Netflix backs High Seas drama in Madrid

Ship sets spanning a total of nearly 30,000 sq ft have been built for the drama, which is created by Ramon Campos and Gema R Neira, and directed by Carlos Sedes.

“The set of High Seas is one of the most ambitious projects we have ever faced,” says Carlos Bodelon, the show’s art director.

“The final result is impressive: we have been able to recreate the luxury and the glamour of a cruise ship from that decade.

"We have designed the furniture and added elements from the 1940s, including the navigation bridge mechanisms that are authentic.”

Bambu Producciones and Carlos Sedes were also involved with the 2016 period drama Las Chicas del Cable (Cable Girls, pictured), which was Netflix’s first original series shot entirely in Spain. That series was announced within months of the streaming service becoming available in the country.

Netflix recently boosted its commitment to Spain by announcing a production hub to be opened near Madrid, and a separate office facility that will be launched in the capital itself by the end of next year.

Other networks also have intentions in the country, with HBO Europe having announced plans for its first original Spanish drama.

Producers filming ocean-set stories often choose the complete control of a boat set mounted on a movable gimbal in a studio, as has been the case recently with The Terror, or in a water tank facility as was done for shark movie The Meg. Open-water shoots have recently been undertaken for survival films Adrift and The Mercy.

See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in Spain.

Main page image: FreeImages.com/Sam Santoyo. Article image: Netflix