The Discovery Channel did a interview with Jeff Conroy, Co-Executive Producer of Deadliest Catch to get an inside perspective of what goes on during filming and get a short look at the upcoming Season 3 of Deadliest Catch.
Q: You’ve been producing Deadliest Catch since the series debuted. What do you think makes the series so compelling? What keeps bringing viewers back?
A: I think it’s a combination of things. There’s obviously the compelling nature of watching guys risk their lives in what are real life-and-death situations. There’s the financial stake. Each pot coming up is like pulling the handle of a slot machine — you just have to see what is in it. And finally, I think it’s the characters. They are fathers, sons and husbands who have good days and bad days. But, unfortunately for them, their bad days can have serious consequences.
Q: What characteristics do you look for in the fishermen you profile?
A: I look for straight shooters — guys who are willing to put it all out there, warts and all. It’s boring watching someone who’s perfect, always happy and easy to get along with. I’d much rather see someone who’s willing to tell you they did well one day and they screwed up the next. I’m also looking for people who don’t care about the cameras, which kind of goes along with the straight-shooter characteristic.
Q: What characteristics do you look for in the camera operators you hire?
A: When hiring camera crew, I look for durability and a good story sense. Unlike any other show I have worked on, toughness outranks camerawork as a quality I look for — if you can’t hack it, you aren’t going to get the story no matter how good of a cameraperson you are on land. This job is not for everyone. You’re exhausted the entire time, your camera equipment will fail, your characters can be hostile, and the conditions are ruthless. The producers and camerapeople who are successful have the intuition to follow compelling stories while operating in the worst conditions imaginable for filming a show.
Q: What are some of the most dangerous or frightening encounters you’ve personally experienced while filming Deadliest Catch?
A: Hmmm … is my wife reading this? The longest I have been out for is a week, so I’m a novice compared to most of my crew, but I had a couple moments where I had to reevaluate what the hell I was doing. One time, when I was filming from the bow of the Cornelia Marie, I looked down to fix the plastic bag around my camera and right at that same moment the crane hook slipped out of Dan’s hands up on the stack. I didn’t even see it coming as it skimmed my head. I was lucky it didn’t knock me out, but it did knock some sense into me. Another time, I was leaning over the rail to get a shot of the oncoming waves when Capt. Phil (Harris) yelled, “Jeff, get the hell out of there!” I moved and a big wave crashed on the deck. I’m sure each one of my crew has a list of stories better than these.
Q: How many camera people are on each boat? How many cameras are mounted on each boat and where are they located?
A: There are two to three camera operators/producers on each boat. We have two fixed cameras mounted on the deck to capture the action at the rail, we have a camera on the captain, and then we may at any given time quick-mount another camera to capture a free-run time lapse or an angle our fixed cameras can’t see.
Q: How many cameras have been damaged during the course of filming the series, and how have they been ruined?
A: Oh god. You should ask the accounting department. We lose almost every one of our cameras that we use out on deck. If they make it through the season, you would never want to use them again anyway. The salt and the moisture are deadly, and there’s a good chance that the operator fell on the camera at least once. Do not buy a used camera from us.
Q: Is crab fishing still as dangerous as it was before the quota system was mandated during the second season?
A: I have gotten this question before and the answer is yes, of course. In my opinion, the risks have increased for the boats that have survived the downsizing of the fleet simply because they are on the Bering Sea much longer than before the quota system. The Bering Sea hasn’t changed, and they still try to fish as fast as humanly possible.
Q: What can viewers expect to see during the new season of Deadliest Catch?
A: Tragedy, triumph and some great characters trying to make their way in the deadliest job in the world.
