Shark Week continues with Actors and Creators Summoning Sharks in the Deep
Going strong for over two decades, Discovery’s Shark Week continues in July 2021. As the viewer numbers have expanded over the years, the programming has become more diverse. The shows are no longer just scientific expeditions, but a mix of both research and entertainment. This year boasts 32 specials covering over 45 hours of content primarily delivered via the Discovery+ streaming service.
One of this year’s new shows is Stranger Sharks, a short special that pairs together YouTube content creator and engineer Mark Rober and actor Noah Schnapp (Will from Stranger Things). Rober is no stranger to shark dives, but Schnapp has never done a dive in anything other than a swimming pool. The challenge before them is complicated. There is a research expedition scheduled to perform a dive soon, and that dive includes two submarines that can reach depths of over 1,000 feet.
The celebrities, along with a compliment of scientists, decide to try a handful of sensory triggers. Some are scent-based like chum, but the smell of blood can dissipate very quickly, which brings the new challenge of keeping the blood localized. Rober approaches this in a number of ways, leveraging everything from a Ziploc bag to eventually a chum torpedo. They also focus on electromagnetic fields by chaining together 21 GoPro cameras.
Another approach is to use bioluminescence since the subs will be in deep water with almost zero light. They decide to test this out by diving in a shark cage and distributing a fluorescent chemical. Eventually, they break off into two pairs, one celebrity and one submarine pilot each. The results between chum torpedoes bioluminescent bait winds up being quite the success.
In the middle of all of the action, the crew decide to take a detour to investigate an abandoned light house with plenty of mystery. The locals share stories that include shipwrecks, missing children, ghosts of children and other wild tales. The investigators brave the lighthouse with small lanterns and nothing else, adding to the eerie feel of the show.
The entire episode is buoyed (pun intended) by a great score with instrumentation and composition similar to that of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein’s Stranger Things soundtrack. The show is short but watching Schnapp really grow in his appreciation of sharks and his courage to be among them underwater is an entertaining watch.
Check out more Shark Week on Discovery+ this July.