutbacks following 142 years of service. During its lifetime, the shipyard helped fortify America's sea power, beginning with paddlewheelers and progressing all the way to nuclear submarines.
The producers wanted the location for its huge, high-ceiling hangars, which were perfect for the elaborate sets needed. Almost all of the movie was filmed in Building 599, an empty 130,000 square-foot warehouse in which the huge sets and tanks were built to shoot the underwater scenes.
Underwater filming is not easy. Dan Nosan, aquatics specialist at Osmonics Inc., a company that specializes in the purification of water, worked as a consultant on the film and said, "We learned that, on previous underwater films, some of the divers had experienced ear infections during the shoot."
Underwater cinematographer Greg Voigt added, "Cleanliness definitely counts. There is a magnification factor underwater and any cloudiness at all can degrade the image as though there were a fog filter on the camera. The more particles there are in the water, the more distorted the image will be. Water quality also is important in respect to lighting the set because any particles will catch the light and appear on film."
From Disney to Hollywood
Faced with these potential problems, Warner Bros. turned to Jeff Keaffaber, president of Entertainment Environments Group Inc. for a solution. Keaffaber, who formerly worked with Walt Disney Imagineering at Disney World Florida, and whose company has a long-standing relationship with entertainment companies, took up the challenge.
Keaffaber and Voigt both stressed the importance of remembering that these pools were work environments and not recreational facilities. "This is not a backyard swimming pool," Keaffaber said. "We had up to 12 people at a time underwater for 12 hours at a time. With that many actors and crew, each with their own safety diver, plus cameras and lights and equipment...those are a lot of factors to be considered."
After Warner Bros. explained to Keaffaber what it wanted, he designed a water purification system to handle the demand. The total system consisted of 2.1 million gallons of water contained in three rectangular concrete pools and four circular epoxy-coated stainless steel tanks that were fabricated on-site. Keaffaber, together with Warner Bros. set designers and his own subcontractors, spent nine months building the sets and the purification systems. "We were responsible for the system and the piping right up to the tanks. But we also had to do some piping work in the tank and in the sets to ensure that the water was well-mixed and circulating through the system," he said.
Designing for Actors
In the closed-loop system, the main flow of water circulating throughout was 3,600 gallons per minute (gpm). The water was drawn through a filtration unit designed by U.S. Filter Corp. The multimedia filtration system consisted of a bank of six sand filters ranging from pebbly to fine as the water progressed through the system. A 540-gpm sidestream (15 percent of the main flow) was drawn aside for ozonation.
Keaffaber and Nosan developed a turnkey ozone system. "A small rental system was the ideal solution for this application since there was a very good possibility that Warner Bros. would have to tear the entire set down at the conclusion of the shoot," Nosan said. He used Osmonics' OREC™ Model SP-3 ozone generator, which provided a dosage of 0.5 parts per million to clean the sidestream flow.
John Overby, application engineer at GDT, provided the contact tanks, gas separator system and the ozone injection system. The closed-loop system circulated the entire 2.1 million gallons every three-to-four hours.
Temperature was also a factor to consider, both for the comfort of the actors and for health hazards--the warner the water, the more chance for a proliferation of bacterial growth. A steam-fired boiler designed by Keaffaber kept the water at a comfortable 88°F.
Keaffaber explained his choice of ozone over the more traditional chlorine. "Too much chlorine causes equipment deterioration and eye irritation," he said. "Not enough and you can run into infection problems." Using ozone not only reduced the water turbidity for filming purposes, it also disinfected the water, making it safer for the actors and divers.
It was also helpful financially. "Using ozone saved us thousands in production costs," explained Mike Meehan, a location manager for Warner Bros. "By using ozone instead of chemical treatment, the city (of Vallejo) allowed us to drain the wastewater directly to the sewer instead of running a pipe across the street to a wastewater run."
It's a Wrap!
In describing the experience, a smile warred with the strain in Keaffaber's voice. "Most of our experience has been on theme parks and aquahabitats. This was the first film we've worked on. The Hollywood mentality is very different. They don't want a bottlenose dolphin exhibit that will be in place for years; they just want something that works on their set for five months. They (the crew) threw every curveball at us. We were working on what amounted basically to a construction site. One of the sets was right next to a set shop. We'd come in the next morning and there'd be a layer of crud floating on the top of the water...steel shavings, sawdust, coffee grounds, even milk! We had to be very creative and flexible." However, he admitted the experience was worth all the trouble. "I'd love to do another film!" he said.
Sphere is scheduled for release in theaters across the country in December 1997. Keep your eyes on the water!
Acknowledgements
The author would like to gratefully acknowledge the incredible help of Jeff Keaffaber, president of Entertainment Environments Group Inc., 714/494-7065; Dan Nosan, aquatics specialist at Osmonics Inc., 602/915-5302; John Overby, applications engineer at GDT, 602/587-8858; Sally Cate at U.S. Filter Corp., 760/340-0098; Diane Sponsler, Nancy Kirkpatrick and Vivian Boyer at Warner Bros.; and independent cinematographer Greg Voigt, 602/843-3948.
About the Author
Daryl F. Mallett is a freelance writer and editor. He has written everything from ISO9000 standards to film and TV scripts; a wine and beer column to international company histories; and film and book reviews to a police department policies and procedures manual. He can be reached at 480/275-0232 or darylmallett@aol.com.
(Originally published in Water Conditioning & Purification, Vol. 39:9, October 1997.)
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