Way Too Early DCI 2024 Discussion

[TRacer]

Everyone should just put their trombones in storage, lock the doors and leave them there. Despite it being my primary instrument there was far too much “nasty t-bone” in 2023. 

[NakedEye]

2 hours ago, MarkHornGA said:

4 Boston - BAC had a championship caliber program. I’m not sure what needs to change to push them that 2 points higher. Percussion was excellent but the book was hard. They just couldn’t play it consistently well on the move. Take the Cavies approach of complimenting the ensemble and showing out at the right moments. 5th at finals is a joke. Second only to Cavies. Guard was stellar. More of that! 

All of your observations are good, but I have a take to add on Boston. My feeling is their design detailing "broke" a bit, which is what ultimately separated them from the upper 3. Part of it is some of the character roles they defined with the costuming and props got blurred. The horns and drums were dressed as the ocean, and often made wave forms, etc.

The guard and pit where dressed in period sailor clothing, so those are the human characters encountering the ocean, and the guard especially acted out these roles.

The props were either random platforms, or, when assembled, the ship. Much more abstract than the very realistic pilings on the front sideline.

The whale was either the large tail flyover, shapes in the drill, or the solo dancer.

So here's where it broke: once the ship was assembled, pieces of it were still sometimes moved/opened so people could pass through it, cancelling the believability of it being the ship. Members of the "ocean" were sometimes standing on the ship for features, etc. One minute the whale was a tiny dancer, then a giant tail flyover sinking the ship, then a tiny dancer again, being carried off by a sailor. 

It may sound like stupid stuff, but those inconsistencies can be enough to put cracks in the illusion they were trying to create, and you didn't see that in the upper 3. Everything BD did reinforced the cut outs theme. I've watched the final run over and over and there is just constant body shaping choreography everywhere. Bluecoats had a clear distinction in look and movement style between the garden/flower section and the "priests" section. Crown had the horns/drums as sort of the knight army and the guard as the court around Arthur and those roles didn't blur.

So I think maybe a bit more design troubleshooting to go with their stellar performance level may keep them from getting tripped up again. 

 

[tommynev]

2 hours ago, corps8294 said:

The Blue Stars put themselves in a pretty difficult spot for 2024 with their show, this year, and 11th place finish. Everyone else went up in placement and smart show design while the Blue Stars took a risk and it failed...well, it was just enough to keep them in finals. Troopers, Colts, and all those above them are going to be the destination corps. A corps that went form 7th all the way down to 11th probably isn't going to be on the list of the types of members the Blue Stars need to move back up the ladder. Show design needs to be smarter and achievable right out of the gate. Again, I understand the Blue Stars...especially the guard caption...loves to challenge their members; but there needs to be balance between challenge, achievement, and sustainability. Refinement and editing need to be looked at as well. Stuff for the sake of stuff is nothing more than clutter. Things have to have reason or last something the judges and fans can appreciate. There needs to be more impact points. A lot of people have mentioned over the course of the summer that the Blue Stars show was very flat with no peaks, valleys, and moments that just captured the audience and made them stand up. I'm still not sold on the percussion caption, either. It's been a rotating door of ineffective hires. In summary, every area needs to be addressed if the corps wants to move back up; if not, they will just be treading water at the bottom of the Top 12 and eventually drop out. Unlike 2012; if they drop out, again, it's going to be quite difficult for them to make it back in. They have quite the workload in front of them. To be honest, I have more belief in SCV returning to the field, next year, than the Blue Stars doing what it takes to fight their way back up to 7th, 6th, or maybe 5th (pipe dream placement). 

Agree. The members never look comfortable performing their shows because they are asked to do so much. It needs to come off smooth and they always look frenetic.

[spacewill]

3 hours ago, MarkHornGA said:

The random musings of person who knows enough to be dangerous. 
 

15 Spirit of Atlanta - Continue on their upward trajectory. I think their show this year and the fan support will help attract some more local talent to stay home rather than travel to audition elsewhere. Atlanta is a huge pipeline for talent. Keep building and you’re not far from finals night. 

14 PC - Steadily improving. Keep your core intact. Recruiting and developing talent to execute at the level of the design is crucial. They way under performed at times this season. I love the aspirational approach but make sure your members have the support and training they need to deliver. 

13 Crossmen - Seem to be flatlining and struggling to get over the hump into top 12 land. I expect some staffing changes to come. Too much legacy to go down without a fight. 

12 Blue Knights - Trying to be Bluecoats lite? Show design just didn’t connect this year. Not sure they can sustain that and continue to outpace those just behind them. 

11 Blue Stars - Put together an entire show with the same effect as the last 90 seconds and now we’re talking. Color guard consistency to match what they are being asked to perform. Keep that organizational culture strong! 

10 Troopers - MUST fix guard issues and fight for a more consistent visual performance across the board. Conceptually they were wonderful, but the execution felt sloppy at times. Musically they can be a top 8 corps although they seemed to have some inconsistencies as an ensemble. Some staffing changes might solve some of these issues if they can find the right people to train up their members on the finer details. 

9 Colts - Colts seem to be on a rapid trajectory. It’s hard to imagine how them slowing down. Great org in great shape. I can see them with a recruiting bump after this season. Hinshaw’s drill writing is wonderful. Keep it coming red team!

8 Cavaliers - Brass arrangement and guard were not Cavaliers quality this season. The 2023 show was a nostalgia tour. I don’t know if they really expected to win much with that design. I hope to see them back on the edge of innovation and in the top 5! 

7 Phantom - Design and music content seem to be there, but they need to improve their percussion and overall achievement to really put pressure on the rest. Give the staff time to work through some of these challenges and I’m confident they will find themselves climbing again. 

6 Mandarins - They have all of the foundational pieces in place. Maintain your core staff and keep building on this momentum. I think they will get even more talent as a result of this year and improvements to the content will follow. 

5 Cadets - Cadets get the talent to be in the top four, but they lack the effect that today’s scoring rewards. Show design is going to be crucial if they want to be in championship form. Seems like they are moving in that direction. 

4 Boston - BAC had a championship caliber program. I’m not sure what needs to change to push them that 2 points higher. Percussion was excellent but the book was hard. They just couldn’t play it consistently well on the move. Take the Cavies approach of complimenting the ensemble and showing out at the right moments. 5th at finals is a joke. Second only to Cavies. Guard was stellar. More of that! 

3 Crown - Musically, Crown is there! Visually they were consistently out achieving their content. Maybe beef up the visual program to match the level of the musical content. Guard was great, but always a step behind the others in the top four. Percussion was a mixed bag. I was underwhelmed by their front ensemble and the battery book was a good compliment but nothing to write home about. Another offseason for Mike Jackson and crew to gel should lead to a strong season ahead. 

2 Bluecoats - They were the most unique program by far and did a fantastic job incorporating electronics, narrative, and visual staging. Percussion was a slight weak spot, but that’s not going to win them a gold. I look for Bloo to keep pushing the envelope and stretching the capacity of their MMs. High risk, high reward. Brass and Percussion scores were the only places where they overachieved their content. This is where it comes down to individual members fighting for excellence in every attack and release, every move. I don’t know that they could have designed a better show. It’s the small things at this point. 

1 BD - I expect more of the same level of excellence and design. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s not to say the others are broken, but when you’re number one you’re the standard. 

 

Have to disagree on PC.  They overperformd the show this year.   It was built for less talent and when they realized they had talent for a more difficult show it was too late and they were trying everything to add in as much GE as possible.  They have every bit the core talent as anyone from 10 to 17 so next year will be a dogfight as long as each core can recruit the needs for age outs and non returners.

[Jeff Ream]

4 hours ago, Jurassic Lancer said:

Does that include penalties? 

the final number at the far right of the recap would be the one after any penalties

[2muchcoffeeman]

1 hour ago, tommynev said:

Agree. The members never look comfortable performing their shows because they are asked to do so much. It needs to come off smooth and they always look frenetic.

This is an interesting point. I love BS design for the most part and think their brass sound is tops, but the last time I can recall the performers emoting instead of executing was "To Build a Home." I wouldn't describe them as "relaxed," exactly, during that season, but "comfortable" and able to communicate instead of think their way through each set and phrase. Put simply, that was the most recent BS show that I can recall feeling a connection to the performers.

[ftwdrummer]

53 minutes ago, 2muchcoffeeman said:

This is an interesting point. I love BS design for the most part and think their brass sound is tops, but the last time I can recall the performers emoting instead of executing was "To Build a Home." I wouldn't describe them as "relaxed," exactly, during that season, but "comfortable" and able to communicate instead of think their way through each set and phrase. Put simply, that was the most recent BS show that I can recall feeling a connection to the performers.

They did some emoting in the Carpenter show, but in general yes.

[valjean]

On 8/13/2023 at 1:47 PM, MikeRapp said:

You don’t have to attend shows or subscribe to Flo. 

Lol, not the point. Hello?