This year's gold and silver

[GMichael1230]

I honestly dont believe that this years BD show style is the "Future of the activity". 2010 was such a loud bang and that show won convincingly and you did not see the rest of the field folow, quite the opposite...Cadets beat the Blue Devils by being...Cadets !

I dont think we will see BD coming out next year in the exact same fashion, I have heard rumours and if hold true, will be a constant kaleidescope of music and movement and almsot and exact opposite of what we just saw.......

And I dont think all other corps need to assimilate in order to win or "beat BD" .....Crown, even Phantom had flaws, should they master those flaws within their own styles, theres no reason they wont be rewarded.

The key here is that corps remain true to their style, their trademark and their way of thinking and design.

Geoffrey

[skywhopper]

I agree that both shows were well-designed and supremely well-executed. However...

On the visual design front, BD did some things that were just awe-inspiring to me. I know many folks weren't a fan of this show's mood or construction, but some of the drill design elements are going to change the game. Naysayers will point to "blobs" and "scatters" but it doesn't take much viewing to see that the visual package was far less random than those two words indicate. For example, in the big band swing section (sorry, not familiar enough with the source material to give a title) where the small groups of 3-4 are moving (booking it) at different trajectories creates such a cool effect. The box deconstruction in the opener, the unraveling of the slowly backward moving block containing the whole corps. These tricks and techniques just opened up a whole new visual toolbox that, I think, will bring a lot of fresh new visual stuff to the field.

I think this (and lots of other comments about BD's visual design this year) overstates what was achieved here. The "box deconstruction" in the opener is just a mild progression some of BD's 2008 design elements, which are actually just a little zanier tweaks to constructions already well-utilized by Cavaliers and SCV. I agree there are lots of great moments in the visual design, but this is hardly a revolution or a "new visual toolbox".

I think BD's main innovation this year is in creating visuals that are effective but unjudgeable. Sure the guard and brass and percussion execute in unison fantastically well when called upon to do so and have plenty of individual demand, the fact is they spend a LOT of time on things that can't be "clean" or "dirty" because it's out of sync and out of step by design. That builds visual and musical tension that they can then resolve with some truly tight visuals and music, but the fact is, they are that clean in those spots because there is less that needs to be cleaned. Watching the finals VODs, the times I see BD playing while moving as fast as Crown does, the individuals often look quite sloppy. But against a chaotic visual background, it just doesn't stand out as such.

So yeah, Blue Devils have a great design team that knows how to present interesting visuals while minimizing the amount of things that have to be cleaned. I like the show, but I also feel kind of let down that they seem so unwilling to take truly big visual risks.

[charlie1223]

I agree that both shows were well-designed and supremely well-executed. However...

I think this (and lots of other comments about BD's visual design this year) overstates what was achieved here. The "box deconstruction" in the opener is just a mild progression some of BD's 2008 design elements, which are actually just a little zanier tweaks to constructions already well-utilized by Cavaliers and SCV. I agree there are lots of great moments in the visual design, but this is hardly a revolution or a "new visual toolbox".

I think BD's main innovation this year is in creating visuals that are effective but unjudgeable. Sure the guard and brass and percussion execute in unison fantastically well when called upon to do so and have plenty of individual demand, the fact is they spend a LOT of time on things that can't be "clean" or "dirty" because it's out of sync and out of step by design. That builds visual and musical tension that they can then resolve with some truly tight visuals and music, but the fact is, they are that clean in those spots because there is less that needs to be cleaned. Watching the finals VODs, the times I see BD playing while moving as fast as Crown does, the individuals often look quite sloppy. But against a chaotic visual background, it just doesn't stand out as such.

So yeah, Blue Devils have a great design team that knows how to present interesting visuals while minimizing the amount of things that have to be cleaned. I like the show, but I also feel kind of let down that they seem so unwilling to take truly big visual risks.

I feel the same way. That's what makes BD's design so clever. Clean when it needs to be, chaotic and individualistic when they can be. The specifically plan out what parts are going to be challenging and can focus on that while designing the dirt out of the rest of their show.

Crown and Cadets simply do not design the dirt out of their shows and their job to clean is excruciatingly more difficult because there is MORE to clean and more obvious errors to the judges.

At some point you have to think that BD and Crown had equally talented members and the discrepancies in dirt had to be based on what they were being asked to perform.

[charlie1223]

And I dont think all other corps need to assimilate in order to win or "beat BD" .....Crown, even Phantom had flaws, should they master those flaws within their own styles, theres no reason they wont be rewarded.

The key here is that corps remain true to their style, their trademark and their way of thinking and design.

Geoffrey

Do you think that some corps styles, approaches and design are more difficult to master? Is BD mastering what BD does as difficult as mastering what Crown, Phantom, Cadets do?

Obviously the championship should not be rewarded based on who worked the hardest (Cadets would always win :P) but It almost seems some corps need to make sacrifices in their design approach to be at the same level as BD. I don't think a Cadets super fast ending at 220 could ever be as clean as BD's methodical approach.

It's different styles being compared to the same standard of cleanliness.

[Lincoln]

I don't know if this makes any sense, but I've always thought that one of the constants of BD is that they "know" how to win. It's written all over every member of the corps. Their confidence level is incredible.

There was a lot of back and forth on here for the entire season about how BD was going to get their 15th title. I have no doubt that their members come out of the gate with that exact mindset - "WE ARE GOING TO WIN."

[George Dixon]

let's not forget the "raw talent" and "experience" factors

BD is LOADED year after year after year

all other things being equal the other corps start each season with an uphill battle

[euphplayer07]

If you had seen where BD started during all days you would agree that the statement that "BD has the best talent in DCI" is not always true. They have the best staff that gets the results from the members. And FYI the corps had over 70% rookies in the entire drum corps this year. They will be "really good" within the next few years....

let's not forget the "raw talent" and "experience" factors

BD is LOADED year after year after year

all other things being equal the other corps start each season with an uphill battle

Edited August 13, 2012 by euphplayer07

[Kamarag]

let's not forget the "raw talent" and "experience" factors

BD is LOADED year after year after year

all other things being equal the other corps start each season with an uphill battle

I think Carolina Crown has become the east-coast version of the giant talent magnet. I can't tell you how many kids I've talked to that want to go to Crown, where once it would have been Cadets. That's no mean feat on Crown's part.

[jwillis35]

First off, bravo to the OP for a well written post. I honestly liked both shows.

What strikes me about BD, and G Michael made some mention of this, is that BD has been very unique each and every year since 2005. I particular, 2008, 2009, 2010 (which I thought was amazing live), 2011 (which was closer to old BD with a twist), and 2012 (a show that was as wild as any I have ever seen). If somehow you can find the future of drum corps in those offerings, great, but I think that's a plethora of very different shows.

I also agree with Jeff that Crown had me up to the end of Fanfare. All I did on the semi-finals web cast while watching the first 3/4ths Crown's show was to think "that is a championship show." After fanfare it fell off. It didn't die, but the intensity dropped. At any rate, I could care less. Both corps were deserving of top 2 and no other corps was really close this year. Loved Phantom and Cadets! But each show had flaws. Same with SCV and my hometown Bluecoats, awesome shows, but each had some flaws. In the end, BD and Crown had the best design and performance.

I really don't see most corps copying BD or Crown. How many brass lines can play what Crown did, or in a similar manner and style? How many corps can pull off the timing needed for the layers in BD's show. Trust me, if other corps think that Carolina or BD have initiated a new style that needs to be followed...well good luck teaching it!

Edited August 14, 2012 by jwillis35

[BOBSMYTH]

...I think by seeing the separation of 1.05, it says (particularly from 4 of the 5 visual judges who scored a 20.0) "No, you're better, period. And we want to make a statement that this is what the future of the activity should be."

If it was 0.05, maybe I would agree with it coming down to who has fewer mistakes. Even if it was 0.3, 0.5, or 0.7. But over a point is a slap in the face to Crown and that magnificent product they had out there this year.

Otherwise, there is no outright justification that in the course of two nights, Blue Devils were THAT much better that they went from 19.6, 19.5, 19.9, and 19.4 suddenly to 20.0, 20.0, 20.0, 20.0. And gaps schmaps, this was a bunch of guard judges being very dramatic about their stand on Finals night, period. Most music judges are too level headed to do that, unless you're Steve Calhoun. :)

There is a reason why there is a Box 6 in a certain circuit where these Visual GE, Analysis, and CG adjudicators come from. It's because everything has to be over-accentuated and over the top. Always. Forever. And Ever. Amen.

I understand your concern about the spread. But -

Consider the fact that a spread of 1.0 is not that hard to acheive if each of the 10 judges has corps A ranked over corps B in each caption. Judges do not like to give ties in their caption - otherwise it appears they cannot make a call between the two corps. If each judge has A over B by 0.1 - voila - a 1.0 spread.

Not saying that's what happened on Saturday night - but I wouldn't read too much into a spread of a point.