CSI: Miami 3.1

The two featurettes are in the mould, which means talking heads yappedy-doo-dahing their way through tricky waters, because these are experts in their field, crew guys (and Ann Donahue, producer/writer/co-creator of the series), not the talent. What they say is interesting.

Deep Blue Sea is about working with water. Miami is surrounded by the stuff. You can't get away from it and the filmmakers don't want to. "The most challenging thing we do on this show is open water work." It's hard and it's difficult, especially when there are 'gators and sharks in the vicinity. And they have to be respectful. "Don't throw anything overboard. Don't touch the coral. Don't..." They take it seriously, which is why Miami Emergency Services give them so much help, when required.

Visualizing Season 3 emphasises something that is demonstrated in the production values, the dedication and commitment of the crew. The success of the show depends on them as much as the writers and actors and when you are shooting one episode a week there is little leeway for error. Essentially, this featurette is concerned with special effects. They have their own man, with two helpers, who does it all. They have to work fast and they have to be safe, because the actors do most of their own stunts. This is another behind the scene mini-doc that exposes the degree of innovation and skill required to work on something as high quality as this. Fascinating.

There are five episodes with audio commentary from writers and directors. They tend to be light on facts and heavy on banter, but if you settle in you can glean good stuff from this. When it rains, and it can do, like stair rods, they replace the sky with blue (later). Emily Procter speaks fluent Spanish. A lot of people wear khaki in Miami. "The worst thing we ever asked an actress to do was lie half naked, covered in moss and be puked over." It was also freezing that day.

The opening scene in Lost Son, the first episode of the new season, when a boat collides with a bridge that is jammed with traffic was based on an actual incident in Fort Lauderdale. The scene that opens Under The Influence, when an elegant lady with shopping falls in front of a coach and is killed, was changed the day before shooting. Originally, she was meant to be run over by a train, but there were complications with permissions and the writers and director had to rethink fast. It works perfectly. You can't see the improv.