Brutus Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 By George, I think she's[he/you/we] got it....it's OPEN to personal interpretation... Then this show will be stuck in the "Glimpses Of" judging category. "Glimpses Of" typically means there are snippets from, images from, or allusions to the original work, but we're not going to see a complete dramatic action, we're not going to see a cohesive point of view, and we'll be left unsatisfied. We're here to see these performers present a cohesive well thought out thematic argument. Not guess, hint, tip-toe, allude, hazard, leave to inerpretation, or attempt. The performers have fierce commitment, I just wish the designers did too. (The thematic argument can be complex and double-edged, but it must be clear-- it's really hard to do!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRapp Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Wow. There is absolutely no need for snark. All opinions and viewpoints are equally valid, which is something you seem to have forgotten. And maybe that is the only problem with that program. They are making really difficult things look very easy and therefore you don't see how hard it really is. I do think that they spend a disproportionate amount of the show playing while not marching. But, they only do that when they want you to watch the other side of the show, where the guard is "acting." Personally I would rather have more tradition, but I'll take acting/drama/runways/lights over trampolines every day of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutus Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Wow. There is absolutely no need for snark. All opinions and viewpoints are equally valid, which is something you seem to have forgotten. You must have missed his post where he called me pretentious and pseudo intellectual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackroberts Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 And maybe that is the only problem with that program. They are making really difficult things look very easy and therefore you don't see how hard it really is. I do think that they spend a disproportionate amount of the show playing while not marching. But, they only do that when they want you to watch the other side of the show, where the guard is "acting." Personally I would rather have more tradition, but I'll take acting/drama/runways/lights over trampolines every day of the year. Wrong person, lol You must have missed his post where he called me pretentious and pseudo intellectual. Good point - both of y'all please stop attacking each other. And please, just enjoy a well-designed, well-performed program by the Bluecoats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 This is what I really LOVE about percussion judges...they are never afraid to give the number that is "WHAT THE SEE AND HEAR" for a specific performance IMO...rather than following rank and file and numbers management principles including looking at numbers from a previous night which I've personally witnessed but will not name any names on here... see? drummers aren't so bad after all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precious Roy Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 We're here to see these performers... "We?" You and what mouse in your pocket? Look, I appreciate your attention to detail and find some entertainment value in your show critiques. But please don't even begin to make assumptions about why I enjoy going to drum corps shows and seeing drum corps performances on the FN and in the theater, and what it is that entertains ME. Speak for yourself only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietcity Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 You must have missed his post where he called me pretentious and pseudo intellectual. Brutus, despite your serial abuse of all dissenters, myself included, I have decided that I like you. I agree with 97% of your analysis. Sure, you are a little pretentious, and not a little monomaniacal, but you are also obviously well-informed and articulate. You are no pseudo-intellectual, you are the real thing. I say this because your observations and critiques appear based on a coherent and consistent philosophy about narrative and story development. In short, I learn a lot from your posts. (I take it as a given that music qua music is not what appeals to you in a drum corps show, which is where we differ.) So now that I have your attention, I am curious what you think of shows from the past, from the era before story-telling became de rigueur ? Take for instance one of my favorites, SCV 1999. The show was not about anything, it was just complex, sophisticated music combined with a great visual package and a lot of moxie. Do you hold such shows to a different standard, or does this era simply hold no interest for you? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutus Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 (edited) And maybe that is the only problem with that program. They are making really difficult things look very easy and therefore you don't see how hard it really is. I do think that they spend a disproportionate amount of the show playing while not marching. But, they only do that when they want you to watch the other side of the show, where the guard is "acting." Personally I would rather have more tradition, but I'll take acting/drama/runways/lights over trampolines every day of the year. The great thing about traditional drum corps shows is that there's a built in pattern to music with recognizable emotional peaks. The peaks corresponded with the typically symmetrical drill sets. That's what's so satisfying about old drum corps shows. The tunes are typically short. The payoffs are clear and correspond with the most dramatic part of the piece of music. The audience is programmed to see an impossible drill set like a company front appear at the final push in the music. Setup. Payoff. Setup payoff. But the Bluecoats this year are not playing your typical Malaguena. They're not playing Pagliacci. They're playing non-traditional symphonic music without those built-in peaks, and the drill is augmented with the triangle pieces that offer nothing thematically or athletically to build a cohesive picture that justify their use, and nothing that provides a wow payoff. That's a problem. There's no "Wow, how do they do that!?" (Except at the end when the guy jumps.) Now if the Bluecoats did a thing where the entire corps was balancing on these triangular pieces (with help), and did the pitch bend while shifting from one side to the other, then we're getting somewhere. The triangles would then be justified and integrated into the course of the show. But right now, there seems to be mostly leaning up against, crawling up and laying, and dragging them around. Or if the Bluecoats did a thing where the trust-jumper was hesitatant at first, and by the end jumps into a new "tilted" era of innovation, then yes. The triangles would be justified and integrated into the course of the show. Or if the Bluecoats did a thing where the triangles were pushed together to form an obstacle over which they navigated by climbing over them triumphantly, then yes. The triangles would be justified and integrated into the course of the show. But right now, they're a lot of extraneous scenery without thematic effect except at the end. Do the Bluecoats have some major change they're going to present using the triangles that help integrate and justify their use? If I were they, I'd show the jumper at the beginning not able to jump, and by the end he does. That's all they need to win. Some pattern. God help us, some throughline. Edited August 8, 2014 by Brutus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietcity Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 ...Cadets are nearly always in your face....in fact, they LIVE in our face! No guess work, no story to learn. Taken to its extreme the result is Angels and Demons....and it's just no contest. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMcomguy Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Brutus, you say you work in Hollywood, yes? (unless I misinterpreted your "as we say in Hollywood" spiel)Was American Beauty a rotten tomato for you? Or...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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