Meet James Douglas Cooper, the other half of the creative team of “True South: An Antarctica Story” that will begin filming in February 2025. As director of the 90-minute documentary, the Australian native, who now makes his home in Los Angeles, will perform the task of capturing the world’s fifth largest continent located at the base of the globe. Nicknamed “The White Continent,” Antarctica is the windiest, coldest and driest region on earth.
He has partnered with Rodney Bursiel, the National Geographic award-winning photographer from Wimberley, to portray the region’s marine animals and take stock of its fragile ecosystem. Their goal is to provide a stunning, world-class portrait for viewers now and into the future.
In an interview held last week at Dos Olivos in Wimberley, Cooper said the documentary will be approached on two levels. On one level, it will capture Bursiel’s extraordinary connection to his subject matter as a wildlife photographer. On another level, it will document the state of the continent’s ecosystem from what they can observe from their expedition vessel. Once they complete the filming on location, they will interview scientists and other experts who can explain its role in terms of humanity and the global challenges it faces.
“Rodney really has the gift of the “whisperer” when it comes to capturing animal portraits,” he said. “Some call it a spiritual connection. Whatever you call that link between humans and animals, Rodney has it.”
Cooper, himself, has a long list of talents and credentials a mile long, starting from his early work in his native Sydney, in London, and then in Ireland before he moved to Los Angeles seven years ago. A Renaissance man, Cooper has careers as a fine artist and musician as well as a filmmaker. He has directed commercials, short film and content campaigns all over the world for the likes of Apple, Mercedes Benz, Disney Channel and Adidas. He is known for directing David Oyelowo in the award-winning noir short, “206” shot in New York City. He is also a screenwriter, camera operator and film and sound editor. He often pairs his musical experience with composers to create musical scores.
In person, he gives off a youthful, relaxed and considerate vibe. When asked how he met Bursiel, he said, “I met Rodney through Blue Rock Studios. He was suggested to me by West Texas-born composer Harlan Hodges for the project he was producing at Blue Rock while I was there filming the same project.” As Bursiel and Cooper became better acquainted, they talked about making a documentary about Antarctica.
“Once the ‘Big Idea’ was formed, we pooled our resources, contacts and knowledge,” Cooper said. The budget was determined to be $1 million — without any marketing. “The cost for marketing a full-length film is normally 50% of the budget.”
The first phase of the project will be to work out the logistics of getting there and back. They will travel on a purpose-built vessel for underwater photography and filmmaking led by an experienced captain during Antarctica’s summer. To secure their berth on the vessel they were thoroughly vetted in the application process. They will be two of the 13 people onboard, three of which will be dedicated crew. The rest of the crewing tasks will be performed by the passengers on a rotating schedule. Space will be limited. There is no room for additional film crew so Bursiel and Cooper will have to rely on each other to produce enough visual content for the feature- length film. Their journey will last 27 days and the voyage will take them through the Drake Passage, the body of water between South America’s Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina and the South Shetland Islands. It is known for its tremendous storms.
The next phase will be to acquire the tools they need. Not able to use studio-sized equipment because of space limitations onboard, they will have to purchase compact versions. Cameras will require underwater housings that can withstand the 28 degree F. water as will dry suits and other diving gear. Even with the dry suits, the men can only be in the water for less than 30 minutes or the effects of hypothermia will set in. They expect temperatures above water will top out at 35 degrees. Certainly not as cold as the Antarctic Winter, neither Cooper or Bursiel are fans of the cold.
As far as preparing physically for the cold conditions, both men have pursued physical fitness above and beyond their normal routines. James is conditioning himself with cold water plunges and Rodney has embarked on cold water training. These practices will intensify as they get closer to their departure date.
Once they return, they will review their footage and stills. Next they will locate, interview and film experts to provide context for what they experience. Editing and other post production tasks, like composing the soundtrack, could take up to a year to complete.
The one thing that both men stipulated during the project’s conception was that the documentary would be an independent production, not given to commercial or political agendas.
“Our creative approach is as citizens,” Cooper writes on truesouthfilm. com. “We are not scientists, nor experts in the field. In fact, we are moderately afraid of what we will discover on this journey. The expert science is out, and we know it doesn’t look good. As experienced creatives, Rodney and I will preserve on film a time capsule piece for our and future generations.”
Fortunately, the Phase One funding for the voyage and back has been met through two successful fundraisers. Both were sold out music events generously supported by the people of Wimberley.
The next phases of the bold undertaking will require additional fundraising and, perhaps, partnerships that will support the independent venture.
As we wind up the interview, Cooper is astonished at the outpouring of support they’ve received for True South. “I am blown away by the generosity of people in Rodney’s home town. Texas is world famous for their hospitality but people here are particularly big hearted. It’s not common for people to support the arts. I feel humbled and honored,” he said.
Before leaving, Cooper added, “You know, there are a lot of similarities between Australians and Texans. You have your cowboy boots and we have our Blundstones. You have your Stetsons and we have our Akubras. We have big ranching and so do you. Our weather is hot and dusty and so is yours. And,” he paused, “you have great music and so do we.”
Keep up with the team of Cooper and Bursiel in their pursuit of Antarctica’s secrets at truesouthfilm.com and @truesouthdocumentary on Instagram.
