Phantom Regiment and the Visual Department...

[Athensdawg22]

So should a show be designed to "Hide as much dirt as possible"?

If dirt is there, wash it out....Right?

[RegimentContra94]

1994, I was not on the field, so I can't speak as to the drill....I am sure Poodle, Mike, Dave, or Corey are better prepared to speak to it (isn't it funny that the only representatives of the 94 Regiment on DCP are all baritone players?)

Ahem.....not all.

I only marched in 94, so I certainly don't have the depth of experience that Nik brings to the table, however...

I remember lots of rewrites under Tony, and lots of "Contra's....see how far you can go that way in 16 counts." It seems to me that we were constantly redoing things in 94.

I thought last year, Regiment's drill was very good. Much better than in the past couple of years. In 2003, the corps stood around too much. I have not seen anybody this season yet, I'll be at the Columbia, MO show with 26 of my HS students (woo hoo) so I'm looking foward to seeing all they have to offer this year. I think they are headed in the right direction, but I agree, consistancy has been a problem. I like what Jamey is doing.

[Chris Scott]

If dirt is there, wash it out....Right?

That's not what I asked. Should a show/uniform be designed to hide dirt?

[raphael18]

Since 2003, when Phantom went back to all white, the drill has looked sloppy. I wonder if it has anything to do with the all white uni's on the field. It just seems to show the legs moving a bit more wildly as compared to other corps who have dark pants. I am not sure whether or not this has anything to do with their visual scores in comparison to other corps. Just a thought.

Bob Smith reminded us about the fact that we would be wearing white more than a few times, in that special way that Bob does, throughout the summer. I think the change to white was a calculated risk. The uniform makes the corps look huge, it sets them apart from the other groups (how many corps even have white pants, let alone wear all white?), is traditional to the corps history, but makes interval errors terribly obvious.

[Athensdawg22]

That's not what I asked. Should a show/uniform be designed to hide dirt?

If the corps is consistently dirty, then it should be considered.

[The Tsar]

1991 was a little bit different. I took 89 off ( :( ) because of the experience in 88. I was bummed, nevertheless. 1990 was graduation from HS, so 1991 was the first year the I had the opportunity to return. We were going to perform an Opera show called Phantom Voices, and i was pumped. The final show was a little bit up in the air, as in the winter months we learned "Un Bel Di". I remember at Thanksgiving camp in the gym at Jefferson high school marching Sunday morning in the gym/basketball court and smelling the radiated air and lacquer. I knew we were on the cusp of something special. The intensity was there, the hype was there, and the air of confidence was there. The drill that year was about impact moments (The Iceberg, the company front, the Snake, the wedge) and the transitions therein. We learned changes in that show until (and through) finals week. The drill was challenging, but the show was so much fun to perform that I forgot. The speech from Brazale on finals day was something I will never forget. Right Nikk? :)

I remember the speech. I also remember Dan Farrell's speech at the gate. One minor detail, though....I think the high school was called "Roosevelt." :P Hey, they're both presidents.

1992 was a different creature. There was a different vibe. We were going to play 1812 but try and update it and put a modern twist on it. There were new uniforms, and a very through-programmed theme. The drill was ahead of its time, though most people will not admit it. the 3 way box through, and the reshape through the fixed block? Not done prior to that. Was done after that by other groups and credited to them. it seemed like we play and placed well through 1st tour. Then things changed - if you were there, you know what I mean.

They changed pretty quickly, too. I've written about this many, many times, so I won't go there again. If you're interested in the story of 1992, you can check some of the articles dealing with 1992 on my website. Specifically, the story titled A Meaningful "Meaningless Show."

My takeaway from my experience with Regiment is that you can live for the judges, or you can put a great show on the field and hope for the best. Either way, the corps seems to continue doing what it does in the same Regiment style, live or die. And, I think that it has turned out pretty well for them. A lot of people that have never been a part of the Regiment like to wax philosophical about what Regiment can do to win. What many people don't realize is that they have stuck to their philosophy which is (IMO): Pick really great music and build a really great show around it. I respect that.

As do I.

SUTA.

[Chris Scott]

I remember the speech. I also remember Dan Farrell's speech at the gate. One minor detail, though....I think the high school was called "Roosevelt." :P Hey, they're both presidents.

They changed pretty quickly, too. I've written about this many, many times, so I won't go there again. If you're interested in the story of 1992, you can check some of the articles dealing with 1992 on my website. Specifically, the story titled A Meaningful "Meaningless Show."

As do I.

SUTA.

You know, by the amount of glaring errors that I commit, some people would question that I even marched.

Edited July 9, 2007 by Chris Scott

[The Tsar]

You know, by the amount of glaring errors that I commit, some people would question that I even marched.

Heh. Except for the fact that I still remember you singing all the hippy songs with Ray.

STOP!

Hippytime!

[KingJoeVII]

Since 2003, when Phantom went back to all white, the drill has looked sloppy. I wonder if it has anything to do with the all white uni's on the field. It just seems to show the legs moving a bit more wildly as compared to other corps who have dark pants. I am not sure whether or not this has anything to do with their visual scores in comparison to other corps. Just a thought.

while it is true that white contrasts better with the field, phantoms unis really don't highlight "dirt" in the feet anymore than a corps marching in black. Because of their uniforms, the contrast is focused on the entire body as opposed to some corps with white pants where the focus is on the legs exclusively. Much of the time the white kind of washes out during the drill movements and any timing errors that may be going on get lost in the haze...

...while timing and technique problems are relatively obscured, drill and spacing issues are highlighted more by the all white uniforms. The stark white contrast gives a clear full - body "dot" to track around the field and these isues stick out like a sore thumb.

[billj]

As a fan of Regiment for almost 30 years, and being very close to the activity (i.e marching a small midwest corps) in the mid 80's, the rumors in the mid/late 80's, perhaps into the early 90's, that I heard were that the PR staff didn't necessarily take the critique meetings with the judges as a chance to recieve constructive criticism (and improve the corps, based on this feedback), but rather, argue with the judges. Word was that there was a stubborness in the staff that their design was "right"/best and the judges just didn't get it, thus less updates based on judges suggestions. At the same time, Cavaliers seemed to be learning that the smartest thing to do was to listen to the judges, and make updates based on their suggestions. Maybe I've this wrong, again just rumors, but if it's true, it might explain Regiment going downhill a bit during that time, while Cavaliers were rising. Anyone closer to Regiment, feel free to chime in.