Cappybara Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I agree with your first two sentences. And, if I'm the director of Phantom, I keep the brass and percussion guys and music writers because I need to keep some consistency. Probably the worst thing for them now is a total makeover of staff and designers. As for your last sentence, no way I see Madison or Blue Stars passing PR. Blue Stars could come the closest because I do think they will jump back over the Scouts and perhaps be right in the thick of things with BK, Phantom, and Boston. But of those corps I still believe Phantom has the better music book, which to me always translates to better GE. I need to see BK's ending, but up until recently they were running slightly behind Phantom. When this PR show cleans I think we can make better assessments on changes the corps should make post season. Discussion like this are not always fair because anyone of us can come up with an idea that looks good on paper. Taking that from concept to reality is so hard, so difficult, and it requires so many key components. This is why DCI Titles have not been so evenly spread out among lots of corps. It's really hard. Getting a staff to truly be in sync and to have the infrastructure underneath the staff (money, instruments, facilities, talent, etc.) is a rarity. I very much agree with you. Considering the mess last year's show was at the beginning, and how great it ended up during finals (as great as a 7th place show can be), I'm still holding out for Phantom to kick into the next gear. The current ending is probably (hopefully) not the final one as they may be adding the chevron. Their hornline is still holding back. I'm not going to make excuses for the design team, however. They have shown that they aren't really capable of producing a show that is focused from the very beginning to end. A corps like Phantom Regiment deserves better than that. Unfortunately, other than a personnel change, I'm not sure what else they can do. I'm still going to support this corps through donations/souvenirs, but I really hope they have some plans for change. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadevilina Crown Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Yeah, I think it's safe to say that Phantom Regiment is one of the biggest "late bloomers" year after year. With a few exceptions (2013 being one of them, not sure about others), their show almost always "clicks" late-season, usually around the time of Allentown. Just look at these competitive surges made in the past: 2014 - passed Blue Knights at Finals for 7th 2012 - passed The Cadets at Allentown, held on to receive their 4th medal in 7 years and first bronze since 2005 2010 - passed SCV during the final week to make it into the Top 6 2008 - passed Blue Devils at Finals to win the DCI title So, to quote Dante and Carolina Crown, don't "abandon all hope" yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcityscout Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 They have lost quite a few staff over the years. In addition to JD Shaw and Rennick, they lost Dave Veda, KC Michel and Michael James to Madison this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabe211 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Did anyone recall watching Janina interview the staff when she was Periscoping at the Rose bowl? She interviewed Don and someone else, can't remember. I think the brass caption head. They literally said the show would be like watching "analogue tv" but would later become clear and "HD" by finals. That interview was so odd. They were very hyped about their product and trying very hard to sell it with their responses. The way they spoke about it was like saying "Yeah our show is pretty weak and unclear right now, but it will turn out great!" That and I remember Don almost looked offended when Janina asked why they were using the same pieces as in previous years. Don's response being something about it not being nostalgia but those pieces just happened to fit the theme. Ha I'm probably reading too much into it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 are they still getting the talent? last year they were young, this year it seemed like light numbers showed up for the drum line feel they've been a bit too bando the past few years and I don't get this holding back the brass until August, why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTNK Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 This show's design is so dated, it would fit right in in 2005 or 1995. They should explore some of the weirder sides of classical music and go for broke on the visual (innovation and demand) for a few seasons. Hire from outside the organization. I feel like the corps reputation right now is boring visual programs coupled with already-done music in a cheesy package. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumbargleeful Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 This show's design is so dated, it would fit right in in 2005 or 1995. They should explore some of the weirder sides of classical music and go for broke on the visual (innovation and demand) for a few seasons. Hire from outside the organization. I feel like the corps reputation right now is boring visual programs coupled with already-done music in a cheesy package. You are being gracious. The 2005 Regiment show, which included some of this stuff, was incredibly contemporary at the time. Mics in the pit, a male colorguard member, lots of body, happy music that got away from the dark stuff they had been playing, characterizations in retreat blocks, etc. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) All I can say is unless you're an alumni/donor you don't have any place to be saying that anyone needs to resign/be replaced. That may very well be the case, however way out of line IMO. But another way too early in the season topic is not the place or time in my opinion. Hate these kinds of topics. Dare I say I actually like the show? Edited July 6, 2015 by DrumManTx 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phd-student-TTU Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Food for thought: maybe the lack of depth and clarity that I see is from the planning and mapping stage. Isn't that the job of the music and visual coordinators? If the early stages aren't well planned, how can the arrangers and drill designer build on it? This may be naive and my lack of knowledge of show design. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Food for thought: maybe the lack of depth and clarity that I see is from the planning and mapping stage. Isn't that the job of the music and visual coordinators? If the early stages aren't well planned, how can the arrangers and drill designer build on it? This may be naive and my lack of knowledge of show design. there is not one standard formula for the creative process. Sometimes the arranger has a preference and dictates to the caption heads. Many times the front office (CEO, director, corps manager) gives boundaries and limits in addition to preferences. Membership even gets involved with their suggestions and end of year evaluations; sometimes this happens more in one corps than another. At times it can be one individual who comes up with a plan and viable way to achieve the goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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