FedDevil80 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Maybe it will be like "The Boxer" from last year...Also, I would love to see the entire hornline and drumline don the bowler hats when they shed the jackets (since the helmet is already off)...think of the ending of Thomas Crown Affair. Note to visual staff, I think it'd be great for the guard/drumline dance work in the ballad to include some Magritte imagery from the The Lovers (see below) That would absolutely rock! Ok Elmo! I think I got it! first thanks for your input for it assisted me in my interpretation of their show. Here goes: They start of with "Imagine" with the pit...to stage what they are about to tell...lennon's lyrics talks about a world in peace free from the oppressive actions of church and state a universal brotherhood. They use Mingus Childrens hour of dream...not because of the title but the actual emotion of the music, dark and enforcing..a world of today. the umbrella/derby guy represents that dream in the opener he gets pushed around as the world is resistive to the dream (Lennon's Imagine World) it is further enforced in the next production "Pigs Fly" when pigs fly is a statement used by a person who does not believe a particular action (here the dream) will happen. they poke fun and cajole at a world or "Idea" without an oppressive church and state. But the transformation happens the corps proper changes to "sky" (their cloud shirts) a key word used in lennon's lyrics the ballad piece features this. It will be interesting if my interpretation is correct I did not have the benefit of reading this years show narrative so I don't know what it details. Anyway its all fun...can't wait to see the final product.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartyount Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I've "fannetworked" Bluecoats' show twice and I'm disappointed in the design. The music is good and they are doing it well and will get alot better. But to me it doesn't seem to flow well musically - maybe I'll change my mind after another few viewings. The visual design at this point is just bad in my opinion. Maybe it seems bad now because the show is somewhat incomplete as some have said. But right now it doesn't look good as far as design. As mentioned before, talent will only take you so far. To make it into the top 3 or 4, you have to have a well designed package in addition to the talent. Bluecoats have had a top 4 overall package twice in my opinion: 95 and 07. In 95, they didn't have the talent for top 4. In 07 they had both the talent and the overall package, but had the bad luck of having both of those things come together for them in a year where many other corps did as well. (Bad for Coats - good for the fans!) Bluecoats have had top 4 talent for several years. Now they just need to get the show design to that level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesleyrp Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 And you know that year in, year out, whether people love your home team BK or not, their style and character is unmistakable. They have an identity that is unique and they stick to it and like it or not, I think some of the top 5 wannabees would be well served to learn from this model. Cavies and BD get it, as do Cadets and Phantom most of the time. Crown is making headway as well and big shock, moving up fast!Identity may be the key topic we should hit on here. I think it includes staff, kids, design, tradition, way they move, drum,spin and play, and all facets of the organization. You might be a great guy to get a topic like this rolling again! Why have corps like Spirit fallen back so far in the past? Lost the identity. Madison, no identity. etc.etc. Even if staff members come and go, staying true to what made you great is the only thing you can hold on to, and once THAT goes, it's usually a while to get back to who you are. "We are what we think we are..." Outstanding perspective.... You know interestingly enough I was afraid when I heard BK was modifying their style this summer and I was curious to see the effect... Truth betold it's the same BK with a little bit fresher approach... I totally agree on the lost identity.. When Phantom had a let down in placement back in the late 90's, they got away from what made them succesful.... Same is true of Glassmen and their fall from the top tier after 2000 etc... I think you may have struck the nail squarly on the head... I do think Bluecoats though were onto something with the last few years show ideas... Narration should be used as an effect and they did that well.. They kept to a jazzy type of show but made incredible show ideas... All that was really missing was a visual design... It seems as though they can be successful with that type of show, but they have got to get a better visual identity and maybe like you said that will come as they gain consistency with a central show designer over a longer period of time... WP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmo Blatch Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I've "fannetworked" Bluecoats' show twice and I'm disappointed in the design. The music is good and they are doing it well and will get alot better. But to me it doesn't seem to flow well musically - maybe I'll change my mind after another few viewings. The visual design at this point is just bad in my opinion. Maybe it seems bad now because the show is somewhat incomplete as some have said. But right now it doesn't look good as far as design.Bluecoats have had top 4 talent for several years. Now they just need to get the show design to that level. I think part of the difficulty in understanding the program is that the program is developing over the course of the season. The strength in selecting an abstract program is that great ideas develop over the course of the year. This is mostly due to the fact that the program concept starts with what the creative staff wants to do visually. When the program starts from a musical standpoint, designers often "paint themselves into a corner" by being true to the music. Additionally, we are more aware of visual changes to the program than music changes. Changing visual demand is a WHOLE LOT easier (and effective) than improving musical demand. 2005 Cadets started out quite similarly; people kept saying, "man they can play, they can drum, they can spin, but this show doesn't make any sense to me." Over the course of the season, that program really developed. Somewhere around San Antonio all those small developments hit everybody, the complexity of the design was realized, and the performance level began to match it. I am in no means comparing the World Championship show to this one, but it was also a surrealistic show. You aren't supposed to understand all of it--everybody is going to have a different take on it. Like The Cadets' "far out" show in 2005, you either really liked it or you didn't, there wasn't a lot of middle ground. As mentioned before, talent will only take you so far. To make it into the top 3 or 4, you have to have a well designed package in addition to the talent. Bluecoats have had a top 4 overall package twice in my opinion: 95 and 07. In 95, they didn't have the talent for top 4. In 07 they had both the talent and the overall package, but had the bad luck of having both of those things come together for them in a year where many other corps did as well. (Bad for Coats - good for the fans!) Agreed. The Bluecoats nearly won the Ott trophy (brass never lost a major show until Semis) and the Sanford trophy (finished second in drums at Finals) in 2007...and came in 7th place. What an amazing year for everybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmurrey74 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I'm confused too on what is going on in the show. I'll email the corps and see if they have a write-up of the show although that shouldn't be needed. Maybe I missed it in another thread but I just noticed the change on their staff webpage. Originally, Jeff Fackler was writing the drill. Now his name is not on the staff list and Tim Fairbanks is listed as the visual designer. Does anyone know what happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmo Blatch Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Bloodied Bluecoat What happened in picture 22? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NR_Ohiobando Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Bloodied BluecoatWhat happened in picture 22? Ouch! Props to him for staying in character and the show!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbandguy Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Bloodied BluecoatWhat happened in picture 22? Someone posted a picture on the Bluecoats Facebook page of this guy just after he got hit by a rifle. Blood all over the place, but he didn't miss a beat. Those Bluuuuuuuuuuuue kids are tough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartyount Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Someone posted a picture on the Bluecoats Facebook page of this guy just after he got hit by a rifle. Blood all over the place, but he didn't miss a beat. Those Bluuuuuuuuuuuue kids are tough! IMPOSTER!!!! Everyone knows Bluecoats bleed Blue!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruckner8 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 IMPOSTER!!!!Everyone knows Bluecoats bleed Blue!!! Someone needs to photo-shop that pic (as if it hasn't already been done!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.