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by David P. Greisman - We used to have countdowns for these fights, one last 30-minute gasp to sell a major HBO pay-per-view or “World Championship Boxing” broadcast. If you were already thinking about seeing the big fight, then this was the network’s bid at closing the sale. And if you hadn’t yet considered tuning in, then the “Countdown To…” formula got straight to business.
You learned who the fighters were and why they were important. You heard about the stakes of the fight, the storyline coming in and what victory would mean. It was a commercial, yes, but one with documentary value. You left a better-informed customer, energized and excited.
At some point the idea of pre-fight documentaries became corrupted by the contrived nature of reality television. The featured players act for the cameras rather than have their actions captured by them. The scenes and storylines becomes less about the fight than about establishing characters and conflict. [Click Here To Read More]
You learned who the fighters were and why they were important. You heard about the stakes of the fight, the storyline coming in and what victory would mean. It was a commercial, yes, but one with documentary value. You left a better-informed customer, energized and excited.
At some point the idea of pre-fight documentaries became corrupted by the contrived nature of reality television. The featured players act for the cameras rather than have their actions captured by them. The scenes and storylines becomes less about the fight than about establishing characters and conflict. [Click Here To Read More]
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