Layering?

[Jim Schehr]

2 hours ago, KVG_DC said:

I think Crown's beast-o-whirl will be an example of this by season's end.

I’m waiting for the teeter totter to turn into a scene from Urban Cowboy and throw someone on their gluteus maximus. 

[Highwaydude]

[year1buick]

I always thought it must refer to gradually piling on design elements related to the theme of a show. Unfortunately, I’m usually unaware of the nitty gritty meaning behind most of these shows, other than the superficial knowledge you might gain from the title alone. As a result, I wouldn’t generally recognize the significance of a new layer, even if it’s oscillating right in front of me.

[mfrontz]

Thanks. I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses. 

[KVG_DC]

Oh.  I remember now the example that came to mind of "fixing" rather than "layering."  Colts "And a shot rang out."  It changed radically through the season to cut some of the narration, break up some of the singing and increase the use of the horn line.  But rather than simply adding layers to a base, they were tinkering with the entire balance of the various elements of the show.  It eventually got there and became a really enjoyable show for me at finals...whereas at the start of the season I found it overbearing.

[Sideways]

Layering really only works, meaning you get credit for it, once the main framework of the show is clean and working well.  Think of it as icing on the cake.  You can put icing over a steaming turd but ultimately you still have a steaming turd.

[GUARDLING]

been interesting reading 

[Jeff Ream]

6 hours ago, BRASSO said:

 Basically it means early on Corps have what might be termed " the bones " of the show out on the field. The later Brass" layering " might involve taking the original brass arrangement and adding nuance to it, changing the dynamics of it, or adding notes to it, and so forth. Early on Shows do not always have the Guards fully integrated into the shows, so Guards begin to add more movement, more dance, more tosses. more flags as a " layering " enhancement to the overall initial  show design,... Props begin to be utilized in more comprehensive fashions with marcher additions on them, or more colors added to the props, and so forth. Sometimes the theme needs more messaging coherence, so measures are taken to add more clarity to the message with additional methods to convey the theme at the end. Corps will change a closer. or even add a closer to the earlier show they had on the field initially.

 All this said, the notion that there will be substantive upward movements in scores. placements as a result of " layering " of the shows is not really supported by history. Sometimes " layering" additions work. Sometimes they don't. Oftentimes however, it really does not move the scores/ placements all that much. We'll read/ hear about a late season change that catapults a Corps to a big score pick up by Championships. But by and large these tend to be outliers. Essentially, the Show a Corps puts out on the field in June is the Main Meal and its mostly that which is going to be assessed for the vast majority of these Corps when it comes to Show Designs.

it can help scores.....if performed well. you dont get a lift in the book number just for adding more...unless it's done well. But then you also have to consider everyone else is doing it too

[GUARDLING]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

it can help scores.....if performed well. you dont get a lift in the book number just for adding more...unless it's done well. But then you also have to consider everyone else is doing it too

1

Correct. it is also about adding another dimension   ( layer ) to what already is being done, an added responsibility, 

[BRASSO]

14 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

it can help scores.....if performed well. you dont get a lift in the book number just for adding more...unless it's done well. But then you also have to consider everyone else is doing it too

 Thats the rub. Changes are not done in a vacuum. Others Corps are doing so as well. Like I posted above, when Corps are neck and neck, the changes the respective Corps do can make a difference if executed well, and judges collectively believe it improves the overall presentation compared to its pecking order, peer Corps in that season. But do Corps jump over multiple Corps with changes and rewrites ? Not very often. Its definately the exception to the rule if we use history from the last few decades as our guide on these matters.