Spy in the Ocean is a captivating four-part series from Nature, immersing viewers in the mysterious depths of the ocean. Produced by John Downer Productions, the series is renowned for its innovative use of waterproof animatronic spy cameras, crafted to explore and reveal the hidden lives of sea creatures. These “spy creatures” represent a new generation of underwater explorers, seamlessly infiltrating the aquatic world to interact with and observe its diverse inhabitants.
The series showcases the extraordinary capabilities of these spy cameras, dubbed “Spy Creatures,” which delve deep into the ocean to uncover the secret lives and unexpected behaviors of its remarkable denizens. This exploration is not only groundbreaking but also showcases one of the most dynamic and enchanting environments on our planet.
Each episode of Spy in the Ocean offers a unique perspective on marine life, revealing the challenges and wonders of the ocean. The series spotlights a range of sea life, from a newborn whale calf, representing the largest spy creature ever created, to marine iguanas battling storms and the impressive mantis shrimp. The documentary format, combined with cutting-edge technology, brings viewers face-to-face with these creatures in their natural habitat, providing insights that were previously unattainable.
The series, which premiered on October 25, 2023, on PBS, has been acclaimed for its innovative approach to wildlife documentary filmmaking, offering viewers a rare and intimate glimpse into the underwater world.
The team that put together the Spy in the Ocean series set aside some time to discuss how they created the entire franchise.
Where did the whole idea for the whole Spy In The… series come from?
Matthew Gordon: Our journey into the specialized brand of wildlife filming began over 20 years ago with our project “Lions Spider Den.” At that time, our approach was simple: we used just one camera, cleverly disguised as a boulder. The idea was to get up close and personal with a pride of lions. We mounted the camera on a buggy that could traverse the terrain, allowing us to capture intimate and remarkable images. This experience ignited the idea of applying this technique to other wildlife.
Consequently, we expanded our focus to include elephants, tigers, and other animals. We started creating various types of disguised cameras, like the ‘dome cam’ and ‘tree cam.’ About ten years ago, we took a significant leap forward by introducing lifelike animatronic spy cameras that resembled the animals we were filming. This innovation was first showcased in “Penguins – Spy In the Huddle,” where we used a robotic penguin with a camera concealed in its eye. This concept was not only a hit with audiences but also became a passion for us.
This success led to the development of the “Spy in the Wild” series, featuring over 30 different animatronic creatures such as orangutans, egrets, and even flying drone animals and birds. Our exploration continued into all facets of the animal kingdom. Most recently, in our latest series focusing on oceans, we’ve ventured into the marine world. We’re experimenting with ocean spy creatures to uncover new aspects of aquatic life. This journey has been a thrilling exploration of wildlife filming techniques, constantly pushing the boundaries of how we observe and understand the natural world.
So you’ve come a long way from a rocks.
Matthew Gordon: Technology has evolved significantly, which has also enabled us to continue venturing into new areas.
That was going to be one of my questions further down the line. I was curious about how the evolution of various technologies, including robotics as well as cameras and lenses, has allowed you to progress.
Phillip Dalton: When we started with “Lion Spy: The Den” and the boulder cam, it was a relatively large object, so we could fit almost any camera inside it without worrying about size. But the real breakthrough in technology came during our “Spy in the Huddle” series with the penguin. That’s when things fundamentally shifted for us. We began using really small cameras that could fit into the eye socket of our spy creatures, which was quite significant.
“Spy in the Huddle” was a groundbreaking series. Our camera system, which evolved into the spy creature – specifically the spy penguin – used robotics that were cutting-edge at the time. The robot, initially based on a small humanoid, was modified by a very clever individual into a penguin form. This robot could walk bipedally, balance itself, and had accelerometers. It sensed inertia and knew which way was up. If it fell over, it would automatically stand up, and if it was windy, it would lean into the wind. This technology dramatically enhanced what was possible. Essentially, we had a walking penguin cam that could move into a colony and capture footage in ways we couldn’t as humans, filming everything through its eyes, which was a real breakthrough.
As technology evolves, cameras are getting smaller and higher quality. We’re now dealing with ultra-high resolution, which is amazing. We can record large amounts of high-quality material for extended periods. This is a game changer since more footage means more opportunities to capture behavior. In the past, film rolls only allowed for eight or twelve minutes of footage, but now, we can continuously record on multiple cameras at very high resolution. Yeah, it’s been a remarkable journey.
My questions will follow on from what you’re discussing. So, this might sound like a silly question, but what ends up being trickier: creating the appearance of the spy animals or implementing the underlying technology? We know what animals look like and they can sense each other. So, which aspect is more challenging?
Matthew Gordon: Funny enough, I was just talking about this today. When it comes to the cameras in any of our spy creatures, it’s never just one aspect we focus on. There are multiple factors to consider, depending on the animals we’re filming. Sometimes, we have to invest heavily in the appearance or facial expressions. Other times, it’s about making the device physically capable of handling the environment, especially with the ocean series. For instance, we needed equipment that was waterproof down to 20 meters and could withstand being knocked around. Sometimes, it also needs to walk on the seabed or move quickly.
It’s hard to pinpoint one specific aspect, but essentially, it’s about tailoring our approach to each project. We decide on the necessary features based on the shoot, and then we invest our time and money accordingly. Take the penguins, for example. That was the first time we created a walking spy creature. We invested in top-notch robotic engineers to study locomotion in penguins and robots. But that doesn’t mean we always focus on that. Sometimes, as I said, it could be about facial expressions or just the ability to endure in its environment.
Phillip Dalton: Yeah, for the penguin cam, we invested a lot of time and effort into mimicking certain behaviors of real penguins to help it become more accepted. Our penguin could, at the press of a button, emit an ecstatic call, which is a typical behavior they use, almost like a greeting. From a distance, this was recognized by other penguins and helped our device blend in seamlessly.
We also had a wild dog puppy and put significant effort into adding features like a waggy tail and animatronic ears that could move into a submissive position. We even included a play bow gesture. These are key behaviors that wild dog adults respond to, similar to how a pet dog reacts to a play bow from a human. It was crucial for us to include these behaviors to reassure the animals that our device was friendly and not a threat.
And talking about our spy baby gorilla, a lot of technology and time went into perfecting its facial expressions. Right, Matt? Getting those expressions just right was quite key, wasn’t it?
Matthew Gordon: Yeah, definitely. For the primates featured in those series, getting their appearance and behavior right was crucial. With the ocean series, the challenge was different. The main focus was on coping with the underwater environment. We’ve talked about cameras improving in quality, but underwater, you have to consider how light behaves and other such factors.
Some solutions don’t necessarily cost much in terms of time or money but require a different kind of investment. For instance, Phil once had to make a meerkat spy creature as authentic as possible, which involved smearing it with meerkat poo. It’s not always the most pleasant job, but these are the lengths we go to. Whatever it takes to make the spy creature blend in seamlessly on a particular shoot.
Huw Williams: Yes, with the Hammerheads for the oceans, series, getting the locomotion right so it can propel itself just like the real thing, but also kind of the buoyancy as well. Yeah, different depths, it’s going to behave differently. So you have to really kind of focus on these minut details where sometimes you can only really put to test when you’re in the field. So yeah, you have to think ahead for all these different aspects.
Thank you for taking us back to the origins of the ocean series, relating to what you were discussing. Was it difficult to keep your spy creatures, like the dolphin or the Hammerhead, upright, especially when they were close to the surface in the waves? You get the feeling they might turn over. I imagine it would be challenging to keep them always upright. Perhaps keeping the power going helps maintain their stability? I’m curious if it was more challenging in the ocean.
Phillip Dalton: Yeah, that’s a really good question. Malcolm, one of our engineers, has built quite a few of our spy creatures, including the dolphin for the ocean series. It was one of our first spy creatures for that series. A lot of attention goes into the balance and the center of gravity of these machines. It’s a bit like an aircraft; you want it nicely balanced in the water, not too nose-heavy or tail-heavy, to keep it stable.
The dolphin has a mechanical tail that mimics the spine of a real dolphin, providing a bit of thrust with its robotic spine. It’s equipped with a thruster to help it reach speed, and then you can turn the thruster off and rely on the tail for momentum. It also has pectoral fins that act like elevators, helping it stabilize and stay on course.
Some of our more sophisticated spy creatures, like the spy whale calf, have a dynamic buoyancy system. This allows them to actively change buoyancy, and in emergencies, they can become positively buoyant and rise to the surface quickly. The spy manatee, for instance, had an internal weight shift mechanism. It used weights on a worm wheel to shift its center of gravity dynamically. This allowed it to pitch up or down or even roll to one side under control.
As for the creatures like the spy octopus, they’re not as sophisticated in this sense. They’re made negatively buoyant, so they stay on the seabed and can walk around.
Matthew Gordon: What was very satisfying is that we work with top-of-the-field engineers to figure all these things out, especially when it comes to hydrodynamics. Like you mentioned, Malcolm created this dolphin, and we presented him with a challenge: we wanted to film surfing dolphins. We asked if he could make the spy dolphin hydroplane through the waves, just like real dolphins. His response was to try it out and then make adjustments based on the results.
We first tested it here in the UK, and it was pretty much successful right away, which is all thanks to the pre-thought given to various aspects like the size of the pectoral fins and dorsal fins. Nature has perfected these designs over thousands of years of evolution, but we had to redesign them for a spy creature. It’s a lot harder, but it worked out really well. Yeah.
You mentioned programming behaviors and sounds into the various devices. Did you consult with experts to learn about the animals’ behaviors and understand which behaviors would be reciprocated?
Huw Williams: Yeah, I mean, we’ve all got some voluntary backgrounds within the company. We often work very closely with scientists who know the animals best. We get their thoughts on how the animal should behave and, based on the behavior we’re hoping to capture, how it should look and act to get the best reaction from the wild animals. So yeah, it’s a real team effort to get it right, along with the model makers as well.
With the cuttlefish, we were really able to replay the patterns of the males competing with each other, giving our spy creature the look of another male. Or we could switch it off to make it look like a female instead, to get a different reaction. So yeah, it’s very important.
I wondered, with the cuttlefish, when you shifted signals from male to female, did it freak the other fish out a bit? I mean, did they react to the changes at all?
Huw Williams: Yeah, we always got really interesting interactions. It never spooked them or anything like that. Instead, it kind of just made them more comfortable, as if they were around one of their own, really. They’re very intelligent animals. And we designed it so carefully to avoid getting an aggressive reaction or anything like that. We just really wanted to get the most out of this sense of familiarity.
How were the animals chosen for Spies in the Ocean?
Matthew Gordon: It varies again. I mean, initially, when we come up with the episode titles, we then look at what to explore. For example, if we’re exploring intelligence in ocean creatures, you think of octopuses, dolphins, whales, those kinds of things. But then we also look for surprises, the unexpected. Sometimes we focus on things people might not even know about. A classic example is the seals in New Zealand swimming up a river to a waterfall. You usually think of sea lions being on the coast and swimming out to sea, but seeing them paddling around in a waterfall pool inland was just so bizarre. Or consider pigs swimming in the Caribbean; it’s not the first thing that comes to mind.
We also look for surprises to inform our audience. And then, sometimes, unexpected things happen when we’re out there filming a specific behavior. This can be just as fun. Like with the monkeys in Thailand: we went there specifically to film them opening oysters, and we also got footage of them leaping out and having fun in the trees and water. All these elements help us build the sequences and decide which animals to feature in the final series.
Huw Williams: Yeah, there are things we’ve wanted to build for years, and thanks to technology, like we said earlier, it’s now actually possible. So, it’s kind of been a dream come true to be able to make this series, right? Yeah.
Matthew Gordon: I mean, yeah, as you say, size is a big factor. When you’re planning a program on the ocean, the first thing we all thought was, can we make a giant whale? You know, that’s the first idea that comes to mind. But then we thought, well, maybe we have to go for something a bit more feasible. So, maybe do a baby whale at least, right? Rather than trying to ship out a full-sized blue whale.
Phillip Dalton: Even the baby whale was our biggest challenge and it tested everybody in production to the limits. It required a huge amount of testing, and I mean, it wasn’t just a case of building it and off we go. It took about a year and a half to get it right, from the concept to the first build, and then the testing. Lots of things went wrong. We nearly lost it on the first deployment in Mauritius. It nearly sank down to 2,000 meters, never to be retrieved again. But fortunately, we had a very reactive team that caught it by the tail before it sank.
But we learned, you know, we persevered. We thought, if we’re going to make a series on oceans, we have to have a whale. And so the perseverance paid off, and eventually, it delivered some magical sequences with sperm whales and humpbacks. But it was an engineering feat, yeah. It was a tricky one.
I enjoyed all the episodes, everything, but the pigs in the ocean were brilliant. There were moments when I was watching what was happening in the ocean and wondering, “What am I watching?” It all felt so surreal.
Matthew Gordon: I’m glad you felt that way because that’s exactly how we felt when I first heard about it. Someone else mentioned it, and I thought, this is insane. Then, when you go out there, it’s bizarre because, obviously, you first see these unbelievably beautiful turquoise waters, just like any other idyllic scenario. You go to the beach, then you go around this corner, and, oh my gosh, there they are, just swimming in the sea. So it’s a very bizarre, very surreal scenario. Yes, definitely.
Were there any particular interactions that stand out?
Phillip Dalton: I think, for me, the interaction with the octopus was probably my favorite. There seemed to be an emotional, almost intelligent connection between our spy octopus and the real one, which was quite revealing in terms of their behavior. There’s this lovely moment where they first meet and embrace, and it seems like a friendly gesture. But later on, the real octopus sneakily steals the coconut shell from our spy. It creeps around the back and very gently removes the shell, trying not to be noticed. We got the impression that the real octopus was considering what our spy might be thinking, which is an indicator of deep intelligence.
Those moments with the octopus really shined a light on their personality and intelligence. I thought that was quite magical. And I loved the hermit crab sequence, with all the swapping of the shells. The amazing moment when the hermit crab actually steals our spy’s shell, with a camera on board and starts doing its own filming, was just comedy gold. We never thought that would actually happen, and it did. So, I thought that was great, but everybody’s got their own favorite.
Matthew Gordon: Yeah, I mean, I think I might toss up between two sequences. One is the cuttlefish sequence you’ve talked about, showing the different reactions between the male and female, which is really astonishing and quite amazing. That’s what we always try to capture with our spy creatures whenever possible. But I would also say the very first sequence with the sperm whales. As I’ve often said, I’ve filmed whales in the past, but it’s usually just to capture a magnificent spectacle, like a humpback whale breaching, or a big group of them swimming through, and then they’re gone.
But what’s unique with the spy creatures, and this is where they really help, is capturing that moment when they’re swimming through and suddenly, one of them, the mother, turns around and notices the spy. You get that unique moment when it’s peering into the camera eye, and you’re looking straight back at it. It’s that moment when you’re breaking down the barrier between the real animals and us. And then, when that mother sperm whale was communicating with our spy whale, it feels like you’re breaking down the barrier of communication, even if just for a moment. You feel like it’s talking to us, because we’re there filming it.
It shines a light onto their deeper intelligence, maybe their emotions, like how they brought the baby over to have a look as well. It really helps us relate to the animals even more, and that’s very important, I think, in making more documentaries. Yeah.
Huw Williams: I think we’ve had more interactions than ever in this latest series. It’s just been full of them, like the macaques stealing our spy oyster and carrying it around, trying to get into it, and giving us these amazing shots from that unique perspective. It’s little moments like that which really stand out. The hermit crabs, as Phil says, would be one of my favorites, but ultimately, yeah, the cuttlefish, just showing that curiosity and being able to do something that otherwise is totally impossible. You wouldn’t be able to get that sort of footage without a device like the spy cuttlefish. Yeah, I think it’s just been a wealth of really beautiful interactions with these wild animals, showing their intelligence and their emotional side, really.
Phillip Dalton: Yeah. Well, what surprised me and for all of us was the willingness for a lot of these animals to not only sort of come in and investigate, but wanting to sort of communicate with our spy creatures. That’s quite profound in itself. You know, I mean, the communication between the cuttlefish and the robot cuttlefish, both communicating to one another. Breaking down sort of a language barrier. Almost, but enabling the viewer to connect in ways that just wouldn’t be possible through sort of normal filming methods so that the spies are such incredible tools really. that allow us to, to get closer. Yeah.
How did you actually plant your spies in their communities? Did you dump them into the ocean and wish for the best? How did that work?
Phillip Dalton: Every spy creature and every circumstance is slightly different. For example, the spy whale is nearly four meters long and weighs well over a ton in the water. It’s a big logistical challenge to move it around, especially since the ocean is such a huge place. So, we have to work closely with experts and scientists who follow the animals and know where to generally find them. It can take weeks in the field, sometimes not seeing a single whale, so it is tough.
With our spy whale, we had its own special deployment boat, which we towed behind our main boat. This allowed us to take it far out into the ocean. After days, or as I said, weeks of searching, when they’re in the general area, maybe within a radius of a couple of kilometers, we deploy the whale. We’ve got a team of two people who go into the back of this special deployment vessel, like a zodiac or an inflatable boat, and they push the whale into the sea, get it all armed and powered up.
From the boat, we have a special control system, a radio control system. We send an instruction to our spy whale, telling it to swim, say, 200 meters northeast, then dive down to 10 meters and hold its position for half an hour or 20 minutes. So, we send out the instruction, and the whale goes off on autopilot. We don’t really have control of it at that point. It goes off, holds its position, and then we wait, hoping that the whales will come to investigate our spy.
What’s incredible is that the animals do come. They’ve got the whole ocean to roam around in, yet when our spies are in the water, they come in and investigate. That’s what we rely on. We rely on their intelligence and curiosity. As long as we deploy them roughly in the area where the animals are, it’s a waiting game. Then we let them come to our spies. That’s generally how it works. Yeah.
Huw Williams: Exactly. I was just going to say, with the Hammerheads, we were working with people who know them best. They use these currents like superhighways. So, we would deploy the spy Hammerhead further up the current, then just release it and allow nature to take its course. It swims amongst these huge, giant shoals of hammerheads, getting those amazing shots of being right in the center of all these incredible sharks. So that was our method of deploying a hammerhead.
Matthew Gordon: Yeah, and I would say that deploying the spinner dolphins was almost a completely different approach. You know, dolphins are constantly on the move, and even when they’re resting, they move pretty fast. So, instead of just having the ability to move slowly with the dolphin’s tail, we also had a propeller for bursts of extra speed to keep up with the dolphins. But every now and then, the spinners would just go really fast, and our dolphin couldn’t keep up. That’s when it was time to deploy the spy frigate bird, to keep a view from the air, which could move a lot faster.
Then you go back onto the boat and try to catch up. Sometimes the dolphins would rest, or, like in the sequence, they’d suddenly dart off because they came across a massive school of flying fish. By chance, we got the spy frigate in amongst the real frigates and other birds feeding on the flying fish. And when our spy dolphin managed to catch up, it was deployed there too, getting the action from below.
Phillip Dalton: You’ve got quite a funny story with the spider surfing dolphin when it comes to deployments
Matthew Dalton: So, there was this time when we were filming surfing dolphins in Australia. It’s all about drive. Luckily, we could drive up and down the coastline, and from the top of the cliffs, we could spot where the dolphins might be. Sometimes the weather was atrocious, making it really hard to spot them. Then, you might find them, rush down to the beach where we’ve got the spy dolphin, deploy it, and suddenly the dolphins decide they’re going back up the beach. So, we’d have to pull out the spy dolphin again, quickly load it on the back of a pickup truck – normally everything is protected in boxes, but this time we just put it on the truck and drove off.
Unfortunately, some of the local people saw us, and to them, it looked like we were taking a real dolphin out of the ocean and transporting it up and down the coast. So, we got reported to the police, and they came down to us, saying they’d had reports of people taking dolphins out of the ocean. Luckily, we could explain and show them it was just a spy dolphin, and everything was okay in the end. But it just goes to show, sometimes deployment is not as easy as you might think. Yeah.
Last question. Is there another series sort of down the line? Are you planning something new?
Matthew Gordon: So, we are always thinking of new spy series to do. I think there can definitely be another one coming down the line. We can’t go into too many details yet because these are new ideas we’re just thinking of. But, as I said, this spy brand has been going on for over 20 years now. And what we love is always coming up with new ideas. I think that’s what the audience loves as well. It’s like, “Right, what are you going to come up with next?” So, rest assured, there will probably be another spy series.
Huw Williams: At the rate technology is advancing, it’s going to be even more advanced than our last series. Yeah, there are some exciting things to come, definitely.
IMAGE CREDIT: PBS/BBC/Nature.
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