but as bob simon reported two years ago, john downer wanted to get up close and survive. he needed new tricks. he came up with forms of surveillance which could make the c.i.a. proud. downer's film, "spy on the ice," takes you inside their world. tonight, we'll show you how he does it. >> simon: you may have seen polar bears shot like this before, but have you ever seen them like this-- close up, intimate, just doing what polar bears do? sometimes, even treading on thin ice. probably not. and that's because they're not being shot at the end of a long lens right now; they're being filmed by spies. for the last two years, they have been under constant surveillance, scrutinized by snowballs, by mounds of snow, by tiny icebergs drifting in the seas. they're cameras, of course, but the nearest cameraman can be miles away. we're up in the arctic circle, chillingly close to the north pole. we've traveled to remote places before, but never on an icebreaker. we were invited on board by john downer, the englishman who has revolutionized the way wildlife films are made-- with espiona