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Post by 70sguardchick on Jul 15, 2022 13:33:40 GMT -6
A spin off of sorts from the designer cost thread - where does your band get its props? Buy Used? Parent built? Buy new? a little of each? What is the wildest prop your band has used? What is your favorite prop from any show by any band in the last few years? What prop was the biggest pain in the ass to assemble and transport? How much does everyone hate tarps (lol)?
Have fun!
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Post by Samuel Culper on Jul 15, 2022 14:46:18 GMT -6
I think few props could match the turntable that Vista Ridge bought (and customized) from The Mandarins - and subsequently sold to Coppell. In terms of sheer weight and complexity, it was a beast.
Made for a great showpiece, though.
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Prop talk
Jul 15, 2022 15:43:11 GMT -6
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Post by jmike16 on Jul 15, 2022 15:43:11 GMT -6
Lumberton started using props in 2017, with a flyover that was bought from the Mckinney HS Band when they used it in their 2016 show. (I recommend watching that show. Super cool!)
We then bought some back field panel props for the 2018 season, and those were used from 2018 to 2020. 2021, Different back field panels were used..... and then for the 2022 season.... Lumberton will finally be using props that they can climb, stand, and move around on!!!
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Post by philodemus on Jul 16, 2022 8:16:03 GMT -6
Maybe this is the place for a prop related rant of mine. No, not the old school 'props are bad!' I actually really love a smart, well utilized prop. No, my rant is about stupid props, and one very particular stupid prop which is ubiquitous and also stupid.
The 18" tall stage.
You see these all the time, albeit less so at the highest levels. The idea of a stage is to provide a 'spotlight' for soloists or featured moments in the show, and I guess the notion is that you will bring the eye to them by raising them up. But, guys, the field is 300' long and the audience can be hundreds of feet away. Raising something 18" does absolutely NOTHING to make it more prominent on a performance area like that.
Now, you might be thinking, "I can remember some short stages that did a good job of providing a spotlight for soloists and featured moments," and this might be true... but NOT because it was 18" taller than the turf, because it was a different COLOR than the turf. The added height succeeded in creating added weight, added back sprains for the pit packin' poppas, and a whole heck of a lot of added cost... but it added nothing to the effectiveness of the show that a tarp would not have provided more cheaply and easily.
If you want a stage, get it at least 6 feet tall. Anything less, get a tarp.
Thank you for reading my oddly specific rant about props.
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Prop talk
Jul 16, 2022 9:09:55 GMT -6
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Post by chilly on Jul 16, 2022 9:09:55 GMT -6
Marian Catholic always uses props built by volunteers and band parents.
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Post by 70sguardchick on Jul 18, 2022 7:40:18 GMT -6
If you want a stage, get it at least 6 feet tall. Anything less, get a tarp. Probably should make it 5'11", unless you want to add a safety railing....LOL |
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Post by paddy on Jul 18, 2022 10:38:28 GMT -6
The Carmel Viking ship was pretty impressive, especially to see it up close. Amazing craftmanship.
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Post by marimba11 on Jul 18, 2022 18:06:36 GMT -6
I remember in 2017 when DB brought out those big black fabric boxes at Winston Salem prelims and they just kept coming one after the other from the back entrance and the audience was quite enthralled. And ya'll they had the these HUGE flowers on top... like WAY bigger than than the ones the replaced them with. They did of course get a prelims penalty. Then finals they just removed them. They set up the scene but honestly were way too much.
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Post by philodemus on Jul 18, 2022 20:26:34 GMT -6
If you want a stage, get it at least 6 feet tall. Anything less, get a tarp. Probably should make it 5'11", unless you want to add a safety railing....LOL Excellent point! |
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Post by 70sguardchick on Jul 20, 2022 11:59:33 GMT -6
Brownsburg's props are all parent made, too. With all the racing teams in town, we're lucky to have a lot of parents with experience in welding, building ,engineering, etc. So far the general favorite prop of the past was the helicopters from the SkyWorld show. Least favorite is any show involving tarps. Tarps are evil. My personal fave was the boxes from Twisted - Loved the colors, the pattern.
The SkyWorld props were sold to a KY school and were painted white and in an ice-themed show the following year. Some of the multi-level platforms from the show last year have been sold to a band in OK (I think Coweto?), so I'm anxious to see what they look like this year.
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Post by paddy on Jul 20, 2022 14:40:57 GMT -6
Brownsburg's props are all parent made, too. With all the racing teams in town, we're lucky to have a lot of parents with experience in welding, building ,engineering, etc. There is a difference between parent made and parent who is a skilled tradesman/fabricator/engineer made. That type of resource is worth thousands of dollars each year. I was fortunate to have a similar situation in the past. I always sympathized with directors who didn't have those types of parents available to them. |
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Post by MarchingBand4Life on Jul 22, 2022 18:33:32 GMT -6
I think few props could match the turntable that Vista Ridge bought (and customized) from The Mandarins - and subsequently sold to Coppell. In terms of sheer weight and complexity, it was a beast. Made for a great showpiece, though. It'll live on this year. Eastview (MN) has it now. Their theme is Baroque -n- Roll so I'm thinking it'll become a spinning vinyl record. |
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Prop talk
Jul 24, 2022 9:04:17 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by supersound on Jul 24, 2022 9:04:17 GMT -6
I think few props could match the turntable that Vista Ridge bought (and customized) from The Mandarins - and subsequently sold to Coppell. In terms of sheer weight and complexity, it was a beast. Made for a great showpiece, though. It'll live on this year. Eastview (MN) has it now. Their theme is Baroque -n- Roll so I'm thinking it'll become a spinning vinyl record. I like to joke that prop is cursed because both bands that used it had an unfortunate situation that delayed their San Antonio prelims performance by a day, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves |
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Post by ilikeguard on Jul 24, 2022 9:22:02 GMT -6
Back when I was marching at Camdenton, our infamous A frames used in 2017-2019 were built by parents and covered with screen printed vinyl. My dad played a big role in engineering them to spin correctly and move quickly while also being stable enough to hold props and resist the wind (to a degree). One of them sat in my garage for years! My dad also engineered the disappearing act at the end of our 2019 show that required a bit of modification to one of the A frames.
Without giving too much away, I’m pretty sure the props for this year are a mix- I want to say they’re modified in-house to fit the show.
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Post by WoodlandsMom4ever on Jul 24, 2022 12:09:17 GMT -6
Combination. Some stuff is bought and modified and lots of other things are built in house. Our pit crew is amazing…. What they can accomplish never fails to amaze me when I see the original drawings and how they bring the designers plans to life- all pit crew and prop builds amaze me!  |
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Prop talk
Jul 25, 2022 9:50:48 GMT -6
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Post by MarchingBand4Life on Jul 25, 2022 9:50:48 GMT -6
It'll live on this year. Eastview (MN) has it now. Their theme is Baroque -n- Roll so I'm thinking it'll become a spinning vinyl record. I like to joke that prop is cursed because both bands that used it had an unfortunate situation that delayed their San Antonio prelims performance by a day, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves Well Eastview doesn't usually compete BOA, so maybe the curse will be broken? I know they're traveling to Blue Springs' competition, and of course Youth in Music, which is local for them. Either way, I'm anxious to see what they do with it. |
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Post by Shroom on Jul 28, 2022 6:08:00 GMT -6
I marched with O'Fallon and we had tarps
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Post by paddy on Aug 2, 2022 19:03:20 GMT -6
Troopers are selling their oil derrick prop. $14k and it violates BOA height rules, but it is pretty cool.
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Post by phantomeuph on Aug 27, 2022 7:45:41 GMT -6
Marian Catholic has bought 9 of the 12 props from Phantom Regiment's show this past summer.
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Post by marimba11 on Aug 27, 2022 13:08:52 GMT -6
Marian Catholic has bought 9 of the 12 props from Phantom Regiment's show this past summer. Based on their aesthetic from last yr, that would make sense. |
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Post by nomorehoney on Sept 11, 2022 6:34:54 GMT -6
I marched with O'Fallon and we had tarps Just a little |
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Post by purplegirrafe on Sept 11, 2022 22:16:36 GMT -6
Troopers are selling their oil derrick prop. $14k and it violates BOA height rules, but it is pretty cool. As a member of the prop crew for this, it’s probably the best a band doesn’t buy it, that thing is a serious injury waiting to happen |
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Prop talk
Sept 12, 2022 0:00:02 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by ilikeguard on Sept 12, 2022 0:00:02 GMT -6
Troopers are selling their oil derrick prop. $14k and it violates BOA height rules, but it is pretty cool. As a member of the prop crew for this, it’s probably the best a band doesn’t buy it, that thing is a serious injury waiting to happen Even props within the regulations can be injuries waiting to happen sadly. Iirc there was a broken bone or two that resulted from Vista Ridge’s 2019 props, and they weren’t even terribly tall. An indoor art piece, maybe? |
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Post by LeanderMomma on Sept 12, 2022 6:36:59 GMT -6
Troopers are selling their oil derrick prop. $14k and it violates BOA height rules, but it is pretty cool. As a member of the prop crew for this, it’s probably the best a band doesn’t buy it, that thing is a serious injury waiting to happen yeah, that oil derrick with the soloist sitting on top made me highly anxious! You could see that she had quite the harness on but still! 😬 But oh how I loved that show!! |
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Post by madhatter on Sept 13, 2022 21:33:35 GMT -6
As a member of the prop crew for this, it’s probably the best a band doesn’t buy it, that thing is a serious injury waiting to happen yeah, that oil derrick with the soloist sitting on top made me highly anxious! You could see that she had quite the harness on but still! 😬 But oh how I loved that show!! My son marched Troopers this summer and was officially assigned to the oil derrick prop crew. They spent so much time with it, they named the prop ("Derrick") but my son is sooo glad he is not pushing that around any longer! The top part was added for more height, so by taking that off it may be more manageable for another group of Derrick worshippers. |
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Post by josephbandfan on Sept 13, 2022 22:03:30 GMT -6
I'd like for a band director to buy it and use it as their new band director tower at rehearsals.
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