Semi Finals Open Thread

[Lance]

If we can afford 4 GE judges (2 for Music).... why can't we cut GE in half ... Assign the Ensemble Judge to Brass and add a Percussion Ensemble Judge? Visual already gets 60 pts of weight anyway ....... may as well judge the music more accurately

If you really wanted to level it out, you could move the second Visual GE judge over to Music GE .. give them 10 pts more to work with and split GE into Brass and Percussion like it used to be.

New Format:

GE Brass = 10

GE Percussion = 10

GE Visual = 10

CG = 10

Field Visual = 10

Ensemble Visual = 10

Field Brass = 10

Ensemble Brass = 10

Field Percussion = 10

Ensemble Percussion = 10

Total of 10 judges

Weight:

Visual = 40

Music = 60

You'll still get 15 pts of bleedover from the Ensemble Brass/perc and GE Brass/perc judges .. making it an even 50/50 split

I NOMINATE MYSELF FOR RULES COMMITTEE FOR 2011

You have my vote.

Of course, judging is ridiculous.

[JohnnySoprano]

Your avatar is so cool.

Thanks. I wanted to show my loyalty to the corps I grew up with and the one I learned to love.

Uniform fitting at BD was a surreal feeling to say the least.

[supersop]

well it doesnt, in other books,,,,lol...just kiddin......if that happens some corps will be in the 70s at championships........lets see you deal with that...lol....maybe thats the way it should be but it isnt.

The system is designed to inflate toward a perfect 100. And not in the way it's typically explained. Here's a breakdown:

Box 1: 0.00 - 29.9 = 30 pts

Box 2: 30.0 - 49.9 = 20 pts

Box 3: 50.0 - 69.9 = 20 pts

Box 4: 70.0 - 89.9 = 20 pts

Box 5: 90.0 - 100 = 10 pts

Now ... if all boxes were worth 20 pts ........ the spreads for box 5 would be from 80 - 100 .. meaning at an 80 .. you have reached an "Always Superior" rating. Would that not give the judges more logical room to work with? Would it not give more ACCURATE scores for the performances?

Because Box 5 is only worth 10 pts (really that means 1 pt for each caption roughly) .. what if you have 10 corps that are better than a 90? It's rank and rate +.1 or -.1 all over the board. You're working with single tenths rather than double the amount.

If Box 5 were worth 20 pts .......... I would score Semi Finals like this (for instance):

BD 95.2

Cavies 94.9

Coats 93.7

Cadets 93.5 ( yeah I did that )

Crown 92.4

Blue Stars 90.1 (yeah I did that too)

Phantom 90.0

SCVanguard 89.7

Scouts 87.5 (yup I did that too)

Boston 87.4

Blue Knights 87.2

Glassmen 86.0

This being the case .. I'm saying that all corps in finals are box 5. by today's definition that would mean that BD would still be a 97.6 ... and all the corps down to Gmen would be squeezed between the 97.6 and a 93.0 (Gmen) ............ how well would that work out for the DCI judges under the current system having 12 corps within 4.6 of each other?? Truth be told ... these corps really aren't that far apart from one another. There might be an upper echelon of corps that belong 5 pts ahead of a lower group at finals realistically.............. but it will never be scored that way under the current system.

[Tez]

Yeah?! Well I'M gonna talk myself up on the INTERNET so I can be BETTER than someone else and prove them WRONG.

EDIT: (this post is 75% joking...but admittedly 25% percent ######)

Honestly, sorry if I came off as a jerk..... but I really do think that other person is wrong about BD lacking complete musical phrases. How is the whole Laura section not a complete phrase?

[BRASSO]

A 20 for BD last night with at least two drops. I wonder what their score would have been without a drop?

19.8

Corps get " recovery points ".

If a marcher falls down, but gets up with style and grace, the judge awards points in the build up system of judging. Likewise, if a rifle is dropped, but is picked up with aplomb and a quick smile signifying confidence and poise, the judge will award good recovery points here as well.

Thus while a Corps might get a 19.8 for no drops, it is better to have a drop or two in order to have a chance of maxing out the caption. ...just as BD did. Who knows, maybe Corps will call for planned drops and recovery in the future, if this is what it takes to get a " perfect " score in Guard.

Edited August 14, 2010 by BRASSO

[supersop]

One of the few judges I have seen that can give a great tape but the number on the sheet in relationship to the tape is just mind numbing.

Dead RIGHT Paul. I owe you a bottle of wine ... you snob

[supersop]

Cadets -- Other than Geoffrey, I love this show. (When I pointed out Geoffrey and his antics to my husband, he replied, "And then shots were fired. . . .") Take out the cheesy bits, and this is one fine corps. I had them up over Crown. Shows you what I know.

Crown -- Wonderful horn line. That's about all I get. I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but . . . I still feel like they are a corps in search of an identity. Didn't feel that way last year.

Bluecoats -- Wow, the energy in this show is palpable. They really blew me away! And to think, back when I marched, we routinely beat this corps. Shows how far they've come.

Cavies -- OK, this show is strange . . . but I love it. They are a visual powerhouse, and now they have the horn line to back it up. Can't see them beating BD, but I wish they would. For me, it's the better show, just not performed quite so well.

BD -- As far as I'm concerned, they're about as close to flawless as we human beings can get. I can't say that I truly get everything that they're doing, but I do sense the extraordinary performance of a crazy intricate show. And yeah, I'm a sucker for the mirrors.

George Bonfiglio -- I misted up seeing him and 27th Lancers again. How I miss that corps!

Star -- Never thought I'd feel nostalgic about Star. Must be the third sign of the coming apocalypse. I guess it's because I always felt satisfied that they did all they set out to do, became a chameleon that re-invented themselves every year and made that their tradition, never apologized for anything, did it their way the whole way through, then bowed out gracefully. So why, when I heard that magnificent music all over again, did I feel a lump in my throat? And why was I so happy to hear the crowd finally acknowledging them for all they'd contributed (sans booing)? And oh, to hear the voice of another George once again. Z, you are still missed.

Great night (and I never once experienced any glitches with the Fan Network)!

Post of the night!

[Brutus]

I'm on the fence about the Cavaliers' show, which is a loose collection of imagery around the theme of "madness." Any show that calls itself "glimpses," or "snapshots" or "images around a theme" usually opens the door for the "drunken paella" syndrome where elements don't match or blend well. To me, the Cavaliers fall into this common design error.

Usually, in a short form medium like pop music videos, or short films, or short plays, or even an amuse bouche, because of the condensed format, every element counts. Too many elements spoil the dish. To me, the Cavaliers show is a playful collection of elements that together make a busy found object sculpture that needs a good editor.

Which of these elements don't belong?

--Mental illlness

--Mask work

--Extended military routine sequence

--audio recording of the Stanley Kubrick military indictment Full Metal Jacket

--Smile by Charlie Chaplin

--mad max inspired costumes

It's a trick question. The answer should be that all these ingredients work, but not in the same soup, really. (And no, the theme "crazy" doesn't mean you can go "crazy" with the design.)

In my opinion, the biggest flaw is is the "this is my rifle" sequence which comes from the Stanley Kubrick anti-war film where a crazy recruit transforms himself into an obsessive soldier. The Cavies' show then follows up this mantra with an exuberant military workout which seems to exalt the military experience, unlike the film, and it's enjoyed by the entire corps and the audience. Um, which is it? A military indictment a la Kubrick, or an homage to military routines? Does the audience even know where "this is my rifle" comes from? This is really unsettling. Kind of like playing Carly Simon's "You're So Vain " at a birhday dinner for Warren Beatty.

This show is magnificently performed. In fact the instructors and the members execute this recklessly designed production so perfectly, and so confidently, that it even transcends its own confused design.

Bill

Edited August 14, 2010 by Brutus

[GUARDLING]

19.8

Corps get " recovery points ".

If a marcher falls down, but gets up with style and grace, the judge awards points in the build up system of judging. Likewise, if a rifle is dropped, but is picked up with aplomb and a quick smile signifying confidence and poise, the judge will award good recovery points here as well.

Thus while a Corps might get a 19.8 for no drops, it is better to have a drop or two in order to have a chance of maxing out the caption. ...just as BD did. Who knows, maybe Corps will call for planned drops and recovery in the future, if this is what it takes to get a " perfect " score in Guard.

Well...lol....not quite but i know what you are trying to say. "IF" someone recovers a mistake , the mistake can not count against them but it goes far beyond the guard judge, the error could cause other things in other captions, not so forgiving

[ajwdad]

Cadets -- Other than Geoffrey, I love this show. (When I pointed out Geoffrey and his antics to my husband, he replied, "And then shots were fired. . . .") Take out the cheesy bits, and this is one fine corps. I had them up over Crown. Shows you what I know.

Crown -- Wonderful horn line. That's about all I get. I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but . . . I still feel like they are a corps in search of an identity. Didn't feel that way last year.

Bluecoats -- Wow, the energy in this show is palpable. They really blew me away! And to think, back when I marched, we routinely beat this corps. Shows how far they've come.

Cavies -- OK, this show is strange . . . but I love it. They are a visual powerhouse, and now they have the horn line to back it up. Can't see them beating BD, but I wish they would. For me, it's the better show, just not performed quite so well.

BD -- As far as I'm concerned, they're about as close to flawless as we human beings can get. I can't say that I truly get everything that they're doing, but I do sense the extraordinary performance of a crazy intricate show. And yeah, I'm a sucker for the mirrors.

George Bonfiglio -- I misted up seeing him and 27th Lancers again. How I miss that corps!

Star -- Never thought I'd feel nostalgic about Star. Must be the third sign of the coming apocalypse. I guess it's because I always felt satisfied that they did all they set out to do, became a chameleon that re-invented themselves every year and made that their tradition, never apologized for anything, did it their way the whole way through, then bowed out gracefully. So why, when I heard that magnificent music all over again, did I feel a lump in my throat? And why was I so happy to hear the crowd finally acknowledging them for all they'd contributed (sans booing)? And oh, to hear the voice of another George once again. Z, you are still missed.

Great night (and I never once experienced any glitches with the Fan Network)!

I was there. Pretty much agree with the above, but I did not like the Cadets show at all...

Bluecoats: Pretty much where they belong. I liked a lot of this show, but it was not performed at the level of either BD or Cavies.

Cavies: Yep, strange show. but they did perform it well. Did not seem like that much demand, but a fan friendly show.

BD: Best show performance of the night, not really very close. But, I am not a percussion expert and that seems to be their weak point. This was the only show of hte night that actually engaged my intellect as well as my emotions. Very hard to march and teach, and musically very interesting.