Webb Passes

Television director Bill Webb died Tuesday.

As a director at Fox and for SNY, the local cable home of the Mets, Webb made split-second decisions as he stitched the narrative of a game from live action, replays and graphics on dozens of screens in a mobile production truck.

“Webby’s the master of being able to capture the drama in the stands and on the field,” John J. Filippelli, a former producer at Fox who is the president of production at YES Network, said last year.

And Mike Weisman, who worked with Webb as a lead baseball producer at Fox, said that Webb put viewers’ stomachs in knots with extreme close-ups of players, managers and fans, as well as by accelerating the pace of cutting to different cameras toward the end of a game.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

I am fairly old school when it comes to television, and the quick cutting always bothered me. I really don’t need to see a manager standing in the dugout looking stoic between every pitch. I know I’m in the minority there, but longer lasting shots gives a person a chance to actually understand the scene.

Having worked in television, and sat in a production truck, I’ve always been impressed with the directors. They are really chess masters, being able to anticipate the producer’s desires, the action on the field, and pull the right shot at the right time. Webb made it look easy.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2mFfyg3