1. What’s it like working as a husband and wife team? It is said that one should never work with a spouse – but you’ve done it for years. How do you manage it? How do you settle professional disagreements?

We love working together because we both feel we’re working with our best friend and someone whose opinion we value most and who we really admire. We communicate well and share opinions easily. So it’s not hard, it’s fun. We rarely disagree about the big issues, the important stuff. However we occasionally disagree about the small stuff, the details – but pretty soon one of us will simply say okay. We never ever do anything if one of us feels strongly against it. It balances out well and we can be very quick and decisive.

2. When you first had the idea of Sea Patrol (or overall proposal or even first saw scripts) did you think it would be such a big hit? Did you just get a good gut feeling about it? What do you think is most critical to its survival for a few more years? A solid fan base? Positive reviews?

To be honest, whenever we set out on one of our projects we’re already passionate about it – obsessed even. We won’t keep flogging a dead horse. Only if we are excited enough to be passionate will we ever begin. It’s the passion that sustains us as we march on facing a wall of negatives. So sometimes our gut feelings are (later) proved to be right – sometimes not. But hey – we persevere. A new project is like a baby – we love it , we’re proud of it and it has to be protected, supported, encouraged as it grows but also learn discipline and integrity. Somehow audiences sense or ‘smell’ a strong idea, a compelling bunch of characters. Early attention and loyalty from fans is crucial. Reviews are just one person’s opinion on one day in a week.

3. Once the series has been written, how long before the beginning of filming do you send copies of the scripts to the cast/crew? Does the cast know anything about their story lines or development of their character before they see the scripts?

The scripting process involves four top writers and an editor working as a team. They take 8 to 10 months per series as there are four full drafts of every script. So scripting for the next series commences shortly after we start shooting each year. It’s only at the end of the writing and editing process that any script can be properly read and assessed. So we don’t give scripts to cast or crew until a month or so before we start shooting – and we don’t change or rewrite them after they’ve been released. Some of the actors have a sketch outline ahead, but all of them trust us to write them right.

4. How long is the episode before it has been edited? How much ends up on the cutting room floor? How long does it take to edit one episode?

We shoot 14 to 1. That means we finish up using 1 metre for every 14 we shoot. That’s because we always shoot using two cameras and sometimes 3. It takes an average of two weeks to edit the picture for each episode and one and a half weeks to do the sound. But we don’t shoot one episode at a time. We shoot all the ‘at sea’ material first, then the land locations, then the studio. With something like 750 scenes overall, it’s a big jigsaw puzzle to put together episode by episode.

5. Is it possible for some outtakes or bloopers to be put on the forum for Sea-Patrol.com members to view?

Whilst we do have some out takes and bloopers, we don’t screen them publicly because it’s not fair to the cast. Imagine if you knew that every mistake you made at work would finish up on U Tube! Pretty humiliating and a breach of trust. So we don’t release them. We do play them at the wrap party though, but that’s family – and hilarious!

6. How much agreement or satisfaction do you have with actors’ ideas or interpretations when they alter something from the original script?

We don’t encourage the actors to alter anything, certainly not whilst we’re shooting. If they have an issue with anything, then we ask them to raise it before we shoot. The shooting day is so pressured and fraught you don’t want to stop whilst someone changes something. Under that pressure they or you may/will make a mistake you later regret. Having said that all our actors bring a tremendous creativity to what are just words on a page. Their performances bring life and unique vitality to those ‘speeches’. When they do it well you gasp with surprise or your eyes fill with tears of admiration for their subtle intelligence and skill. They’ll find depth, meaning and truth in a line of dialogue or a scene and convince you it’s real. That’s the power of performance.

7. Who will be replace Nav in season 4? Will there be an opportunity for any of the four recently departed characters to return, if only briefly?

The Armidale Class Patrol Boat no longer has a designated Navigator, the XO does the navigation these days. As for replacing her ‘dramatic status’ of a skilful senior female technician in a usually male job, Bomber has gained confidence and ambition. She’s going places. As for characters to return, never say never. But the actor concerned has chosen to move on so the question is to them really. Do they want to return? Again, never say never.

8. How do the cast and crew manage sea sickness when shooting on location? What are the greatest challenges about shooting on moving watercraft?

Anyone can experience sea sickness on any day. In Navy there’s no shame attached and we’re the same. No one is mocked or made fun of – the show goes on. We have a nurse on set at all times and they’re there to help. Somehow they all just soldier (ha ha) on. The greatest challenge at sea is everything moves all the time. Nature is in charge so we must figure out how to constantly adjust everything to achieve anything. Fortunately cast and crew absolutely love shooting at sea. It’s difficult and dangerous but rewarding because of the challenges. To see their smiles at the end of the day when they get off our flotilla of boats (we have 7 – big and small) is a real joy for the two of us.

9. When the characters are writing reports, what do the actors actually write? Do they just scribble or try to write something vaguely relevant to the scene?

Some actors really get into it and write real reports, others just scribble (remember school?).

10. How do you decide the characters’ profiles/bios? (eg, Born in England to a wealthy landowner, Kate’s young life quickly unravelled when her mother followed a charismatic but hopeless opal miner out to Australia, where she soon found herself abandoned and alone.)

The characters profiles we call ‘backstory’ i.e. where the character has come from before we meet them. We create these with our writers before they write a word of scripts. We give them to actors before they audition. It helps an actor to create a multi dimensional character in their mind to convincingly play. These profiles are hard to invent but crucial to ensure character differences. We and the writers spent several years creating these characters before we cast anybody. But of course the moment the actor takes the role every preconception evaporates. A good actor ‘owns’ the role and from then on it’s their journey.

11. Now that season 4 is underway, have you already begun to formulate season 5 or do you wait to see how season 4 is progressing in terms of character development?

We’re constantly assessing (every single day) the scripts, the characters’ performance and rushes (daily footage) and looking over the horizon to see where the character could go. One of the most exciting things is the alchemy that occurs with actors firing off each other/the scripts/directors/cameraman/the crew/the environment. It can be marvellous, unpredictable, surprising, revealing and truthful. That’s the joy of the process and the reward – a real example of 2 plus 2 plus 2 = 27.

12. Have you ever altered characters from their original conception after seeing their interactions on screen and with their castmates?

We’re constantly adjusting (minutely) everything and everybody as everything in the creative process is moving, changing and growing. For example, sometimes you can see a special chemistry emerge, not necessarily romantic, maybe just actors relating well to each other when the script pushes their characters together. That’s gold. If you see it, you write for it.

13. Why was ET in the camo uniform in the opening credits of season 3? Was he involved in a scene that never made it to air or was it just done for consistency?

Just consistency. The series was all about ‘who killed ET’, so we felt it important to recognise him in the opening credits of each episode.

14. Did you write characters with an actor in mind to play them or did you sign some actors to the series and then write the character for them?

No, we didn’t write any characters for a particular actor. We never do. That’s a rocky road to nowhere. To attract a good actor first you must have a well rounded believable character for them to play – otherwise they won’t be interested. Then and only then do we go looking for the exact match to the picture we have in our minds eye as to what the character looks like and sounds like. The casting phase is great fun as we routinely will see as many as 100 actors for each principal role each with their own version of who the character could be. Some are amazingly different, some are boring. Guess which ones we pick? Then of course you also have to establish the right balance between the various actors playing the role. Obviously they have to be a talented actor, but….. Their physicality and their emotional intelligence has to be right for their individual characters. Then how does all this compare to the other actors (and their characters). That’s called balance. Get that right and your show has a chance. Get it wrong and your show has no chance – ever.

15. Did you have any of the cast audition for a certain role, but then decide they suited a different character better? Eg. Matt Holmes going for the ET role but you thought he was better as Swain?

We’ve flipped actors into other roles during the casting process and actors have sometimes asked to audition for other roles. That’s when the balance question becomes crucial.

16. Has the recent economic climate affected the way in which Sea Patrol is produced?

Yes and No. Whilst Sea Patrol is relatively expensive (in the Australian context) what we deliver in production values on screen is without precedent. That’s one of the reasons why we have achieved a strong and loyal fan base inside and outside of Australia. However all television networks world wide have experienced a decline in advertising revenue and as a result want to pay less for programmes. So we have increasingly strict controls on our costs.

Thanks to Hal and Di for the answers!