‘Life Below Zero’ Emmy-nominated cinematography team: ‘We’re always pushing ourselves to the next level’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
National Geographic’s hit series “Life Below Zero” has won more Emmys for Best Cinematography than any other reality TV show in history. The six-time champ is nominated again at the 2024 ceremony for its Season 22 episode, “Bulletproof.” Watch our exclusive video interview with directors of photography Charlie Beck, Michael Cheeseman and Danny Day, along with camera operator Pedro Delrey, above.
Of the four nominees this year, Delrey is the only first-timer. “It was really exciting,” he reveals. “I’ve been working on ‘Life Below Zero’ for a few years, about three or four years in the franchise, and I’ve seen people be nominated and win Emmys and the whole thing. I was like, ‘Man, that would be pretty cool if that ever happened one day,’ and it was really nice when it did.”
Day credits the success of “Life Below Zero’s” cinematography team to their creative freedom. “We can try new things, we can stick to what works,” he says. “We’re always trying something different and new. But for me, it just seems like it’s the creativity that they give us once we get out there. And things always change, and we’re changing things up. And I think that shows in the show, especially with a lot of our specialty. We have all the story and we’re capturing everything, but we also fill in a lot of different specialty camera work that it gives it a nice look.”
Cheeseman adds, “After [so many] seasons, you watch that we never get into a certain comfort zone. We’re always pushing ourselves to the next level. NatGeo and BBC are very kind with letting us be free with our creativity. And so Danny and I and everybody year after year are like, ‘Oh my God, that was a great shot,’ so it’s this little bit of a competition of doing the best we can.”
Beck joined the “Life Below Zero” team after earning six Emmy nominations of his own on “Deadliest Catch.” He learned early on that life in Alaska can be daunting. “We shot this giant moose, and they left me on the side of the riverbank with the moose,” he reveals. “And I was going to get the arrival shot, but they just forgot about me and went to go celebrate shooting the moose. And they were laughing ,and they floated down river and just basically left me there. And right in Alaska when bears here gunshots, it’s like dinner bells to them. And I was just hanging out with this dead moose, no gun or anybody watching me, and I’m just stressing out the whole time. When are you guys going to come back?” Lucky for Beck, they returned to pick him up about 30 minutes into his ordeal.
For more behind-the-scenes stories about their dangerous and impressive work on “Life Below Zero,” listen to the full video interview above. “Life Below Zero” airs on National Geographic and is streaming on Hulu and Disney+. It has won eight Emmy Awards to date.
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