Twenty Questions with Producer/Director Steve Christiansen
Aug 6, 2013 13:11:45 GMT
blazerrose likes this
Post by Cybermortis on Aug 6, 2013 13:11:45 GMT
A nice surprise interview for the summer, and something I kept totally secret from you.
Yes, I can be that evil...
Steve Christiansen is the Producer/Director of Adam and Jamie, and recently agreed to take time out to answer some questions for TC.
Enjoy - Cybermortis
****
Thank you very much for agreeing to grant The Citadel an interview. We don't usually get to hear from those of you who work behind the camera, so would I be correct in thinking that this is your first interview for Mythbusters?
STEVE: Yes, it is my first ‘formal’ interview. I’ve been asked to comment on the show on panels for the Mythbusters Fan Club live events but this is my first.
Outside of the film and TV industry, people seem to think that a Director stands there shouting at people through a bull horn. Could clarify what your job really entails?
STEVE: Well, the one thing it doesn’t entail is shouting at people or sitting in a chair with a megaphone! It’s a multi-faceted job really. Firstly it’s about getting the logistics in place to make the story happen in the first place. That means many meetings planning what we need, what we are going to film, how we are going to film it, where we are going to film it. Fortunately I have a great team of people who help put the whole thing together, sort the logistics, get licences and agreements in place, hire talent and so on.
Then there is the whole business of safety. That always takes up plenty of pre-production time since we take safety very, very seriously as you might imagine. So before we shoot anything we need to have meetings with our safety consultant in LA – he’s a stunt coordinator and is very savvy about how to do things efficiently and safely.
Most importantly is the process of making sure there is a strong narrative for whatever story we are doing. It has to be logical, scientific and interesting
Finally we get on to location. As Mythbusters really is real, things often don’t go as planned or as we thought they might. So the story will constantly evolve, change direction, change shape. As the director you have to be on top of that at all times to ensure we tell the story as it unfolds – with logic and science. The great thing about this show is that we don’t have a vested interest in the result of any test we do. It is what it is and as long as we are true and accurate in what we present, then the outcome is fine.
In essence my job is about story telling first and foremost. Then in no particular order, there are all the other logistical things that go with any production – camera placement, camera shots, making sure our set ups don’t fail due to poor planning. I have to ensure that everyone is safe, that people don’t get exhausted in extreme conditions, that the hosts are able to work at a sustainable pace.
So the job is busy but incredibly rewarding. And it’s made so much easier by having such a magnificent and competent crew to work with!!
What is a fairly typical working day like for you?
STEVE: On location it entails pretty much as I’ve said in the previous answer. a typical day on location would start about 730 and go to 600 – sometimes longer but usually about that length. For me it means being on my feet literally for that whole time apart from about 20 minutes for lunch. It’s busy!
Every day on location starts with a safety meeting that I call and we record. We go over all the safety issues of that story, the way we intend to shoot it, the dangers, the potential problems and the issues of sun exposure, keeping fluids up, keeping warm or cool etc, natural hazards like snakes or animals depending on where we are.
We shoot till 1230, have lunch till 100 and then continue till wrap time whatever that is each day.
At the end of the day, I assist in cleaning up and packing up our gear as does everyone else. We don’t have massive numbers of helpers on our shoots = they’re really lean – so everyone needs to pitch in.
That night I send a report to our EP to let him know what we did, what the problems we or are likely to be so if we need to make any changes I can get him to think through those overnight. Next morning he and I always talk for about 30 minutes before we start. It’s a great system for me as – he’s totally across the whole story - and it means if things require a rethink (which they often do), he’s had a chance to do that overnight and discuss it with me first up in the morning.
How did you end up on the show, and what were you doing before that?
STEVE: My first thing on Mythbusters was to produce a ‘Young Scientist’ episode that began in DC with the annual Young Scientist conference in Washington. I went to DC to cover this and make a presentation video to the whole conference for its awards ceremony. One of the prizes was for four kids to get to work on an episode of Mythbusters – which they did some months later and which I produced.
Then when the Supervising Producer who was in San Francisco moved on, I was offered that job. That was in 2008. It was a position I enjoyed and occupied for some time. From time to time I filled in as the director when a director took a break or was sick. But I have to say that directing has always been my passion so I was delighted to be able to take on that role permanently in 2011.
What was I doing before this show? A whole bunch of shows for Travel Channel, Discovery Health, Science, Australian networks and before that, for TV in New Zealand. I’ve been in the television industry for about 25 years now.
Has the relationship between yourself and Adam and Jamie changed since they became producers on the show? It must be a little strange (or possibly fun) when you get to boss around two of the shows producers every day.
STEVE: Not really. We are all very good friends. We work well together, we have a strong collaborative ethic, and we discuss story progression and narrative all the time. As we have the some motivation to make the best show we can, it works really well.
And in answer to the last part of your question, yes it is great fun and lots and lots of laughs!
From other interviews, including the one with Dan Tapster, it seems clear that everyone gets input as to what ideas get picked up and how to test them. What do you look for in a myth and the way to test it?
STEVE: First we always want a myth that is something viewers will engage with. This is one of the show’s enduring strengths that it is something people at home can vest in. Myths almost by definition are widespread/common which mean many people have probably heard about them and are interested in having them tested. So people are engaged in seeing if the myth has substance or not.
Yes, everyone here does have input into what we do and ideas are gratefully received. What we decide to do is determined by how possible it is to do this story (is it too big, is the story really testable, can it be done within our schedule, is a location available)?
Most importantly we need to be able to apply scientific methods to the testing, so things like the paranormal would not make it on the show because they are un-testable. Apart from that, everything is on the table.
In recent years some fans have been accusing the show of becoming more 'scripted', something that those of us who've done more research know only really applies to the narration. However you presumably need to work out what is going to be said and done for the sketches and when the cast is asked to provide information to camera. Could you explain how you plan and 'script' these parts of the show? (And hopefully put this 'too scripted' business to rest)
STEVE: Well, there is really nothing that is scripted on this show. We start with a story idea and structure but from there on, it unfolds as we film. So it’s impossible to ‘script’ a regular episode since we never know the outcome, so how could you plan for it?
For pieces to camera we may need some information to ensure the science is accurate but these pieces arise organically from within the show. In other words, when the hosts need to convey information, they do it from their experience and knowledge. They’re not scripted. Sometimes we have fun with the opening set up of the show with a pastiche we film, but apart from that, the rest is endemic to the show.
As is said earlier, what happens on the show, makes it into the show – often mistakes and all.
Thank you, I'll move onto questions from The Citadel's members.
The Urban Mythbuster wonders; How many cameras do you destroy, or render useless, in the average season?
STEVE: Believe it or not, not many. Our camera guys (all four of them) make housings themselves that protect little cameras from crashes, explosions, fire and general mayhem. And they’re tough - the cameras that is! When we check if they’ve survived at the end, I always love getting Adam to pick one up out of the rubble, brush the dirt off its lens and talk to it as if it were a friend. I guess they really are our friends since we’d have nothing without them.
As an example, the recent JATO Rocket Car episode needed lots of cameras. We rigged at least four on each car with all rockets attached in both tests. You’ve seen the show so you know what the destruction was with incredible crash-and-burn scenarios and total annihilation of both cars. The second one burned right out after crashing in such a dramatic way. And yet, we didn’t lose a single camera11 Not one. And that was due to our camera guys’ incredible preparation and competence.
Of course our signature high-speed cameras are protected like gold – they cost a lot and they deliver a lot, so they never get in put in real harm’s way as you might imagine.
Silverdragon asks; Of the myths you've been involved in, which did you find the most enjoyable to do and which myth(s) were so annoying/stressful you try to forget about them?
STEVE: The upcoming episode ‘Breaking Bad’ special is my favourite (amongst many others I have to say). I LOVE this story. It’s great science, it’s fun and it’s entertaining. In short it’s everything I think makes good TV – and great Mythbusters TV.
Then the Toilet Bomb episode we did based on Lethal Weapon 2 was great because it was SO counter-intuitive – we found that Hollywood had grossly under estimated what they’d portrayed in terms of time to escape an exploding bomb by jumping into a cast iron bath tub and then in being clearly able to survive the blast if you were in the bath tub when it went off. So cool!
Believe it or not, there really aren’t shows I’ve hated. In their own way they all provide big challenges, they can all be stressful with weather, time constraints and so on, but invariably they have satisfaction attached to them. Just, some more than others!
Having said that, when we did Trench Torpedo (which I loved), the first blast we set off collapsed all the other trenches and that was a real bummer. So we were there at 530 am on day two digging them out by hand before the temperature hit 100 degrees again. That was a bit of a pain!
Lex of Sydney Australia; If the Mythbusters had access to UNLIMITED funds/resources what myth would you want to test?
STEVE: We’d love to test upside down race-car if we could build a track that enabled cars to travel on the ceiling. As you can imagine, that would be pricey to build and test.
Silverdragon wonders; Have you had to come up with new technologies or techniques - such as new camera rigs - in order to film myths?
STEVE: Yes, if you refer to my answer about the destruction of cameras, you know our second camera guys are very creative and pre-emptive. In meetings they know what we will be doing, and will set out to make housings that will withstand just about anything. They’ve adapted cameras to fly on RC aircraft, they’ve made pan mechanisms for time-lapse moves, they constantly look at ways to give us extra quality in what we shoot.
From OziRiS; In the early years of the show it seemed that your 'safety crew' pretty much consisted of Jamie going around telling everyone where to stand and why (except on the bomb range where it was usually JD). With your tests getting bigger and bigger by the year, have you hired any people over the years for that specific purpose (explosives experts and so on) or is it still just Jamie and the crew in general who take care of that part on a 'common sense' and 'better safe than sorry' basis?
STEVE: We all take safety seriously. And Jamie, Adam and myself are very savvy about safety issues so it’s not just Jamie by himself. We also have a safety consultant who evaluates what we’re going to do and we do bring in experts from time to time to supervise experiments if the substances we will be using are not very familiar to us or are outside our area of expertise and potentially very dangerous.
We operate on the basis that everyone on the crew can at any time express concern if they feel it - and we always heed that. It’s this attention to detail that has made the show extraordinarily safe for everyone over the past ten years with some potentially very dangerous experiments.
The Urban Mythbuster; What was the hardest myth to clean up after?
STEVE: Actually I think the first Water Heat Rocket story may have been the hardest. There was so much polystyrene insulation, wood and other debris ‘liberated’ by the water heater exploding that it made a heck of a mess. On top of that there was a nice strong wind blowing down the Alameda Runway meaning it took hours to collect it and chase it all down.
Apart from that, most of our car crash ones are pretty intensive too.
The Light Works asks; Which is the most absurd myth idea you have heard?
STEVE: Putting a poodle in the microwave by far is the silliest one I think. Like, as if we’re going to test that!!
From Rory; Was there any myth that was frustrating because you simply couldn't find a way to get the footage you really wanted or imagined? In other words did you bite off more than you could chew?
STEVE: Actually, while I have been around I can’t think of anything that really fits this bill. We are pretty careful before we embark on a story that we can cover it and do it justice. So, nothing really. And hopefully we’ll never experience that! That’d be really disappointing because it would probably mean the story outcome was a dud.
What’s your favourite 'Mythbusting moment' to date & what is your least favourite? & why? From Lex of Sydney Australia
STEVE: I think the final tests in Toilet Bomb and the upcoming Breaking Bad collaboration are my favourite moments. They were both so outside our expectations that they were great.
Least favourite moment? It’s hard to pick this one but it would be when something goes wrong with an experiment before we can test it that means a total re-set. ‘Failure is always an option’ is fine for the result of our myth testing, but not if it prevents us actually being able to test what we are trying to test.
Privatepaddy wonders; What would you say to a young adult wishing to follow a career in your industry regarding what to look out for, pitfalls etc.
STEVE: Hard to say. It’s such a great business to be in and one I’ve had the luck to be involved in for so long, that I can only say, if you’re interested, then go all out for it. The best advice is to say, be TOTALLY enthusiastic, work REALLY hard and be prepared to perform menial tasks to get there. Nothing is likely to fall into your lap. It’s mainly hard work and dedication to do your very best.
Blazerrose asks; What's the favourite place you've been for the show, in terms of ease of filming- and which was the most problematic?
STEVE: The Canyonlands of Utah were really great. Going to the Blue Angels in Arizona was amazing, Indy cars at Indianapolis were also cool. Problematic? Pretty much any place where it’s raining hard all the time! It makes for such filming problems that everything takes three times longer than if it’s dry.
Which do you find harder to work with: children or animals? From The Urban Mythbuster
STEVE: Oh dear. Animals, animals, animals! Much as I love animals, for some reason they don’t understand the business of TV! Except for one animal - a border collie sheepdog we worked with lately called Lance. He was cool, took direction, hit his marks and never complained. He was a thorough gentleman and he was always happy. But Lance is unique - the only animal easy to work with!
Lex Of Sydney Australia; What’s your favourite Mythbusters one liner & why?
STEVE: ‘Failure is always an option’. Because on this show it is true. What we discover is what we discover and that means failure it totally legitimate.
Thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions. Any last words?
STEVE: Thanks to all the guys like you who watch the show. You’re the reason we’ve been on air for 10 years and for that, we’re really appreciative. Please keep watching!
Happy Mythbusting and may your ice bullets never melt in the barrel.
Yes, I can be that evil...
Steve Christiansen is the Producer/Director of Adam and Jamie, and recently agreed to take time out to answer some questions for TC.
Enjoy - Cybermortis
****
Thank you very much for agreeing to grant The Citadel an interview. We don't usually get to hear from those of you who work behind the camera, so would I be correct in thinking that this is your first interview for Mythbusters?
STEVE: Yes, it is my first ‘formal’ interview. I’ve been asked to comment on the show on panels for the Mythbusters Fan Club live events but this is my first.
Outside of the film and TV industry, people seem to think that a Director stands there shouting at people through a bull horn. Could clarify what your job really entails?
STEVE: Well, the one thing it doesn’t entail is shouting at people or sitting in a chair with a megaphone! It’s a multi-faceted job really. Firstly it’s about getting the logistics in place to make the story happen in the first place. That means many meetings planning what we need, what we are going to film, how we are going to film it, where we are going to film it. Fortunately I have a great team of people who help put the whole thing together, sort the logistics, get licences and agreements in place, hire talent and so on.
Then there is the whole business of safety. That always takes up plenty of pre-production time since we take safety very, very seriously as you might imagine. So before we shoot anything we need to have meetings with our safety consultant in LA – he’s a stunt coordinator and is very savvy about how to do things efficiently and safely.
Most importantly is the process of making sure there is a strong narrative for whatever story we are doing. It has to be logical, scientific and interesting
Finally we get on to location. As Mythbusters really is real, things often don’t go as planned or as we thought they might. So the story will constantly evolve, change direction, change shape. As the director you have to be on top of that at all times to ensure we tell the story as it unfolds – with logic and science. The great thing about this show is that we don’t have a vested interest in the result of any test we do. It is what it is and as long as we are true and accurate in what we present, then the outcome is fine.
In essence my job is about story telling first and foremost. Then in no particular order, there are all the other logistical things that go with any production – camera placement, camera shots, making sure our set ups don’t fail due to poor planning. I have to ensure that everyone is safe, that people don’t get exhausted in extreme conditions, that the hosts are able to work at a sustainable pace.
So the job is busy but incredibly rewarding. And it’s made so much easier by having such a magnificent and competent crew to work with!!
What is a fairly typical working day like for you?
STEVE: On location it entails pretty much as I’ve said in the previous answer. a typical day on location would start about 730 and go to 600 – sometimes longer but usually about that length. For me it means being on my feet literally for that whole time apart from about 20 minutes for lunch. It’s busy!
Every day on location starts with a safety meeting that I call and we record. We go over all the safety issues of that story, the way we intend to shoot it, the dangers, the potential problems and the issues of sun exposure, keeping fluids up, keeping warm or cool etc, natural hazards like snakes or animals depending on where we are.
We shoot till 1230, have lunch till 100 and then continue till wrap time whatever that is each day.
At the end of the day, I assist in cleaning up and packing up our gear as does everyone else. We don’t have massive numbers of helpers on our shoots = they’re really lean – so everyone needs to pitch in.
That night I send a report to our EP to let him know what we did, what the problems we or are likely to be so if we need to make any changes I can get him to think through those overnight. Next morning he and I always talk for about 30 minutes before we start. It’s a great system for me as – he’s totally across the whole story - and it means if things require a rethink (which they often do), he’s had a chance to do that overnight and discuss it with me first up in the morning.
How did you end up on the show, and what were you doing before that?
STEVE: My first thing on Mythbusters was to produce a ‘Young Scientist’ episode that began in DC with the annual Young Scientist conference in Washington. I went to DC to cover this and make a presentation video to the whole conference for its awards ceremony. One of the prizes was for four kids to get to work on an episode of Mythbusters – which they did some months later and which I produced.
Then when the Supervising Producer who was in San Francisco moved on, I was offered that job. That was in 2008. It was a position I enjoyed and occupied for some time. From time to time I filled in as the director when a director took a break or was sick. But I have to say that directing has always been my passion so I was delighted to be able to take on that role permanently in 2011.
What was I doing before this show? A whole bunch of shows for Travel Channel, Discovery Health, Science, Australian networks and before that, for TV in New Zealand. I’ve been in the television industry for about 25 years now.
Has the relationship between yourself and Adam and Jamie changed since they became producers on the show? It must be a little strange (or possibly fun) when you get to boss around two of the shows producers every day.
STEVE: Not really. We are all very good friends. We work well together, we have a strong collaborative ethic, and we discuss story progression and narrative all the time. As we have the some motivation to make the best show we can, it works really well.
And in answer to the last part of your question, yes it is great fun and lots and lots of laughs!
From other interviews, including the one with Dan Tapster, it seems clear that everyone gets input as to what ideas get picked up and how to test them. What do you look for in a myth and the way to test it?
STEVE: First we always want a myth that is something viewers will engage with. This is one of the show’s enduring strengths that it is something people at home can vest in. Myths almost by definition are widespread/common which mean many people have probably heard about them and are interested in having them tested. So people are engaged in seeing if the myth has substance or not.
Yes, everyone here does have input into what we do and ideas are gratefully received. What we decide to do is determined by how possible it is to do this story (is it too big, is the story really testable, can it be done within our schedule, is a location available)?
Most importantly we need to be able to apply scientific methods to the testing, so things like the paranormal would not make it on the show because they are un-testable. Apart from that, everything is on the table.
In recent years some fans have been accusing the show of becoming more 'scripted', something that those of us who've done more research know only really applies to the narration. However you presumably need to work out what is going to be said and done for the sketches and when the cast is asked to provide information to camera. Could you explain how you plan and 'script' these parts of the show? (And hopefully put this 'too scripted' business to rest)
STEVE: Well, there is really nothing that is scripted on this show. We start with a story idea and structure but from there on, it unfolds as we film. So it’s impossible to ‘script’ a regular episode since we never know the outcome, so how could you plan for it?
For pieces to camera we may need some information to ensure the science is accurate but these pieces arise organically from within the show. In other words, when the hosts need to convey information, they do it from their experience and knowledge. They’re not scripted. Sometimes we have fun with the opening set up of the show with a pastiche we film, but apart from that, the rest is endemic to the show.
As is said earlier, what happens on the show, makes it into the show – often mistakes and all.
Thank you, I'll move onto questions from The Citadel's members.
The Urban Mythbuster wonders; How many cameras do you destroy, or render useless, in the average season?
STEVE: Believe it or not, not many. Our camera guys (all four of them) make housings themselves that protect little cameras from crashes, explosions, fire and general mayhem. And they’re tough - the cameras that is! When we check if they’ve survived at the end, I always love getting Adam to pick one up out of the rubble, brush the dirt off its lens and talk to it as if it were a friend. I guess they really are our friends since we’d have nothing without them.
As an example, the recent JATO Rocket Car episode needed lots of cameras. We rigged at least four on each car with all rockets attached in both tests. You’ve seen the show so you know what the destruction was with incredible crash-and-burn scenarios and total annihilation of both cars. The second one burned right out after crashing in such a dramatic way. And yet, we didn’t lose a single camera11 Not one. And that was due to our camera guys’ incredible preparation and competence.
Of course our signature high-speed cameras are protected like gold – they cost a lot and they deliver a lot, so they never get in put in real harm’s way as you might imagine.
Silverdragon asks; Of the myths you've been involved in, which did you find the most enjoyable to do and which myth(s) were so annoying/stressful you try to forget about them?
STEVE: The upcoming episode ‘Breaking Bad’ special is my favourite (amongst many others I have to say). I LOVE this story. It’s great science, it’s fun and it’s entertaining. In short it’s everything I think makes good TV – and great Mythbusters TV.
Then the Toilet Bomb episode we did based on Lethal Weapon 2 was great because it was SO counter-intuitive – we found that Hollywood had grossly under estimated what they’d portrayed in terms of time to escape an exploding bomb by jumping into a cast iron bath tub and then in being clearly able to survive the blast if you were in the bath tub when it went off. So cool!
Believe it or not, there really aren’t shows I’ve hated. In their own way they all provide big challenges, they can all be stressful with weather, time constraints and so on, but invariably they have satisfaction attached to them. Just, some more than others!
Having said that, when we did Trench Torpedo (which I loved), the first blast we set off collapsed all the other trenches and that was a real bummer. So we were there at 530 am on day two digging them out by hand before the temperature hit 100 degrees again. That was a bit of a pain!
Lex of Sydney Australia; If the Mythbusters had access to UNLIMITED funds/resources what myth would you want to test?
STEVE: We’d love to test upside down race-car if we could build a track that enabled cars to travel on the ceiling. As you can imagine, that would be pricey to build and test.
Silverdragon wonders; Have you had to come up with new technologies or techniques - such as new camera rigs - in order to film myths?
STEVE: Yes, if you refer to my answer about the destruction of cameras, you know our second camera guys are very creative and pre-emptive. In meetings they know what we will be doing, and will set out to make housings that will withstand just about anything. They’ve adapted cameras to fly on RC aircraft, they’ve made pan mechanisms for time-lapse moves, they constantly look at ways to give us extra quality in what we shoot.
From OziRiS; In the early years of the show it seemed that your 'safety crew' pretty much consisted of Jamie going around telling everyone where to stand and why (except on the bomb range where it was usually JD). With your tests getting bigger and bigger by the year, have you hired any people over the years for that specific purpose (explosives experts and so on) or is it still just Jamie and the crew in general who take care of that part on a 'common sense' and 'better safe than sorry' basis?
STEVE: We all take safety seriously. And Jamie, Adam and myself are very savvy about safety issues so it’s not just Jamie by himself. We also have a safety consultant who evaluates what we’re going to do and we do bring in experts from time to time to supervise experiments if the substances we will be using are not very familiar to us or are outside our area of expertise and potentially very dangerous.
We operate on the basis that everyone on the crew can at any time express concern if they feel it - and we always heed that. It’s this attention to detail that has made the show extraordinarily safe for everyone over the past ten years with some potentially very dangerous experiments.
The Urban Mythbuster; What was the hardest myth to clean up after?
STEVE: Actually I think the first Water Heat Rocket story may have been the hardest. There was so much polystyrene insulation, wood and other debris ‘liberated’ by the water heater exploding that it made a heck of a mess. On top of that there was a nice strong wind blowing down the Alameda Runway meaning it took hours to collect it and chase it all down.
Apart from that, most of our car crash ones are pretty intensive too.
The Light Works asks; Which is the most absurd myth idea you have heard?
STEVE: Putting a poodle in the microwave by far is the silliest one I think. Like, as if we’re going to test that!!
From Rory; Was there any myth that was frustrating because you simply couldn't find a way to get the footage you really wanted or imagined? In other words did you bite off more than you could chew?
STEVE: Actually, while I have been around I can’t think of anything that really fits this bill. We are pretty careful before we embark on a story that we can cover it and do it justice. So, nothing really. And hopefully we’ll never experience that! That’d be really disappointing because it would probably mean the story outcome was a dud.
What’s your favourite 'Mythbusting moment' to date & what is your least favourite? & why? From Lex of Sydney Australia
STEVE: I think the final tests in Toilet Bomb and the upcoming Breaking Bad collaboration are my favourite moments. They were both so outside our expectations that they were great.
Least favourite moment? It’s hard to pick this one but it would be when something goes wrong with an experiment before we can test it that means a total re-set. ‘Failure is always an option’ is fine for the result of our myth testing, but not if it prevents us actually being able to test what we are trying to test.
Privatepaddy wonders; What would you say to a young adult wishing to follow a career in your industry regarding what to look out for, pitfalls etc.
STEVE: Hard to say. It’s such a great business to be in and one I’ve had the luck to be involved in for so long, that I can only say, if you’re interested, then go all out for it. The best advice is to say, be TOTALLY enthusiastic, work REALLY hard and be prepared to perform menial tasks to get there. Nothing is likely to fall into your lap. It’s mainly hard work and dedication to do your very best.
Blazerrose asks; What's the favourite place you've been for the show, in terms of ease of filming- and which was the most problematic?
STEVE: The Canyonlands of Utah were really great. Going to the Blue Angels in Arizona was amazing, Indy cars at Indianapolis were also cool. Problematic? Pretty much any place where it’s raining hard all the time! It makes for such filming problems that everything takes three times longer than if it’s dry.
Which do you find harder to work with: children or animals? From The Urban Mythbuster
STEVE: Oh dear. Animals, animals, animals! Much as I love animals, for some reason they don’t understand the business of TV! Except for one animal - a border collie sheepdog we worked with lately called Lance. He was cool, took direction, hit his marks and never complained. He was a thorough gentleman and he was always happy. But Lance is unique - the only animal easy to work with!
Lex Of Sydney Australia; What’s your favourite Mythbusters one liner & why?
STEVE: ‘Failure is always an option’. Because on this show it is true. What we discover is what we discover and that means failure it totally legitimate.
Thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions. Any last words?
STEVE: Thanks to all the guys like you who watch the show. You’re the reason we’ve been on air for 10 years and for that, we’re really appreciative. Please keep watching!
Happy Mythbusting and may your ice bullets never melt in the barrel.
