The Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program was produced by Liz McKenzie and entered in the 2014 AOOS Short Film Contest. The film provides an overview of the Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (GOAIERP), highlighting its scale and importance, as explained by several of the project scientists. It is a visually compelling inside view of the scientists at work and of the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem they study, told in the researchers’ own voices. Viewers gain an understanding not just about how a comprehensive study like the GOAIERP is carried out, but why it is vitally important to understand this rich productive, economically valuable system.
Liz McKenzie is a writer and filmmaker based in Sitka, Alaska. Her work focuses on public outreach and education in the areas of Alaska nature, science, and traditional ecological knowledge. More of her work can be seen at www.encountersnorth.org and www.salmonproject.org. “Working on the North Pacific Research Board Gulf of Alaska Project videos was an incredible experience. The scientists became part of my film crew—helping me to understand their research, guiding me to important points to make in the films, and even contributing beautiful and important footage. I love that the films were narrated by some of the researchers—they speak eloquently about their work, with an authority that only they could bring to the story.”
See the full list of contest films.