Doug's Helpful Hints for Visual Design: Spacing

I’m continuing my series of helpful hints. I’ve been using these with music education students as well as visual design workshop participants.

Spacing:

There should be a variety of intervals (spacing) used in a visual design in order to achieve a variety of texture throughout the show. Marching band shows that utilize only one interval between players over long periods of time become one dimensional and bland. However, expecting your performers to recognize drastically changing intervals each phrase will exhaust them. Three step spacing for curvilinear lines works very well. However, it does not work as well for linears (see below).

Wind Players may be at any interval (side by side)...however, I find it best to keep spacing at whole numbers when placing performers in straight lines such as 1, 2, 4, etc. This keeps things on the Grid (see #5 above). Flutes cannot march at a 1 step interval side by side and Trombones cannot march at less than a 3 step distance (front to back) and play their instruments. A 1.6 step interval works well for company fronts at the Hash Mark since that puts everyone on a Tick Mark.

Percussion Spacing:
Snares may be as little as 1.75 step but should not be more than 2 steps apart (timing/matching) for extended periods of time, especially when playing.
Tenors and Basses should not be less than 3 steps from any other player because of the size of the instruments. You can get away with a 2.828 diagonal with Tenors and Basses (that’s a 45 degree diagonal at a 2x2). Don’t have your Bass Drums masked by performers standing too close in front of the Bass Drums. Give the instruments room to breathe (at the very least 3 steps, but 4 or 6 work better).

Cymbals may be written more like a Wind Player. However, keep in mind that large crashes require space on the left and right of the player.
Instrument Groups should NEVER be separated (okay, you may be able to do it if the battery is playing all in unison), so keep Snares together, Tenors together, and so on.

The only time you would want to split the Instrument Groups is if the music calls for completely separate batteries. That’s pretty rare.
It is permissible for a designer to spread out a percussion section if they aren’t playing for an extended amount of time as long as they are reunited a sufficient time before the section’s next musical entrance.

Colorguard Spacing:
Guard equipment may require large amounts of space. Guard members who are performing with small or no equipment may be placed closer together.
Flags = 4-16 steps
Rifles = 4-6 steps
Dancers = 4 or less steps
The Designer should always keep in mind that it is best to arrange colorguard performers so their entire body is in view. Having colorguard performers too close to other performers front and back will many times mask the intricacy of the choreography.

I love to hear from readers like you. Please leave me a comment below so I know you were here!—DB