Jerry’s World: Talkin’ TV
You mind if I talk about TV for a bit? When we come home from an FLW event, we bring back as many as 200 half-hour tapes, or about a hundred hours of material that has to be viewed and put into a one-hour format that makes sense. That’s a chore that we can talk about later, but here’s something that comes from all that, and I think you might find interesting.
On a final day, each angler is covered by a camera that produces anywhere from 10 to 15 tapes. That represents about seven hours.
When you get done looking at those tapes, you feel as if you have spent a day with that particular person. Well, usually you have. And over the course of five or six years, you begin to know these guys pretty well, even though they may not know you at all!
These anglers – their moods, their personalities, their ups and downs – are what make the show good, great or fantastic. They’re much more important than the fish.
So let’s have some fun here and look at some of our regular finalists and how they stack up on TV. Remember, this is just from the television production point of view.
David Fritts – When he’s doing well and in that “crankbait zone” of his, he’s dynamite. He almost becomes a 14-year-old kid again, and can make the landing of one good fish the highlight of a show.
Scott Martin – Brings a lot of the energy that his father has had over the years on TV, but his youth and good looks are even more important in the big picture.
Curt Lytle – Excellent at showing what kind of equipment to use, and how to use it.
Dion Hibdon – His history is so interesting, his voice is compelling, and he has so much fun during the day. He’s very competitive, yet relaxed. He makes good TV.
Rick Clunn – Has more charisma than anyone else without saying a word. Makes no small talk on camera. In fact, has very little to say. When he does say something, you want to hear it, though. Great phone conversations.
Gary Klein – Talk about bringing energy and explaining what’s happening. Gary is usually in the top three or four that we ever have on camera.
Craig Powers – Just a good ol’ country kid that makes the viewer immediately start pulling for him. Always has something to say.
Steve Daniels – Always looks good on camera and, believe me, that’s important. Class act. The very best at conveying his game plan. He’s like Dion: very competitive, but you’d never know it.
Clark Wendlandt – When he’s on camera he does such a good job of representing his sport. Very focused, which makes him seem quiet, but great once he gets going.
Dwayne Horton – You never cover him all day without coming across three or four funny statements. He flips primarily and he’s so smooth and efficient with his technique that it looks good on camera.
That’s just a drop in the bucket on this subject, and I hope that someday every angler out there can match these 10 guys respective on-camera personalities.
Copyright © 2001 Outdoor News Wire, a JM Associates Property. All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced without written consent from the Outdoor News Wire.
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