Secret Hunted | TV Tonight

EXCLUSIVE:

Follow Hunted‘s debut this week, a number of readers are, understandably, curious about the staging and production methods.

TV Tonight recently spoke with Deputy Intelligence Ben Owen who confirmed that any simulation – a word he uses repeatedly – is designed to mimic “real world” circumstances.

In the case of CCTV footage for example, camera crews traveling with Hunters will mimic real-world cameras that are provided to a third-party “referee” who decides whether the Hunters can access them. There are strict rules when it is given.

Maintaining a secret line, here’s how Owen explains some of the show’s secrets…. with a bit of TV magic.

How do Hunters gain access to CCTV from public transport, banks and private companies?

“I’m not sure I can give you the exact mechanics of how it works from scratch back to production. But what I can say is it simulates, replicates real life. Because if our fugitive gets on the train, we as Hunters have to make sure that there is CCTV on the train before we ask for it. If we don’t ask for it, we don’t get it.

“As explained in Episode One, there is a secret camera operator with fugitives…. from the footage, we can access it, but only if we are in the right place, at the right time, with the right time parameters and confirm that the camera is there. Only then will we get that information. So again, it’s totally fair how they simulate it.

“Obviously we can’t get access to live CCTV and so on….. but I just want to stress again, we’re not given away for free.”

Is Hunted HQ actually located in the tower at 568 Collins Street Melbourne or a TV studio?

“Good question. I’m not sure I’m allowed to answer you.”

TV Tonight understand HQ filming takes place in North Melbourne.

Isn’t it easy to find fugitives when the camera crew is with them all the time, and do they give you any info?

“If you think about the size and the ground we had to cover, if we were in the right place at the right time, and we happened to see their camera operator, I think we’ve done pretty well.

“Camera operators with fugitives are amazing at their job and they are named secret camera operators for a reason. So they won’t be running down the street with a great big camera. They will blend into the background and make sure they get out of the way.

“While we were shooting this one, we had some camera operators saying ‘I have to hide.’ So even if they see us, they will hide, making sure we don’t see them. And one thing we absolutely cannot do, for professionalism and fairness, is that we will never use any production assets for hunting purposes.”

How do you hack a fugitive’s phone and how far back do you look in their history?

“I’m not sure I’m allowed to say how far we have access to the back, but of course when the fugitives sign up for the show, again, we want to simulate it. So it’s totally accurate for what would happen in the real world.

“In the real world, of course, law enforcement can see your banking history. Who do you pay direct debit to? Who is your phone provider? Is there anyone else you pay money to and can be close associates? So we go back to month and month and month. In the real world obviously, we’ll be back for years.

“In the history of banking over the last two or three months, before the implementation was there any equipment purchased? It gave us great information to put the jigsaw puzzle together.”

And you’re not going to tell me how you got into someone’s phone?

“There are ways and means to get into someone’s phone. But of course, if we can’t legally get into the phone through law enforcement or intelligence agencies, then the calls and warrants (will) be handed over to the phone provider, and you’ll get access. So one way or another, we can get access, whether it’s fast and we can do it ourselves, or whether it’s a little longer, again it’s simulated accurately.”

Hunted airs 7:30pm Sunday – Tuesday at 10am.

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