Tuesday, January 23, 2007 Seares: A 'Made for TV' Sinulog By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is thinking aloud about “repackaging” Sinulog: making it attractive to out-of-towners who spend small fortunes to compete and TV audiences who can get bored easily.
He wants to make spending by out-of-Cebu sponsors pay off with larger, wider promo and TV mileage. A “made for TV” Sinulog can draw more television watchers everywhere.
Mayor Tomas must have in mind New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California, annually seen by a million spectators along parade route and millions more on TV.
Floats filled with thousands of fresh flowers are as creatively eye-catching as they can get. With marching bands from all over the world, Tournament of Roses is a visual and sound feast.
Not just content
Sinulog is not that amply endowed for TV. Dance steps, costumes, story, and music (mostly drums and bugles in repetitive drudgery) hew to basics of the religious ritual. Most floats aim to push a product, not wow the crowd.
Sinulog on TV needs high-budget production to present a show that will keep its fans watching.
Out there celebrating on the streets, Sinulog revelers get pep from one another. Not TV audiences whose interest easily flags.
A “made for TV” Sinulog will help make good television. But live content still needs state-of-art equipment and expertise of top-rated pros to produce a show that won’t make watchers snore or flee.
