Back to the drawing board for . . .

[Brian Tuma]

5 hours ago, bullethead said:

There isn't even a soundtrack for No Country for Old Men. There was no music in the entire film until the closing credits.

He also got the film wrong. There Will Be Blood was the film with the milkshake analogy.

[Vuitton]

5 hours ago, craiga said:

That which is rewarded  is perpetuated.

When I was watching BAC back in June, it dawned on me....they were using the entire field in MOST of their sets.   I wonder....which is more effective from an incredibly high GE box....hand painted mountains or closets or whatever, or 165 human performers spread consistently from the 10 to the 10?

Yes, exactly. People want to win, and to win you need to follow what has won.

Blue Devils and Crown's props were not very appealing IMO, neither were some of the other corps. Regiment, Boston and Bloo were the most appealing visually in my opinion because of the simplicity of having the field visable and field usage. 

Edited August 13, 2024 by Vuitton

[Vuitton]

5 hours ago, Mello Dude said:

Bluecoats uniforms last year were terribad for field presence IMHO.

I was talking about 2016 not last year. That 2016 show complete altered the way corps approached uniforming. 

[jasgre2000]

12 hours ago, 1992AllOverAgain said:

Troopers should do No Country for Old Men and have giant milkshakes as props

Mixing your 2007 Oscar Contenders there, but a There Will Be Blood theme show could be pretty ######. It's basically what Troopers did in 2023, right?

Edited August 13, 2024 by jasgre2000

[jasgre2000]

On 8/11/2024 at 12:12 PM, 2muchcoffeeman said:

. . . well, everybody of course, because audition season will be here before we know it. But in particular:

Blue Devils. When you win a medal it's not as if you don't have a clue, and it's not as if "The Romantics" was a flawed package by the standards of 99% of the people in the activity. But for the other 1%, who are associated with BDPA, it may be time to take an honest look at the design formula that has served them so well and has, despite being decoded by even casual fans, been bulletproof — until Bluecoats barged in and busted up the joint, just as they did eight years ago. BD cracked the code: They understood the sheets better than anyone, washed an airy, artsy motif across the stage, and threw the activity's best performer and instructor talent at it. It was a consistent winner, even if this year's motif had more than a whiff of previous years' motifs. But that era may be closing. BD perfected the recipe, but now the recipe itself may be changing. Blue Devils may need to grab and manipulate the soundstage more aggressively.

Cavaliers. Not much mystery here. The Bowery Boys of DCI took an introspective, high-concept approach to their design in 2024, and it felt like a ill-fitting suit. Whenever the Cavies have attempted deep thoughts before, they've usually done it with hammer in hand, e.g. Men are From Mars; Propaganda; Madness and Creativity (it's the madness that sells). The Cavies have big, brawny hands and they need to do Big Things That Go Boom. Give them tangible things -- planets, gears, railroads, flying trapezes -- and they'll be back in the thick of it. There is precedent for bouncing back; the 2024 Cavaliers are the 2023 Blue Stars is the 2019 Phantom Regiment are the 2016 Boston Crusaders. If the Green Machine can remember it needs to look like a machine, they'll be fine.

Troopers. It was delicious for three seasons, but cheese is now off the menu. Now what? Is it possible to brood and scowl your way toward a medal? It got them as far as 10th, with the eternally sunny Colts still in front of them. After three years of getting huge crowd response battling personal demons, Troopers have big programming decisions to make for 2025 and beyond. They also have a model to follow: Mandarins got off the Dark Train a few seasons ago, with success (one can argue whether Sinnerman was dark or tongue-in-cheek mayhem). It will be an interesting off-season in Casper. UPDATE: Well, that was quick! "Final sunset" sounds like more dust and grit. I was sold on the idea that 2024 would be the final installment of this programming arc. I guess I have to put this on hold until next year -- though I am intrigued by the way the Troop braintrust is managing this process. 

Blue Knights. 2014 was a decade ago and BK sat, with Crown, on DCI's creative high ground. It opened a 5-year vein of wonderfully weird, captivating and flat-out cool shows that brought audition applications by the truckload. But the concepts were slippery as soap and today, 5 years after their creators have moved on, BK essentially is at a reset point, creatively speaking. The organization seems solid and the member experience is renowned, but at this point it feels like the members are the reason to attract top design talent, not the inverse as was the case 10 years ago.

 

I'm rewatching "That One Second" (BK 2014) right now. It is one of my all time favorite shows. It had been a while since I watched it, and I think it holds up surprisingly well and would fit in perfectly with what many of the corps are currently doing. Minimal, but meaningful props. Contemporary music. Full field coverage. Beautiful ballad. If they could go back and replicate that era, they'd be in a very competitive spot IMO.

[phan1738]

1 hour ago, Vuitton said:

I was talking about 2016 not last year. That 2016 show complete altered the way corps approached uniforming. 

Yeah they completely killed and ruined uniforms, but I actually think the blame lies with BD. And to a lesser extent Crown and the Cadets (rip)

[Vuitton]

Just now, phan1738 said:

Yeah they completely killed and ruined uniforms, but I actually think the blame lies with BD. And to a lesser extent Crown and the Cadets (rip)

While I loved the old uniforms, I like the evolution in costuming. I think it makes more sense with today's visual progams due to the high level of body movement. To me, it would just look silly with helmets and hats. This is the evolution I like most.

[ftwdrummer]

38 minutes ago, jasgre2000 said:

Mixing your 2007 Oscar Contenders there, but a There Will Be Blood theme show could be pretty ######. It's basically what Troopers did in 2023, right?

2022. Complete with bowling pin in the pit.

[Weaklefthand4ever]

3 minutes ago, Vuitton said:

While I loved the old uniforms, I like the evolution in costuming. I think it makes more sense with today's visual progams due to the high level of body movement. To me, it would just look silly with helmets and hats. This is the evolution I like most.

100% agree. Now I will say that Troopers costumes this year were great. More callback to their traditional unis than most. But you're right, with the amount of choreo they do now, the costuming simply had to change. I adored 2023 Bloo's costumes and the way they fit the theme and tied in the color pallet. I didn't like this year's Bloo unis but again, they tied in to the simplicity of the props perfectly. 

[phan1738]

2 minutes ago, Vuitton said:

While I loved the old uniforms, I like the evolution in costuming. I think it makes more sense with today's visual progams due to the high level of body movement. To me, it would just look silly with helmets and hats. This is the evolution I like most.

We can agree to disagree. I for one, refuse to call uniforms costumes. What kind of cheap Halloween party nonsense are they wearing a costume to? 

Hats would've made BD look so much taller this year, would've been amazing. Crown needed them too

And lastly, evolution isn't always a good thing. Take the choreo out, it's not that interesting and that's what the guard is for anyway