Skippers
RTE Factual
This observational documentary series took the Irish audience aboard four working fishing vessels in the Irish fleet to meet the men who lead these boats; the Skippers.
Crews in pursuit of their lucrative catch, involving long absences from home, 24 hour shifts, huge waves, 80-mile-per-hour gales, and the unpredictability that is the ocean itself are part-and-parcel with this job.
The series was shot by DV Directors who ate, slept, breathed and fished with our Skippers while they were out on the high seas in the world’s most dangerous job, creating a sense of immediacy with the audience at home; bringing the action, and turmoil wave by wave, roll by roll. Visually stunning images of the Irish coastline and sea wildlife, along with the roaring ocean will compliment the strong-character presence of our Skippers and their crews, with the illusive lights of home becoming a beacon in the night for the Skippers as they make their way ashore after their grueling trips.
Customs
RTE Factual
Customs series One and Two: Customs is a character driven series following the working lives of Irelands’ customs officers.
With unprecedented access to the daily operations of Ireland’s customs officers, this series gave viewers an opportunity to see up close how the country is dealing with the increasing level of importation of illegal materials and substances.
24-hours-a-day the ten men and women featured in this series work to protect the nation’s borders. Theirs is an extraordinary job. The hours are extreme and no day is like another. In a game of cat and mouse they try to out-think the criminals, and sometimes they are successful. They find shipments of drugs in the strangest places: a doll’s house; picture frames; the bottom of a massive cargo ship. Large quantities of money, cigarettes and cars are regularly seized, as well as a myriad of other illegal goods and substances. And then there are the more bizarre finds like a Colombian snake.
The officers work like a police force, conducting dawn raids, getting involved in car chases, doing stake outs and investigating leads. And as the battle intensifies their equipment is upgraded now including high powered boats to patrol the coast, mobile x-ray trucks and highly sensitive scanners for use in the ports and airports.
These officers witness a fascinating side of Irish life that has remained mostly hidden from the public. Open Eye television followed Custom Officers behind the scenes, out on the roads and across the high seas in pursuit!