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What might happen if?.....
- Thread starter Kohai999
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2001
- Messages
- 12,348
My random thoughts:
Good reality TV has information and creativity. GREAT reality TV has that and drama. Emphasis on drama.
Many of my fave shows are 'Modern marvels', 'How stuff is made', etc. I'd love a documentary on each segment of our knife world..... or would I? There are areas I don't identify with, nor would the larger population.
Car auctions on TV: The Mecum crowd with their belligerence and in-your-face selling are a hit. Pebble Beach-style auctions: Not so much.
I'm surprised Mike Snody's name hasn't popped up. He's got a combination of this. Very modern video savvy, whether you follow or enjoy them or not.
Coop
Good reality TV has information and creativity. GREAT reality TV has that and drama. Emphasis on drama.
Many of my fave shows are 'Modern marvels', 'How stuff is made', etc. I'd love a documentary on each segment of our knife world..... or would I? There are areas I don't identify with, nor would the larger population.
Car auctions on TV: The Mecum crowd with their belligerence and in-your-face selling are a hit. Pebble Beach-style auctions: Not so much.
I'm surprised Mike Snody's name hasn't popped up. He's got a combination of this. Very modern video savvy, whether you follow or enjoy them or not.
Coop
Bobby Branton
Moderator
- Joined
- Dec 12, 1998
- Messages
- 2,976
Well, we do have the SMKW tactical knife show on satellite. Seriously, one thing we do have to consider is that we have at least one (maybe two) generations of kids that are taught to fear knives and are told that knives are very bad. I've had hundreds of people in my shop from all walks of life. I show them my stock removal stuff and they say that is cool. I take them out to my forging shop and they go Ooooh, Aahhh. They just light up when you talk about forging life into a piece of steel that was basically a piece of scrap at one time. Same thing with knife throwing, I tell them about sport throwing and they go ok, that is cool, can you do Ninja stuff? When I break out the tomahawks, it is all over. They get all warm and fuzzy thinking about the past. The older crowd always ask if I saw the episode on Johnny Carson when Ed Ames threw the tomahawk between the legs of the target silhouette of a man.
T.A.DAVISON
Slip Joint Knife Maker
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2005
- Messages
- 5,477
Maybe the show would need the right host? Say someone like STeven? 
:thumbup:
Now that could give you some drama I think?
:thumbup:Now that could give you some drama I think?
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2006
- Messages
- 6,211
Quoted for truth. I only recently acquired satellite (cable) TV and was expecting to see some fascinating documentaries. With the exception of some WWII stuff on BBC I have been very disappointed in the quality of the material on offer. Its dumbed down to a huge extent and very formulaic. Having been the subject of a couple of doccies by Nat Geo and Discovery myself (after an incident involving a Black Rhino some years back) I have seen how they work from the inside and believe me they arent interested in telling the story how it should be told. They are creating a package to titillate viewers with very short attention spans who suffer from severe popcorn mentality.
PErsonally I think knifemakers are far better off following Mike Snody's example and using YouTube, Facebook, the forums and other DIY marketing tools to get their names out there, if they so desire. The beauty of these methods is you control the entire product. Some might not have the time or inclination to want to do it, but I think its well worth it. Even if its rank amateur stuff in the end at least its the real story and not some TV exec's idea of what 'reality' is.
PErsonally I think knifemakers are far better off following Mike Snody's example and using YouTube, Facebook, the forums and other DIY marketing tools to get their names out there, if they so desire. The beauty of these methods is you control the entire product. Some might not have the time or inclination to want to do it, but I think its well worth it. Even if its rank amateur stuff in the end at least its the real story and not some TV exec's idea of what 'reality' is.
Well the bare bones of it is that most people simply wouldn't care about how a knife is made (or anything for that matter)... Most people want to see the drama. Kind of like 80something% of NASCAR viewers don't watch for the race itself so much as to see a crash.
Now I know most of the folks HERE would like to see an actual WIP type documentary.... But 9 out of 10 NON-knife people that I show a knife to say something like, "Oh that's interesting." And have lost interest in about 15 seconds (if they ever had any).
I'm not being Debbie Downer, just realistic. I LOVE watching things being built!!! Whether they're casting, forging, forming, machining, welding, wood-working, carving...etc. But if most people felt that way they would focus right in on how those motorcycle guys do things like TIG weld parts, machine accessories, FILL ALL THE CAVITIES AND FLAWS IN THEIR HALF-ASS WORKMANSHIP before the paint guys can shoot the bike (there I said it! LOL).... rather than two big guys constantly screaming the F-word at each other, tearing up their cars, homes, and families, etc.
9 out of 10 morons are far more interested in Jessie James cheating on Sandra Bullock (what a dip shit, seriously!!!) than how Jessie James actually builds something.
In contrast to all this, I do have a couple cousins that want me to be the Bob Ross of knifemaking. If I could grow the whafro and act disturbingly happy/friendly while building a knife I would so do it.