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Crossmen Visual Design


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Clearly the Crossmen visual design was the corps achilles heal in 2013 and more than likely keep them out of finals. Not sure they ever went beyond the 35 yard line in any given set.

So now what!

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I have faith that things will change next year. I believe in the corps and support them 100%. I agree that the drill design in the first 2/3 was a bust. I loved the design from the 2 parallel lines of brass to the end and the peace sign. Been hearing some rumor mumbling of some changes coming

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Fred should put some money on the table to bring Michael Gaines as visual designer/coordinator. He'd be able to take their pre-existing visual approach and make it awesome.

Is it really a matter of having the money to have Michael Gaines write the drill? And if so, how much would that cost (approximately)? I can't imagine drill writers getting any more than $500, but if I'm wrong, someone please tell me, I'd really like to know.

Edited by How_Will_It_End?
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Is it really a matter of having the money to have Michael Gaines write the drill? And if so, how much would that cost (approximately)? I can't imagine drill writers getting any more than $500, but if I'm wrong, someone please tell me, I'd really like to know.

If drill writers only got $500, I'd be homeless. :)

$3,500 isn't unheard of for solid competitive high schools. For a sometimes-finalist unit, it's likely a nicer payday than $500.

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Is it really a matter of having the money to have Michael Gaines write the drill? And if so, how much would that cost (approximately)? I can't imagine drill writers getting any more than $500, but if I'm wrong, someone please tell me, I'd really like to know.

$500

If drill writers are treated the same as any other staff member I'd imagine it's much more than $500. Writing Drill is essentially asking for an original composition. Just looking online you can find drill writers who charge "by the marcher" or charge "by the size of the school". I'm looking at one right now that charges $15 per marcher ($900 for 60 members). If you're a big name (like Michael Gaines is) you can imagine how the market might skew in your favor. Plus a lot of staff members are known to get paid in the thousands (even 10s of thousands).

Even if you're just in a part time scholastic position at a high school you can expect about $5,000 as a part time staff member.

Personally I can't see Gaines drill working well for Crossmen; I've always thought of them more as Sacktig/Zingale "whiplash" drill, even in modern drum corps.

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Isn't the visual designer also the program coordinator?

Isn't he the same guy that wrote the 2012 drill that finished in 11th in GE Visual, Performance and Analysis?

Can someone remind me how many times the Crossmen made finals when Marc Sylvester wrote the drill (2007-2009)?

Leon May (2010) ?

That's what I thought......

Clearly the Crossmen visual design was the corps achilles heal in 2013 and more than likely keep them out of finals. Not sure they ever went beyond the 35 yard line in any given set.

So now what!

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If drill writers only got $500, I'd be homeless. :)

$3,500 isn't unheard of for solid competitive high schools. For a sometimes-finalist unit, it's likely a nicer payday than $500.

WOW, Thanks for the input guys.

Question for BlooooContra; How does one get started in drill writing? Do you reccomend any free programs to practice on? (besides MicroMarchingLeague).

Edited by How_Will_It_End?
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WOW, Thanks for the input guys.

Question for BlooooContra; How does one get started in drill writing? Do you reccomend any free programs to practice on? (besides MicroMarchingLeague).

Teach a band and get the gig. The rest is generally word of mouth. I got my first gig in '03 by offering to do it for a band I taught, writing on the super-cheap. Since many schools have people from elsewhere writing, having someone in-house seems to be helpful, especially for mid-season tweaks.

Though the new Envision software looks interesting, I would recommend just ponying up and buying Pyware if you really want to write. Their forums are also a really great resource with no shortage of helpful people who will happily help you out along the way with learning the software.

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