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What is Innovative about Babylon?


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2 hours ago, tigger2 said:

This production...speaks to your heart and gut...it is raw and passionate, gritty and gutsy, confident and bigger than life. 

That’s a good description of what GR was like in real life. 

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3 hours ago, Cappybara said:

I've seen comments throughout the season calling SCV's show this year innovative and ahead of its time. 

Admittedly, I don't see it. To me, they seem to be doing the same things that Bloo, BD, and Crown have been pioneering the past decade

Body movement, dance breaks, follow the leader, (fantastic) staging, mic'd soloists/ensembles, long melodic ballad, mysterious voiceovers, interactive props, mellophone rips, screamers, no helmets, flexible costuming, etc etc. 

None of these are necessarily bad things. The show itself is fantastic and deserved frontrunner for 1st place. I'm just confused on where people are seeing the innovation

Anyone have some insight? 

 

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I don’t know what’s innovative about it. I thought it was the cages until I saw this 2013 Mechanicsburg show. The horns sound like last year. The repeated chords of the ballad are spread throughout the whole show reminds me of the 2016 Bluecoats ballad which I didn’t really get, either. Also reminds me of Cadets 2005 ballad which I liked better because it had more variation. It might be the dance beat but that reminds me of Black college marching band. Or the flips like Crown did. They say you have to be there, but they say that about every show, so...maybe it has that 2008 PR attribute about it that drove everyone crazy?

Not sure what’s  innovative, but it’s done at a level that the people and judges are really digging, so props to them.

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5 hours ago, BD 79-82 said:

I'd say an argument could be made that what makes this show crackle with "it factor" is actually a throwback  - It's designed with the musical score as the central organizing and driving factor, as opposed to the music being arranged to support a pre determined story line or character driven theme / construct.  They really could have named this almost anything and the show would still work just as well (for me at least).  

I agree wholeheartedly.  There isn't some theme or idea being crammed down your throat.  I generally don't favor shows that rely on narrative/characterizations, or some other "concept".  I feel like I'm charged with solving a puzzle and that is highly distracting.

SCV doesn't make those demands of the audience.  We are able to engage in the show on a non-literal level, and simply experience it.

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I'm still bitter that I couldn't see their show live because of the rain-out in Allentown.  This show is the one I wanted to see the most.

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7 hours ago, Cappybara said:

I've seen comments throughout the season calling SCV's show this year innovative and ahead of its time. 

Admittedly, I don't see it. To me, they seem to be doing the same things that Bloo, BD, and Crown have been pioneering the past decade

Body movement, dance breaks, follow the leader, (fantastic) staging, mic'd soloists/ensembles, long melodic ballad, mysterious voiceovers, interactive props, mellophone rips, screamers, no helmets, flexible costuming, etc etc. 

None of these are necessarily bad things. The show itself is fantastic and deserved frontrunner for 1st place. I'm just confused on where people are seeing the innovation

Anyone have some insight? 

innovative in that it looks like their uniforms came from the Walmart clearance rack maybe? :blink:

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6 hours ago, tigger2 said:

From my chair:

Yes, SCV is capitalizing on innovations and standards set by those mentioned earlier. And, this is of course how the activity progresses and how you win.  I believe the show has and will continue to set new standards between now and Saturday. That stated, I am not sure it is innovation standards or simply really smart programming using full knowledge of all tricks of the trade old and brand new and excellence standards that equal or surpass those from which said tricks have been garnered.

1) vertical alignment on a new level for the longest amount of sustained time, and amazingly flawless at that

2) best front ensemble in the history of the activity considering the tools currently in the designer's and performer's toolbox

3) the development of moving props a million times and doing so in character, with purpose beyond moving something that needs to be moved so something new can be done (This has bothered me for years. Thanks SCV. If I can see you, it is judge-able, right? An opportunity to be creative and artistic.) 

4) Soloists that are equally as good as any ever in the activity, but perhaps a bit better considering the wind range of skills shown, and not two or three folks.

5) Pitch control at all volumes and in key centers beyond B-flat and F (yes, others have done so, but I am not sure such has been done with the percentage of excellence considering some of the key center and harmonic language challenges)

6) It is rare that we get a corps that is not only firing on all three main areas of effect, intellectual, aesthetic, and emotional, but has been doing such since day one of tour. BD came close with INK and Fellini-esque as did Crown with E=Mc2.  But all summer? Every night? Every tune? Every beat and bar? 

That's my take. Oh, and plus, the unexplainable "IT" factor. This production has that in spades. It just clicks. It speaks to your heart and gut. It makes you want to see it over and over and over. It is raw and passionate, gritty and gutsy, confident and bigger than life." It" is what made all of us become addicted to this unexplainable, niche, odd, crazy activity. 

What I gathered from this is that the thing that puts Babylon in the category of "ahead of its time" is the talent level and execution of the performers?

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7 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

What I gathered from this is that the thing that puts Babylon in the category of "ahead of its time" is the talent level and execution of the performers?

Which sounds like that should be the primary idea behind a show. 

Still. I want SCV to win. It's been a long time. 

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