In its first season on the air, ABC’s hit series Lost became a weekly obsession for millions of people. Packing action, mystery, and great characters into a twisting storyline, the show captured the attention of TV viewers across the nation with its innovative approach to television drama, garnering 6 Emmy awards in the process.
Lost continues to draw in more fans, and Full Sail Film graduate Steve Cainas – a production coordinator on the series since it launched in 2004 – is helping to feed their addiction. Speaking to us from the show’s production office in Hawaii, Cainas was happy to give us peek behind the scenes of one of the hottest shows on TV today.
“I’ve been involved with the project since day one and seen it grow from there. I kind of knew from the get go that it would do pretty well, just from the script and the people involved, but you can never really prepare yourself for this kind of success. I think that we really proved ourselves in the first season – the twelve Emmy nominations we had was just phenomenal, and I think that psyches the cast and crew up and makes them feel like they’re part of something great. It’s certainly done that for me!”
Following a 2005 Emmy win for Outstanding Drama Series, Lost has gained even more exposure in its second season, and Cainas is really pleased with how the new storylines have managed to build on the show’s strengths while still evolving in ways that keeps fans glued to their sets. “The writing continues to be great in the new season, and it’s always taking people for a turn,” he says. “It’s not so much just what goes on with the island as it is the backstory... How did they get there, and where did these people come from? These plot threads come from a really talented group of people, and we could definitely continue building upon the foundation we’ve made for quite awhile.”
As production coordinator on Lost, it’s Cainas’s job to manage the day-to-day workings of the show. Shooting on location in Hawaii, the distance from Hollywood has definitely presented a number of challenges for the crew, but Steve seems to take it all in stride, and even credits the location obstacles with helping sharpen his production skills.
“It was a little chaotic and crazy during our first season, and there was definitely a learning curve for all of us,” he explains. “I’ve been used to doing location work all my life, but being in Hawaii is difficult because everything takes time to get here. Just a little while ago they needed another Panavision camera, but it’s not like you can drive down to Panavision and pick it up! So everything requires shipping, whether you put it on a barge or send it over on a plane. We’ve now started to get into a really nice groove though, and I think we’ve kind of gotten used to it now. We know what our restrictions are, and what our resources are. And looking back on it, it’s actually been kind of a lesson in a way, because you have to think ahead a lot more so you’re prepared.”
Speaking with Cainas further about the cast, crew, and marathon shooting schedules for Lost, it becomes pretty obvious that he’s found a perfect fit for his training, talent, and personality. “This business has definitely consumed most of my adult life,” he says with a laugh. “And a lot of that came from my background being at Full Sail. It’s really a bit of an addiction in a sense. I mean, sometimes I wish I had a nine to five job and had a real life, but then you realize how ‘same thing everyday’ most jobs are. And I think that’s what I like about this career. It’s different every single day, and you’re presented with challenges everyday that you would never see in a nine to five world.
“And I think ultimately I do this just because of the interesting people I’ve met along the way, the places that I’ve been to, and the challenges that I have every single day. If it ever became stagnant and boring – that’s what I would run away from. But when you have the show being successful, and nominations, and great people involved, it’s hard to run away from something like this. I really love what I do.”
