Deadliest Catch, Behind the Scenes

[Foxwood]

Wow! Did anyone see this tonight? Totally impressive behind the scenes show. Everything from chipping ice off cameras to mini-sub footage.

[WestCoast]

I was just getting ready to post this. I love this show. What a great episode. The whole time I'm watching the show I wonder about the crew and what they go through, not to mention what the gear goes through. Did you see the camera case the one guy came up with? Very cool. I could definately use one of those for hurricanes.

[NEWSSHOOTER3]

Just caught it. Pretty freakin' cool! Everyone on that boat earns their pay!

[shade]

speaking of.......what is the daily rate for something like that?

[Chicago Dog]

Aah, crap! I missed it! Is there an encore presentation scheduled? I didn't even see any promos for it.

speaking of.......what is the daily rate for something like that?

I was wondering the same thing. I'll bet some of that equipment -- not to mention the hazard of being on one of those ships -- causes the daily rate for a program like that to be expensive as hell.

Above all, what an incredible experience it must be shooting that show.

[svp]

48 straight hours to equip 8 boats!!! WOW!!! There is certainly more that goes into this show than I imagined. What I didn't like was they actually admitted that parts of the show are staged by showing us Take 1, Take 2, Take 3. It was obvious Sig was being set up to say something rather than just saying it as it happens. The staging kinda dissappointed me. I still love the show though and I'm glad they put this behind the scenes episode on.

How would you feel if you knew that you were going to a shoot with $300,000 worth of cameras and that and the end of the day, they would be nothing more than corrosive paperweights??? Made me sick to my stomach seeing all those new cameras destroyed.

[Shootblue]

Most likely it's some know it all California production company who got a bunch of freelancing kids from SoCal to head up north. Show production like that is painful even when it's 72 and sunny. They would be best financially fit using their own gear and paying some kids a partial day rate for a long term gig more so than hiring true broadcast professionals. This Trick My Truck show was shot near my hometown and they proved this theory. Hired local folks to do PA work at 10 an hour. Brought in a couple SoCal freelancers with DSR500-esque setups. The show is as staged and produced as can be. The hardest part about these shows is knowing that one person at the channel that will approve your idea. Budgets are bare.

[Shootblue]

I might add that I worked for a nationally televised show for awhile. Same situation. Staffers and inhouse gear. If you run the numbers, it is unlikely that the two shooters, 2 editors, and a producer would have been affordable at the average freelance day rates. Id say that a single person at just a freelance labor rate would have almost equaled for all of our salaries combined over a year.

[WestCoast]

I don't know how experienced all the shooters were but one guy built a waterproof case for one of his cameras so definately not a kid. Probably a mix. One guy talked about how painful it was for him to buy all these cameras knowing that more than half of them would be trashed by the end of the shoot.

[LuccaBrazzi]

...or has "Deadliest Catch" stated losing some of its appeal?

Don't get me wrong, the videography is excellent--especially considering the working conditions.

But...I dunno...all of the crabs are starting to look the same to me (King, Snow, Opelia--just a bunch of wriggling crustaceans.)

All of the captains/crewmembers are starting to look the same (haggard, tired, unshaven...like the cast of "The Perfect Storm.")

Boat goes out...crew drops cages...crew hoists cages...crew empties crab into hold...boat goes home.

It's all starting to look the same to me.

[Alaska cameradude]

If you think it all looks the same to you, think about the poor deckhands that actually have to do it for 20 hours a day. That's why I do video production now and quit my commercial fishing days up here.

[Tallinvegas]

...or has "Deadliest Catch" stated losing some of its appeal?

Don't get me wrong, the videography is excellent--especially considering the working conditions.

But...I dunno...all of the crabs are starting to look the same to me (King, Snow, Opelia--just a bunch of wriggling crustaceans.)

All of the captains/crewmembers are starting to look the same (haggard, tired, unshaven...like the cast of "The Perfect Storm.")

Boat goes out...crew drops cages...crew hoists cages...crew empties crab into hold...boat goes home.

It's all starting to look the same to me.


I agree it's getting a bit old. I dont know how they could change things up. Different boats or caps? I did laugh when the photog fell in the hole. He broke 3 ribs OUCH!!!!

[OmegaRed]

Did anyone else catch the line about the washout rate of greenhorn cameramen? I thought they said something to the effect that its the same as greenhorn deckhands.

I was half asleep at the time so maybe I dreamed it, that show relaxes me something awful.

Anyway, I loved the part at the end where Mike Rowe is doing his closing standup and one of the cameramen is behind him throwing up. "For as much as we take from the ocean, there's always guys like xxx willing to give something back." Pretty funny stuff.

[luderitz]

In case anybody else missed this special Discovery is airing it a few more times.

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-schedules/special.html?paid=1.13897.25525.0.0

[Land Rover]

I have one of the rebroadcasts sitting on my DVR but I haven't watched it yet.

I missed the behind the scenes episode of Planet Earth and I haven't seen it air again.