Rocky Entriken wrote:
>
> But seriously folks...
>
> It also struck me why this works and Solo II on TV wouldn't (at least, not
> without some thoughtful planning by a director who knew, intimately, what he
> was dealing with)
Funny, this is -exactly- the same discussion we all had last year (or
was it the year before...) around this time when someone mentioned
seeing the Kiwi and Aussie boat racing. Bonus points for whoever can
remember who that was...
> That boat-o-cross basically had a field of 8, in one class, and they ran a
> dragrace bracket. They made 14 runs, and that was the show.
>
> Compare that to a field of 200, a dozen or more separate classes (54 in Solo
> II now) making several hundred runs. Do you just show SS or CP and call it
> a show? Actually, from an entertainment point of view, perhaps that is
> exactly what you do.
How do we know that there were only 8 competitors in the event? Has
anyone ever attended one of these events? This is what the new ProSolo
format can be used for. Showcase the P1-6 classes, or even fewer, and
not worry about televising the national series classes.
> "Oh, by the way, there were all these other classes too" and spend 45 seconds
> showing snippets of half a dozen winners of other classes.
>
> In a drag race show, you usually get the semis and finals, maybe quarters, of
> Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, maybe Pro Stock Bike and/or Pro Stock Truck.
> You *might* get the finals of the two Alky classes, and if its live they will
> use finals of the sportsman (amateur) classes as filler. So out of several
> hundred pairings over 3-4 days, you maybe get 15-20 runs from TV drags. That's
> about how they'd have to do a Solo on TV.
I think that's how it would be done with the new Pro format. But we all
know that how you present it and make it interesting is not the problem
with televising autox. If someone can make a 30 minute show on Bass
Fishing and get it on the air, you can probably get anything produced.
What it takes is SPONSORSHIP. Someone willing to pony up the dough to
pay for the production and air-time. Who sponsors the lumberjack
competitions? Stihl, and other chainsaw companies no doubt. They
showcase their product in the commercials, and in the competitions. It's
not a matter of making it interesting, some of the stuff "they" televise
is utterly insipid, but it no doubt appeals to somebody somewhere. It's
convoking someone that it's worth their money to produce and broadcast it.
If I recall, Bob Tunnell and Rich Fletcher, both of them veteran
autoxers and media producer types, had some very good posts on what it
takes to get something produced and broadcast. For those who are really
interested, it's probably worth reading again. It's not how interesting
it is, it's how it's marketed.
-Josh2
--
Joshua Hadler '74 914 2.0 CSP/Bi - Hooligan Racing #29 - CONIVOR
'87 Quantum Syncro - aka stealth quattro
jhadler@rmi.net
http://rainbow.rmi.net/~jhadler/
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