Raw footage from the behind-the-scenes documentary about the events and personalities surrounding Super Bowl X in Miami between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. Features intimate portraits of the players and the CBS personnel who broadcast the events of Super Bowl week. Produced with multiple lightweight video cameras in TVTV style, it is both informative and revealing of the extremes surrounding football culture and hype. This tape features an interview with CBS TV Executive Bob Wussler.
00:00Copy video clip URL This tape begins with a blue screen.
00:23Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Wussler who begins to talk about his technique in changing the television system while remaining under the radar and avoiding opposition. When asked about his TV fantasies, Wussler talks about his accomplishment in covering the Super Bowl and states that he was thankful for the opportunity to do so.
01:47Copy video clip URL When given the hypothetical of having all of the financial and technical support to make any kind of television show, Wussler talks about the future of television and what he would like to see. “Oh I think there are a lot of things that television could do and I think that we need to in the future continue to concentrate on our prime time programming. I mean that’s what television is all about… The centerpiece of television is what is in the American family room, or living room, or rec room, or in the kitchen between those critical hours of 7:00Copy video clip URL and 11:00Copy video clip URL at night. That’s what we call prime time and I think that’s the area that needs the most attention.” He goes on to talk about CBS and its programming evolution in the sixties and seventies. Wussler cites M.A.S.H. as one of the most important television shows that helped CBS push forward. Wussler, Weinberg, and the other videomakers continue to debate the different methods of creating quality programming.
06:19Copy video clip URL Wussler talks about the proper use of television hardware in the business and states that it serves as an assistance in the television making process. Wussler goes on to state that quality programming can only come from the human mind and that the use of hardware is the second step in the creation process.
07:12Copy video clip URL Videomaker Elon Soltes asks Wussler about TV executives being tastemakers. Wussler states that he dislikes the term “tastemakers” because he doesn’t look at himself as the person who gives the final say on a program. Weinberg, Soltes, and Wussler continue to debate the issue of TV executives determining what the television viewing audience sees on a daily basis. Wussler eventually gets a little perturbed and asks for the videomakers to clarify their questions and make them more direct. Nancy Cain raises the issue of live television and states that live TV isn’t really live if it is being guided by cue cards, teleprompters, and so forth. Wussler disagrees with Cain’s statement and says that it is logical to plan live television broadcasts take advantage of the many different technologies and techniques to do so. He cites the importance is getting “words on paper.” The group continues to debate the issue for several minutes.
13:09Copy video clip URL When asked if he thinks of himself as a technician or artist, Wussler states that he considers himself an artist and a pretty good television producer. “In order to be qualified and in order to do the job as long as I have done it, I’ve got to be a pretty good technician. But I’m technician part-time and artist much more of the time.” Wussler goes on to talk about his development of the CBS Sports Department.
16:11Copy video clip URL Soltes asks Wussler for his opinion on what football means to America and where it may be headed in the future. Wussler responds, “Football is an outlet. Football is a means of theater. It’s a means of theater that attracts a large group of people in this country who might not be attracted to other forms of theater as we know them… It’s a game of the fifties, sixties, and seventies. I think it’s a game that has a good future. It is presently building itself a tradition… I think football is going to be around with us for a long time to come.” He goes on to compare football to baseball and states that football is building the same type of tradition that baseball has built in the country. He also states that football and television benefited from of one another during their respective formations.
18:34Copy video clip URL Weinberg asks Wussler about sports commentator and 1971 Miss America Phyllis George and her role in sports broadcasting. Wussler states that he wanted to get more women into sports for a “better chemistry.” The group also talks about George’s future with CBS. Wussler states that he doesn’t quite know where she will go, but that she will remain in the framework of the coverage and that she has a good future as a broadcaster. When asked where he may be headed, Wussler states that he hopes to stay at CBS, gain more experience from a variety of jobs, and to make any changes to the American socio-entertainment system that may benefit the viewing public. Shortly afterward, the interview ends.
22:51Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot from inside of a car. The videomakers are on their way to some type of banquet or party.
23:17Copy video clip URL Once inside, the videomakers begin to gather footage from around the area.
24:06Copy video clip URL The videomakers speak with President of the Intercontinental Football League Bob Kap about his work in the NFL. Kap had worked in soccer before forming a European football league. When asked about the future of football, Kap states that American football will grow while soccer will become more unpopular due to its lack of excitement. He states that for American football to improve, it must go international.
27:42Copy video clip URL Kap talks about the many teams that make up the Intercontinental Football League in Europe. Kap goes on to talk about the half-time shows at football games. When asked about his favorite thing about American football, Kap states that there is a lot more drama in football that soccer. “American football is the most attractive sport which exists today.”
30:01Copy video clip URL Kap states that American football attracts a much stronger female demographic than soccer does in Europe. Kap goes on to talk about the comparison between American football and the sporting events in ancient Rome.
31:37Copy video clip URL A man makes a humorous comment about the fall of Rome.
32:19Copy video clip URL The videomakers gather more footage from around the party. The tape ends shortly afterward.
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