Tommeee Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 We have sort of a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to watching a drum corps show live. There are always things going on that people don't like, but you don't necessarily need to look at it. You can always look at a different section. For instance, if the guard is doing something that I don't find particularly interesting, I can watch the drumline instead. Or if a person is speaking and I don't like it, I can watch the horns instead. There is obviously no substitute for seeing a drum corps show live. You don't only see and hear it, but you also FEEL it. But not only that, you get to look at whatever you want to. In the theater last night, I gained a new respect for live performances. This was easily the WORST camera work I have ever seen in my life. The hyperactive, schizophrenic camera changes, moves, pans, zooms, etc. completely ruined the experience. Somebody needs to tell Tom Blair that you don't need to move the camera all over the place to make a drum corps show interesting!!! It has been getting consisently worse over the last 10 years, and last night was the epitome of it. Everytime there was spoken voice, there was a close-up of it last night. But yet, when there was a horn soloist, it was almost never shown. Why did I have to watch the girl with wings at the end of Phantom's show? Wasn't there some VERY INTERESTING, CLIMACTIC drill going on at the same time? Why did I have to watch the Cadets characters through the whole show, instead of being able to see the hornline or drums? Why did I have to watch the someone TALK into a microphone during the Crossmen, when I could have been watching people PLAY? I am furious! This crap was forced down our throats last night. It was awful. I am willing to accept characters and spoken voice and other stuff like that, but I don't want the camera work to focus on these aspects. Whatever happened to SUBTLETY? When there are backdrops or props, they are there for the background only. They should not be the focus of the presentation. The cameramen made the props the focus instead of the performers. Drum corps looks increasingly AMATEURISH with the awful camera work. I want my money back so I can buy a ticket to Madison... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdewine Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 The doors at the theatre have two purposes. Not only can you enter...but you can leave, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommeee Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 The doors at the theatre have two purposes. Not only can you enter...but you can leave, too. Touche'... Does that mean you disagree? Do you think the camera work was good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_aborigine Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 The doors at the theatre have two purposes. Not only can you enter...but you can leave, too. Very nicely put. The drum corps fan base (mainly alumni) is prone to look for errors. As I often refer to, a PBS station manager once posted on RAMD that the fan demographic falls "below measurable standards". Yes, criticism is good to improve the product but, really . . . thank your lucky stars, Regal Theaters and *ahem* DCI that we get to see it live. 20K or so people is microscopic. For the theaters, it's better than 11 people watching You, me and Dupree . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradrick Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 (edited) And while we're at it... Would any real drum corps fan (which is who was probably in the audience last night. Nobody stumbled into that theater because they thought there was ESPN showing in there) want to see an angle that NO AUDIENCE MEMBER SEES? Like from the back or the end zone? If these shows are designed to be seen from the front then WHY waste any precious seconds of the show with a camera shot from an angle that the designers never intended? (SIDENOTE: I understand that the soloists have earned a quick closeup. And I'll even concede that a few shots showing the field closeup are pertinent because there are judges up that close... but last night AS USUAL there were whole sections were we stayed closeup on one member of the pit or colorguard, etc., missing whole significant drill moves... I'm sure. And the further into the night we went, the worse it got. A few times I chuckled out loud because the camera had become fixed on one performer for an extended shot - and the only reason we got to see a different person is because SOMEONE ELSE MOVED INTO THE CAMERA'S FIELD OF VIEW. It was as if the performer's themselves were saying "Enough already! Show something else!"...IMO.) That being said, I will say that in comparison, the camera work IMO was better than last year. We missed nearly Phantom's entire show last year due to the camera following the kid with the umbrella the whole time. This year I feel we got more of the overall package...But there's still much room for improvement... Edited August 11, 2006 by bradrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lousoz Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 The doors at the theatre have two purposes. Not only can you enter...but you can leave, too. I understand where you're going with this..the whole "if you don't like it then leave" mentality. However, the original poster has a very valid point. We paid $18 to see the show...an $18 I am willing to spend to see part of the finals week when I can not travel to where DCI is being held. Yet, the camera work was AWFUL. I agree that when you watch a show live, you can focus on whatever aspect of the corps you want, last night I wasn't even sure how I felt about some shows because the camera work was so bad. I can agree with having some close ups here or there, but in a few shows I felt that I did not get a full read of what the corps was doing ( Cadets really stand out in my mind) because the camera was consistenly on one or two people as opposed to the whole package. From what I understand quite a few "tasty" visual moments were missed in both BD and Cavaliers because the cameras were focusing on one guard member...or in some cases a horn players crotch. And that has got to be the worst about the camera work. not only were there too many close ups, but they were bad close ups. During Cadets show, they focused on the people moving the door, not the door itself. During some "park and blows" in other shows, the cameras were right at someone crotch, not their upper body. And the worst was the pan acorss the Cadets at some point in their show. I thought I was going to be sick, they moved that camera so fast. I would be curious to hear if anyone thought the camera work was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnric Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Very nicely put.The drum corps fan base (mainly alumni) is prone to look for errors. As I often refer to, a PBS station manager once posted on RAMD that the fan demographic falls "below measurable standards". Yes, criticism is good to improve the product but, really . . . thank your lucky stars, Regal Theaters and *ahem* DCI that we get to see it live. 20K or so people is microscopic. For the theaters, it's better than 11 people watching You, me and Dupree . . . now now Johnny, The Russo bros. worked very hard to bring you "You, me, and Dupree" constructive criticism is one thing but come on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommeee Posted August 11, 2006 Author Share Posted August 11, 2006 Very nicely put.The drum corps fan base (mainly alumni) is prone to look for errors. As I often refer to, a PBS station manager once posted on RAMD that the fan demographic falls "below measurable standards". Yes, criticism is good to improve the product but, really . . . thank your lucky stars, Regal Theaters and *ahem* DCI that we get to see it live. 20K or so people is microscopic. For the theaters, it's better than 11 people watching You, me and Dupree . . . I do thank DCI and the theaters for making this happen. But I do NOT excuse a substandard product, just because they were "nice enough" to make it happen. If you are going to charge me $18 to get it, you should give me $18 worth of entertainment to make sure that I want to pay another $18 next year. No matter how you slice it, the camera work in the cinecast was substandard. That is my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. And there are many others who agree with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdewine Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I did not attend the theatre presentation, but I do know this.... I could have spent the $18 to see the quarter finals, and 'been in touch' with what was happening in Madison. ( I, like many, couldn't be there in person.) Or I could save the cash, and just rely on feedback and scores, for my info. Had I chosen to see the simul-cast, I would have accepted the consequences of my choice. Maybe too many drum corps people expect everything to be TOO perfect. Sorry folks...we're human, and therefore fallible. Accept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn craig Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I've noticed this fast camera change phenomena with other art forms and it drives me crazy. I was watching River Dance, or one of those types of shows on PBS, and the camera was changing so fast my eyes couldn't focus on anything. I turned off the TV. I won't ever by a DVD's of anything like that becuse you can't really enjoy the dancing (not that I was inclined to). The thing is, drum corps is NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL! It's about the way everyone works together to make the music come to life through drill and guard work. When you focus on individuals so much you are not educating and giving poeple a real idea of what the activity is like. IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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