Carolina Crown 2022

[Bneat]

19 hours ago, BWise said:

So amid all the conspiracy theories and tied placements. 
What if DCI were judged like ice skating (another artistic sport).. the judges punch their numbers in and you get a score after each performance. I guess their technical scores are more codified.. but maybe a crazy idea. Ppl would lose their minds I think. 
I only say this as I have been schooled that the numbers go into the scoring system tabulated and that is it .. I’ve never got a clear answer on when the numbers get entered into the device just a curiosity .. but they would judge it as they see it and less relatively to each other. Then it truly is just the numbers .. simple math. 

I’ve thought about that, as a hedge to the subjectivity of it all, but also realize that the beauty of that system in ice skating or gymnastics is in the relative simplicity of measuring one athlete with a written set of expectations. While marching arts are actually more regimented (an athlete can choose to under or over rotate, whereas theoretically a performer can’t choose not to achieve set 52 or whatever), imagine the complexity of that show synopsis from each section. The screen would be filled with what coming up next, “left handed roll in snares”, “traveling five-tuplets in the bass line”, “sixteenth run in upper brass”, “cold attack on turn around in lower brass”, “rifle 7 with backhanded catch in Demi”, etc. etc. - and that’s would be for one 3 second moment, and would continue on and on for 11 minutes. 
 

would be amazingly hysterical to attempt! 🙂

or, we just need to re-standardize on what General Effect actually means. And no, I’m not sure that’s easier, but - we need those sheets to modernize as fast as the activity is. 

[nsxanax]

A couple of days out from Saturday nite now, I’ll say this about Crown 2022.

Generally, I find it difficult to enjoy re-watch or listens so soon after season’s end. More often than not I’m a little bummed on placements, scratching my head over green shirt numbers or just a little over the show at this point.

Not so this year. Somebody had posted the Flo finals broadcast on YouTube by the time I headed out to church Sun. a.m. I got a little choked up again! With a rerun!!!

At least for me, no criticism—and I’ll readily concede some to be legit and accurate—or absence of awards will undermine my appreciation and enjoyment of RHRN.

It will age well with me, that’s for sure✨
 

 

[DrummerParent]

On 8/14/2022 at 10:12 PM, wigwam said:

Trees?    No way, they were giant snow cone holders.  

Dang it!  Now I want a sno cone.  Or, ice cream cone.  Mmmm, ice cream.  
 

thanks… you’ve wrecked the diet I’ve successfully been on since 7pm.

[CrownBariDad]

Has anyone been able to find any backfield videos of Crown's show at FINALS showing the app lights and colors?

[nsxanax]

7 hours ago, CrownBariDad said:

Has anyone been able to find any backfield videos of Crown's show at FINALS showing the app lights and colors?

There’s one from 2019, for the last minute of the show that’s—at least visually—outstanding, floating ‘round YouTube.

Would love to see one for RHRN, with the app👍

[ZTWright]

32 minutes ago, nsxanax said:

There’s one from 2019, for the last minute of the show that’s—at least visually—outstanding, floating ‘round YouTube.

Would love to see one for RHRN, with the app👍

I've frequented that video so much...

[DrummerParent]

8 hours ago, CrownBariDad said:

Has anyone been able to find any backfield videos of Crown's show at FINALS showing the app lights and colors?

There are a couple snippets where you can see the flashing lights  in the Flomarching video that some have uploaded to YouTube but nothing I’ve seen exclusive or even substantially from the backfield.

[CrownBariDad]

2 minutes ago, DrummerParent said:

There are a couple snippets where you can see the flashing lights  in the Flomarching video that some have uploaded to YouTube but nothing I’ve seen exclusive or even substantially from the backfield.

Yep -- I've seen that one from earlier in the season. I was hoping for one taken on Finals night where hopefully more folks would know about and use the app.

[palmettomello]

On 8/14/2022 at 1:04 PM, arabica said:

Thanks for your thoughtful post! Here is a slightly different perspective [also from a visual designer]:

Although I, too, think visual design was the primary issue, I don't place blame on Jeff Sacktig as much as I do program coordinator Rick Subel. At this level, drill is designed in close coordination with program coordinator as well as the designers/caption heads of guard, brass and percussion to ensure every section and element is staged right where it is needed and when it is needed. As much as I hope Jeff's opinion matters, his job is ultimately to be a conduit for executing on the needs and wishes of the rest of the staff. That said, I don't think Jeff has transitioned as gracefully into the modern era as other designers have through integrating staged moments/movement with pure drill. This is an opportunity.

I envision an early design meeting going something like this: "Our concept is 'Right Here, Right Now' and it's about being present in the moment. So we're going to present things that will WOW our audience, draw them in and invite participation no matter where they're looking! We're gonna do this by:

• audience app
• breaking the fourth wall
• a big prop
• sashes
• streamers
• and lots of fabric"

And this is where it derails for me, because at some point, someone made a decision to have multiple, equally competing points of focus and visual symbolism on the field. Adding and layering elements should work to clarify intent, not muddy it.

This is most obvious to me in the ballad, with the high brass under the tarp, the low brass connected with sashes, and the prop rotating through the low brass breaking apart the form member-by-member. While each element was individually interesting, the competing focus was distracting and the intent/symbolism behind each element - tarp, prop, sashes - was blurred. Aesthetically, the high-brass tarp not only made the right side of the field visually heavy, but felt mismatched to the musical effect: I would have put low brass - the musical foundation and therefore "heavy" - under the tarp and have high brass - musically lighter/brighter - connected with sashes/moving through prop.

Finally, the decision to keep the various visual elements on the field after used was a poor choice that not only created increasing clutter as the show progressed, but actually pulled me out of the "right here, right now" and back into the past movements and even past shows [2013]:

• the four tarps from 2nd movement laid out in an infinity symbol
• the red sashes laid out perpendicular to the infinity symbol
• the ballad tarp laid out as "~"
• the streamer "lime slice" pinwheels laid out backfield

Ultimately, as @MikeRapp accurately said: "this is a show about everything, which means it's a show about nothing". That doesn't mean it did not succeed overall in it's aim...it was performed incredibly well and with a ton of pride, was a clear crowd favorite, produced the reaction/interaction it sought, and was musically and visually very interesting. But I echo many others who wish for a more thematically and visually focused Crown in 2023.

THIS. While I applaud Crown for taking a risk and trying something pretty innovative, I realized by San Antonio that the show’s design was plagued by issues similar to recent years.
 

Rick Subel took over the reigns in 2017 and to be honest, I have not been thrilled by the production quality of his designs at Crown. He has done great things for Paramount (WGI IW group from ATL), but watching the 2022 productions for both of these groups led me to realize they share the same shortcoming in terms of design. Both were uber fan friendly, but they did not have the fine polish that judges reward come finals. Till the World Ends and RHRN (like other recent Crown shows) had the everything but the kitchen sink mentality- which detracted from the quality of what the performers could achieve. Both of these ensembles under Rick’s helm had the talent to medal, but were hindered by lapses in design choices.

For example, the props used in Crown shows from 2017-2022 have detracted from the visual program more so than enhanced. “It Is” with the torn apart field and ballad singer’s turf skirt, the seesaw half pipe in Beast, the chunky triangles and stage in Beneath the Surface, and RHRN’s excessive fabric and abstract sculpture are not comparable Blue’s set pieces and BAC’s cones this year, Babylon’s nesting towers, etc. Crown’s music book has saved all of the 17-22 programs from the deficits and clutter in the visual programming. Jeff and the drill are great, really want him to continue writing for CC. Other than 2019, have not been a huge fan of Crown’s uniforms either. 

Not saying that Rick needs the boot right yet, but simplifying and refining visual elements and the overall show concept should be the number one goal of next season. 
 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of this organization. They have been my favorite corps since 2006 and I’m very appreciative for what they’ve done for the marching arts in the Carolinas. 

[skevinp]

1 hour ago, palmettomello said:

THIS. While I applaud Crown for taking a risk and trying something pretty innovative, I realized by San Antonio that the show’s design was plagued by issues similar to recent years.
 

Rick Subel took over the reigns in 2017 and to be honest, I have not been thrilled by the production quality of his designs at Crown. He has done great things for Paramount (WGI IW group from ATL), but watching the 2022 productions for both of these groups led me to realize they share the same shortcoming in terms of design. Both were uber fan friendly, but they did not have the fine polish that judges reward come finals. Till the World Ends and RHRN (like other recent Crown shows) had the everything but the kitchen sink mentality- which detracted from the quality of what the performers could achieve. Both of these ensembles under Rick’s helm had the talent to medal, but were hindered by lapses in design choices.

For example, the props used in Crown shows from 2017-2022 have detracted from the visual program more so than enhanced. “It Is” with the torn apart field and ballad singer’s turf skirt, the seesaw half pipe in Beast, the chunky triangles and stage in Beneath the Surface, and RHRN’s excessive fabric and abstract sculpture are not comparable Blue’s set pieces and BAC’s cones this year, Babylon’s nesting towers, etc. Crown’s music book has saved all of the 17-22 programs from the deficits and clutter in the visual programming. Jeff and the drill are great, really want him to continue writing for CC. Other than 2019, have not been a huge fan of Crown’s uniforms either. 

Not saying that Rick needs the boot right yet, but simplifying and refining visual elements and the overall show concept should be the number one goal of next season. 
 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of this organization. They have been my favorite corps since 2006 and I’m very appreciative for what they’ve done for the marching arts in the Carolinas. 

You mentioned fan friendly.  I certainly don’t hate the recent shows, but my absolute favorites fall in the 2007-2016 period.  I suspect I’m not the only one.