Are You Not Entertained?
Ever watch a movie or television broadcast where everything is rolling along and then a single scene with crummy sound, poor lighting or another glitch takes you out of the moment? You know, that bewildering distraction that felt like it just wasn’t part of the same show?
(Insert the needle dragging across a record sound effect here: brrrrrrt!) Yeah, we thought so.
To clarify, we’re not talking about gems like local news when bugs fly in reporters’ mouths, meteorologists draw penises representing cold fronts and that smug interviewer stumbles out of frame when stomping grapes. That business is always funny.
No, we’re talking about those big budget productions and planned events. Think about the Super Bowl or the Olympics. Generally they hang together well. How? The short answer is that they’re usually run by pros with an eye for quality and consistency.
In our episode titled “Design for Champions,” we discuss how onsite design systems have helped both audiences in the stadiums and on television share a common sense of place. For example, the design system for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles functions exactly the same way that good consistent sound or camera work does. Whether you were sweating in the bleachers in L.A. or chillin’ in your La-Z-Boy in Philly, the entire program held together.
When we started unpacking this episode topic, we realized there were common sensibilities across different kinds of events. Elliot has been a spectator at the Fortnite World Cup and the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest because, well… he’s sophisticated like that. Todd has been part of broadcast events from Las Vegas and New York. And they have both been to a bunch of different shows.
The bottom line is there are factors all great productions take into account:
They don’t skimp. Before everyone fancied themselves a pocket broadcaster, event budgets were heavily spent on stages and props but light elsewhere. Now with the whole experience before, during and after being captured on broadcast and social media, there are no areas to overlook. Epic Games – the makers of Fortnite – even took over the subway station leading to the World Cup venue. And the experience walking in just got more holy shit! the deeper you were immersed. (Fortnite village, anyone?)
Subtlety is key. Just kidding. Glad you’re still here with us. Scale, fonts, graphics and colors have to be exploded. Consider if an event is broadcast, every scene has some piece of the design system visible, serving as a reminder of what you’re watching and demonstrating why it’s a big deal. How many times will you see the classy roman numerals of the Super Bowl over the course of the game?
Make the audience part of the show. Fans want to insert themselves into the whole immersive experience. Specific props, places and moments for photo ops empower anyone and everyone to pick up your messages and carry them forward on their channels.
And speaking of cool, immersive experiences, if you haven’t checked out all of our episodes, please do. It might not be a 70+ hot dogs in ten minutes kind of thing, but our work is both less filling and great tasting. Use your favorite headphones.