SUSPECTS | Behind-the-scenes & filming locations

Damien Molony Forum

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Date: 10:42 Apr 24, 2014

SUSPECTS \| Behind-the-scenes & filming locations	Permalink

Fascinating in-depth insight (and new pics!) via broadcastnow.co.uk into the making of SUSPECTS, with comment from creator / writer / exec producr Paul Marquess and Graham Smith, Director of photography. REALLY worth the read! Suspects, C5 29 January, 2014 Semi-improvised dialogue and a documentary shooting style give C5’s police drama an edgy, contemporary feel CREDITS Production company Newman Street (part of Fremantle Media UK) Length 10 x 60 minutes TX tbc, February, 10pm, Channel 5 Commissioners Ben Frow; Greg Barnett Executive producer Paul Marquess Creators Paul Marquess; Steve Hughes; Darren Fairhurst Series producer Kara Manley Directors John Hardwick; Craig Pickles DoP Graham Smith Post house Sequence Post Summary Police drama with the ‘insider’ feel of a documentary, tackling difficult subjects in a gritty and realistic way. Paul Marquess: My tricks of the trade Hire a brilliant series producer. Kara Manley’s combination of clear-sightedness and amazing attention to detail was invaluable. Employ experienced professionals. People need to know the rules before they can start breaking them. Tell your broadcaster the truth. We hit some problems, but C5 was always sympathetic and supportive. Trust your instincts. There were moments when just about everyone thought I’d lost my marbles, but I knew we could make it work. Whatever happened to the long-running, contemporary British cop show? For decades, Z-Cars, Softly Softly and The Bill told contemporary crime stories that reflected our concerns about crime and, ultimately, reassured us that right would triumph over wrong. Along the way, these series challenged prejudices and pushed back boundaries – and entertained millions. Has the appetite and audience for this kind of drama really just faded away? I don’t think so, which is why I’ve just produced 10 hour-long episodes of Suspects for Channel 5. Like its predecessors, Suspects dramatises the investigation of contemporary crimes. But unlike those shows, it does so with the ‘insider feel’ of a raw and edgy fly on-the-wall doc. In the ’80s, new camera technology – combined with the growth of ob docs – allowed the makers of shows like Brookside and The Bill to change fundamentally the way that popular drama was produced. I believe we’ve reached a similar moment. Cameras are smaller and more-light sensitive than ever before, and from TOWIE to 24 Hours In A&E, millions of viewers are watching narrative television that has been constructed and shot in a much looser way than conventional drama. A spell behind enemy lines working on series two of TOWIE was a real eyeopener for me. Despite the fact that there were no scripts (as such) and no professional actors, the producers and directors were consciously aping drama storytelling techniques and shooting styles. They were stealing our drama clothes – and it worked a treat. A spell working for Fremantle in Germany further opened my eyes when I was exposed to what the Germans call ‘docu-dramas’ – simple moral dramas told in basic but effective documentary style. Then I heard that C5 – the home of imported crime series like CSI – might be looking for an original drama of its own. Suddenly, everything came together. C5 director of programming Ben Frow got the idea straight away. He and commissioning editor Greg Barnett have been enormously supportive throughout the process, which has been handy. To say that it’s been a learning curve would be an understatement. Story is, of course, where compelling drama starts and finishes. Suspects was written by a hugely experienced team. This – along with playing close attention to police procedure – gave our story process real rigour. We tried to come up with investigations that felt contemporary and relevant for the C5 audience, and then tested every draft as a group. It’s lucky that we’ve all known each other for a long time. Throughout the process, we stuck firmly to our concept of creating a realistic documentary feel – so we avoided putting words into our police officers’ mouths. Instead, we handed that baton to our three lead actors. Together with our police adviser – who was on set at all times – it was the actors’ job to give voice to the investigation, including conducting complicated and sensitive interviews. It worked a treat – and helped to keep down the cost of the production. It was essential to employ a visual storytelling language that matched the raw, edgy feel of our material. DoP Graham Smith was brilliant at making it feel like the camera was following rather than anticipating the action. This allowed our directors to throw their energies into storytelling and performance. It felt like a good balance, and the results are impressive. Those lightweight, light-sensitive cameras I mentioned earlier were key to the process, and gave us the ability, particularly on location, to make it feel like we were recording real life rather than setting up elaborate action sequences. Hopefully, this all translates into a drama with a unique energy and realistic feel. Perhaps my favourite innovation is our fixed-camera interview room. It used five cameras (including a moving, operator-controlled Q-Ball) and, once we were rolling, it was an actor-only space. Many of the actors who faced Fay Ripley’s cynically arched eyebrow told me it was as close to live theatre as they’d ever got in television. Just like the rest of this enormously collaborative process, it was properly scary – but the results speak for themselves. Paul Marquess is executive producer of Suspects SUSPECTS: FRAMING THE ACTION Graham Smith Director of photography My brief was to shoot the drama in the style of a documentary, with improvised action on a very tight schedule. To give it a cinematic feel, we decided to use a full-format camera with a shallow depth of field. I went for the Sony F55, which produces some lovely images. This camera is generally more at home on a dolly or a tripod, but I shot entirely handheld while fielding my own focus. This approach – coupled with the unpredictable action – required some extremely nimble footwork, but I’m delighted with the results. With schedule pressures in mind, the main police sets were pre-lit with practicals to give a 360-degree shooting angle. Any fine adjustment was in the form of small sandbags on top of the fittings that could be swung to favour the light one way or the other. The main CID set was created by series designer Eryl Ellis to be a fully functioning office, with lots of permeable space and no camera traps. This was very liberating, as I was able to get right into the heart of the action. As Detective Inspector Martha Bellamy, Fay Ripley had her own office. This was partially glazed, which meant I could capture high-stakes briefings in a way that felt natural. All of our other locations were unseen until the shooting day, so we made the most of the natural light. The sensitivity of the cameras even allowed some night scenes to be lit entirely with torches. The experience was enjoyable, unpredictable – and challenging. __________________ Join DMF here too: Fan Site \| Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook \| Youtube

Alessia

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Date: 11:36 Apr 24, 2014

RE: SUSPECTS IN-DEPTH: Behind the Scenes	Permalink

beeeeeellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo __________________ HAlex

PradaKat

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Date: 20:37 Apr 24, 2014

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Interesting article. Great find Domino. I had to admit I had to do a double take with that first pic because I thought the boom guy's hand was DaMo's arm!! Got very confused! __________________

Londonlaura

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Date: 20:38 Apr 24, 2014

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What great photos and interview. Thanks Domino :D __________________ ~Hal Yorke is in my dreams. Can't wait to go to bed!~

Su Hemming

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Date: 22:09 Apr 24, 2014

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Ooh lovely!!! I dunno why but i imagined the cameras being less in their faces.... __________________ Sooner or later, we all go back to being the monsters we truly are!

domino l - l - l

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Date: 10:27 Apr 25, 2014

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I was happy to find this too!

Fascinating to read about the camera work, which for me is one of the main USPs of Suspects and adds a whole extra level. The shots through the glass in Marthas office and interview rooms, the birds eye camera angles, the claustrophobic shots in the interview rooms and the running alongside the actors ones particularly.

Reading the process from the conception to production of Suspects from Paul Marquess himself is a real treat. He has totally succeeded in bringing his vision to life, in an uncompromisingly admirable way.

Can't wait to see more!

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fifi

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Date: 00:42 Apr 27, 2014

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An excellent find indeed. It's great to continue to get insights into the way this was concieved snd produced. I really hope that channel 5 see fit to make a lot of noise about it before the next series airs..... __________________ ".....he'll be with you while you dream"

JozieMozie

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Date: 07:14 Apr 28, 2014

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Great find domino! I've been so busy that I only now had time to read this. I can't wait until this show starts again :) __________________ I want to give Hal some Kia-Ora

Damien Molony Forum

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Date: 11:25 Apr 28, 2014

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Ditto JozieMozie, reading this and seeing the behind the scenes pics has increased the yearning We will all have to keep our eyes open for behind the scenes / filming info for Series 2! __________________ Join DMF here too: Fan Site \| Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook \| Youtube

whimsyfox

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Date: 00:02 Apr 29, 2014

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Very much enjoy these pics and article. It always amazes me to see behind the scenes pics, the amount of people and camera's on set, because being an introvert (and having not a single iota of acting talent myself) it boggles my mind how the actors can immerse themselves in their character, remember their lines and emote effectively with so many people staring at them! lol

I have to agree with Paul Marquess... one of the most brilliant innovations for this show (only second to having the actors decide their own lines, and therefore have a greater input in the building of their characters) is that interview room camera set-up. Because of it, you feel the claustophobianess of being in there, getting grilled by the detectives. It feels very intimate, very austere. They brook no nonsense when they put you in there!

There was a polarizing discussion during the first couple episodes in regards to 1) the uber realistic camera movements - ie, wobbliness, peering around corners, and 2) the authenticity of the police procedure.

The camera bothered me in episode 1. I feel the crew was just barely working out the kinks in real-time. But by episode 2, I no longer notice any distracting camera angles/shots and began to appreciate the implications that they were being followed by a camera crew in-story (every time sassy Jack looks into the camera, and the one time Martha closes the door on them) without them blatantly reminding you they are actually being followed by a camera.

As for the police procedure authenticity - all I have to go by is other police dramas. As they are written usually to elicit maximum drama by writers that are not necessarily knowledgeable in police work, and the characters are very strictly developed (unlike the dynamic, organic evolution of Martha, Jack, and Charlie due to the improvisations of Fay, Damien, and Clare) I've come to the conclusion that perhaps our perception has been wrong all along and this is closer to real life. They seem to have gone through great lengths to be true to reality.

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fifi

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Date: 10:41 Apr 29, 2014

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Whimsy - I think you're probably right about our perception of police procedure being influenced by other police dramas...and I imagine that this is a more accurate representation (although it's worth remembering that this too is a drama and so I'm sure that liberties are taken to some degree). And I'm sure that police don't always do things by the book in real life - for example, when Jack talks to Toby alone in ep1.... I'm not sure that what he does is actually wrong (after all, Toby's dad willingly left him alone with Jack), but if Toby had told him anything then he would've needed to find further proof, or get him to repeat it infront of another adult, because it would've been inadmissable as evidence.....

I get the impression that the whole experience was a steep learning curve for everyone - cast and crew alike, and I still find it amazing how big a step up there is between ep 1 and ep 2....and by ep 3 it seemed to have completely found its feet..

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RPLovesIpswich

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Date: 13:29 Apr 29, 2014

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I found episode 1 quite distracting and difficult to follow what was going on because it was all so quick and nothing seemed to follow on very well from one thing to another. Each episode got better and better and the fly on the wall filming made it really engrossing. I agree Fifi, that it seemed that cast and crew were learning and developing as they went along. Damien and Claire were definitely the stand out actors in this for me; Damien's witty/sassy improvisations were excellent and made me laugh out loud. There were still bits where I thought, would the police have really done that, but I agree our ideas of police procedure all come from police dramas.

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domino l - l - l

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Date: 08:59 May 5, 2014

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Suspects was filmed at the LEB Building in Bethnal Green, London UK. It made very convincing Police HQ.. Loved the rooftop scenes with the City vista.
The Job Lot starring Russell Tovey was also filmed there coincidentally!

LEB Building Bethnal Green | filmoffice

LEB - Open Plan Office

Tower Hamlets | Car Park , Event & Gallery Space , Office , Production Office , Rooftop , Unit Base , Warehouses & Storage | Ref: 3178

The LEB Building offers both a diverse and changeable location, production base opportunities and a unit base for parking.

Features include open plan office space, reception areas, car park, one-stop-shop cashiers office and counter (e.g. betting shop, building society till front), basement corridors & caged metal rooms, staircases, set-build space and much more.

It has been a very popular location that has accomodated a diverse range of productions who have been able to film multi set-ups at one location and offers a fantastic workable space for all production needs.

Contact us to have a look around and see what it can offer you production.

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JozieMozie

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Date: 15:32 May 5, 2014

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Oh I love this domino! I was wondering which building that was they filmed, I wonder will they film there again? When the mid season break is over (I wonder when it was going to be over) they promised new season. Love those rooftop-scenes too! __________________ I want to give Hal some Kia-Ora

domino l - l - l

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Date: 20:28 May 5, 2014

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It is really exciting to see the location in it's 'raw' state Jozie, I have been going back to screencaps of the office to see the changes made!

We've been given to understand that series 2 will comprise the remaining 5 episodes already filmed, and some new ones... so I guess the venue would need to be the same for continuity?

Channel 5 said Autumn for series 2.

Thought I would re-post the photo of the 'Suspects' cast and crew

posted by line producer Mary Hare on her blog, now that we have a new appreciation of the building!

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whimsyfox

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Date: 20:55 May 5, 2014

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It has a very distinct facade they kept showing in the episodes, that checkerboard/argyle look. Very neat building and very cool to see it "raw" as you said. Definitely a "one stop shop" type of location that worked well for this show!

I can only imagine what's involved in "tooling up" for production, how far in advance they have to come set everything up and move in all the filming/production equipment and the actual sets. Props go out to the crew as well as the cast!

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A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music...
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domino l - l - l

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Date: 11:22 May 12, 2014

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Yes, that is what is so fascinating about seeing the building in it's naked state, seeing how much work went into creating and dressing the sets for filming and all the props. (talking of "Props").

It would be good to see a few more clues to Jack, Charlie and Martha on their desks.... would we want them to go as far as photos on desks though... would that destroy or add to the mystery of the characters?

Personally I like the no-context characterisation, it makes for huge intrigue and every tiny clue we are given is treasure and makes for unique, refreshing and innovative drama.... but I also would love more of those teasing little nuggets... as long as they are obscure and not overly obvious!

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JozieMozie

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Date: 09:33 May 17, 2014

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I wonder if they are filming the new season in this very same place? It would be dream come true to visit the set of Suspects, while the cast would be there too! I would like to visit the interview room with Jack.. I can't find Fay in that pic? __________________ I want to give Hal some Kia-Ora

domino l - l - l

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Date: 09:46 May 17, 2014

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That would be a fabulous competition idea joziemozie "win a day on the set of Suspects".... Take note channel 5/Fremantle!

As well as the set imagine being in the back of the car as they speed off to locations and in an arrest scene? The camera running down the street with them!

Yes, Fay is not in that pic, maybe she had another engagement she had to dash off to that day ( she is a busy woman !)

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JozieMozie

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Date: 09:52 May 17, 2014

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Yes! And also have staged pics with the cast! If I could choose, I would like pic with Fay, me leaning on the wall. Pic with Charlie in interview room, me looking guilty and pic with Damien while he arrest me :police2: __________________ I want to give Hal some Kia-Ora

domino l - l - l

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Date: 15:59 Sep 3, 2014

RE: SUSPECTS: BEHIND-THE SCENES & FILMING LOCATIONS	Permalink

Friends of the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, filming location in Suspects Series 2 have won the Countryfile Octavia Hill Award 2014! __________________ Fan Site \| Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook \| Youtube

domino l - l - l

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Here's more info and pics of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park as a film location, on the Film Office website: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park \| Film Office __________________ Fan Site \| Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook \| Youtube

JozieMozie

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Date: 12:06 Sep 7, 2014

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Well, this is awesome! It was surely amazing location and I just love that screencap where Damien is walking among the old graves..! __________________ I want to give Hal some Kia-Ora

domino l - l - l

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Date: 15:44 Feb 17, 2015

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Here is a piece from Sequence, the company who did the post production on Suspects.

I found it fascinating reading...hope you all do too! I remember when I had my set tour over the summer, Kara showed me the editing area, amazing to think not only do they film Suspects in such a short amount of time, but so much of the editing is done during the shooting period too.

"Such a revolutionary editorial approach has by its nature demanded some very unique and original thinking when it comes to technical work flows on set and in facility based post production."

"Bespoke camera rigs were designed and built on location in Bethnal Green to allow the live multi-camera recording of menacing, voyeuristic Interview Room scenes. Using a combination of GoPro Hero mini cameras and an HD Q-Ball camera, up to 6 streams of HD were fed to a specially built AJA KiPro recording rack. This material, which was deliberately framed and acquired to look like ‘in-station circuit cameras’, was recorded directly to Avid’s DnXHD 120 codec, before being shuttled to an on-location team of Data Wranglers.

To deal with the intense, 24/7 on set post-production demands, Sequence worked with location hire supplier Hireworks to build a remote edit facility on location. Six Avid MC suites shared an ISIS storage system, whilst 2 MacPro ingest stations were used by Sequence Data Wranglers to copy, transcode and edit prep all material on a rota system. DaVinci Resolve provided the ingest and transcode platform, freeing up Avid to be used simultaneously for sync pulling and edit assemblies."

Sequence provides full post for brand new Channel 5 Drama Series

Posted on February 11th, by Nahidburke in NEWS. Comments Off

Sequence Post has completed the full, end-to-end post production of 10 part criminal investigation drama series SUSPECTS, created and produced by Newman Street (part of FremantleMedia UK).

Created by Paul Marquess and his team, Suspects is a new procedural crime drama, starring Fay Ripley, Damien Molony and Clare-Hope Ashitey. Set in London,Suspects focuses on a team of three detectives and their distinctive approaches to the job of policing. Each of the ten episodes tells a self-contained crime story – starting with a news report about the crime. We then follow the team of detectives as they investigate the circumstances of the crime, forensicate the crime scene, collate and analyse the evidence, and interview their suspects – until they finally identify and charge the perpetrator.

Such a revolutionary editorial approach has by its nature demanded some very unique and original thinking when it comes to technical work flows on set and in facility based post production.

Sequence Post was contracted to provide the entire post solution, with Post Supervisor Ben Foakes taking care of on-set post infrastructure and titles design, whilst overseeing the finishing process at the Fitzrovia based facility.

Core story footage was acquired predominantly using Sony F5 and F55 camera units, recording directly in 25p HD, 50Mb/s broadcast quality to SxS cards. Although this approach did not utilise the full 4k capabilities of Sony’s latest cameras, it was perfectly suited to the fluid nature of filming and the immense volume of quick turnaround data management that took place on set.

Bespoke camera rigs were designed and built on location in Bethnal Green to allow the live multi-camera recording of menacing, voyeuristic Interview Room scenes. Using a combination of GoPro Hero mini cameras and an HD Q-Ball camera, up to 6 streams of HD were fed to a specially built AJA KiPro recording rack. This material, which was deliberately framed and acquired to look like ‘in-station circuit cameras’, was recorded directly to Avid’s DnXHD 120 codec, before being shuttled to an on-location team of Data Wranglers.

To deal with the intense, 24/7 on set post-production demands, Sequence worked with location hire supplier Hireworks to build a remote edit facility on location. Six Avid MC suites shared an ISIS storage system, whilst 2 MacPro ingest stations were used by Sequence Data Wranglers to copy, transcode and edit prep all material on a rota system. DaVinci Resolve provided the ingest and transcode platform, freeing up Avid to be used simultaneously for sync pulling and edit assemblies.

Following a 6-week period of on-set Offline Editing, the team decamped to Sequence Post’s central London boutique at Middleton Place to continue fine cutting, grading and Onlines. Finishing was handled by Colourist William Read, Online Editor Robert Bates and Dubbing Mixer John York, with music score composed remotely by Justine Barker.

Working in partnership with our audio specialists Wise Buddah Studios, Sequence were able to facilitate dry hire ADR sessions and final mix sessions for each episode.

The series was finally mastered to DPP spec AS-11 files, Quality Checked by the in-house Sequence technical team and delivered over high-speed fibre using Aspera directly to Deluxe on behalf of Channel 5 for transmission.

“This has been a benchmark programme for Sequence in 2013/14. It has been hugely exciting to get involved from the very start of such an innovative production, where ideas, content, technology and teams are all evolving as the series took place. I believe Sequence Post’s cross-platform background in doc, drama, film and live television was of huge importance here. The team were able to adapt to tighter turnarounds and challenging processes without compromising the beautiful look and feel of each film. I am very proud of the achievements of everyone involved with SUSPECTS and would like to personally congratulate Paul, Mary, Kara and the entire Newman Street and FIVE team on breaking genuinely new ground with the show.” Ben Foakes, Sequence Founder and series Post Supervisor.

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