Post by Staff Guy on Nov 3, 2020 18:59:41 GMT -5
Hey all.
So I wanted to send a message out to all of you about the state of Outlaw Pro Wrestling and where we are looking to go from here. It is no secret that we lose considerable momentum each week during the window between deadline and results, and that’s further lost when any contingency happens as there is not much scope for contingency in the way we write.
This has been highlighted starkly in this results cycle as we had a catastrophic computer fail on the part of the main writer, Jason, so we are over a week late with an already delayed show.
OPW has always been proud of the product we deliver to our community, and nothing is ever phoned in, every segment and match is hand crafted to pay back the writer for the hard work that they put in each week when they write for OPW. However, this vision is somewhat flawed because the sheer quantity of work that goes into writing these results and it is not realistic to continue to deliver this level of detail in results and maintain the high standard we want. Essentially it comes down to three values: quantity, quality and promptness.
For my part, having been part of only two Showcases from a behind-the-scenes production standpoint, its clear that we can only realistically deliver two of these three values consistently. And at the moment our compromise is on the promptness value. We are steadfastly sticking to putting out a full and complete product that is top quality, but the timeliness of results is suffering.
We’re potentially looking into a different way of delivering Showcase to you guys, something that can better leverage momentum and keep the ball rolling so-to-speak. I think everybody is in agreement that we don’t want to compromise on QUALITY, so I’ve laid out some options that focus on trying to balance those three qualities a little better, and to see what the roster think in terms of how those values should balance.
One thing that is critical to the success of Showcase in the future is that our writers and participants are actively involved in driving their own storylines and we don’t necessarily rely on having every member of the roster on every card. We can tell stories without matches every single week.
Any proposed change will be put into effect following the upcoming DRUGS, SEX & ROCK n ROLL pay per view show.
Move to Summarized Showcase
We put less detail into the matchwriting of Monday Night Showcase, and focus more on building stories. This might mean less matches overall, or just that the matches are shorter and more television friendly. Nobody is putting on 15 minute masterclasses on Monday Night Raw.
Keep things as they are
With the exception of Jason writing every single segment and storyline on the show, things would remain as they were. We will try to keep matches concise where possible to reduce the risk of delayed results.
Try to find a balance - “Bi-Weekly Showcase”
A balanced approach would look at reducing the quantity of the results whilst maintaining a bi-weekly RP schedule, with the emphasis on storytelling and getting results out on time each week.
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NOTE ON STORYLINES: Regardless of which option is chosen, the level of handholding in regard to storylines is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY reduced after this change. Having been involved in the behind-the-scenes production of two shows, the amount of writing that Jason undertakes on behalf of people in unbelievable. After the upcoming PPV, you will be expected WITH OUR GUIDANCE AND ADVICE to manage your own storylines, write your own segments and develop your own angle. Jason is an excellent creative resource and will be delighted to help and contribute, but I want to express in no uncertain terms that he is there to give you ideas, not write your segments for you.
So I wanted to send a message out to all of you about the state of Outlaw Pro Wrestling and where we are looking to go from here. It is no secret that we lose considerable momentum each week during the window between deadline and results, and that’s further lost when any contingency happens as there is not much scope for contingency in the way we write.
This has been highlighted starkly in this results cycle as we had a catastrophic computer fail on the part of the main writer, Jason, so we are over a week late with an already delayed show.
OPW has always been proud of the product we deliver to our community, and nothing is ever phoned in, every segment and match is hand crafted to pay back the writer for the hard work that they put in each week when they write for OPW. However, this vision is somewhat flawed because the sheer quantity of work that goes into writing these results and it is not realistic to continue to deliver this level of detail in results and maintain the high standard we want. Essentially it comes down to three values: quantity, quality and promptness.
For my part, having been part of only two Showcases from a behind-the-scenes production standpoint, its clear that we can only realistically deliver two of these three values consistently. And at the moment our compromise is on the promptness value. We are steadfastly sticking to putting out a full and complete product that is top quality, but the timeliness of results is suffering.
We’re potentially looking into a different way of delivering Showcase to you guys, something that can better leverage momentum and keep the ball rolling so-to-speak. I think everybody is in agreement that we don’t want to compromise on QUALITY, so I’ve laid out some options that focus on trying to balance those three qualities a little better, and to see what the roster think in terms of how those values should balance.
One thing that is critical to the success of Showcase in the future is that our writers and participants are actively involved in driving their own storylines and we don’t necessarily rely on having every member of the roster on every card. We can tell stories without matches every single week.
Any proposed change will be put into effect following the upcoming DRUGS, SEX & ROCK n ROLL pay per view show.
Move to Summarized Showcase
We put less detail into the matchwriting of Monday Night Showcase, and focus more on building stories. This might mean less matches overall, or just that the matches are shorter and more television friendly. Nobody is putting on 15 minute masterclasses on Monday Night Raw.
Keep things as they are
With the exception of Jason writing every single segment and storyline on the show, things would remain as they were. We will try to keep matches concise where possible to reduce the risk of delayed results.
Try to find a balance - “Bi-Weekly Showcase”
A balanced approach would look at reducing the quantity of the results whilst maintaining a bi-weekly RP schedule, with the emphasis on storytelling and getting results out on time each week.
Summarized Showcase | Bi-Weekly Showcase | As they are | |
Card | Weekly | Bi-weekly | Bi-weekly |
Deadline | 6 days - deadline Sunday Night | 13 days - deadline Sunday night | 10 days - deadline Thursday night |
Results | 24 hours from deadline | 24 hours from deadline | Approximately 4 days |
Match Writing | Summarized | Summarized | Complete |
Segments | Complete | Complete | Complete |
# of Matches | 6-8 (probably some alternation) | Approx 10 | Approx 10 |
PPVs | Monthly, 10 day deadline, results within 4 days | Bi-months, 10 day deadline, results within 4 days | Bi-monthly, 10 day deadline, results within 4 days |
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NOTE ON STORYLINES: Regardless of which option is chosen, the level of handholding in regard to storylines is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY reduced after this change. Having been involved in the behind-the-scenes production of two shows, the amount of writing that Jason undertakes on behalf of people in unbelievable. After the upcoming PPV, you will be expected WITH OUR GUIDANCE AND ADVICE to manage your own storylines, write your own segments and develop your own angle. Jason is an excellent creative resource and will be delighted to help and contribute, but I want to express in no uncertain terms that he is there to give you ideas, not write your segments for you.