A few weeks ago, I spoke to filmmaker Matthieu Rytz about his stunning documentary Deep Rising. He was in the country speaking at the DocEdge Film Festival and providing a rare insight into the secretive world of the corporations mining the ocean floor. 

Deep Rising takes us 4km down to the bottom of the South Pacific, where the Clarion-Clipperton zone lies. It’s a dark, cold, sparse world we know little about, other than that it's home to very old rocks containing some of the world’s most sought after minerals, and luminescent and jelly like creatures which look like they’re from another world. 

If, like me, you’ve seen Deep Rising, its surreal images of the ocean’s floor stuck in your mind this week as we waited to learn the fate of the OceanGate Expeditions unclassed, uncertified submersible. Most of us at some point likely wondered what it would be like to be trapped in such a small space in a place so vast and unreachable. 

Is that why there was so much interest? The story dominated the news from the moment it was announced the Titan had lost contact with the surface.  

Many other places in the world this week experienced innocent people’s lives at risk, or deaths, but none stuck in the headlines quite like this. One TV station had a oxygen countdown playing on screen showing how much air was left in the submersible – not only was coverage out of proportion, it at times was also crass. 

So what was it that created millions of views, hits and hashtags?

It’s probably obvious that as a film reviewer I would end up comparing this story to a film. But haven’t we all? As one associate professor of communication and media studies said: “At its core, it contains all the essential elements of an addictive, alluring media spectacle.” 

That was until the end, when the miracle ending failed to materialise and we were reminded this was real life. 

But there’s more to it. 

Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and host of the Mentally Stronger podcast, said: "The idea of 'time running out' is most people's biggest fear,” and "A lot of people are envisioning what it would be like to be on the sub knowing they have less than 24 hours of oxygen if they’re not rescued. We're also intrigued by adventurers and what risks they'll take in life.” 

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• Oceanographer who helped discover the Titanic wreck reacts to news of submersible

Watching wealthy people do incredibly risky things and taking adventure sport to the extremes has become a new past time - be it conquering space or the depths of the ocean. 

And then there’s the location, and the continuing fascination with one of the great shipwrecks. This tragedy adds another layer to the Titanic story. 

But for all that did this warrant the attention it received? Filmmaker James Cameron, who has dived more than 30 times to the Titanic wreck, was quick to point out that the search operation turned into a “prolonged and nightmarish charade” which added to the agony of the passengers’ families. 

It’s a good point, especially after the US Navy admitted they’d detected the implosion of the Titan submersible just hours after it entered the water. It’s understandable to hold out hope. Hope fills the space between fact and fiction until the facts are confirmed- but sharing this information, even if it was just privately with the families, may have been the kindest thing to do. 

Considering the attention captured this week, it may only be a matter of time before this story inspires a film. I can only hope though that it’s quite a long time before someone decides to make money from this sad tragedy. 

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