Ice Patrol

Executive Producer, Director, Writer, 2nd Camera

Ice Patrol followed the Royal Navy’s sole ice patrol ship, HMS Endurance on her five month voyage to Antarctica. As an ice-breaker she can venture deep into the pack ice and her two sturdy lynx helicopters allow her to penetrate further into the frozen interior than any other vessel.

 I formed my own company, Spiderlight Films, to win this commission with Channel Five and National Geographic. I and three other members of the crew spent 10 weeks onboard Endurance as she carried out her mission in Antarctica. Being “embedded” in this way allowed us to win the trust of the ship’s company and really get close to the action on this incredible voyage.

 This was an HD project and we pioneered the use of tapeless technology in these extreme conditions by using the new Sony PDW700 and two Sony PDW EX3‘s to record the series.

 We supplemented the onboard and shore footage with spectacular aerials shot on the Gyron camera (many thanks to David Baillie of Wildcat Films) and from the open door of the Lynx helicopters using the 700 and a Portamount.

 Personally, it also meant performing just about every role going with much of my time either spent self-shooting or being director/soundman with the main camera.

 The original plan was for the series to be six episodes but Endurance’s mission was cut short just before Christmas when we experienced a catastrophic engine room flood off Cape Horn which very nearly resulted in the ship sinking. The heroic story of how the ship’s crew saved Endurance is told in the final episode.

 When Ice Patrol aired on National Geographic - the first episode more than doubled the audience for that slot over the previous week.

Production Company: Spiderlight Films

Camera: Steve Gray, Martin Kemp

Editors: Peter Norrey, Andy Worboys

Executive Producers: Martin Kemp, Rosie Kingham

Commissioning Editor: Chris Shaw