Podcast - Adam Savage Project
The Mythbusters Reboot – 1/13/2014
Adam, Will, and Norm discuss the changes in the new season of Mythbusters.
Comments (47)
Adam, Will, and Norm discuss the changes in the new season of Mythbusters.
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Weeeell, on the new format:
I like the fact that there is more depth in the stories being told, but when there are just two stories, they should be very well worked out. And they didn’t feel that way to me. Yes there is more footage of the way you work (which I like, a lot), but it all felt very chaotic to me as a viewer. The thing that would improve it from my perspective is if you also spend more time on explaining the decisions you take in the process, because some of these now felt underlighted and that made the whole show a bit chaotic.
Sorry for the critical view, but that is what I felt when watching the episode, am looking forward to the next episodes and to see what they bring.
Lucky you! Here in NZ we have to wait pretty much an entire year to see new episodes because… actually I don’t think Discovery NZ has ever explained why that is.
Great podcast, as always. I see Adam had been busy in his shop 😛 at least I assume that’s sawdust all over him.
~E.
Looking forward to the new season and the new format.
Hopefully we’ll see more of that Loki helmet in future when it’s finished. Been building one for a while, would be cool to have some extra reference.
I love the ‘barking dog’ sign
Love the new format except for one thing, the measurement units. SI units would make it perfect. 🙂
Definitely liked the new format, even if the first episode had a kinda wonky premise myth-wise :p Someone on fb compared the cinematics to some of the stuff Top Gear does and I would agree.
I did think the color-grading and onscreen measurements are a bit much, but hopefully once the season progresses and the graphics-team find their rhythm this will feel less heavy-handed.
I definitely did not care for the new format. It felt like there was a lot of fluff in the episode and not much substance; especially because there were only two myths.
Much of the show was devoted to constructing the different pieces of each experiment: Homer, the wrecking ball, etc. While these bits were enjoyable on their own, they feel like they should be DVD extras, not part of the main show.
I also agree with that the graphics were a little heavy-handed.
Hopefully things get worked out over the course of the season.
Until they do, it looks like I’ll be going back and re-watching all the seasons with Kari, Grant, and Tory.
I think I see a Warehouse 13 Farsworth communicator on the shelf in the back. If I do, thank you for having one of the few pieces of tv props I really want.
I enjoy the new format. I enjoyed the focus on the build process and looking deeper into the science/physics behind the “myths”. That being said, I still really miss the build team! Those guys were a great addition to the show and will be greatly missed.
One of the reasons I love having Adam on Tested is that we get to watch his full builds along with the thought process that goes into it. So I’m really glad to see this is an emphasis in the new Mythbusters.
I think that overall the new setups great but some of the graphics like when it randomly came up with the caption dog next to a dog annoyed me. As well as this, I don’t like how they’re trying to make Jamie less serious.
Hey will on the next Adam Q and A (part 2) can you ask if you can be successful in the practical effects industry without being good at drawing pictures and that kind of art. I can build props and models but cant’t draw for my life!!!
I don’t think they need the second build team back but it does feel like there’s a lot of fluff in the first episode because instead of going through their decision making process on how to tackle these cartoon myths or how the science works or how they translate to the real world, they cut to Simpsons clips or Adam goofing around in the shop.
And yeah, the graphics were distracting instead of being informative. I feel like they could break the information in graphics out into little mini science lessons and that would fill time and be way more educational than shots of Adam’s butt.
New format is so much better.
No more of the previewing the entire episode at the beginning and before each commercial teasing what’s up next and after the commercial reminding people what they’re watching.
The flyover measurements are great…though sometimes I needed to skip back and pause them to catch them all. Love these.
LOVE the scenes of building again. Less montage and more actual work is so nice.
The dialog felt much more natural.
Overall, I’m thrilled this sweeping change was made.
You guys should see if you can get Jamie as a guest star on this podcast during one of the ones where you know you’re going to talk about mythbusters.
Oh my goodness yes this. The recap/preview editing on the episodes last year in particular felt like it was geared for the attention span of a fruit fly, and in my opinion, if you paid any attention to it at all, you would accidentally calculate away most of the surprises (for example: oh, they previewed Jamie bungie jumping into the pool, so I already know the results of this whole segment where they try it first with Buster). I was hoping that would be one of the improvements in the revamp, and was very glad to see that it is.
There’s a weird glitch on the front page when I click on the embedded audio link to play the podcast it just shoots me to the top of the page. I’m using Chrome.
Adam mentioned that they are using some Blackmagic cameras in the place of GoPros. Does anyone know which model? Maybe the Cinema or Pocket ? Or the big models?
It would be awesome to see a run through of all the camera/rigs/copters too!!
Was nice to hear more about Mythbusters use of multicopters in this episode. My cinematography background combined with DIY hobbies partly inspired by Make magazine -scene, myth busters .etc lead me designing own multicopter system with friends that I have been using past 2 years now to fly Red Epic for TV and Cinema and run my own company. Thanks for the inspiration and check it out if interested http://www.helicam.aero
-ville
I hear ya man, it’s the same here in Canada, only a little worse because I know there are people just 50km away from me over the border watching but I can’t. And on top of that Discovery Canada is so far up it’s own butt it only really promotes the shows it makes, so the premiere can come and go without any promotion so I have no idea when it’s on. That is until I see it two years from now on a special Christmas marathon or something like that.
I was a little disappointed that there was no mention of what’s happening with the ‘Build Team’! Are they going on to do something else; or, are they just done?
As far as Mythbusters goes, they are done. I wouldn’t count on them ever coming back..
Kari and Tory have done some other shows on the Science Channel, like Punkin’ Chunkin’..
Here in Aus we often get episodes ahead of America, sometimes by an entire year.
I poked around on the interwebs a little bit; and, apparently it might have had something to do with the episode where they were firing a canon, and it missed the berm and went through someone’s house! Allegedly there was a lawsuit involved! This is supposedly from the mouth of Tori, himself; so, I don’t know! I think it’s fine either way, I just thought it a tad weird that it wasn’t mentioned at all during the podcast. That usually means it’s not ‘allowed’ to be talked about! at any rate: onward and upward!! Looking forward to seeing the new episodes, whenever Discovery Canada gets around to airing them!
I’m not sure what you want to see then? The actual experiment tends to take a minute or two to see. That’s not really even edited down time, that’s “the ball swings from *here* and into the building” or “the bomb is detonated, the toilets explode” I’m really curious what you found “fluff” in the episode. I’ll give you maybe Adam chasing the gopher or whatever it was, but that was about 8 seconds in 42 min. The little Simpsons clip cuts? I bet those added up to a minute across the whole show. This new format felt like the narrator could actually tell the story and connect footage instead of just telling what’s happening on the screen
The fluff I used to get sick of, and unfortunately, it’s in every reality show, is the constant recaps after every commercial break. It just gets repetitive. Seemed like there wasn’t as much this go around, or at least made it feel a bit fresher.
I’m not sure if it’s come down to editing or maybe Jamie was just really excited about these particular experiments, but he was a lot of fun to watch this first episode
The infamous cannonball-incident had nothing to do with the three leaving the show and there was no lawsuit involved. They are obviously insured for these things and it got taken care of immediately.
Also, it happened three years ago.
It wasn’t covered in this podcast, but it has been hinted (by Adam and the M7 team themselves) that the build team left the show after contract negotiations with Discovery failed to reach a mutually satisfactory end.
Kari has reportedly been pitching a new show that she would be co-hosting with Steve Wozniak. Tory and Grant have also teased that they are working on new projects, but no details so far as to what they’ll be. I’m sure they’ll make somethng awesome, they’ve all hosted other very enjoyable shows since working on Mythbusters.
—
For those who have somehow missed the “cannonball-incident”, this is what happened: the M7 team were testing cannonballs designed to break on impact to avoid providing a besieged enemy with cannonballs. Due to wanting to use disintegrating, hand-carved, stone cannonballs, they were not able to use Old-Moses, the cannon they usually borrow for such experiments. So Tory built a home-made cannon (as they have done many times before) and they set out to test the myth at a Bay Area bomb range that just happened to be located what turned out to be dangerously close to a nearby neighbourhood. Supervised by the regular team of law-enforcement experts who are familiar with the range, the team set up a ton of water-barrels to catch the cannonballs.
However, they never got around to the stone cannonballs, as during the control test with a regular cannonball the shot missed brick wall target, and the water-barrels, bounced several hundred feet over a hill and somehow kept going. It went through a house and ended up in a car. It was all over the news. I believe they stopped using that specific bomb range for projectile based experiments as a result.
It would have been pretty tricky to avoid talking about it, considering it recieved a ton of mainstream media coverage and made newspapers world wide. Two seasons ago they even revisited the myth they had been testing, and in that episode they discussed the incident and how it changed certain testing procedures quite extensively.
this sounds like poetry to me…
something like
re: The Simpsons’ Cherry Bomb myth– When I was growing up a ‘cherry bomb’ was about 3/4″ across. This is at the low end of the range of sizes Wikipedia shows. Yours appeared to be from the high end of the sizes. Just sayin’.
–Paul E Musselman
Guys!
I just want to say that I enjoyed the Simpsons Mythbusters 2.0 episode! As a long time viewer, I did find the timing/flow to be just a bit off, but I expect that will improve as the season goes on. I mean, after all, you are re-inventing the shows format! What I do appreciate is that both Jamie and Adam still have an enthusiasm for the show.
Looking forward to the next episode…
ttyl
Farrell
I am really looking forward to the lawnmower episode. Some of the motor controllers that my company makes are in that episode and getting to work with Jamie on the phone was a blast and a pleasure.
I liked the look of this new show. Though, I have to say, I could have done without those several shots of Adam’s ass as seen from inside the toilet.
Also, would it kill you guys to get another female on the show. She doesn’t have to be a main character either. An assistant just off camera would work. And trust me, I am not the only guy out there who misses seeing Kari Byron or Jess milling about.. 😉
Departure of the build team is the elephant in the room for Mythbusters fans. I’m surprised it hasn’t been dealt with. Somehow I expected the first episode to open with a note about it. Maybe the fans that love Tory,
Grant, Kari, don’t really want to know what happened during “contract negotiations.” Maybe.
Concerning the first episode, it would have been nice to see how Jamie came up with his wrecking ball auger. All of a sudden, there he was explaining how he solved a problem we didn’t even know he had! That was very un-Mythbustery. Oh well, give it time. I’m sure I’ll still enjoy the show (but maybe not quite as much as I enjoy Tested!)
I know that neither Mythbusters, nor Tested can officially endorse this, but, fed up with the nonsense from my Canadian Cable providers, and seeing no viable option down any other road, I cut the cable, attached a PC to my television and get all such content that way now…. Via Netflix, Youtube, and via XBMC video streaming addons…. I know these are not “legal” but I don’t really care. It afforded me the option of watching Mythbusters 2.0 not more than an hour or so after the episode aired, and lemme tell ya, I thought it was grand. I’m not even a fan of The Simpsons, but the new format really “works” for me… The focus on the build, the focus on Jamie & Adam and their process… (Sure I could have done without the endless cuts to Simpsons footage, but I’m sure fans of The Simplsons loved them)
I cannot wait for the Indiana Jones episode…. I’ve been waiting for an Indy episode since Barrel Of Bricks.
The nose whistle is killing me.
Not sure who but somebody had a horrible nose whistle during the podcast. Come on now…no sound editing? Love, love, love the podcast. Hate, hate, HATE the nose whistle. Very grating and distracting!
thanks Will !! That’s pretty cool if they are using the Pocket Cinema model. They are under $1000, which makes them slightly more accessible than some crazy tens-of-thousands of dollars camera. I do understand they are just using them in place of a GoPro. But still cool!
I have always wondered what if GoPro decides to make a $1000 or so camera. I’m just using price as a judge of features and quality, so I apologize, but I wonder if that’s in the works?
We’re they at CES ?
Ohmygod! This! Last time I watched MB years ago this drove me nuts! Do they think I’m a retarded mouse with 3 sec attention span?? Thankfully I recorded the show and using FFW I could watch the whole thing in about 15 min. But it was still annoying so I never went back to watching MB.
Hi Guys,
Long time fan and faithful listener/viewer of tested and Adam. Me and my daughter (age 9) loved the new format. It really was going back to your roots from season 1.
I think the strength of the show has come by the premise, the story telling, and the build process. Add to that the values you have shown in being honest and never being afraid to be wrong or hiding behind the pride of ignorance. It is a lesson and an inspiration to all, especially children,
The cast has the roles to play and certainly can add to the dynamic, but its the process you have stayed faithful to that matters.
Thanks for always caring enough to question everything and being humble and generous in sharing what you have to offer kids and adults alike.
-Mike
This latest show was so much better in this regard. I mean it was noticeable immediately and set a good tone for the format.
I will miss Kari, Grant, and Tori – I hope to see them all in other shows. But – the build team is and has been far more than those three (plus Adam and Jaime), and that’s fine. What I’d like to see is what the build team started as – an acknowledgement that Adam and Jamie stand on the shoulders of many, and they do not and cannot do it *all* themselves; they call in regulars and specialists. Let’s see more of them! Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs” used to revel in showing the behind-the-scenes people, and Mythbusters stands at it’s best when it brings in specialists and shows the real magnitude of some of these builds. Not just one-offs – you know the camera guys have some tales to tell, and the bomb squad and so on.
My only other comment is echoing some of the above – it might be nice to recap less, and have a denser show. We honestly don’t need a total recap after every commercial break – I’d rather see the time spent on more behind the scenes, especially the bits that *don’t work* – because they’re learning experiences, or at least funny…
Hi there,
is there any online portal to watch the new episodes? Legal of course.
I am from Germany and it will take years till these episodes will be shown over here.
Regards,
Markus
Did Adam clean himself with an air compressor? Also riding on the forks of a forklift… There is gonna be a lot cut from the shows international broadcast for health and safety.
One thing that did grind my gears was the music, it was like I was listening to a royalty free music sample CD, there was no real theme to anything.
Most ‘air dusters’ these days have to be pressure-limited. I just hope Adam took out his ‘ears’ before blasting himself!
And when he was standing on the forks he was about 3 feet above ground– just a bump if he fell.
If you want a -real- ride on the forks you have to have a platform (with railings) chained to the forklift and be wearing a safety belt, also hooked to the forklift.
–Paul E Musselman
I am very excited about the new Mythbusters format! We started watching this show with our kids when it began and it sparked many interests in our family. As they got older, my kids didn’t care for the more scripted episodes in later seasons but the new format seems to be bringing in all of the show elements we like best. I am particularly excited that the additional time spent on each myth enables you and Jamie to be more thorough in showing the audience the details of your builds and experiments. I also love the inclusion of technical issues such as things backfiring or requiring meticulous tweaking. These make for more realistic expectations, especially on the part of younger viewers who really need to see mistakes being made as well as triumphs. My now 18 year-old daughter is a freshman in college majoring in mechanical engineering and I think I can give Mythbusters some of the credit for her early interest in seeing how things work and showing her the joy of making. I hope you have many more seasons of Mythbusters!
Visited the us recently could see Muthbusters on amarican TV.
OMG sow much commercial, could not stand it and i dont understand you can watch it.
I love the new format. Especially getting to see more of the process and problem solving. The episodes actually feel shorter.