The Hal-Stice match begins — "Schtitt had Mario film the whole…"
Schtitt had Mario film the whole first set from above, leaning way out over the transom’s railing with Watson braced and gripping his vest from behind, Mario’s police lock protruding and casting a weird needly shadow slanted northeast of Court 9’s net.
Context
Somebody higher up orders the match, and Schtitt orders it filmed: the exhibition exists as footage from the first point, with Mario as house cinematographer — bodily braced into the rig (Watson gripping his vest from behind, the police lock throwing its "weird needly shadow" onto the next court). The camera casts a shadow into the play space: the apparatus visible inside the frame it's making. Mario's E.T.A. filming history (037, 065) is here fully institutionalized — Schtitt assigns him like staff.