Creating a show...

[JKT90]

Does anyone know when a show is created? I would love to sit in on a think tank session on this creative process...seems that after tour and before winter camp begins there are only a couple of months of down time. Doesn't leave much time to wind down and crank it up again from a mental fatigue stand point.

[chris ncsu]

I think planning meetings happen very quickly after finals, with phone/conference/web/in-person meetings throughout the off-season. The design has a lot of hands on it, takes frequent coordination. The corps directors often have the show idea in mind before finals.

Something I've never understood or been able to fathom -- how do the guard designers make up those routines?? *mind blown*

[cowtown]

Depends

In the wee hours of the night, ideas and concepts for next year are being tossed around now as to when it’s finalized…

[drilltech1]

I know that the 2006 Machine show which won for the Cavaliers and the 2012 Christmas show done by the Cadets were ideas batted about on the staff busses of each corps for several years before someone finally said, ok this is the year. Many shows develop in similar ways, not always with the staffs either. Most DCI corps today take several polls of the membership about future music or shows to be done. Some of these ideas are investigated, some seeds begin to root, blossoms form from a few of those. Sometimes ideas are mailed in (snail or electronic) to directors/instructors. And sometimes units hire specific show creators who come with a portfolio of their ideas waiting for just the right unit and or occasion to embrace them.

I know of one award winner whose music was suggested by a high school sophomore. The caption heads and directorship investigated. Tapes of the original music were sent to a few creative heads who listened and responded as if they were viewing the show from the GE box. From a h.s sophomore's suggestion, a show formed....and won!!!

[chris ncsu]

I know of one award winner whose music was suggested by a high school sophomore. The caption heads and directorship investigated. Tapes of the original music were sent to a few creative heads who listened and responded as if they were viewing the show from the GE box. From a h.s sophomore's suggestion, a show formed....and won!!!

Cadets have solicited ideas in the past, though they usually go their own way anyway.

[acolli17]

In talking to design staff, I've learned that a lot of them have multi-year plans. The group's staff that I talked to most recently talked of a 3-5 year plan they have that involves both show designs and the necessary means to raise the educational standards, while maintaining identity the whole time. I often think of the story of the Pixar meeting at the Hidden City Cafe that's so meaningful to die-hard disney fans, where a design staff met at a coffee shop, and came up with A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. and Wall-E. I like to think this is similar to how design staffs for different corps come up with shows. I find it very interesting to hear design staff talk about ideas, especially when their corps has a certain identity they want to maintain. "How far can we push our limits, competitively and from a design stand point, without losing what makes us us?" is often the paraphrased question I hear from any staff members I talk to.

[BrassClef]

I think planning meetings happen very quickly after finals, with phone/conference/web/in-person meetings throughout the off-season. The design has a lot of hands on it, takes frequent coordination. The corps directors often have the show idea in mind before finals.

Something I've never understood or been able to fathom -- how do the guard designers make up those routines?? *mind blown*

They (or atleast I do) take the music, and set it to motion. You need to be able to have a big picture, and work down from there. We usually start off with a count sheet, (winter guard shows) figure out the impact points, what equipment we want where, and the general effect we want to come across. From there we write specific work, if it doesn't fit or doesn't do what we thought it would, we re-write it. I usually start with the hardest parts first (when teaching to HS kids) and then slowly add the other parts to it.

I've spent hours and hours just listening to music, or repping one 20 second chunk of work until I get what I want, and even then it's not always what I want.

I'm sure other people have different ways of doing it.

[BrassClef]

Does anyone know when a show is created? I would love to sit in on a think tank session on this creative process...seems that after tour and before winter camp begins there are only a couple of months of down time. Doesn't leave much time to wind down and crank it up again from a mental fatigue stand point.

While I can't say for the drum corps side of things: with the winter guard I teach - the creative side is always going. School just got out, and we already have spent hours talking and figuring out our show concept for the winter. It's an evolution process. For example we started thinking of re-telling some well known fairy tale - but have a dark twist to it, and eventually landed on just "childhood nightmares" It's really cool to see how things evolve when you get people with creative minds together.... this usually happens over some dinner and or beer :)

[chris ncsu]

They (or atleast I do) take the music, and set it to motion. You need to be able to have a big picture, and work down from there. We usually start off with a count sheet, (winter guard shows) figure out the impact points, what equipment we want where, and the general effect we want to come across. From there we write specific work, if it doesn't fit or doesn't do what we thought it would, we re-write it. I usually start with the hardest parts first (when teaching to HS kids) and then slowly add the other parts to it.

I've spent hours and hours just listening to music, or repping one 20 second chunk of work until I get what I want, and even then it's not always what I want.

I'm sure other people have different ways of doing it.

When movement is so integral (to guard program design), how do you practice without marching?

In a field show, how much interaction do you have to have with the drill writer, to understand (or tell the drill writer) what guard members will be where, and how does that affect what you design? Kind of a chicken and egg thing, there.

[JKT90]

Cool responses. I'm intrigued by the creative development aspect of things.