Matt_S Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 rut-roh, I believe Cap Reg actually had that problem, where most of their rehearsals were rained out, either last year or a few years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xelanosa Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 I don’t think the problem is really that the corps don’t have time to get a show on the field by the opening date. The problem is that corps are designing shows that have ONE date in mind…DCI Finals. Some corps staffs are putting together shows that can’t possibly be completed by the opening date because they know that the very beginning of the season doesn’t have a whole lot to do with your Finals placement. I would like to see one of two things happen: 1. designers begin with an easier production and have a plan for tweaking the design during the season (This can be done, and has been done) -OR- 2. drastically decrease the price of admission for shows with incomplete performances I know the excuse for not doing this is “IT’S HARD”. All I can say to that is welcome to life on earth! Another thing that would be good would be to take scores from different parts of the season and somehow consider them as a part of the finals placement. That way designers and instructors would have to be more considerate of those early season shows. I know...this will never happen so please don't tell me that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Then why did you bring it up? Neither is realistic. You don't design shows for June, you design them for August; this exact point is brought up every time the "why isn't Corps X done with its show yet?" thread appears. It has nothing to do with corps not working hard enough or not making enough of an effort during the pre- and early season. If corps started designing shows so they would be clean and ready at show one, we'd hear miles of complaints here about how corps were so boring because the shows weren't any better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning. The only lesson there is to gain here is that there just is no way to please everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 You don't design shows for June, you design them for August; If this were solely a competitive activity, then I would buy that argument. But DCI increasingly markets itself and its product as entertainment which, of course, it is and always has been to some extent. When a concerted and conscious effort is made to sell the product to the public, then I think there is some responsibility to offer that public -- whether it be June or August -- the same value, if you will. I realize the very nature of the activity and its attempts to be competitive, educational and entertaining, make such a scenario difficult to accomplish, however, the "only one show matters" mentality is a dangerous one for any activity that depends heavily on customer response and satisfaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 If this were solely a competitive activity, then I would buy that argument. But DCI increasingly markets itself and its product as entertainment which, of course, it is and always has been to some extent. When a concerted and conscious effort is made to sell the product to the public, then I think there is some responsibility to offer that public -- whether it be June or August -- the same value, if you will. I realize the very nature of the activity and its attempts to be competitive, educational and entertaining, make such a scenario difficult to accomplish, however, the "only one show matters" mentality is a dangerous one for any activity that depends heavily on customer response and satisfaction. But with the nature of the activity and the time that the corps have, there is no way to offer the public the same value at every show. No matter how you slice it, the people who pay $30 to see the corps in August are getting a better value than the people who pay $30 to see corps in June. Does that mean they should charge less for earlier shows? Not really, considering it's already a pretty significant financial burden to host a show. It's just a fact of life. If you go to a broadway performance and the cast has an off night you don't get part of the ticket price back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 (edited) If you go to a broadway performance and the cast has an off night you don't get part of the ticket price back. Everyone has an off night -- that's not the issue. What if you went to a Broadway show and the second act wasn't performed because the cast wasn't ready? I dare say you might expect some compensation. Again, I realize there is no easy solution to the problem and I'm not suggesting penalties, refunds, beheadings or military intervention. I'm simply pointing out what I see as a fault with the "design for August" model. Edited June 14, 2006 by ChicagoFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScribeToo Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Everyone has an off night -- that's not the issue. What if you went to a Broadway show and the second act wasn't performed because the cast wasn't ready? I dare say you might expect some compensation. You would.. but that's really comparing apples to kumquats. Broadway Plays go into rehearsal on X date.. they typically do an out of town run, to work out the kinks before they open.. and IF that show isn't complete by opening date, they push the date back (and pay all kinds of fees and penalties to their venues). This isn't possible with drum corps. That means: first Show, June XX. You give us what you've got -- it's not an option to push it back if you're not 100% ready. The other side of that is, the broadway play isn't in competition with 4 or 5 other broadway plays in the same venue on the same night. Their competitive model is entirely different from ours.. theirs is a FOR PROFIT venture and their profitability hinges on the total completion and packaging of their product. Ours is a process venture... it's not necessarily for profit (as performing doesn't net a PROFIT -- just an appearance fee.) You don't get paid more that night by the score you get at that show. You get paid based on how you placed last August.. and that's why you aim your show at the end of the season.. not the beginning. Stef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Everyone has an off night -- that's not the issue. What if you went to a Broadway show and the second act wasn't performed because the cast wasn't ready? I dare say you might expect some compensation.Again, I realize there is no easy solution to the problem and I'm not suggesting penalties, refunds, beheadings or military intervention. I'm simply pointing out what I see as a fault with the "design for August" model. Well, broadway was probably not the best analogy to use, but oh well. The thing about not going with the "design for August" model is that it results in shows that are dumbed down. I don't want to give corps any reason to make their shows easier, because the hard is what makes it great for me. But that's my opinion, and everyone else is entitled to their own that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 OK, so 10 minutes of no visualwill kill scores, 2 minutes of no visual will not (as much). Where is the line drawn? having only 2 isnt a huge help. just hurts less than 10 of no drill at all There's a very big difference between seeing an 8 minute unfinished show and seeing an 11.5 minute show that has all the music, drill, and guard work but not all of the "bells and whistles". doesnt matter. cant judge what isnt there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 yea jeff, but those are changes... not an incomplete product. I dont consider VK 92 a finished product until finals, and i saw em 8 times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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