Why is DCI so unknown by almost everyone?

[Barifonium]

I know that you are searching for a solution, and that is great!!! The Bluecoats recently put together a Doc; and there have been others Docs done through out the history of DCI. However, none of them have ever influenced many outside of those who did not already enjoy the activity. Do you think that another DCI documentary would really have the same impact on the masses as the movie Mr. Holland's Opus and Drum Line, or change the way the masses see and hear horrible marching units represented in most all movies about high school or collage sports? Again, we have to realize that we are a niche in which the masses will view similar to they way they see Trekkies.

Was the Bluecoats' documentary released on the big screen? I didn't see it. Honest question.

Mr. Holland's Opus was focused on a single man. That being said, it was more plot than documentary. The movie Drumline...... same thing. That was plot-heavy too and not very informative about the activity except the quality of the choreography. In all honesty, I think the show-style band gig has an even smaller niche than Drum Corps does overall. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yeah they have broader name recognition to the "outside world," but do they produce, emit, and thrive the same kind of bad###ery that Drum Corps does? Doesn't seem like it in reality to me... although there was an attempted portrayal of that in the movie, I'm not sure people would see it AS bad### if there wasn't a plot behind it.

It has to be a more homely and down-to earth.. no defined plot-line except that which naturally unfolds during the season with that particular group. The only organized frame being the technical portion of the show. Of course, you have some groups that are less inspired than others and certain groups have better seasons than others. Of course, in a perfect world I envision a combination reality TV (that's ACTUALLY REALITY... see link posted in previous post), corny Disney sentimental feel-good-ness, with the education value of Modern Marvels... all of it based in real life. Basically your average Phantom Regiment commercial.

Maybe one could put it together with different corps and create a mosaic.

[TerriTroop]

Such a documentary already exists. Two of them, actually:

America's Core, and

America's Core: Hell Bent For Victory

I like the second one far better than the first. Michael D. Gough did a great job for the Troopers, and if he could sink his teeth into a story-lined drum corps based film, that would rock. IMHO.

[Stu]

Was the Bluecoats' documentary released on the big screen? I didn't see it. Honest question.

Mr. Holland's Opus was focused on a single man. That being said, it was more plot than documentary. The movie Drumline...... same thing. That was plot-heavy too and not very informative about the activity except the quality of the choreography. In all honesty, I think the show-style band gig has an even smaller niche than Drum Corps does overall. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yeah they have broader name recognition to the "outside world," but do they produce, emit, and thrive the same kind of bad###ery that Drum Corps does? Doesn't seem like it in reality to me... although there was an attempted portrayal of that in the movie, I'm not sure people would see it AS bad### if there wasn't a plot behind it.

It has to be a more homely and down-to earth.. no defined plot-line except that which naturally unfolds during the season with that particular group. The only organized frame being the technical portion of the show. Of course, you have some groups that are less inspired than others and certain groups have better seasons than others. Of course, in a perfect world I envision a combination reality TV (that's ACTUALLY REALITY... see link posted in previous post), corny Disney sentimental feel-good-ness, with the education value of Modern Marvels... all of it based in real life. Basically your average Phantom Regiment commercial.

Maybe one could put it together with different corps and create a mosaic.

1) Name one real, actual documentary that has made it to the big screen in which millions of people have seen (the Michale Moore stuff does not count due to the biased agenda).

2) Do you realize the huge cost it takes to put something up on the big screen?

3) Plot films always have more impact on an audience; ask most people who saw the movie JFK and they will tell you that it was based on truth; most people who saw the movie Days of Thunder think that is true NASCAR. The thing is, real life anything, aka documentaries, are boring. It is the "artistic freedom" of plugging in the manufactured outrageous, the fictitious mayhem that makes for good movie entertainment.

4) Show-Bands actually have a larger niche not smaller. Why? The entertainment impact they have on their audiences at halftime. There is not one standard marching band or corps style band that keeps people from going to the restroom and concession stand like show-bands do. Case in point, I went to an arts festival in a town that had few minorities. The festival had a music stage. A competitive corps style drum line like you would see in DCI or WGI drew a few hundred people, but the unit that performed like they were in the movie Drum Line drew thousands of people. The audience does not desire quality music, they desire quality entertainment in which they can dance to, sing along with, and escape from the hardships of life for a while by living vicariously through something they can grasp a hold of.

[mlubandgroupie]

Understanding and/or knowledge.

The masses dont know it and would not understand it anyways. Unless you have a music back ground, marched in school or knows someone who is involved in the activity, you just dont understand it nor do you give it a thought.

Go ahead, put it on at prime time on ESPN. See what the viewership numbers are. Pretty low. The general pubic just dosent care. But lest say DCI has a huge budget and can afford to market itself heavely. Still wouldnt get a ton of interest. The avarage person just dosent care nor do they understand the activity. Not do they care. The viewing public would not be able to tell you if BD was better then x-men or if the Cavies are better then Pioneer. It all really looks the same to the untrained eye. There is also not a lot of knowledge of the activity so the public dosent know and cant tell just how good many of the performers

are. To them its Marching Band.

I know you probably didn't mean to, but you came across as a bit condescending. I meet your criteria for not understanding/caring or being able to tell which corps is better. I do care and IMHO I can pick which of the above mentioned corps are better. Due to my "uber" love of all things DCI, my co-workers/friends/family know about DCI. If we get a show back in the area I live many say they will attended just to see what has me so hyped.

I wonder if one of the reasons people might not be turned off, because of the "opera snob" attitude some DCI alumni unwittingly seem to have. I'm a bando, proud to be, and do not consider being called one an insult.

Long live Drum Corps.

After posting this I read post #68. Thank you fo saying, what I've thought...even experianced, much better than I could.

Edited September 27, 2010 by mlubandgroupie

[ahquad]

4) Show-Bands actually have a larger niche not smaller.

Much MUCH larger, in fact. One assumes they don't because they aren't part of it and think it's "beneath" drum corps, but if you research in to it, especially in to African American show bands, you'll find the opposite holds true. Georgia Dome practically sells out (yes, the WHOLE thing, not just one side) every year for corporate sponsored show band pseudo-competition.

To this date we haven't had a "The Mountain Dew Drum Corps World Championships".

We assume too much because it is our passion, however the reality is that this activity can't really expand outside of its niche audience. The majority of non-corps people think its marching band, and even if proven otherwise, they don't really care.

Sorry, but that's the way it is.

[N.E. Brigand]

1) Name one real, actual documentary that has made it to the big screen in which millions of people have seen (the Michael Moore stuff does not count due to the biased agenda).

Lots of documentaries make it to the big screen, but most of those only play art houses.

Here are the highest grossing documentaries (per this site); the figures are not adjusted for inflation.

1. Fahrenheit 9/11* (2004) -- $119,194,771

2. March of the Penguins (2005) -- $77,437,223

3. Earth (2009) -- $32,011,576

4. Sicko* (2007) -- $24,540,079

5. An Inconvenient Truth (2006) -- $24,146,161

6. Bowling for Columbine* (2002) -- $21,576,018

7. Oceans (2010) -- $19,422,319

8. Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) -- $15,012,935

9. Capitalism: A Love Story* (2009) -- $14,363,397

10. Religulous (2008) -- $13,011,160

11. Winged Migration (2003) -- $11,689,053

12. Super Size Me (2004) -- $11,536,423

13. Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) -- $8,117,961

14. Hoop Dreams (1994) -- $7,830,611

15. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) -- $7,720,487

16. Tupac: Resurrection (2003) -- $7,718,961

17. Babies (2010) -- $7,320,323

18. Roger and Me* (1989) -- $6,706,368

19. The Aristocrats (2005) -- $6,377,461

20. Spellbound (2003) -- $5,728,581

21. Shine a Light (2008) -- $5,505,267

22. Touching the Void (2004) -- $4,593,598

23. Food, Inc. (2009) -- $4,417,674

24. The Fog of War (2003) -- $4,198,566

25. Good Hair (2009) -- $4,157,223

An asterisk indicates Michael Moore's films, which you've disallowed because of their bias. But I don't think that bias necessarily helps box office -- it's Moore's news-of-the-day subject matter and lively style (for a documentary), plus his own attainment of some measure of celebrity, that has made his films popular. A drum corps documentary isn't going to be more popular simply because it has an unfair point of view.

[formerBDbari]

it also has to do with A TON of people just not getting "music"....

people don't care about what they don't understand.

[azul]

1) Name one real, actual documentary that has made it to the big screen in which millions of people have seen (the Michale Moore stuff does not count due to the biased agenda).

2) Do you realize the huge cost it takes to put something up on the big screen?

3) Plot films always have more impact on an audience; ask most people who saw the movie JFK and they will tell you that it was based on truth; most people who saw the movie Days of Thunder think that is true NASCAR. The thing is, real life anything, aka documentaries, are boring. It is the "artistic freedom" of plugging in the manufactured outrageous, the fictitious mayhem that makes for good movie entertainment.

4) Show-Bands actually have a larger niche not smaller. Why? The entertainment impact they have on their audiences at halftime. There is not one standard marching band or corps style band that keeps people from going to the restroom and concession stand like show-bands do. Case in point, I went to an arts festival in a town that had few minorities. The festival had a music stage. A competitive corps style drum line like you would see in DCI or WGI drew a few hundred people, but the unit that performed like they were in the movie Drum Line drew thousands of people. The audience does not desire quality music, they desire quality entertainment in which they can dance to, sing along with, and escape from the hardships of life for a while by living vicariously through something they can grasp a hold of.

Point taken and well made which leads me to another idea.

I know there was a DCI movie made or that was attempted to be made a while ago about a fictitious character (to my knowing) whos parents were against her marching. Well like the JFK film, lets take a real life event that has happened in DCI and turn it into a based on actual events film. The Road To Indy would be the best bet because I think people like to see truimph out of tragedy more than hey this is what we do and how we do it. I know a college ball film was made with a similar storyline and I can't remember the name of the movie right now (the one where the entire team passes in a plane crash). If we can get "The Road to Indy" turned into something like that, we might have more of a fighting chance at public appeal

[ContraRich77]

I am going to offer an opinion, and it is not going to be a popular one.

There is simply no large scale market AND/OR interest in drum corps.

People are always trying to be, like........since WE think it's cool, why doesn't the world? What do we have to do to make drum corps "mainstream"?

Mainstream, like Lady Gaga? Eminem? Def Leppard? Etc?

Forget it. Won't happen, and I wouldn't want it to.

Drum corps is simply too cerebral, too substantive to be accepted or embraced by our double digit IQ Happy meal chomping Survivor watching lowbrow American public.

Ever notice that most Metropolitan symphonies only exist thanks to private contributions from wealthy concertgoers? That the general public in NO way would contribute enough money to keep them alive?

But some dopehead can spank out a rap video and make millions?

Sorry guys..........the things that make drum corps great are the same things that will assure that it will NEVER become "mainstream".

And if it DID become "mainstream", what in God's name would that mean for the activity from a creative standpoint? Cause I'll tell you RIGHT now, I ain't marching to no god ###### Lady Gaga songs.

[TerriTroop]

Point taken and well made which leads me to another idea.

I know there was a DCI movie made or that was attempted to be made a while ago about a fictitious character (to my knowing) whos parents were against her marching. Well like the JFK film, lets take a real life event that has happened in DCI and turn it into a based on actual events film. The Road To Indy would be the best bet because I think people like to see truimph out of tragedy more than hey this is what we do and how we do it. I know a college ball film was made with a similar storyline and I can't remember the name of the movie right now (the one where the entire team passes in a plane crash). If we can get "The Road to Indy" turned into something like that, we might have more of a fighting chance at public appeal

The story of the 1980 Spirit of Atlanta may be a place to look for something on which to base a fictitious drum corps movie. There are many other dramatic moments in drum corps - and not just field performance drama, though that should be included - that could be woven into such a storyline. Is it time to start a story board, movie writer types?

And the drum corps that would perform in this movie would have to be a Blast-style organization - the "corps" would have to be paid for their time and effort, I would think. But the hard part would be finding actors/actresses who could pull off some drum corps style moves and/or playing and also be able to be believable on the screen. I found "Drumline" to be lacking a bit in that area.