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Poster for Western Deep
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Released
2002 · FILM

Western Deep

Runtime
24 min
Documentary

Synopsis

The film explores the sensory experience of the TauTona gold mine in South Africa, focusing on migrant laborers working in dark, claustrophobic conditions and the intense noise of drilling. Known as 'Western Deep,' the TauTona mine is the world's deepest gold mine and employs more than 5,000 people, operating around the clock. The film opens in total darkness as the miners descend three-and-a-half kilometers underground. McQueen captures an intense work environment where temperatures can exceed ninety degrees Celsius. Amid the jarring sounds of mechanical equipment, Western Deep is portrayed as a harsh depiction of labor, highlighting the miners' silent determination.

Credits

Director of Photography

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How many hands made this film

The scale of the collaboration

Principal cast & crew: 4

These are the principals we have on file — the full crew ran to the hundreds. Every film this size was made by far more hands than any credits list ever names.

Why a floor?

This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.

Craft leads on file

Shot by Sean Bobbitt

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