As chintzy as the above graphic is, it may very well be the tombstone of the local TV sports shooter. For this low-fi banner isn't summoning wannabe photogs to a meeting after homeroom, but to the sleek halls of a modern day TV station. Is it a cutting-edge approach to citizen journalism? Sure. A fantastic opportunity for budding news shooters? I suppose. A brilliant excuse to downsize that pesky sports department? Yahtzee! Still, I'm not here to take sidelines - but rather to analyze the play. Here comes the pitch...
Not being a sports guy myself, this particular brouhaha doesn't exactly keep me up at night. There are a million things I'd rather do on a Friday night than clamor after high school jocks. If a TV station wants to take advantage of inexpensive lenses and lowered expectations, it's no skin off my remote. Just don't pimp it up as revolution, would ya? For years, local affiliates have been reaping the benefits of local sports fan's high school loyalties on the back of unpaid interns and overtime seeking pros. Just ask any photog who's wrapped up a long day's shift to find out his 3 (three!) football games are in three diametrically outlying counties. He'll tell you the O.T.'s damn handy, but the real kick comes from their love of the game. Now the veteran and the neophyte will be joined by a whole new breed of lens apprentice - young upstarts pursuing an opportunity I'd have killed for when I was their age. I just feel bad for the working class shooter, who just aren't as needed as they once were underneath those Friday night lights.
- Go to sporting events for free with a press pass!
- Shoot with one of the hottest video cameras available!
- Rub elbows with the pros at WESH 2 and CW18!
- And get paid for your work!
2 comments:
This makes as much sense as pairing a non-union high school orchestra with a professional show on Broadway. Geez, what has happened to appreciation of a craftsperson? As I've said before, the pros make it look so stinking easy that anyone thinks they can do it. In a way that's a compliment...
stewey...its coming to the big dozen near you.
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