Colts designer breaks down the show that brought the corps back to DCI Finals

Colts visual designer Richard Hinshaw gives an inside look at the Dubuque, Iowa corps' 2022 production, "The Silk Road," in episode 2 of "Inside Drum Corps." Watch the complete episode at www.stridetv.com.
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[@ZakhadWOW]

one of my very favorite shows musically wise.. I adore hearing such non-western music in there.. I believe Led Zeppelin yould have to be proud of the use of their Kashmir piece

[@wm8673]

HATS OFF TO YOU. Great Show. I look forward to this year. THIS WAS MY FAVORITE SHOW!

[@fatfloppa3919]

Here before the Jesu Spectre comment

[@jesuspectre9883]

If you had to make this show better-- more emotional, more impactful, more cheer-inducing, more relatable to our human experience, what design changes would you suggest?

[@booker9816]

So this the dude who made me M11 I see

[@TheStickCollector]

Something I should pay attention to if I start

[@TheImprovisedDrummer]

This guy help revive The Cavies!

[@jesuspectre9883]

What a pleasant, refined gentleman. What’s concerning is that despite his focus on the subject of silk worms, he doesn't talk about the show’s theme and why it matters. Clearly he knows the show is lacking depth and artistic raison d’etre. For a million dollar production budget, that’s unthinkable. This video is the place to talk about the “why.” The big picture. The passion behind the message, the relatability, the importance, the show subject and its higher purpose. Why this music? After two years of development, the design reveals -a lack of a depth of concept (the process of silk, yes, but what about it?) -a lack of a meaningful link between the music and theme -a lack of a powerful progression of action that is supported by an engaging visual metaphor -a lack of proof of why this topic is emotionally relevant to these performers. What this video demonstrates is a lack of professional design standards, and a lack of development skill. 1) Be honest about why you picked "silk". Fabric is cheap. You picked a show subject of "fabric" because it fills the field with color, and fabric provides the illusion of action. However, a show about the process of silk production is not, on its own, a thematic argument that reflects a high stakes, meaningful observation about some aspect of human experience as we know it or imagine it, and how it pertains to these performers. The real Silk Road , on the other hand, is filled with powerful imagery. Its history includes images of global cross-cultural exchange, the art of exquisite textiles, and the treacherous cross-country journey in search of beauty, and traders who often defied their own governments to sell their goods, even in war time. But this show includes none of that. Instead, it focuses on the natural process of silkworm to sales cart-an emotionless, perfunctory seventh grade slide show without emotional investment by the designers. 2) Mention the music in your show explanation. At least once. Good shows have a symbiotic meld of music and visuals, each supporting the other for a logical, engaging experience with emotion and higher purpose. Explain why you chose this music. 3) The more you mention “staging”, and "reacting to the music," the more we know something’s up with this design. We’re not interested in why you moved the tambourine soloist to the 50 yard line. Or why the sections assemble, one by one, to create a random drill image and supports the crescendo in the music. We want to know how it fits in to the overall show arc of action. How it sets up what happens next. The pattern that grows and builds for profound dramatic effect, and to elucidate the passionate high stakes meaning underneath. The truth is, the show has none of this. 4) Bringing back the cocoon at the end? The spent cocoon? Why are you bringing it back? To remind us of the moth’s origin? Sorry, that makes no sense, dramatically. Bookend devices typically have a dramatic purpose, not just “reminders.” In this case, if you've locked yourself in to only mindless silk production, the show should come back to the beginning, and the entire corps should be “birthed” anew from a full-corps fabric “cocoon” in a triumphant rebirth. The silk worm cycle begins again. Better yet, here are some basic suggestions for a more resonant point of focus for a Silk Road show that would add depth and thematic substance. 1) Secret International Trade, intrigue, spies in the art market 2) Jealousy between vendors 3) Robberies by bandits on Silk Road 4) Famous Emperors and international tradesmen and fashion influencers jockeying for supremacy 5) Marco Polo's quest for adventure 6) Contraband and children being bought and sold 7) Unimaginable desperation from poverty and struggle versus extreme wealth and glamour 8) Shabby country silkworm purveyors desperate for a deal 9) Chinese Princesses in disguise, playing a chess game of wealth, beauty and intrigue 10) Weavers and craftsmen dedicating their lives to creating exquisite tapestries for royalty, but without any recognition 11) Famous Silk Road Traders Wencheng or Ghengis Kahn 12) Two nations at war, but a single trade between artisans defies political violence and barriers 13) Characters from The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry 1460. Come on, designers. What is your show about? Not insects.

[@weeblewwe]

silk is cool. the silk road is cool. drum corps is entertainment, it doesn't have to be any deeper than that. The show slaps

[@jesuspectre9883]

​@@weeblewwe Are you sure you're not confusing drum corps with cheerleading?

[@evan-t-s]

i ain't reading all that i'm happy for u tho or sorry that happened

[@jesuspectre9883]

@@evan-t-s Why not just type, "I'm not very bright!"

[@jacobrizzuto1501]

As a person who marched this show. It is very well thought out. It just seems like they cut out a tooon of stuff in the interview.

[@curtcoleman6265]

Excellent design. Love the sophistication and high paced marching.

[@drilldesigner]

Good stuff Rich!