Peering through the porthole of a submersible is like looking at outer space with a flashlight. You can't see much. But rigged with high-intensity movie lights, a sub becomes a deep-sea Hubble, revealing such eccentric beauties as the teetering spires of a sulfide chimney or spiny brisingid sea stars combing currents for food. Along with the National Science Foundation and Stephen Low Productions, a team of scientists is helping create an IMAX-format film to show in unrivaled detail the riches of hydrothermal vents—ecosystems that may hold clues to early life on Earth.