According to an interview with Edgar Hansen published by Fox Seattle’s iWitness news team in 2008, the Discovery camera crew slept on board while filming “Deadliest Catch.”
“The cameraman we’re on board is sleeping everywhere,” Hansen says in the clip. “We have him two salons. There’s two of him over there, and four of him here,” he says, showing us a set of a salon with four bunks.) “He’s five on the crew, so obviously he needs another bed!” Hansen continues, explaining that Discovery crew members tend to sleep wherever there’s room. In Sig’s wheelhouse (not surprising, since Sig Hansen considers the show’s crew to be his family), on the bench, or on the floor. “They have to adjust and work around us,” said Hansen. “Fishing first, camera second. Sorry!”
The process of becoming a photographer or member of the sound crew for “Deadliest Catch” is an odyssey in itself. In his 2020 article for American Cinematographer, cinematographer David Reichert and “Deadliest Catch” executive producer Brian Lovett explained how they’re gearing up for each season. Each batch of Discovery’s crew congregates in Dutch’s harbor before being assigned to a boat for the season to learn how, when and why to make the “fatal catch”. “It’s important to give the operators a very detailed clinic and have everyone in the room return to the same page. We want a consistent look across the series, which is difficult with six different crews,” Reichert said. We don’t see the footage until the crew docks, so it’s easy to see why he’s so thorough.
