Filmmakers die in helicopter crash

[ShirlGirl]

An awful tragedy and a great loss.


Top filmmakers die in NSW chopper crash

An award-winning American cinematographer and the Australian writer-producer of one of 2011's top-grossing Australian films have died in a fiery helicopter crash on the NSW south coast.

The dead men have been named on social media websites as Mike deGruy, aged 60, from Santa Barbara in California, and Andrew Wight, aged 51, from Victoria.

The two died when their helicopter crashed as it was taking off from an airstrip south of Berry on Saturday afternoon. They were reportedly scouting locations for an upcoming project.
David Bennett, president of the South Coast Recreational Flying Club, said the men had set off to do some filming for a documentary at Jervis Bay.

Mr deGruy had won multiple BAFTA and Emmy awards for cinematography. He was a specialist in underwater cinematography.

Mr Wight was the writer-producer of the 3D film Sanctum, which was shot on the Gold Coast and went on to take $100m worldwide at the box office last year. Sanctum was said to have been based on his near-death experience in an underwater cave.

At the time of the crash, Wight was reportedly working on a project with American director James Cameron, the man behind Titanic and Avatar. Mr Cameron was the executive producer of Sanctum.

Mr Wight was recently named the head of Cameron Pace, Mr Cameron's first international 3D production office, based in Australia.

Four days before the crash Mr deGruy, who came from Santa Barbara, tweeted: "Been in Australia 2 weeks, one to go then off to PNG. Love this place - especially Sydney on Australia Day."

The Deep Sea News said on Sunday of Mr deGruy's death: "It's a great loss for the world whenever someone passes who has devoted their career to conveying to the public the beauty and wonder of the oceans.
"Smooth sailing, Mike, we're sorry to see you go so soon."

The TED website also farewelled the 60-year-old "ocean photographer, filmmaker and storyteller".
"Mike was truly one of the great teachers and advocates for the oceans," it said.

Mr deGruy's website states that, in addition to filmmaking, he had become a speaker and had interviewed James Cameron, Sir David Attenborough and Al Gore on stage.

"Mike has dived under the ice at both poles, been to all continents, become a submersible pilot, dived hundreds of times in many types of submersibles, filmed the hydrothermal vents in both the Atlantic and the Pacific and had more meals on the Titanic, now resting at 12,500 feet deep, than did the doomed passengers," his website states.

Mr deGruy's Twitter account states that he boarded a flight to Australia on January 15.

-Yahoo!7 News.

[ShirlGirl]

Michael deGruy - IMDb




Andrew Wight - IMDb




The tragedy comes less than three weeks after James Cameron, the director of Titanic and Avatar and an executive producer of Sanctum, announced the opening of a Melbourne office of his 3D production company, Cameron Pace.

Wight was the general manager of the office, the first for Cameron's production group outside the US, and was to oversee a push into local 3D production.

DeGruy, 60, specialised in underwater cinematography. Wight, 52, was a keen farmer, with a property at Culcairn, just north of Albury. He remarried at 50 and became a father for the first time about a year ago.

Wight was a keen helicopter pilot, diver and explorer. His screenplay for Sanctum was based on his own near-death experience while potholing in the 3.2-kilometre-long Pannikin Plains cave system beneath the Nullarbor Plain in 1988.

It was his second stab at telling the story, the first being the documentary Nullarbor Dreaming, which aired on TV in 1989.

It was a shared love of diving that led to the friendship between Wight and Cameron, and in 2001 the Australian began working with Cameron's Earthship Productions on a range of dive-related films - Ghosts of the Abyss, Expedition Bismarck, Aliens of the Deep and Last Mysteries of the Titanic - for IMAX and TV.

Wight was also integrally involved in the development of the 3D technology Cameron deployed on Avatar. The cameras used on Sanctum were the very same as those used on Avatar.

According to one friend of the Australian, Wight was "James Cameron's right-hand man for years, and knew him intimately".

Wight enjoyed the idea of being able to straddle the two vastly different worlds, the friend, who asked not to be named, added. His death would be "really terrible for the industry, with Australia just being put on the filmmaking map in 3D terms".

DeGruy leaves behind a wife and two children and Wight is survived by his wife and infant.

kquinn@theage.com.au

[ShirlGirl]

Witnesses have told police the helicopter crashed shortly after taking-off and burst into flames.

David Bennett, president of the South Coast Recreational Flying Club, says he was standing just six metres from the helicopter when it crashed.

Mr Bennett said he met the men, who were off to do some filming for a documentary, for the first time today, before he watched the crash unfold.

"Something has gone wrong and they have crashed to the ground and burned," Mr Bennett said.

"I don't know who they were, other than to say, 'G'day' when they arrived.

"They were filming a documentary down in Jervis Bay.

"They had a pilot and cameraman on board and they were taking off together to do some filming."

A Rural Fire Service spokesman said crews arrived at the scene to find the helicopter well alight.

The crash had occurred near a hangar and people there had already started fighting the fire before crews arrived, the spokesman said.

The fire burned "mostly within the cabin area" of the helicopter before sparking a grass fire, he said.

Police have established a crime scene and will prepare a report for the coroner.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is arranging a team of investigators to examine the scene, spokesman Mike Walker said.

Two investigators from Canberra and two from Brisbane will arrive at the site tomorrow morning.

Mr Walker said the helicopter was a Robinson R44.

AAP

Read more: Melbourne pilot killed in fiery helicopter crash

[wadsy]

Just seen this on the TV. Awful news!

[judylou]

Yes very sad news, .. whilst some lifestyles "push the limits" by "normal" standards, it would be nice to think you could get through unscathed regardless.