Alex Honnold in Netflix Skyscraper Live
Netflix's Skyscraper Live event documented a magnificent feat by legendary free solo climber Alex Honnold while also completely missing the mark in its approach to capturing the unbelievable achievement.
Skyscraper Live has been one of the top trending"shows" on Netflix since its live stream at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 24, after being rescheduled from Friday, January 23, due to weather. While millions tuned in to watch Honnold complete the unthinkable – climbing one of the world's tallest skyscrapers with nothing but his bare hands and a sack of chalk – Netflix dropped the ball from a production standpoint. Why Netflix's Skyscraper Live Event Sparked Online Blacklash Before the roughly 2-hour live stream event was even over on Saturday night, Netflix viewers took to social media to comment on a series of notable production issues that ultimately diminished some of the event's naturally infused tension. For starters, the three on-air announcers, which is more than most NFL games have, are said to have been overly talkative to the point where it became distracting and somewhat obnoxious, taking the spotlight from the man that everyone came to see. This, combined with several unnecessary pre-taped B-roll segments, deflated much of the innate excitement that comes with watching a man climb a skyscraper without ropes or a safety net. A particular segment sums up the mixed priorities of the broadcast quite well. A video segment of co-host Elle Duncan from ESPN, attempting to climb Taipei 101 with harnesses, was displayed on screen with Alex in a small picture-in-picture box. While that package may have been fine during some type of pre-event show, it was outrageously misplaced during the actual live-stream. Most egregious of all, however, is how little Netflix reportedly paid Honnold for his voluntary near-death trek, an undisclosed figure that Honnold himself said was"embarrassing." Honnold was never in it for the money, but there's a certain standard that should be upheld, especially by an industry leader like Netflix, to compensate appropriately. What Netflix Needs To Learn From Skyscraper Live's Mistakes For a live event that banked on the expectation that viewers wouldn't be able to look away from Honnold risking his life as it was happening, the production sure did cut away from the main event to a frustrating degree. Between the frequent cuts to unimportant interviews with onlookers and wide shots of the building in which Honnold was impossible to spot, there was simply too much going on for an event that should have simply kept a close-up on Honnold for the entire time. Subscribe for deeper newsletter analysis of media missteps Explore the newsletter for focused breakdowns of events like Skyscraper Live, clear analysis of production wins and failures, and practical lessons for understanding live broadcast storytelling when you subscribe. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Even Honnold's groundbreaking documentary Free Solo knew how to capture every moment of Honnold's ascent up El Capitan. Netflix viewers were robbed of the natural tension and suspense that would have come from hearing the howling wind in Taipei, the eerie silence being hundreds of feet in the air, or even whatever TOOL song Honnold was reportedly listening to in his headphones. Although Skyscraper Live is still the most unforgettable thing I've ever watched on Netflix, the giant tech-content company needed to do way less for it to be an achievement from a production standpoint. It's another example of Netflix's somewhat desperate prerogative to keep viewers hooked rather than entertained, an approach that nearly ruined one of the most remarkable physical human achievements ever recorded. Netflix founded January 16, 2007 founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph first original series Lilyhammer notable shows Stranger Things, Squid Game, House of Cards, Wednesday
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