SportsCenter : The Documentary? A Response to Pratt

Coordinating the Defense: A Reply to Frome

“…Frome's first worry, based on attention to the production, distribution, and marketing of LSBs, is that my theory does not actually eliminate them from the documentary category because “LSBs expend considerable resources towards the goal of providing quality accounts” (, 91). In support, Frome emphasizes the prominence of commentators in LSBs; while their skills and accomplishments are part of the promotion and marketing for Monday Night Football (MNF) , there is no mention of accurate recording and documentation of games.…”

“…Nonetheless, Frome claims that offering accounts is not among the primary goals of the makers of Rain and other poetic documentaries. His evidence is that the filmmakers had plenty of chances to “provide clearer, better‐supported, and more explicit explanations of the events they portray” but did not take them (, 91). If Frome is right that such neglected opportunities are incompatible with being primarily accounts, then few, if any, documentaries are primarily accounts.…”

“…According to Frome, documentaries must not be live productions: the filmmakers cannot be assembling and arranging the materials that constitute their works contemporaneous with the recording of those materials (, 92). For convenience, let us use “NLP” (no live production) as shorthand for this requirement.…”

“…For the record, the same goes for pretaped news segments. Frome states that the “majority of production decisions” for LSBs are made live, and this should be emphasized (, 92)—though whether a simple majority or something beyond that is required needs to be worked out in greater detail.…”