BaritoneDad Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 You don't have to like it or "get it", but the vitriol you are spewing, especially without the credibility of having posted more than 7 times is just coming off as "trollish" and pedantic. I saw the show in Madison, and while it needed work (like most of the shows that night), I enjoyed it very much.I was also in Madison and saw a Blue Stars guard member walk through a "wall". I thought I understood the concept of their show but maybe not, unless the guard is somehow immune to the physical nature of a "wall". I kid, but I did see it with my own eyes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaritoneDad Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Sir, thank you for all that you have done. I have loved your writing for every show you have done for corps. I also think we all on here can not thank you enough for your posts. No other designer comments like you do and it is awsome for fans to hear a designers intentions and thoughts.I completely agree! My son is with the Colts in his first year of DCI. This was a very thorough explanation of the show and much appreciated. I can't wait to see this show three times next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 (edited) Wait - reading Chuck's post - Is the narrator....the Scarecrow? I saw the show in person and would have no idea at all. If the narrator is the Scarecrow maybe you could stick a little tuft of straw into his outfit, you know, to hint at the connection. Edited July 2, 2014 by HockeyDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 And down the rabbit hole we go. (Reference to 06 Cadets intended.) When did plotline become so essential to drum corps that the fundamental point of the activity - communicating through brass, percussion and visual performance - had to be pushed backstage in favor of other elements that advance the theme? You already have a problem if this is where you start from: There is "purpose" and "form" to the show. It's our job to make sure that we allow the design and intent to be elevated through performance excellence, and make sure the thematic clarity and story-line are clear through focus and logical flow/pacing. Is it a finished project yet? Nope. Not yet. If the definition of insanity is scoring a 93 and finishing 5th... The Colts could do worse than to use that particular model. Are you sure you want to stand by your assertion that this is a classic children's story... that wasn't hallucinogenic to begin with? Looking a little closer, you'll see that this isn't "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".... nor is it Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon". Simply put, it is a warning... "Be careful what you wish for". The Scarecrow wanted a brain... It is a show that uses elements of both familiar productions... and tells a new story... not changing details of any of the original at all. It's just one possible outcome of what COULD happen after the story we all know ends... what happens after Dorothy leaves? The Scarecrow is the one with the brain... and a dystopian view of the world is not exactly unheard of... films or books such as "Blade Runner", "Fahrenheit 451", "1984"... "The Stand"... "Lord of the Flies"... "Earth Abides"... "The Gunslinger" series... "The Hunger Games"... or even the idea that the descent into madness (Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd fame) can be quite a study in chemistry and emotionally wrenching story-telling. Regret, laments, acceptance, new beginnings... all alluded to in the soliloquies that in most cases come directly from Shakespeare (no stranger to human tragedy), or from the lyrics of Pink Floyd's "Breathe" or "Eclipse". If you'd like to look at the following link you're likely to gain further insight: http://youtu.be/lUtnas5ScSE As well... the lyrics to the Pink Floyd music is readily available at www.lyrics.com Finally... you'd do well to become familiar with Shakespeare's "Richard III" DCI designers would do well to keep in mind that some of their fans (current, potential or former) do not want to do that much homework to be able to understand a show. Granted, some do not if they are already familiar with those references, and others will grasp deeper design layers through seeing the show over and over... but what about the audience members who only see this show once, and just came to be entertained by drum & bugle corps? Additionally, the idea that money and power corrupt? Look at how the main actor is dressed... hair slicked back... remind you of anyone? (Pat Riley is the wrong answer... )... but perhaps "Wall Street" rings a bell? Those things are there... if you listen and look. Clarity will continue to evolve... both in the performance and the communication of the story. Just part of the background of putting things together. I find nothing so boring as to have a show spoon-fed to me as though I'm an intellectual cripple. (That is a statement of my interest in all this... not a statement about anyone else's intelligence... please don't misinterpret that statement.) Then you understand my frustration with the use of the spoken word in an activity where the idea is (was?) to communicate with brass, percussion and visual performance. Regarding horns and drums shoved aside? Brass plays for over 9 minutes of the show and garner crowd reactions that the Colts haven't received in several years. Percussion is remarkably improved in just one season, and aggressive. Drill covering every part of the field. That just adds to the frustration. The drums probably are better. I had little time to evaluate, though, in between screaming rants by the narrator. Who knows how many minutes the brass played - their contribution was often not focal to the design, but more like background to the narrator or the singer. Part of the creative process is trying things... and seeing if they work. Sometimes they do! Sometimes they don't! There is no ego at work here... there is the willingness to experiment and achieve here. That necessarily means that in order to see if it works, you have to work through things that didn't necessarily come across as strongly as one would hope in the first iteration of the concept. True, and I am glad you are involved. Right now, your component of the design is not coming through. I hope to see that change later in the season. Vocalist dominating? Hmmm... I wrote it... highly unlikely that it dominates to the detriment of the corps. More likely they're working out some balance issues, and the intent has not been made clear yet. I just rewrote that section... will be on in a couple of days. No matter what kind of trumpet solo I could write... nothing will ever communicate the original intent of Pink Floyd's "Great Gig In The Sky" as well as a trained vocalist... and the Colts have a very talented young lady in the front ensemble that can bring it. It is an effect... that cannot be duplicated by a brass instrument, and is a creative choice we made. I doubt the combination of vocalist, two amplified trumpets and full corps will produce the desired effect. If the vocalist is that essential, then consider removing the trumpet soloists (or at least taking them off the mics). Many things yet to come, and many adjustments yet to be made. Haven't even seen the real show flags... or other visual things coming. We are aware of the pacing issues, especially in the last 1/3 of the program. We really DO want the audience to "get it"... like every other hard-working corps in the country. But unlike some, we're not afraid to let people see the dirty laundry as we work toward clarity. If you don't like it, that's okay. It's not everyone's cup of tea. I hope later, you come to like it, or at least come to appreciate that it's done well (and it will be). My previous post was not intended to be a comprehensive review, where I would have made note of the tremendous efforts of the performers and the sense of greater prepararation for the June shows versus recent seasons from a performance standpoint. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 (edited) If the definition of insanity is scoring a 93 and finishing 5th... The Colts could do worse than to use that particular model. And down the rabbit hole we go. (Reference to 06 Cadets intended.) When did plotline become so essential to drum corps that the fundamental point of the activity - communicating through brass, percussion and visual performance - had to be pushed backstage in favor of other elements that advance the theme? ... DCP at its best. A trenchant, honest (but overly brief) response to the Colts show elicits a very thoughtful response from the Colts arranger, which in turn yields some good elaboration of the original comment. I had started a reply making some of the same points a few hours ago, but then my internet went down, which apparently was for the best, given your superior comments, so much more briefly: As regards the statement: “Not understanding someone’s creative expression doesn’t mean the people with the vision are insane … it just means you didn’t get it the first time”, I would simply observe that neither conclusion automatically follows. Speaking the abstract and not about Colts specifically: possibly the artist is insane, possible the audience is unreceptive, possibly both are true. Concerning the appearance of the main actor, I wonder: will that be clear to anyone who is either not in the first ten rows or watching the video with close-ups? I’d only seen the show live from Muncie on high-camera video and had no clue: he was just some guy in dark pants and a light top, and I figured he must be from Pink Floyd's album, which I don't know. If this is not clear at a distance, and since he doesn't sound like Michael Douglas, and if he’s not using quotes from Wall Street (is he? the narration on the video is very hard to hear at times), well, that would be a problem. Having just glanced a the multi-cam version of the show, I don’t think a hairstyle is enough even to make the connection in close-ups, if Colts really want to evoke the iconic Gordon Gekko image of 1986: the shirt should be blue not white, but with a wide white collar; the suspenders should have a clear white stripe down the middle—and they really should be braces not simple suspenders—and the tie should be darker and spotted not striped. Finally, did Cadets 2006 do as well as they did because of their design or in spite of it? But again, great dialogue here, and very much appreciated. Edited July 2, 2014 by N.E. Brigand 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 (edited) Haha N.E. Brigand, you read Chuck's explanation and concluded the narrator is Gordon Gecko. I read it and concluded it was the Scarecrow, now with a brain and turned to the dark side, become like Gordon Gecko. Edited July 3, 2014 by HockeyDad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
year1buick Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I wonder if the Tinman has to deal with high blood pressure and cholesterol issues now that he finally has a heart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMcomguy Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Finally, did Cadets 2006 do as well as they did because of their design or in spite of it? The 2006 Cadets placed so well (5th) in spite of their design because they had superior talent in that corps, PERIOD. Coming off of a record-breaking 2005 title season (the only corps to ever sweep every subcaption from every single judge across the board, along with a tie for the highest score in history...), I would argue with anybody that they still had the talent of a top 3 corps without question in 2006. But unfortunately, they were presented with their biggest challenge of any Cadets group in the past, and that was the tall task of polishing such a stinky turd. And all things considered, they still did a fine job of doing it. Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMcomguy Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 One other note, the Colts show strikes me this year as correlating quite a bit more to Cadets 2008 than 2006 with the dialogue. Yeah, we're not on Oprah, but something about the constantly changing direction (breast cancer, college debauchery, divorce, happy grandmas, or whatever else they had in it that year), the Colts seem to be grasping at straws (no pun intended) to pull some sense out of this show. I have always been a Colts fan, but this year is going to be difficult to catch on for me. Luckily, I'll see them quite a few times coming up over the next several weeks. I'll give them a couple more chances to rope me in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skevinp Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 maybe you could stick a little tuft of straw into his outfit It's one thing to make suggestions, but telling him what to stick where is a little over the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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