CBS drama ‘SEAL Team’ gets boost of realism from Marines at Camp Pendleton
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CAMP PENDLETON — Maj. Matthew Hilton spent two days overseeing 16 Marines from a quick reaction force, as well as several Marine aircraft, to help bring authenticity to a scene for an episode of “SEAL Team” that aired last week on CBS.
In the scene, a SEAL Team operation becomes compromised, said Hilton, who is the Marine Corps Entertainment Media Liaison and coordinates all filming at Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps facilities nationwide. “They needed the Marines to come pick them up.”
The rescue included an MV-22 Osprey, a Cobra and a Huey. The show’s episode was the first Hollywood production ever to include all three aircraft.
It was filmed in January at Camp Pendleton’s Infantry Immersion Trainer, a village-like setting used to train Marines for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The show is adamant about being authentic,” Hilton said. “That’s important on our side and the production side.”
The Marines, from the 1st Marine Division, as well as the aircraft used in the filming, portrayed their role as part of routine training.
“Having them on our base and filming here gives us a nice opportunity to highlight the aviation element,” Hilton said. “It shows what we do and how we work with the Navy.”
The “SEAL Team” episode also created a sort of keepsake for the Marines who participated. “It will be there forever,” Hilton said. “It’s a nice morale piece for the Marines to be on a TV show.”
Hilton said he regularly fields requests for filming at the base. Among others, TNT filmed the final episode of “The Last Ship” at the base in September 2017 and Discovery’s “Hard To Kill” also filmed there.
Hollywood productions are allowed to film for free if it coincides with regularly scheduled base training. If producers need something extra, for example a C130 to fly a flight path over and over, there’s a fee.
“If what they’re asking for works with our timelines, then there’s a lot of coordination,” Hilton said.
Despite working long hours in the rain during filming of the “SEAL Team” episode, Hilton said, he enjoyed watching the process.
“Seeing all the pieces come together is fascinating,” he said. “It’s a lot of work and we’re constantly moving. Now, I know why the director wanted a certain shot or angle.”
Hitlon was pleased with the final product.
“I was very happy with the way we got our aircraft in and that we were able to show what we do with the ground elements and our Navy team,” he said. “The actors and producers also really enjoyed their time on Camp Pendleton.”