theCHEZman Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 It was definitely jarring for me. The show on its own seemed a good concept, and seemed relatively complete when I saw it in theaters, and the towers didn't seem bad, really good for dividing the field up. I thought they moved them fairly well to boot. But I saw them from a lower vantage point the night after, and my opinion dropped a bit. I thought that not being able to see parts of the field and what was going on there served a good purpose thematically, but it was harder to follow the show because I felt like I was being denied access to half of the product. The Cadets have a program for the years from the box, but field level, those towers are just plain distracting. The reality is the show was designed for maximum effect at the 50 high up where the green shirts sit just like every corps show. . That's why most guard costumes are so loud, mirrors, chairs, poles, horses, syncs have all been employed to aid in visual/music. Not for the guy that bought the $20 ticket sitting in row 3. I still think high up at Indy, the explosion of color from the towers will aid visual. Yes they must execute the tower movement better, yes they will address the color of fabric. And for the guy sitting low where you can't see patterns or get a visual read anyway, enjoy the close up view of a great corps that marches, blows, spins and drums very very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelloMatt Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 For me, Cadets show is probably tied with Crossmen for most disappointing of the season. Is DCP gonna blast someone for having an opinion? Yes I would have to agree with this quote. "Side x Side" may be pretty darn clean in some aspects, but some of the basic show designing and such leave me unsettled and not in a good way. And then the color guard... I'm hoping Minnie was just a bad run... But seriously, MEDEA and Adagio together makes me feel really sick to my stomach (arrangement, not the playing). Kudos to the Corps for pulling off this program, but in my opinion, some of the design leaves much to be desired. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g0at Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 (edited) Perhaps the Cadets unintentionally designed the show to not be enjoyable from the 30... Crazy, huh? Edited July 16, 2013 by g0at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Perhaps the Cadets unintentionally designed the show to not be enjoyable from the 30... Crazy, huh? Of course, but they are the experts. They are supposed to consider all the various audiences for the show. They love to tell us how important the fans are and how entertainment is a focus. I have no doubt this is true, but it must be said; either the Cadets decided to block the view of the corps for the low sitting fans, or they didn't think about it at all. What's amazing to me is that at finals the cameras will no doubt be focused on those very fans after the performance. We always see quite a few people who look somewhat bored. I mean, some of them are enthusiastic, but they always look like they missed much of the show, which they did. At the end of the Cavaliers' This Is My Rifle show they actually do a great shot of the balcony front row. The audience there is emoting all over the place. They really need to do that more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Is DCP gonna blast someone for having an opinion? Yes I would have to agree with this quote. "Side x Side" may be pretty darn clean in some aspects, but some of the basic show designing and such leave me unsettled and not in a good way. And then the color guard... I'm hoping Minnie was just a bad run... But seriously, MEDEA and Adagio together makes me feel really sick to my stomach (arrangement, not the playing). Kudos to the Corps for pulling off this program, but in my opinion, some of the design leaves much to be desired. The poster didn't give us anything to chew on; i.e his/her reasoning. A cardinal sin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theCHEZman Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Of course, but they are the experts. They are supposed to consider all the various audiences for the show. They love to tell us how important the fans are and how entertainment is a focus. I have no doubt this is true, but it must be said; either the Cadets decided to block the view of the corps for the low sitting fans, or they didn't think about it at all. What's amazing to me is that at finals the cameras will no doubt be focused on those very fans after the performance. We always see quite a few people who look somewhat bored. I mean, some of them are enthusiastic, but they always look like they missed much of the show, which they did. At the end of the Cavaliers' This Is My Rifle show they actually do a great shot of the balcony front row. The audience there is emoting all over the place. They really need to do that more often. I really think when the show was being designed and the tower concept was developed to visually amplify the side x side concept, they weren't really considering how that would affect a fan sitting on the 10 yard line in row 2. That doesn't mean they are not trying to be fan friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I like their show but I can see why it is distracting especially when you are trying to watch what the drumline is doing from down low and they are hidden. I don't imagine those towers are too easy to push on a natural grass field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Maybe the contest directors should use some kind of random number generator & assign the GE judges seats at random throughout the stadium (where the paying customers are). Scores could be collected via some sort of "app". Heck - everyone under age 25 seems to be texting anyway. Even better maybe use the 'google glasses' as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 We all know that much of any show design works towards the Finals performance. I think we get that it can result to acoustics in a dome, or staging elements from a press box vantage point. But I was put off a quite a bit by the "access" of Cadets' show. I enjoy sitting in the lower tier so I am able to grasp some of the performance elements up close from the individual members and connect to their energy. Many attempts have been made in the last decade to define the field with large props, scaffolds and stages. But with Cadets giant towers, I think it was the first time that major portions of the show were not even visible to me. The opening statement (since I was sitting on Side 1 and not Side 2), the drum feature on the back hash, the emergence of the orange flag backfield. Even sections that were happening directly in front of me masked everything behind the columns. On and on - several major moments. Oh, who cares what it looks like from down low? Only fans sit there. What matters is how it looks where the press box judges are seated on the second Saturday of August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seen-it-all Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Oh, who cares what it looks like from down low? Only fans sit there. What matters is how it looks where the press box judges are seated on the second Saturday of August. You make it sound like this is a new concept for drum corps. As for the Cadets, it seems like plenty of fans find them entertaining and enjoyable this season. They're not ALL sitting on the 50 up in the press box. This whole thing is so silly. I've watched so many shows over the years from many different vantage points. If the only seats I can get are down low and off to the side, I accept the fact that there will be aspects of the performance I won't get to fully appreciate (like the DRILL, namely). I know I can't get the big picture to better realize how all the parts fit together, and that's fine. I deal with it and get to appreciate lots of other aspects of the performance the best I can. That's drum corps. But people have to remember, this is a competition. I know everyone wants to be entertained, but they also want to know who wins. Even the folks who say they don't care about the scores pay attention to them (and sometimes obsess over them and complain the loudest when things don't go their way). Every drum corps wants their show to look great from the press box. That's why they clean drill at rehearsal from high up on the 50, whether on a scaffolding or in a press box. The Cadets are no exception. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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