How to get wrestling fans, part 5

How to get wrestling fans part 5

You guys will notice that I bounce from topic to topic because I cover several different sports at the same time, so if you read one blog about wrestling and don’t see anything for two or three blogs, don’t worry, I try to get back to it when I can.

This is an ongoing topic on what I might do if I was in charge of a local wrestling federation. Not some multi-million dollar federation where you have millions to throw around. I’m talking about a local wrestling show where you can provide people in a few towns some nice and decent talent. These are for the real wrestling fans, not those that watch only “Smackdown” or “Raw” on television. That’s fine if you are into that, but lots of times we ignore the people who try to bring us local entertainment right in our back yards.

So this is a blog of what I might do if I had a wrestling federation and what I would do to make it better. If you have read the other blogs on wrestling, you know we have covered a few topics, including Location, Sound Quality and Promotions/Advertisings.

So let’s continue with the next element: Video Quality and Post Production.

Back in the days of the 70’s and 80’s this would have been hard because the equipment used for video was expensive and pretty big. But today anybody can take videos…Youtube is an excellent example of this. For good or for bad, you can easily get videos of yourself or others to the faces of thousands, or millions.

But how can you utilize this when it comes to local wrestling? Well, many local wrestling businesses forget the power of the media. Any match that you have can be recorded for several uses. As a guy that has a degree in radio and television, I want to try to share some points on this.

First off, if you’re gonna do it, do it right. Don’t go buying cheap stuff because the end product needs to be good. Remember, this is your calling card to anyone who has not been to your events; give them a good impression. Now we’re not gonna get too involved in the actual names of cameras and editing suites, because for every one I say, there could be options. But the key here is this, get some decent cameras.

Now, here is a problem I think many people miss, recording a match is more than just setting a camera and “letting it roll”. Lots of federations use a single camera on a fixed location…no good.

Give the people angles of action, not just from one camera. You can get 2, maybe 3 digital cameras, and set positions around the ring and have three different angles. If you can’t do 3, then do two, but it is critical to have more than one angle to record these events.

Now, the problem with this is that most people have no experience in editing. This is where you have to combine multiple sources into one source for the best presentation. Say I have a “match of the year” one night, and I want to sell that match on DVD. I need to give the fans the best I can give them, because if it is done right, those fans may share it with others, and those people who see it might be my next set of fans. However, editing isn’t as easy as “point and shoot”.

This is what a lot of federations rely on, just shooting once and using the exact same footage. Not good. If I am going to get wrestling fans, I need to give them a product they can be proud of which will also help create interest in my events. It also creates a steady income of past events that can keep the money coming in.

Even nowdays with digital cameras and the like, you still need to learn HOW to use it. Some people think all you need to do is turn it on and start recording. But that’s the difference in amateurs and professionals…you DO want to be professional in what you do, right?

I would get a couple of people to learn how to record events, if that means hiring a couple of college students, fine, at least I know they are studying their craft while helping us. I would make sure we have a fixed angle (a camera set in one position, and never moved) and a roving camera (one that circles the ring). If I could get a third, that is fine, but if not, I can live without it. My aim is to get as much footage of the matches AND the fans if possible.

And while quality is a given, the post production adds a whole new angle, and even some elements some wrestling federations don’t apply…announcers. It just sounds too bland to watch a DVD of a wrestling match and all you hear is the sounds of the slams, grunts and occasional yells from the audience.

There needs to be filler in the post production, and this is where announcers come in. You’ve never watched a wrestling match on television without announcers, so why settle for less when you get a DVD?

Guys, the post production of the wrestling matches has to be as intense and professional as the matches themselves. If there was as much effort put into post production as there were in the matches, you could sell each DVD for $20 and nobody would complain. These are the tangible sales that can easily recoup any losses.

If I had a wrestling event in a town, this could be an example. If I had a facility that seated 300, and sold tickets for $9 each, I am hoping to make about $2700. But that is a high estimate because most times I don’t expect to sell out, even with concessions. Now if I recorded the event that night, I can make it available for sale, and in time, we might be able to recoup any losses of that event.

One reason this can happen is local fans want to buy the product that they participated in, because they might be seen in it. I mean, wouldn’t you like to get a DVD of a wrestling night where in a pan across the fans, there YOU are, sitting there yelling and screaming? Another reason is that it allows fans who don’t travel to keep up with the wrestling federation. I might have events in 4 towns, but many of my fans can’t travel to the other three. This way, I can offer the DVD of what happened in the other towns so they won’t feel left out. And it might just encourage them to travel the next time we are out of town.

There are numerous advantages of video quality and post production, but lots of times local wrestling federations don’t take advantage of it. It’s not gonna make them multi-millionaires but it certainly can help bring more revenue. And the video can be a great promotional tool on the internet or even local television. So you might want to think about that.

Anyway, got more stuff to write about, we’ll talk more about this again soon.