Stingray (TV Series) - Production

Production

The show's 39 episodes were filmed as three blocks (or series) of thirteen episodes each, as ITC boss Lew Grade was accustomed to ordering further batches of 13 shows each as need demanded, as he had done on the earlier Anderson shows Four Feather Falls, Supercar and Fireball XL5 (all of which also ran to 39 episodes). Supercar had featured a vehicle that could travel on land, sea and air, and Fireball XL5 had featured a spaceship. The next logical step was a series about a submarine, which presented a number of technical challenges.

Scenes featuring model submarines or marionettes underwater were actually filmed on a dry set, with the camera looking through a narrow water tank containing air bubblers and fish of different sizes to simulate perspective, thereby creating a convincing illusion that the models or puppets were underwater. This was enhanced with lighting effects that gave the impression of shafts of light refracted through the surface of the sea.

Scenes on the ocean's surface were filmed using a large tank filled with water and blue dye. To prevent the edges of the tank from showing it was deliberately overfilled so that the water would constantly spill over the edges and conceal them. These techniques proved so successful that they were also used for underwater scenes in Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Joe 90.

Stingray represented a major breakthrough from Fireball XL5 both in terms of special effects techniques and storytelling. This was the first Supermarionation series in which the puppets had interchangeable heads, allowing each character to express a number of emotions. The love triangle between Atlanta, Troy and Marina is a surprisingly mature development for a children's show, and is even reflected in the closing credits, where Troy sings "Aqua Marina" (a song reflecting his romantic feelings for Marina) whilst Atlanta gazes wistfully at Troy's photograph.