charlie1223 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 (edited) Speaking for myself only: sometimes it's nice to hear insight about show before I see it. It's not a bad thing to 'get inside the designers' heads' so to speak, and get a sense of exactly what they're going for. However I don't think there's anything wrong with NOT telling us much about the show. It's cool viewing a program "cold" with no explanation, no description of intent, not spelling out the nuances, etc. I often really dig seeing a show knowing nothing about it before hand except maybe the title. It adds to excitement for me, and "forces" me to think, 'what are the designers going for, what does this mean, how are these pieces connected, what does that guard costume represent, etc.' It's kind of like modern movie marketing. It is very common to have three or four previews, half a dozen TV commercials, behind-the-scenes web videos, interviews with cast, director, writer and producer, websites often have short scenes from the movie, etc. When AMAZING SPIDER-MAN came out last summer, you literally could've seen the bulk of the movie between trailers and web segments: not the entire 100 minutes, but about 15-20 minutes that contained every important plot beat. There's nothing wrong with hearing every nook and cranny of a show before you see it. Some people prefer that, and I don't necessarily dislike it. But I also love "discovering" a show and its nuances on its own terms watching it myself. I love hearing designers comments mid-season, AFTER I've seen the show, after designers have done a lot of tweaks and have lived with the show for six or so months, after members are performing it in such a way that the show is readable, etc. I appreciate Hoppy giving us insight into their design process, and that type of stuff interests me, especially this early in the process. But I also dig that I will likely know very little about Blue Devils show when I see it for the first time: instead of running down a mental checklist of "look for this, look for that, oh there's that thing the director talked about in December," I'll be seeing it 'cold' and discovering it completely on my own (and then looking for others to help fill in the gaps I missed :tongue:/>/> ) From a purely business perspective it's important to not have your corps disappear for 8 months. People who don't want to know anything should merely avoid the information. But withholding information is not the best marketing strategy for an organization looking to grow and get MORE people interested. If you look at high profile movies nowadays (like the Hobbit) they have detailed behind the scenes production blogs created by the director which generate a lot of interest. I don't think that the personal benefits of going into a show "cold" out weigh the benefits of a corps constantly engaging their fan base and having a media presence that can then be translated into a monetary presence. Seems like even people who admit to enjoying shows without any previous information (like yourself) still enjoy the behind the scenes look ;) and the good thing is that even if BD did this kind of information in the off season then it wouldn't have to ruin your enjoyment of not knowing anything about the BD production since you could just ignore it. Edited December 3, 2012 by charlie1223 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 From a purely business perspective it's important to not have your corps disappear for 8 months. People who don't want to know anything should merely avoid the information. But withholding information is not the best marketing strategy for an organization looking to grow and get MORE people interested. If you look at high profile movies nowadays (like the Hobbit) they have detailed behind the scenes production blogs created by the director which generate a lot of interest. I don't think that the personal benefits of going into a show "cold" out weigh the benefits of a corps constantly engaging their fan base and having a media presence that can then be translated into a monetary presence. Seems like even people who admit to enjoying shows without any previous information (like yourself) still enjoy the behind the scenes look ;) and the good thing is that even if BD did this kind of information in the off season then it wouldn't have to ruin your enjoyment of not knowing anything about the BD production since you could just ignore it. Almost 4800 views in 24hrs seems to reinforce all your points. Drum corps off-season is a vacuum chamber of data. Every little bit of info is ingested, chewed up, swallowed, regurgitated, and examined ad infinitum here and elsewhere. Instead of crumbs or empty wrappers, Cadets are handing out free double whoppers with cheese. It's not only fun to listen to, it makes a whole lot of sense business/marketing/pr wise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyGranite Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I wish BK had done something like this last year. Would have eliminated a lot of the head scratching, misconceptions and questions in respect to what the hell Avian was all about. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I wish BK had done something like this last year. Would have eliminated a lot of the head scratching, misconceptions and questions in respect to what the hell Avian was all about. I saw it live and i'm still scratching my head :tongue:/> one thing though...funny how the guy complaining about everyone using the music of dead white guys is trotting out the music of dead white guys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YEAguy Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I saw it live and i'm still scratching my head :tongue:/>/> one thing though...funny how the guy complaining about everyone using the music of dead white guys is trotting out the music of dead white guys Oh Jeff .... only one white guy. Not guys!!! and he recently died. We have a 30 year period before the body warms 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyGranite Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I saw it live and i'm still scratching my head /> one thing though...funny how the guy complaining about everyone using the music of dead white guys is trotting out the music of dead white guys Yeah...I know what you mean. My son, a BK member, didn't know the whole story until he'd been on tour a while. And, I started a thread here about it that reflected your position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I loved BK's show last year. Just took it at face value. Tried not to think too hard. I've always been a sci-fi nut anyway, so it was right up my alley with all the crazy references. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmhurstmusiced Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Is the title staying the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Yeah...I know what you mean. My son, a BK member, didn't know the whole story until he'd been on tour a while. And, I started a thread here about it that reflected your position. Re: A corps show should be understood from the first viewing - an opinion from another thread. I didn't like BK when I first saw the show. Funny how the majority of shows I've grown fond of - I didn't like from the first viewing. After the second viewing, I loved BK's 2012 show. I think it's incredible. In fact, after a number of years, I'll say IMO it's one of the most unique things I've seen on the field. It's differences clicked with me. In fact, prior to viewing it I was tired of Firebird. Now I catch myself humming parts of it. Even though Marc is no longer with BK, I hope he understands that what was on the field last year was appreciated. I also hope that the members of BK 2012 are proud of that show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 While your facts are correct, there is no doubt that nothing that or any orchestra does will be examined, analyzed and scrutinized as much as the Cadets' program this (or any) summer. That's the difference in this equation. Which is another reason that Hopkins's orchestra analogy doesn't fully hold up. However, here in Cleveland, the examination, analysis, and scrutiny of the music critic for the largest local newspaper was too much for the Cleveland Orchestra (finding the work of the current music director a step down from the previous one), who complained so much that he was reassigned -- and then sued his employer. (A music critic of my acquaintance in San Francisco wrote about the situation: "Were I in that position, I hope I'd have the financial courage to ask to be relieved of the regular duty, and only cover him occasionally. Any artist needs to be described by a variety of reviewers, and regularly reviewing something you hate that much is bad for the soul.") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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