Cadets 2018

[cadet93]

2 hours ago, MotoSurfBass said:

Who is available for them to hire that is an upgrade from their current staff? Aungst is still a #### big deal on the East Coast, and the brass and guard staffs are definitely recognizable.

The Cadets won't sit in that range, and they don't want to either. Drop that narrative.

Time will tell....I will happily eat my words if I am wrong.

[Jeff Ream]

4 hours ago, MotoSurfBass said:

It was buggy and/or overbearing at times, but by no stretch of the imagination was the visual design a disaster last year.

design only does what the person in charge allows

[Ghost]

3 hours ago, cadet93 said:

 Now, who knows, my hope was that some powerhouse staff would be hired to start attracting better talent again and move the corps up the ranks, but doesn't appear to be happening.

Didn't they have a strong staff for years until the end of 16?

[jwillis35]

6 hours ago, MikeRapp said:

Whether George is content with seventh place finishes is irrelevant. He isn't a competent show designer, and as long as he insists on micromanaging the concepts, I don't see any reasonable hope of things changing for cadets. The corps ahead of them are just better now in every phase of the activity.

I agree with you here, but let me first say that I personally liked the 2017 show very much. There was some cheese and it was perhaps a bit too literal, but it was a far cry from 2016. It was a solid Finals show that was very daring and risky -- and they made a lot of it work really well.  

Not being an insider I don't know what is true or not. I have no way of knowing whether Hopkins is a good or bad show designer. I also have no way of knowing how much he micromanages his staff.  But clearly he was one of those guys that pushed long and hard for narration, singing, electronics, amps. He seems to like props and tarps and gimmicky ideas that perhaps he feels adds to a show. Usually they do not, especially if the show is not well designed.  

Case-in-point: on Finals night 2017 as the corps is playing that beautiful closing theme and pushing backfield, the drill and music are just gorgeous. The music keeps building and building, and then the brass faces front and the music builds even more. Ultimately they get to the company front and instead of allowing the music to climax with a big hit the corps stops and the celebrant narrates "The Mass has ended, go in peace." This narration just totally ruined the moment and took away from the awesome momentum the corps was building. To me, the point here is that you should NEVER interrupt excellent musical phrasing and thematic climaxes with cheese, narration, the presentation of a prop or tarp, and stuff like that. 

People can say Blue Devils interrupted their final chord of the show with the "Concord Blue Devils" announcement, but musically what they were playing had already made its impact. Visually they had already made their impact as well. The Cadets were trying to build to an impact, and once they got there they stopped the build and delayed it for a cheesy narrated line that should have been included earlier or not at all. 

To me, it seems that from 2013 onward -- despite some amazing music ensembles -- the Cadets have had a difficult time understanding how audiences react to narration, props, singing, and other gimmicks. Their timing of these events in a show seem to be way off.  Whether that is Hopkins or the entire staff I would not know. But you see it in the product. The corps itself always seems very talented and capable, and instead of using that talent to its fullest they seem to rely on gimmicks, tricks, props, narration to enhance their ideas.  Not the best method.  Other corps have this problem, too; but because GH was one of the main proponents for these ideas in drum corps it will be his corps that takes the brunt of the beating for its' use of electronics, singing, narration, props, tarps, and other gimmicks. 

In general I have yet to see a corps use a tarp where I thought "oh, that was cool and they really needed it." I'd say about 85% of the narration we hear is not needed. I did enjoy the 8-piece vocal group in the Cadets show, but they were used a bit too much. Many of the vocals in others shows were also problematic.  Electronics have become an issue.  Too many mic'd solos. The quality of tone is changing too often, and not always for the best. Gimmicks and props work on occasion, but not often; and they cannot replace a well-crafted musical phrase that builds and climaxes uninterrupted. 

[MikeRapp]

In general I have yet to see a corps use a tarp where I thought "oh, that was cool and they really needed it."

When you refer to a tarp, I assume you mean something you lay on the field and march over. I thought Blue Devils' water tarp was pretty cool, albeit very unwieldy. Also loved Crown's tarp that revealed their final crown set in Inferno.

[Ghost]

1 hour ago, MikeRapp said:

 Also loved Crown's tarp that revealed their final crown set in Inferno.

Then you must have been besides your bad self with the SCV Phantom tarps.

[jwillis35]

3 hours ago, MikeRapp said:

In general I have yet to see a corps use a tarp where I thought "oh, that was cool and they really needed it."

When you refer to a tarp, I assume you mean something you lay on the field and march over. I thought Blue Devils' water tarp was pretty cool, albeit very unwieldy. Also loved Crown's tarp that revealed their final crown set in Inferno.

Yes, by tarp I mean something that lays on the field and is marched on or used for some effect.  Blue Devils' water tarp was slightly different and i loved it. It was used for a very specific show effect and then taken off the field. It was to the point, well done, and very effective.  To me that was more of a prop than a tarp.  The Crown tarp you refer to, from 2015, was used as a pull over and again was used for a very specific reason and was more like a giant streamer. 

[2000Cadet]

21 hours ago, MikeRapp said:

I agree with every word of it. Like it or not, the overall design concept of a show is crucially important now. You can't just pull a title out of a hat and build a show around it and think you are going to beat the top half of dci. And it seems as if you also cannot build and rebuild a show as the season progresses. Judges are wise to cheese nowadays.

Ever notice how some people claim they couldn't care less about Cadets but yet they're always commenting within Cadets' threads? 

Just thoughts on what I've been thinking. 

I hope Cadets get their @sses in check, but the way things have gone over the past few years, I truly doubt it. 

I just realized this is Cadets 2018 thread, it is already 48 pages long...on September 3rd no less, and there is no news on staff changes, show concepts, anything. 

Oh well, back to real life! 

Edited September 4, 2017 by 2000Cadet

[xandandl]

1 minute ago, 2000Cadet said:

Ever notice how some people claim they couldn't care less about Cadets but yet they're always commenting within Cadets' threads? 

Just thoughts on what I've been thinking. 

I hope Cadets get their @sses in check, but the way things have gone over the past few years, I truly doubt it. 

I just realized this is Cadets 2018 thread, and there is no news on staff changes, show concepts, anything. 

Oh well, back to real life! 

none of that allowed to be announced by DCI corps until Tuesday after Labor Day. This is a new protocol.

[Ghost]

21 minutes ago, 2000Cadet said:

Ever notice how some people claim they couldn't care less about Cadets but yet they're always commenting within Cadets' threads?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7AfWxKxyQ