LIFESTYLE
Pangaia | The Ocean Bottle: An Exploration of the Wild and Calm Nature of the Ocean
As part of a photography and videography workshop, I was tasked with conceptualizing, directing, filming, and editing a short video around the Pangaia ocean bottle. I worked as a one-person crew, with access to one model (shared with two other videographers), a single location, and a tight production timeline:
Planning: 30 minutes
Filming: Max. 2 hours
Editing: Max. 4 hours
Equipment
Sony A9
Sony 70-200 2.8 GM
Details
4th April 2025
Location: Praia do Malhão, Portugal
Model: Thais Borgen
Inspired by a line engraved on the bottle — “This bottle is made with recycled content and is carbon neutral. It’s saved 1000 plastic bottles from entering the ocean — reducing waste, one ocean bottle at a time.”, I crafted a visual narrative around the ocean itself. I wanted the visual language to reflect the duality of the sea: both its untamed force and its meditative calm.
To communicate this, I filmed everything handheld to create a raw, organic feel. I used natural light and incorporated a mix of textures, unusual angles, and flowing movements to mirror the waves. The video is structured in three visual chapters:
The Wild Ocean – Bright, backlit, high-contrast shots with high energy
Where the Ocean meets the Shore – Golden hour glow, soft joy, and transitional calm
The Melancholic Sea – Blue hour, slower pace, soft and introspective
Woven throughout are close-up textures of crashing waves, seagulls in flight, and peaceful shorelines, always grounding the story in nature and motion.
My intention was to highlight not just the function of the bottle, but the ethos behind it: a quiet, sustainable revolution. The ocean saves and reclaims, much like the bottle does. Through this piece, I aimed to evoke emotion and connection, the kind that leads to conscious choices.
