A Commentary on Narration

[Cappybara]

3 hours ago, CAtenhut said:

Yup... Oldies who can't get out of their own way. I don't like BC's narration either but I'm keeping my mouth shut. Some members read these threads and I don't need to make them feel like sh.

I'm willing to bet I'm younger than you 🙂 

[saxfreq1128]

5 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Either way, the narration takes time and opportunity away from the brass.  It is a shame - the brass gives us some very cool segments when they do get their turn, and I would love to hear what else they could do with transitions.  

I’m basically neutral on narration, but I don’t think this is true. Disliking the narration is completely fair! But I don’t think we can say the brass is “missing out” — that feels like a strawman to me, especially when Bloo and Cadets in particular often enough have the brassline playing under the VO. 

No brassline is playing for the entire runtime of the show in the first place (especially as drum breaks and pit features have gotten meatier over the years), and no show has extensive narration playing over complete silence. There’s always music going on. Taking out the narration wouldn’t necessarily mean the brass would be playing more.  

Obviously, there’s a case to be made for just wanting to hear the music, then, since it’s already there  — I can sympathize with that for sure. I’d be perfectly fine if the Bloo guy shut up, because the costuming and music and design, in this case, are already telling a trippy enough story to me. The poem isn’t really adding more to what I’ve already gathered from the show. Cadets VO, on the other hand, I like — a sentence that I never thought I’d type about the Cadets! But their VO is the throughline that helps me connect even more with the show on an emotional level, and I love the vibe of the narrator’s line readings. “New. York. City” makes me smile every time. 

[cixelsyd]

4 hours ago, George Dixon said:

so much negativity in this thread and several others

So liking Bluecoats brass and wanting to hear more = "negativity"?

I like music, especially brass and percussion performed by humans.  And I am not going to apologize for that.

[Ashontheinternet]

it's okay to not like narration. i've seen too many people both here and elsewhere with comments such as "i feel bad for the performers" and things along those lines. this sentiment has to stop. these performers know what they are getting themselves into. they love this show. if you have watched any of the material Bloo and Flo put out talking with performers about the show, it's always the same. they're loving it and having a blast doing something wacky like this. not everyone has to like the show, but i have seen the hate go too far for me to not say anything. i respect people who dislike it, but don't feel the need to try and bash it or tear it down or pretend it makes a program lesser or bad. it's mature to act like that. everyone is entitled to their own opinions but it does not give them a right to rake a moral high ground stance over anyone or anything. we are all in this boat together, let's not try to sink it.

[George Dixon]

1 hour ago, Cappybara said:

I'm willing to bet I'm younger than you 🙂 

not everything is about you.

[Cappybara]

11 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

not everything is about you.

The comment was very much directed at me, among others 

[cixelsyd]

1 hour ago, Ashontheinternet said:

it's okay to not like narration. i've seen too many people both here and elsewhere with comments such as "i feel bad for the performers" and things along those lines. this sentiment has to stop. these performers know what they are getting themselves into. they love this show. if you have watched any of the material Bloo and Flo put out talking with performers about the show, it's always the same. they're loving it and having a blast doing something wacky like this. not everyone has to like the show, but i have seen the hate go too far for me to not say anything. i respect people who dislike it, but don't feel the need to try and bash it or tear it down or pretend it makes a program lesser or bad. it's mature to act like that. everyone is entitled to their own opinions but it does not give them a right to rake a moral high ground stance over anyone or anything. we are all in this boat together, let's not try to sink it.

You lost me at how pro-performer sentiment "has to stop".  Not apologizing for that either.

[jwillis35]

1 hour ago, saxfreq1128 said:

I’m basically neutral on narration, but I don’t think this is true. Disliking the narration is completely fair! But I don’t think we can say the brass is “missing out” — that feels like a strawman to me, especially when Bloo and Cadets in particular often enough have the brassline playing under the VO. 

No brassline is playing for the entire runtime of the show in the first place (especially as drum breaks and pit features have gotten meatier over the years), and no show has extensive narration playing over complete silence. There’s always music going on. Taking out the narration wouldn’t necessarily mean the brass would be playing more.  

Obviously, there’s a case to be made for just wanting to hear the music, then, since it’s already there  — I can sympathize with that for sure. I’d be perfectly fine if the Bloo guy shut up, because the costuming and music and design, in this case, are already telling a trippy enough story to me. The poem isn’t really adding more to what I’ve already gathered from the show. Cadets VO, on the other hand, I like — a sentence that I never thought I’d type about the Cadets! But their VO is the throughline that helps me connect even more with the show on an emotional level, and I love the vibe of the narrator’s line readings. “New. York. City” makes me smile every time. 

 

This is probably closer to how I feel about narration. To me, use it if it makes sense for the show. Be wise how you use it. I like some of it, dislike some, and am usually not bothered by most of it unless it develops a real cheesiness (Cadets 2008). 

I sometimes hear the argument that if you can't get your show to communicate with the audience using only brass, percussion, pit, and guard then you somehow have done it wrong. There are different versions of this argument. I understand the sentiment but that seems to be a broad generalization. Opera uses staging, singing, orchestral music, costumes, lighting, and more and many people in the Arts seem to like it. Broadway is similar. 

Drum & Bugle Corps has always adapted to the times and it's clear these shows are becoming larger stage productions. And yes, if you do not like it or some things about certain aspects and rules, you have every right to be critical. That can be a good thing. That can be healthy for the activity. 

As of now, Designers are thinking of many ways to bring a show to life. Current rules allow them to use all kinds of tools to do this. What works for some people does not work for others. What some find entertaining others do not. It sounds so simple when some fans generalize about what works, what does not, what drum corps is supposed to be, and what it was never intended to be (as if anyone knows what it was "intended" to be). 

I was looking for the "What drum corps was intended to be" memo from 1972 at the formation of the DCI era and I could not find it. Going back to the 1960s, 50s, even 40s and I still could not find it. Surely there must be a manual about this from around the Civil War era. They played drums and bugles back then too.

Yes, we can look at the rules book and the judging sheets and that gives us an idea of what it was meant to be in that era, but these things have changed drastically over time. In defense of those who are critical of narration I will say this: they make some excellent points and there are dangers in using narration. It's clearly one of those things that must be carefully designed and applied to a show. I have always felt the same about singing, amplification, choppy arranging, and a tendency to copy body movement ideas. But at the top of the list I think singing and narration do stand out as difficult elements to apply to a show.

I like the Cadets this year because I do feel it was needed to push the story along. I like Bluecoats for the most part as well. 

[George Dixon]

54 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

The comment was very much directed at me, among others 

well you weren't mentioned or quoted, so... it really wasn't.

the only thing more annoying than super-annoying narration (Yowza, yowza, yowza! anyone?) is people incessantly complaining about narration

 

[Cappybara]

25 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

well you weren't mentioned or quoted, so... it really wasn't.

the only thing more annoying than super-annoying narration (Yowza, yowza, yowza! anyone?) is people incessantly complaining about narration

 

I can read between the lines, I'm sure you can too 🙂 

Does this happen to be a complaint of yours due to the fact that the Cadets are using a heavy form of narration this year, and so those complaints seem to be cutting deeper for you?