NCIS: Sydney calls Walsh Bay Arts Precinct home
Sydney Production Designer Tim Ferrier shares what it takes to create the local version of the beloved franchise.
NCIS: Sydney is currently shooting its third season at Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. The first season premiered on CBS US as the #1 new drama in the autumn of 2023-2024. Here Production Designer Tim Ferrier shares what it takes to create the local version of the beloved franchise.
NCIS is such a widely viewed and loved franchise, what was your approach to creating a new world for the show in Sydney?
In some ways it was very easy, having the show set in the most beautiful harbour in the world. The premise is that the NCIS: Sydney team is lent a space for their operations by the Royal Australian Navy. This enabled me to create a backstory for the space; that it was a storeroom/old mess hall/muster room with murals from a bygone era on the wall and a ship’s gun augmenting the space. I love how none of this is ever really explained. It enabled me to provide a rich, textured environment for their HQ.
Did you immerse yourself in the NCIS world before concepting the Sydney production?
Yes, I watched episodes from all the previous iterations of the show to gauge the tone, requirements and structure of the stories. But it was very important to provide NCIS: Sydney with its own signature look.
Why did you choose Walsh Bay as the location?
We were extremely fortunate that, with the assistance of Screen NSW, we were connected with the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, and that this remarkable space was available. It is perfect for our requirements. I conceived the set very quickly as it is such a wonderful space. It has such amazing inherent character and textures. Of course we augmented the space too. I am quite proud that the directors and our wonderful DoPs (Director of Photography) are still - after so many episodes - finding great angles in the set. It is important that it is always interesting visually for the audience.
It really is one of the most magnificent locations I have ever worked in.
How do you work with the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour and Bridge? Are they star attractions in the design?
It is hard not to want to use them in every scene. They are the signature for Sydney and we were thrilled when we found such an extraordinary location right on the harbour under the bridge for our HQ.
What makes the location unique among the NCIS productions around the world?
Its location on the harbour. The ability to create scenes where the performers are able to walk through the set and then out onto the foreshore provides production value that is unprecedented for NCIS, I believe.
Have there been any particular challenges about working on site on the harbour?
Just the usual – traffic! However, the main challenge is not spending too much time enjoying the view.
Tell us about your team. How many creative people does it take to realise a set design such as this?
Many. In this instance, I scouted the location, then with my set designers we measured it all up. I did some sketches and worked out the layout of the rooms to accommodate the script requirements - interrogation room, forensic lab, Bullpen, Blue’s lab. My concept is that the space was a disused muster room/mess hall which had now been delegated to a storeroom. Thus, we have a plethora of Navy paraphernalia and old murals on the walls. We wanted to embrace the old Sydney timber and sandstone waterside architecture. To achieve that we needed a lot of consultation with my terrific construction team. They had to be very shrewd in the building of the set pieces as the Walsh Bay site is heritage and there are a lot of caveats on building in the site.
Once construction was complete, we had to furnish and dress the set. A mixture of old and new. The concept was that the NCIS: Sydney crew were provided with state-of-the-art technical gear but themed with old desks and furniture, all to give the space a back story as well as providing an interesting space visually. The set decorating team source everything and we decide on colour schemes and shapes. Everything from light fittings to wall decorations to desk dressing.
It is very important to me to have input from all my creative team. I am responsible for the overall look and finished product, but I have a lot of support creatively. I rely on and trust my team to come up with wonderful imaginative suggestions such as the big gun that is in the corner of the HQ.
Can you share some of your favourite moments or episodes and the particular design challenges they threw at you?
One of my all-time favourite moments was when JD (Todd Lasance) walked out of the HQ set and stepped straight on to a speed boat to chase the bad guys in a tall ship. To have the facility to do that is extraordinary, and we are extremely grateful that this location at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct affords us that opportunity as it places us in the heart of Sydney.
Filming large period boats on Sydney Harbour is challenging too. We also had to build the bridge for the USS Perez for the first episode in Season 2 … as getting a real US Navy ship is tricky in Sydney!