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Madison in Macy's Parade


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The focus is on improving the next drum corps appearance at this parade, not putting medallions around our own necks.

I think your focus is impressing us with your awesome insights. It adds nothing.

Edited by HockeyDad
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The scouts had literally ten years' worth of televised Macy's parades to view regarding camera angles, with the overhead angle being added in the last few years. So, no. (I hope you're not a defense attorney with that logic, LOLz. :tounge2:)

The concept of a massive corps appearing at a televised parade was a planning error-- that many performers don't fit in a TV frame. Would you rather tell the 200+ Scouts who didn't fit in frame that they were edited out after all their work? The Scouts' planners were thinking in terms of massive live performance and reunion, which isn't what this televised event is about. It's primarily about the 25 million viewers on TV, not the three million in attendance. Live attendees were dazzled by the Scouts' power. TV audiences, however, viewed the corps through a tiny TV portal and a street-sized performance space and a 45 second performance window, and the show design should have been adjusted accordingly. For example, if you had a Macy's performance by the members of the revival of the Broadway play Cats, you would probably avoid making it a reunion parade unit, which would have like 350 performers dressed as cats, falling over each other in a small street sized stage space, with disorganized heaps of fur flying around and spilling out of frame.

There were two additional problems. First, the oversized drum line overpowers outdoor Sennheiser mics with a hairy windshield. :shutup: That's a mistake. Second, corps need to begin to design for television performance, limiting the number of performers and condensing the scope and intensity of the production to a tiny performance space.

DCI has been spoiled by the great television production crews on DCI shows which have adjusted the camera angles, jibs and framing to suit the field shows, capturing the depth and richness of the performances, wide, medium and closeup.

Spare me the picayune blatherings. DCI got coverage...The Madison Scouts got national coverage..."Drum and Bugle Corps" got national coverage.

You want to get picky...go pick your teeth. Or your butt. I don't really care which you choose.

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Well, I did think of that, Mr. Prosecutor, but all it would take was a new producer or director (which happens with annual televised events all the time) who decided she wanted the cameras in a different position this year, and all that planning you suggest goes for naught.

So you're saying that the Scouts intentionally didn't bother to research prior years for the camera layout template? Um.

(in which any number of contingencies might waste the Scouts' efforts), they had to make a choice, and quite reasonably opted for the former.

So you're saying the Scouts opted against a TV staging intentionally?

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I think your focus is impressing us with your awesome insights. It adds nothing.

I work in television. Adapting the drum corps parade performance for television is the focus of this conversation, not how awesome the Scouts are. Focus. You can do it.

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You want to get picky...go pick your teeth. Or your butt. I don't really care which you choose.

Do you prefer the discussion about Madison's show to be about how great it was? If your corps were to be selected for next Year's Macy's parade, would you review this year's tape? The camera placements? The long pause and lack of movement after the tune is finished and before the cadence starts? The lack of movement in the overhead camera? I thought so. You'll catch on.
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So you're saying that the Scouts intentionally didn't bother to research prior years for the camera layout template?

So you're saying the Scouts opted against a TV staging intentionally?

Maybe on both counts. I don't know, and I doubt you do either. There may have been multiple considerations involved. As someone else said, getting as many alumni together as possible probably will help with future fundraising, and maybe that's what was most important to them. Also, you might ask: which of the bands this year did the best job in staging--and how much time did that group have to rehearse together compared to the Scouts?

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I work in television. Adapting the drum corps parade performance for television is the focus of this conversation, not how awesome the Scouts are. Focus. You can do it.

Then where were you two months ago when the Scouts could have used your awesomeness? Nobody likes a Monday morning quarterback.

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Hi Brutus. I'll be your Olive Oyl for one post. I was more excited about watching Macy's parade this year than the 30 or more years I watched the parade on TV, mostly NBC. When drum corps faded in our fair city in the 70's it was hard to watch a live parade. I didn't mind watching bands but I missed Drum Corps. 2 of our own in our fair city marched the parade as tubas (contras). I was proud of Madison Scouts when I watched Macy's on TV 2014 for many reasons. Here's a wonderful video from the parade route that I like a lot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuqerbm5I-U&feature=share

Center Grove HS had very good presence on TV (as I've done on parade in the 70's; as DM I was told 'if you see a camera, stop and get coverage'). Center Grove were on before the Red Power Ranger and preceded 'How to Train Your Dragon'. There were many animated characters in the parade but I have to admit I didn't know some of the video game characters. Madison Scouts preceded Santa Claus whom I'm aware of. It's all good :smile:

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