Promos: Script vs. Summary

[du5tin]

First, I'm mainly playing GWF/Z. Do you consider fully-written promos "better" than summarized promos? I find it easier to promo/speak for a fantasy character, because I'm not Harley Race or Buddy Rogers... but now I'm chasing rabbits. Anyway, do you view a promoter's fed better if he fully writes his promos/segments?

[Deleted]

It doesn't matter to me if they write out the whole promo or summarize the segment so long as the summary they give of it covers all the bases of what happened.

[LWPD]

Apr 14, 2010 22:21:20 GMT -5 @du5tin said:

First, I'm mainly playing GWF/Z. Do you consider fully-written promos "better" than summarized promos? I find it easier to promo/speak for a fantasy character, because I'm not Harley Race or Buddy Rogers... but now I'm chasing rabbits. Anyway, do you view a promoter's fed better if he fully writes his promos/segments?

This is a good question. As a reader I prefer a brief summary that conveys the main points of whatever message the wrestler is attempting to get over. As the one doing the writing I'll occasionally bust out direct lines verbatim if its a money promo moment, but for the most part succinct brevity is the golden mean.

Broadly speaking, I think reader preferences would be influenced by when someone became a fan and enjoyed wrestling the most intensely. In the real world 'filling time effectively' has changed dramatically over the years. When television first became a factor for commercial success, time was a rare & expensive commodity that local promoters had to use as a sharply focused sales tool. Interviews were terse and to the point (intensive one on ones, post/pre match pops, guest commentator). If what viewers saw couldn't compel them to buy tickets to the house show, the promotion would die. It was either draw a house or go under. If someone was a fan during this period...'this' tends to be how wrestling 'should' be presented to them.

Over the years wrestling content at the high end has changed radically from an outright expense into a broadly marketable commodity. Today a network will 'pay for' television content (sometimes even with ad revenue sharing) which amounts to a subsidized commercial. So not only is money being made at the point of inception at the live gate...but exponentially more is made through PPV and residual sales (rights fees, DVDs, web content, etc). When you change how the money is being made, you also alter the incentives in how best to produce the content that is being presented (stretch the sizzle, throw in more garnish, emphasize 'brand/universe' over 'performer', dynamic plots over title status/lineage, etc). Just as many young contemporary fans would be confused by the 50's DuMont Network Era, just as many fans from the house show era see commercially successful contemporary wrestling as a foreign product that they can't relate to. Turn over in dynamic industries is a paradoxical constant.

I think the best written Feds are those that are content consistent with the writer's underlying brand objective. If you develop a clear-cut view in your mind's eye of what you are trying to sell, how you want your brand to be presented and then convey that in your writing you can't go wrong. Being true to yourself will elevate the quality of any Fed thread (scripted or summary).

[du5tin]

That's a solid response, LWPD. That's what I love about BRT, even if it has slowed down since its birth. I really appreciate your voice and desire to see all of us promoters grow within such an odd fantasy wrestling game. With that said, I have come to a conclusion, or should I say "conviction." I'll explain further...

I am the worlds worst when it comes to sticking with a project. I've been faithful to few hobbies over the years. This (game) has been my passion, off-and-on, since 2006. This past year it has become a second home for me, especially these forums. Basically, I often get so wrapped up in creating my fed; I burn out before I play. I am horrible about keeping something going, and I think "style" has a lot to do with it.

Promos: Script vs. Summarized. I honestly feel I can write some good script promos for our beloved GWF/Z characters; however, I feel it takes away from the actual playing. I don't want to feel so rushed to put up a "great card." I just want to have fun and share that fun with this forum, of course with effort, creativity, and consistency. I say all this to come to my conclusion, I feel summarizing is the best when it comes to me balancing creativity/fun and consistency.

What you said is true, if I create the right vibe/branding, even a summarized promo/show will shine. I just need to work on the consistency part. I hate the idea of getting a reader involved and then I burn out... with bright eyes looking to a new project. I say all that because I feel adding so much depth to a show kills it for me, yet I feel like I didn't give much to the reader/brand if I summarize it too much. I guess I just need to find a balance.

[Vidtek]

Personally I love writing out my promos, and I do think the whole thing out in my head when I am doing the shows, I just don't have the time anymore to do the in depth fed reporting that I used to do and love doing (and I think people liked). Hopefully that will change soon.
So time to write is another factor.

[du5tin]

I, too, like writing my promos... but it seems to be a hassle to me a lot of the time.

I'm going to summarize like wrestling sites do...

...so expect a new format from me.

[Alexander Ubel]

I find myself dancing between the middle ground when writing my promos. I tend to summarize action that would be viewed by the camera and then I script out promos cut by the actual performers. This helps me to perceive what sort of personality the wrestler ends up taking on as it rarely follows the characterizations presented by Tom or other promoters when using promoter created cards.

Take whichever approach that seems to fit better for your writing style. I started out pretty simple at first and then when aCe came along I opened up the creative gates and let the promos write themselves. This has helped me improve in what I present to my audience and I enjoy following where the storyline ends up taking me. Which is not always where I am looking for them to go.

Like Vidtek said, time is a factor, which can limit what you are able to present.

The Dice...They are fickle.

[Gunslinger]

I tend to skim the promos in other people's fed posts. I'm all for summarizing, mostly for time constraints. Play time is limited these days and I'd prefer to spend the bulk of it playing, not typing. I'd hate to spend half an hour writing a money promo only to have the angle fizzle.

[Scott Fire 54]

I hit the high points and leave out the rest. That way it's an easy read for my peeps.