Upstart Director Offers Advice to CBS

I commend Larry Stewart for his note to the director of the Laker-Piston series. I am a broadcast journalism-sports information student at USC, and I can’t believe the quality of the direction of the series was so poor. We weren’t watching “Miami Vice,” we were trying to watch a basketball game.

I saw things that would not be tolerated in the most basic direction class--jump cuts, extremely poor angles leaving the viewer confused, breaking of the 180-degree line for no purpose and just generally stupid camera switching.

The direction reminds me a lot of the NCAA final when the director, Bob Fishman, cut from Danny Manning hugging his father to a wide shot of a bunch of screaming idiots. What has happened to the directors of basketball games? The first and most important lesson when you learn how to direct is KISS--keep it simple, stupid.

ARI STEINBECK

Playa Del Rey