The final line score for the game read:
7 11 3
9 12 2
The time of the game was 3:13.
It was a sloppy, poorly played game that had no flow. When there is a game that has 16 runs, 23 hits, 5 errors, and lasts three hours and thirteen minutes, it is nearly impossible to produce a good baseball telecast. There is no baseball game that is more difficult for the Producer and the Director to present than the game that is decided by the poor play of the players. A poorly played game is hard enough for the viewer to watch without being reminded of the errors and mistakes that have been made. When there is a sharply played game, it is nice to revisit the good plays and the big hits with video packages throughout the telecast. But I do not believe the viewer, who is a fan of the team he/she is watching, wants to be reminded of this shoddy action. A replay should be shown immediately after the play occurs when that respective play affects the outcome of the game, but to revisit the sloppy play by a Major League baseball team throughout a telecast does a disservice to the viewer and the telecast.
Along those lines, we never show fans in the stands sleeping and we try not to show empty seats in the ballpark. The play on the field dictates what shots are taken of that action but it is the shots away from the action are chosen by the Director. It is the responsibility of the Director to make sure ALL shots benefit the telecast. To show a fan in the stands sleeping indicates to the viewer at home that the game is boring. Once the viewer finds the game boring, that viewer is gone with a click of the remote.
The Producer and I were talking on the plane after the telecast about games such as the one we were involved with today. As the Director, I must concentrate on every pitch. I must cut every play. It is more difficult for a Director to lose interest in a game than it is for a Producer. The Director deals with the present. The Director deals with right now! A Producer, on the other hand, deals with the future: “Here is what we are doing, here is when we are doing it, and here is what you (the Director) need to get it done.” I asked our Producer to tell me what he does to remain interested when a game is poorly played and there is no flow to the show.
He said, “To remain focused during a “bad” game, I minimize my thoughts. I do not look at the big picture. I concentrate on each pitch and each play. This allows me to stay sharp and remain focused. In essence, I think like a Director.”
During this conversation, I realized that there are moments when I am cutting a game that, in turn, I think like a Producer. During some situations of a game, I use the camera cut sequence to tease the replay. A good example of this is a sacrifice bunt situation. Before the pitch is thrown, the shot sequence will show the whole infield defense (high home camera), the third baseman in at the corner (low first base camera), the runner at first (mid third camera), and the batter who will be bunting (tight centerfield camera). I have just teased the replay sequence which, if it follows the previous shot sequence, would go as follows: First angle: The look of the high home shot in a freeze. The analyst telestrates (draws) on the screen to show the defensive play that was called. Second angle: Tight centerfield shot of the bunter which also shows pitch location. Third angle: third baseman hustling in and making the play. Fourth angle: the runner iso.
While it is important for the Producer and the Director to think alike, it is also important for the Producer and Director to be sure not to cross that line and infringe on the other’s responsibilities. The Producer produces and the Director directs. Think alike but do not step on each others’ toes.
Our Producer/Director relationship is great. We respect each other and we think alike. A good relationship between the Producer and the Director in the mobile production unit is very important.
This relationship gets a production team through even the worst of games.
Just like the stinker of a game we televised today.