News
The news section shows just a sample of projects we have worked on recently.
BBC Little Dorritt. Recreating 18 century Venice in a country park by cheating the Gondola into a shallow tank in front of the main house. Supply of the Gondola and technical advice.
BBC Little Dorritt. A small camera crane mounted on our camera boat for close dialog shots recreating Venice in the 18th century. Marine coordination, camera boat, safety boat and divers as well as the Gondola.
Thomas Pink advert. Three punts with safety boat and crew.
Marine Film Services Ltd were contracted to install a plinth for a statue in the lake at Buckingham Palace just prior to the garden party season.
Primevil. Water monster POV shots of the Houses Parliament, The London Eye and surrounding area including wake shots for the CGI boys to insert the swimming creatures.
Brightstar. We had to clear a Four acre lake chocked with weed before filming this period film about the poet Keats. Safety boats, support boats, on set safety and coordination.
One of our camera boat filming on a fast flowing river Seven at Ironbridge for a Muller yogurt advert. Camera boat, safety boat, action boat, on set safety and coordination.
Helen Baxendale in our extra wide ferry punt for a Morrisons advert on the fast flowing Cherwell river. Action boat, safety boat, safety divers and coordination.
Balloon Wars with lots of zombies and blood! Camera boat, action boat, on set safety and marine coordination.
Our camera boat is the official umpires launch for the Oxford and Cambridge boat race. It is rigged with a stabalised camera mounted on the bow deck.
Filming fast boat sequences with the Royal Marines. This involved a high speed boat to boat boarding with the marines twin jet drive 40 knot raiders. Our RIB is ideally suited to rigging the stabilized camera for these high action shots. This footage has been used for the launch ceremony for the new P & O cruise ship Ventura.
Safety for a very pink theme'd Bingo advert!
"The Boat That Rocked" This current production for Working Title has required sourcing a 200ft ship built in 1964 as well as all the supporting action boats. It has been rigged with radio masts for this comedy set in the sixties on a pirate radio ship.
"BBC Skeleton programme"
The presenter was snorkeling with two sea lions in a safari park tank. The sea lions are real show offs and fantastic entertainers!
"Hippie Hippie Shake "
We had eight actors skinny dipping in a lake at night including Sienna Millar. We supplied the pontoon, rigged the under water platforms covered the on set safety and supplied a camera boat.
"Ashes to Ashes"
To film this fast speedboat sequence under Tower Bridge we cheated the actors onto the Ecocat to allow room for the camera crew. A great shot of the "Life on Mars" characters with guns and attitude through central London!
"Primevil".
Our new camera boat fully rigged with scaffold and canopy for different camera positions (bow,side and stern).
"Catherine Tate's Christmas Show "
Lauren and the gang paddling on the fast flowing Thames. "We ain' t that bovvered"! MFS supplied the Kayaks, equipment, safety boat, safety divers and camera boat.
"Shoot on site "
Marine Film Services ltd coordinated the marine sequence for this feature film on the Thames at Putney and supplied the Police boats, Police dive teams and equipment to simulate a body recovery.
"That Mitchell and Webb Look B "
Another outing for the boys messing about in boats!
"Treasure Ship Live "
A live show from the wreck site of the Wydah the only authenticated pirate wreck in the world. Hosted by Vic Reeves and June Sarpong with Nick Baker underwater. The Wydah sank in 1717 off Cape Cod having raided 54 ships. A lot of the artifacts have been recovered but the mother load is still down there. Marine Film Services acted as the diving contractor, diving supervisor and supplied all the broadcast quality underwater communications equipment.
"True Heroes "
Filming another drowning/survival sequence recreating a true Canadian story of two guys who plunged through the thin ice on their skidoo. Shot in the underwater tank we were the diving contractor. Our camera operator shot the underwater scenes and we helped rig the set and covered the on set safety.
"You Can Choose Your Friends "
A drowning sequence with veteran actor Anton Rogers (73) shot in the underwater filming tank. We rigged an underwater platform and wrangled pond weed and netting to enable Anton to complete the underwater sequence in a comfortable and controlled way. We also doubled for the deeper sinking scenes.
CH4 "Peep Show 1V"
Mitchell and Webb's latest series involved four days of filming including a night shoot on two canal boats on the Grand Union Canal.
Marine Film Services Ltd supplied the two canal boats and crew as well as covering the on set safety.
BBC "Blue Peter"
Presenter Gethin Jones was trained for emergency submarine escape at the navy's 30m training tank.
Marine Film Services Ltd acted as the diving contractor, diving supervisor and safety.
BBC "Whizz Whizz Bang Bang "
The underwater canoe developed by an eleven year old inventor!
Marine Film Services Ltd acted as the diving contractor and trained the presenter and the inventor to PADI open water standard.
Endemol "Extinct"
Dermot Oleary presented this TV program for Five covering the endangered Leatherback turtle in Costa Rica. The program looked at the causes of their decline and the solutions the World Wildlife Fund are implementing to try and save these fantastic animals. We filmed long line fishing boats using a prototype hook as well as Dermot underwater. Marine Film Services Ltd acted as the diving contractor, diving supervisor and marine coordinator.
Cadbury's "Trident"
A 50ft three tonne camera crane was mounted on the deck of a passenger boat to film this commercial at Lambeth bridge and outside the Houses of Parliament. Stability calculations where carried out on both boats with the relevant risk assessments. We supplied the marine coordination, camera boat, safety boat and safety team.
007 "Casino Royal".
Richard Carless was contracted as Marine Coordinator for Bonds latest film. This involved sourcing the yacht and coordinating the filming in the Bahamas and Venice. The yacht was shipped out from the UK and was sailed or transported deck cargo between the two locations on a very tight time scale. Filming in Venice included taking the yacht up and down the Grand Canal- a good test of watermanship skills!
BBC 2. "Three Men in a Boat".
Griff Rhys-Jones, Rory Mcgrath and Dara Obriain loosely recreated Jerome K Jerome's famous rowing trip up the Thames in a traditional camping skiff. Marine Film Services Ltd supplied all the boats, marine coordination and safety.
"Powergen advert"
Comedian Simon Day perched in an authentic Tene coracle on the Grand Union Canal. We supplied the pool training, camera boat, hero boat, safety boat and safety divers.
Ch4 "Viking boat race"
Two crews from Oxford and Cambridge rowed and sailed replica Viking longboats from Denmark back to the UK. Our involvement included sourcing the boats, refitting them to MCA safety standards, safety training for the rowing crews and production team, marine coordinating the event and land support.
Five "Shark Watch Live"
Marine Film Services Ltd were contracted by Endemol for 7 days of live broadcasts from the Pacific ocean diving with great white sharks. We were responsible for supervising all the diving operations and experiments and worked closely with the UK Diving- Health and Safety Executive to ensure the safety of the presenter and cameramen in three underwater cages. The presenters cage did not have any bars!
