Is There a Difference Between Visual Design and Staging?
I’ve only been blogging about the topic of visual design/drill writing for about 10 months now and I have to think harder and harder to come up with new topics. This latest idea stems from thinking first about my own approach during the design process where I put myself (as much as possible) into the place of the performer. This leads to……you guessed it, lots of marching/moving around my office. But that’s okay, it gets me up and away from the computer from time to time and that is a welcomed occurrence indeed.
First, some context. I’ve been involved in the marching activity since the mid 70s and I attended my first drum and bugle corps show in 1975 or 76. (No judging). . The designs were very geometric, but more linear in nature than most in the marching band realm. Just check out the Concord Blue Devils opener from 1975 in this clip:
Since the judging community in drum corps was still using the “tick system” keeping track of mistakes and deducting from 100 (perfect score), rather than rewarding exposure to demand, designers were much more confined in their thinking. I can remember when my high school band director said, “This year, we’re going to form ARCS.” It was the fall of 1975 and our little minds just exploded.
The designs then didn’t really contain what you would consider choreography. Not even the colorguard would utilize body movement as a design element. That was all contained in the movement of the equipment. Now I am aware that there were show bands during this time that were using choreography. Check out this clip of the 1977 Florida A&M Marching Band (starting at about the 4:20 mark)
I think you get the idea. The formation isn’t as important as the dance moves to support the music. Wind players and percussionists alike playing their own accompaniment to the dance moves.
Now look at the Bayonne Bridgemen of 1980 and their classic rendition of In the Stone.
Not only is there choreo while performers are standing and playing, there are some “funky” steps in there. While there is dancing, the design still leans 98% or more on the evolution and flow of formations rather than individual/ensemble body movement.
Now lets jump ahead to The Cavaliers of 2002 where the designer uses flow of form to stage “a moment” of ensemble dance that became known as, “fight club”.
Fairly simple yet very effective choreo staged in such a way as to maximize that effect through form. The group “marched” to a “stage” and then executed that choreo.
Jump ahead again to 2016 and the Bluecoats. Now this video is of their “victory run” and there are some liberties taken by some of the performers, but you can definitely see the shift to where traditional marching happens much less of the time than a choreographed or dance approach.
There really aren’t that many groups out there that can perform this kind of material at that level. The top tier of DCI and BOA groups can do this where there is much more emphasis on body work. The high school bands for which I and many like me write for use an approach much closer to that Cavaliers 2002 vid. There are moments in the design where there is choreo, but by and large the performers (especially wind/percussion) are marching from position to position. The performers are marchers with a little dance training. This brings us to the original question, “Is there a difference between visual design and staging?”
My answer is yes, but it’s pretty slight. In staging, there still has to be flow/evolution of form but using the element of dance makes transitions more musical, faster, and many times more organic. With most of the designs that utilize a high level of staging, the use of space is very different. There are usually set pieces that are an integral part of the design. They aren’t just something to communicate the intent of the show or to hide behind when changing equipment. They move around the field and are interactive with the performers. Staging IS Visual Design.
When I’m writing for my client bands, I look for those opportunities for some choreo. I try and leave short phrases where forms don’t move in order for the staff to use their own creativity to enhance the design with body. This depends heavily upon the music book being presented, amount of rehearsal time, and staff resources. Now, there are times when I’m inspired and I’ll actually design a drill move with a particular step style in mind and I’ll provide that in the instructions or even make a video to demonstrate the desired effect. And while I have designed programs that utilized moving props, the vast majority of my work does not involve that level of sophistication. This isn’t necessarily by choice, it’s just the way things have worked out.
So all of this to say, it’s all Visual Design and it’s all Staging. What a time to be alive!
Always interested in your feedback. Let me know what you think. — DB