In the first episode of the 2021 season of Rugby KO, we talk to the talented Nick Piper, owner and producer of Onion TV. His prolific sports documentaries have a combined almost one million views and he is now into the 7th series of The Season, his Rugby Union documentary series. He takes a close look at schools Rugby, and provides access to the inner sanctum of what makes a schools rugby team so entertaining.
Nick talks about his devotion to sport and profiling all sports, including Rowing, Rugby, Basketball, Netball, Baseball amongst others and what are the key ingredients into producing reputable, high quality sports documentaries.
We discuss the name Onion TV and Nick provides interesting insights into why the company was named Onion, including the layers involved, standing out from a crowded and contrived production cohort , and that when you watch Onion TV you may just shed a tear or two with the intensity of the documentaries and the sporting highs and lows experienced.
Nick talks about some integral components to providing great content and a production that achieves the goals intended, including the importance of the audio insights, the microphone always on, cinematography and the tricks of the trade in capturing the best position for videoing. The detail in post production and the requirements to align with the ethos of schools in particular in generating a final product that is not only highly entertaining, but keeps to the professionalism, the spirit captured and honours the subjects in question.
He shares a story about launching the documentary and how fortunate he was in the game he produced in Queensland between Nudgee College vs Gregory Terrace. The match could not have been scripted better, with a packed school stadium of 12,000 spectators, a tied game, controversy over a final kick, and then the unbelievable applause and adulation of the emotional crowd. It launched his series and was the perfect rugby match that had it all for engaging an audience.
We talk about what in fact makes a great sports documentary, the rise of the category over the last 10 years, and what it takes to present the best possible content and viewing for a demographic that wants highlights and shorter excerpts of matches and regularly able to have access to it. We discuss how the landscape for media and sport in particular has changed.
