"A science fiction adventure that explores our until-now unasked questions about how far the ocean goes down, and what could possibly be lurking there."
The Abyss - The Big Picture
A team of civilian divers working on a prototype underwater oil- drilling rig is pressed into reluctant service by the U.S. Navy in a search-and-rescue effort for a stricken nuclear submarine. This seemingly routine mission becomes an unexpected journey when an otherworldly force makes its presence felt at the edge of the abyss . . .Plot Thickeners
Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) is the rig foreman on "Deepcore," a major petroleum company's prototype manned underwater oil-drilling facility, which lies on the ocean floor below the Caribbean. Brigman is incensed when his employer authorizes his rig for a rescue mission he does not believe his nine-man crew of roughnecks is qualified to carry out: the search for an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, which has been mysteriously incapacitated at a depth of 2,000 feet. The sub, bereft of power and presumably with all hands lost, has come to rest precariously on a craggy brink within the Cayman Trough--an abyss in the floor of the Atlantic which extends more than four miles straight down. The only hope the Navy has for reaching the stricken nuclear vessel and determining its fate rests with "Deepcore" and its crew.Transferring down to "Deepcore" to coordinate the rescue mission is a four-man team of Navy SEALs, supervised by Lt. Coffey (Michael Biehn). Also making the trip down to "Deepcore" is Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Brigman's estranged and soon-to-be divorced wife. Forming an uneasy alliance, the two contingents are thrust into a chain of circumstances which finds them all trapped in the black depths of the trench, in which events and actions are put in play by the force of a mysterious, surreal presence of the deep.
The Vision behind the Story
I think you have the wrong oil-drillers...
Quicktime (955k) or AVI (975k)
"It has hardware, but it's not about hardware," said director John McTiernan. "It has action, but it's not about action. It's about people. It is a very positive, hopeful film with a message: that we have to change if we're to survive as a species. It's about contact with a superior force, an ultimate force that has the power to judge us, and this aspect of the film is interrelated with the theme of love and personal sacrifice."Notes and Quotes
The task of producing one of the most ambitious underwater epics ever filmed created unique obstacles for the production crew. "It was the biggest challenge of my life," says producer Gale Ann Hurd. "I don't think I will ever tackle anything as difficult as this picture. I hope at the end of the process we have created something on celluloid that transcends two-dimensional film and becomes something that really feels three-dimensional."Remarkably, forty percent of all live-action principal photography was actually shot underwater. Prior to the start of production, all the principal actors underwent extensive underwater dive training in the Cayman Islands. By the time they reported to work in South Carolina, each cast member had been certified as an open water diver. This training was crucial, as the actors would be routinely required to spend up to three hours at a time underwater, throughout a ten- to twelve-hour shooting day.
Building the Underwater Future
The sheer scope of the underwater shooting necessitated not only the building of elaborate and special equipment, but also the establishment of a variety of sophisticated technical and logistical systems for production. "Deepcore," the massive oil-drilling rig, consisted of six partial and complete modules, each standing approximately 25 feet tall and 16 feet in diameter, and took a full eight months to design and construct.In addition, among the elements redesigned specifically for the film were the faceplates of the diving helmets, a communications system capable of delivering first-rate audio quality between actors, director and crew, and an effortless breathing regulator. The new audio system allowed several layers of communication simultaneously, and enabled "The Abyss" to be the first motion picture to record scripted dialogue directly onto tape during underwater filming.
Other technological achievements included an array of breakthrough lighting elements-which incorporated the first underwater use of HMI (hydragyrum medium arc iodide) lights-fully-functioning submersibles and ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), and video taps on all cameras.
For Trivia Experts Only
Hi there!
Quicktime (955k) or AVI (975k)
"The Abyss" was filmed at the never-completed Cherokee Nuclear Power Station outside Gaffney, South Carolina. The site boasts two specially-constructed underwater filming tanks, one of which was converted from the nuclear reactor containment building and which is able to hold over seven million gallons of water. Another tank, fashioned out of the foundation of a planned turbine pit, can be flooded to contain two-and-a-half million gallons of water. These tanks are the largest heated fresh-water filtered tanks in existence.
