John Everett, Series Producer of 5’s Police Interceptors, explains how the team at Raw Cut plan for thrilling sequences while keeping their workforce safe.
“It’s been 23 years since Raw Cut’s first blue light obs doc – Road Wars. It changed public perception of what police officers did on the front line and is still attracting viewers to Sky. Lots has been learnt since then and risk assessments, filming protocols and equipment have all radically changed. But one thing that has been a constant, is a drive to produce the most compelling blue light shows on television.
The biggest thing for me is trust. First gaining the trust of the force we film with, from the Chief Constable down the PCs. If they don’t trust us, it makes the process almost impossible. That’s down to the reputation we have among the forces across the country as over multiple different series Raw Cut has filmed with almost every force.
Also, having a confident and knowledgeable camera crew I can trust is crucial. Nearly all the people I use have been working with Raw Cut for years. They realise the importance of quickly blending into the teams they film with, often making friends along the way, but most importantly, gaining their trust.
They need the ability to work from their own initiative and have a keen eye for what is needed to tell a story. But to keep everyone on the same page we do have an extensive “Shooting Bible” which we regularly adapt. The hours can be long as the shooters follow the police shifts, which can sometimes be 12 hours whether it’s night or day.
Not only do we film with Roads Policing officers, we also film with the dog units, county lines and the Firearms teams, so safety is of the upmost importance. Shooters – though we try not to use that word when around the armed units – will often attend incidents where suspects are ‘called out’ from houses at gunpoint, or stopped in their cars, so they need to know where to position themselves so they can capture the most engaging footage, but also be out of harm’s way.
Police work is unpredictable, and our PDs attend anything from a simple “no insurance stop”, to a harrowing multiple car pile-up, and occasionally a murder scene. I’m sometimes asked if we direct or produce the officers to gather the stories, that is certainly not the case.
As part of our ongoing duty of care, the crews regularly attend situational awareness courses that help them understand where to film from, how to spot people that may cause them harm, and how to keep themselves safe. We also offer therapy sessions if they do attend a scene when a person has been killed, It’s certainly not a job for everyone.
Planning can be a logistical nightmare but with experience, you learn when, where and what times to deploy the crews. Sunday/Monday nights with the dog unit, and you may well film a burglar being cornered by the police dog. Friday nights with Roads Policing and you are almost guaranteed to film a drunk driver.
Each force has its own very specific set of problems and priorities, and we try and showcase these as much as we can. Nottinghamshire, for example, wanted us to record the work they do with people struggling with mental health – not an easy area to cover for TV in an 8pm show.
Almost as important as the crews out on the streets, are the production team in the office. For me, having a team dedicated to the show is paramount, from the researcher, editors and edit producers, to the production mangers. I’d say the most important person is our legal AP. The smallest mistake can cause a huge issue, and the rules and regulations around filming and broadcast has changed considerably.
I edited the very first episode of Police Interceptors and have now been the SP for more than a decade. I regard the team as more of a family rather than simply colleagues. We all have each other’s back and will always go the extra mile to continue to make the best blue light show on TV.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
Mondays in May see the start of series 25 of Police Interceptors and from Monday May 11th Raw Cut’s new hard-hitting investigation series, Major Crimes Unit also starts, giving Channel 5 viewers 2.5 hours of Raw Cut content to keep them on the edge of their seats.
Jon Creamer
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