OrlandoContraAlum Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 there were many advantages to doing this show this year . most of all THEY GOT NOTICED and thats not easy to do. It also provided alot of Nostaglia for many , bringing many back to their youth and also doing a show not done by many over the decades. With that said , what Bridgemen did BITD was also at an excellent high level of technical performace. Skits,silliness, props, what seemed like a free for all, was carefully thought out and rehearsed with intensity to make it look all so random and effortless. If Surf or anyone chooses to do these types of shows, which could be great to see again IMO it must be done at a very high level like Bridgemen did otherwise it could get old fast and have a reverse effect. Ive seen that happen before with some also. JMO I know that you were not a fan of the show, for the reasons that you describe here. That said, I agree. I would love to see Surf stay true to this theme, but at the same time program the show to be more competitive from a demand / execution standpoint. Still, for the kids that they had, especially after the year that they had in 2011, their show was a resounding success. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) I know that you were not a fan of the show, for the reasons that you describe here. That said, I agree. I would love to see Surf stay true to this theme, but at the same time program the show to be more competitive from a demand / execution standpoint. Still, for the kids that they had, especially after the year that they had in 2011, their show was a resounding success. actually I do think the show did work for them..and was a great move .its very hard to get noticed, especially in a positive light. it was a huge success for them Edited August 16, 2012 by GUARDLING 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breezemont Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I can tell you from experience that standing O's and smiling faces beat scores and placement every time. It can be really hard watching someone trounce you on the sheets yet the crowd sits on their hands for them, but I took that trade and I would again. It was a great learning experience. Thank you Surf, you made me cheer and smile. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) Well, I would LOVE to see More clean... NONE of the shows are " clean " visually anymore. ( although to be sure, some Corps are much cleaner than others. ) Even with the top Corps by Finals there is lots of dirt that is quite visible to me. I've gotten used to it as the demand and complexity is WAY beyond anything I was asked to do. We've sacrificed cleanliness so that we have better and more pattern formations, more velocity, more tempo changes, more field coverage, more appealing visuals on the whole in shows now. Brass and Percussion are doing way more body movements in the shows than ever before. As a matter of fact way more movement in general on the field than ever before and at high velocity too. The overall visual effects are taking the activity to a more sophisticated realm. But along the way, we've learned to forgive the spacing, intervals, cover, feet, etc issues. On Fan Network, the cameras are unforgiving as it allows us the angle to see lines not straight, marchers & guard out of proper alignment, and with spacing irregularities. We see marchers from time to time even out of step in getting to formations, and there is what we used to call " drifting " with some marchers moving in what is supposed to be uniform movements. Even BD had lines of formation on Finals Night that were subpar in what is designed to be a straight line. But for all these Corps, the season is shorter than it used to be, and as said, the demands on them musically and visually in the show are another level up in demand requirements from previous years and eras. Edited August 16, 2012 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CQuinn Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Considering most DC fans take of Surfs show this year, could easily have been the most entertaining show this year, should more corps go the way Surf did? Yes, I know there are those who wished the show was a lot cleaner, but for pure entertainment, I believe Surf did a great job entertaining the fans this year. Would fans like to entertained with a modernized version of old school or a vague idea of a show that is performed to perfection? Normally I look for clean but from start to finish I didn't even care to judge Surf. They were just too much fun. Should DCI go in this direction? Hells Yes! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluehull Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Considering most DC fans take of Surfs show this year, could easily have been the most entertaining show this year, should more corps go the way Surf did? Yes, I know there are those who wished the show was a lot cleaner, but for pure entertainment, I believe Surf did a great job entertaining the fans this year. Would fans like to entertained with a modernized version of old school or a vague idea of a show that is performed to perfection? Icould care less about the score, Surf is the show I will remember ! They received the biggest ovation and made the crowd feel good about drum corps for a few minutes.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I loved Surf's show but one corps doing that kind of thing is enough. IMHO, I don't want to see more corps doing the clown prince thing any more than I want to see all classical or all jazz shows. I like the diversity of the entertainment, even if I don't love every show. In the 80's, I loved watching VK but when they left the field I usually enjoyed the next corps, albeit in a different way. Seeing every corps playing old school rehashes would get tired. yes. I loved Surf. But I don't want rehashes from everyone. Hell enough corps throw enough "classic" moments into their shows as is. I just think too many corps program to the sheets only 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 yes. I loved Surf. But I don't want rehashes from everyone. Hell enough corps throw enough "classic" moments into their shows as is. I just think too many corps program to the sheets only I don't think its fair to say that any corps is only programming to the sheets. Just because a show isn't a fan favorite doesn't mean that everything that the design team did was to appeal to the sheets. Its not that black and white. We, as fans, have no idea what the design team's processes look like, or what motivates them. The designers I do know (myself included), are motivated by a great variety of things. Artistic exploration, the kind of members you draw, your fan base, the direction of the overall program, what you're trying to teach your students, the topic chosen for a show are all just some of the things that come to mind right away when deciding how to move the design process forward. Obviously, part of that job is to consider the sheets, and how you can adapt what you want to do to the sheets, but I don't know a single person in the activity that is only designing a show to the sheets. If they were, we'd never see anyone trying anything new, which we all know is happening, sometimes for better, and sometimes not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillygwm Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) After telling your readers that Surf was the most entertaining corps of the summer, you then ask: would you prefer to be entertained by a fun(!) show that reminds you of the good old days (like Surf's), or have to sit through a boring show that no one understands (like Blue Devils/Cavaliers)? Is it a "leading" question or "loaded" question - or both? In any case, it sounds like you've made up our minds for us. Fred O. Perhaps a better question is whether one prefers to watch an entertaining, albeit dirty, show versus one that is obtuse but technically excellent. That's a question that the activity has faced (Bridgemen, VK, Madison and others) almost every year since the 70's. With 25 corps in semis and 12 in finals, there is enough room for both. And, of course, there are reasonable differences of opinion as well...some people LOVED BD this year. I personally hated BK (too electronic, not brassy enough) but I've seen several others state it was their favorite show. So who gets to be the grand arbiter? :-) Edited August 16, 2012 by Phillygwm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Flores Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Heck yes Surf did it right. I fell in love with Surf in 03 when they did the Beach show...in sand shoes...and bermuda shorts. The 2010 show was good on the eyes, but in 2012 they did what most corps cant. They entertained, they had fun, and the earned new fans along the way. I tweeted and Faceboooked Surf after watching Atlanta in person from down low that I had an ear to ear smile that would take a jackhammer to wipe off. It was the first time, in a long time I had fun watching a show. My Banana ThunderStix are glued to my ManCave wall. I think they may have made the decision to be the next generation comedy corps...the next VK and/or Bridgemen. It's about time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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