Just a few weeks ago, third-year graduate student Emma Kragen was concentrating on advancing her thesis project at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Now the emerging cinematographer is assembling waterproof snow gear and stepping up her exercise regimen to prepare for a trip of a lifetime to the bottom of the world.
“It was a spontaneous thing,” Kragen said of her all-expenses-paid invitation to join the International Antarctic Expedition 2015, which starts this Friday and aims to enlighten participants firsthand about the effects of climate change during a 13-day adventure across Antarctica.
Led by polar explorer Robert Swan, the first man to walk both the North Pole and South Pole, the expedition will transport 78 people from 25 nations on the expedition’s ship, the Sea Spirit. Depending on weather conditions, the ship will make a number of stops along the way, allowing participants to disembark and hike the terrain. Throughout the journey they will learn about the wildlife, geology, history and geography of the Antarctic Peninsula from onboard experts.
The voyage is spearheaded by Swan’s organization 2041, named after the year when the Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, a multinational agreement protecting Antarctica from mining, comes up for renegotiation. Swan’s ongoing passion is to raise awareness so that the 1991 agreement is renewed. The agreement was created to protect the Antarctic environment, ecosystems, wilderness and aesthetic values so that scientific research essential to understanding the global environment would continue be conducted.
Kragen’s involvement with the expedition came about quickly: Through conversations with Swan, Dean Teri Schwartz created the opportunity for an outstanding UCLA TFT film student to embark on this journey on the school’s behalf.
“Emma is an outstanding filmmaker, storyteller and cinematographer,” Schwartz said. “She represents all that is exceptional about our amazing students. To go on this important and exciting journey with Robert Swan and his team is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use the power of story for good.”
A day after Kragen was notified that she had been chosen, she was on the phone with Swan, who told her how to prepare for the climate and rigors of the trip. To build endurance, she recalled, “He told me to up my workout regimen by three hours a week.” Trips to the doctor for medical clearance and Adventure 16 for snow gear were also in order.
Kragen’s itinerary includes flying into Buenos Aires before catching another plane to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. There, she will meet the participants and other members of the 20-person crew. After getting acclimated to the weather, the group will head toward the rough waters of the Drake Passage, located between Cape Horn and Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands, and will perhaps catch sight of the many whales and dolphins that frequent the area. Days five through 12 will find the expedition on the Antarctic Peninsula, where, among other things, they’ll get the chance to go on an overnight camping expedition. Day 13 takes them back to Ushuaia.
Throughout the voyage Kragen will be filming footage of the journey to create a short documentary, as well as tweeting and video blogging — “That will be interesting because I don’t really take selfies,” she explained. “I’m usually on the other side of the camera.” In a ceremonial moment, she’ll represent her alma mater when she unfurls a UCLA TFT flag in Antarctica.
When asked if she has any trepidation about traveling to the end of the world, Kragen admitted, “I’m a little nervous about the 40-foot waves that could potentially crest in the Drake Passage. The whole thing is a new experience, and I’m not 100% sure what to expect so there’s a little fear of the unknown — but there’s also excitement,” she said. In fact, above and beyond the natural splendor of the region, there’s one thing she’s especially eager to see.
“The penguins,” she said. “I love penguins!”
Follow Kragen and the 2041 Expedition here and on www.2041.com. See her first video blog here. This story was adapted from one posted on the School of Theater, Film and Television website.
