Screenwriter Max Landis, a true wrestling fan and a former creative consultant for WWE, presented a rather different picture of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ recent face-off that took place at Georgia Tech. While many are praised this segment as a cinematic marvel, Landis wasn’t too pleased with it.
Elaborating on his dissatisfaction in a YouTube video, Landis explains how he believes the term “cinematic” was misused to describe this scene, and how the presentation appeared flawed both to him as a general audience and a filmmaker.
Transcribed below is his full comment from the YouTube video:
“I can’t be the only one who feels this way, but I’m seeing everybody gas the Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns football field segment on SmackDown, and I just want to contradict that it was not cinematic. In my eyes, the word “cinematic” has been misused. The scene was merely well-lit and well-shot. It was bound by the conventional shot-reverse shot for six minutes, with alternated dialogues between characters.
The punch of long conversation scenes in wrestling depends on the fact that they’re taking place in an arena surrounded by a massive crowd. Fans are integral to the wrestling world, contributing to not just the noise, but also the set-up. The energy of an arena plays an essential role in driving the story and attempting to cover the often inadequate acting by wrestlers. The ones who outshine are the ones who can be impromptu and natural, which isn’t feasible in an edited promo anyway!
When wrestling is treated as a typical TV show from a production viewpoint, it loses its charm. The unique aspects get overshadowed and the weak points stand exposed. Music should be avoided during promos unless it is for edited promos within the WWE world. The TNA stuff where they tried to make wrestling look like a movie should not be replicated as it doesn’t work. It not only ruins the production quality but also distracts the audience from the world of wrestling.
I thought I was watching a TV show about a wrestling company consisting of characters working for the company and the incidents that occur within the company. The conflict arises when these characters have deep enmity. However, there are occasionally successful experiments where the narrative goes beyond the arena, which wasn’t the case this time with the Rhodes/Reigns segment.
I sincerely hope WWE doesn’t incline towards “cinematic” segments, especially with the Netflix deal coming up. While many might equate competent color correction, focus, and depth of field with cinema, there’s more to it. A student film could have executed a 6-and-a-half-minute shot-reverse shot dialogue scene.
The format works when the characters are addressing each other in front of the crowd. Grand deviations like these break the continuity of the wrestling world and dilute the product.
A wrestling show should remain a wrestling show. Of course, there’s room for unique production techniques and high production value, but the essence of the wrestling world should be preserved. Going out of the world of the arena unnecessarily is like an indulgent short film.”
Kindly give eWrestlingNews due credit if you cite this transcription.
Watch Landis’s detailed analysis in the video here:
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Do you share Landis’s views, or do you believe his critique is unfair? Share your perspectives in the comments section below.