Michael Turner, San Francisco, CA

VISUAL PROFICIENCY

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Mike Anderson, Eagle, ID
VISUAL ANALYSIS

FROM BRIAN FISHER, BOARD CHAIRMAN

There are three caption totals that are listed on the recaps, General Effect, Visual, and Music that combined add up to 100 points. General Effect is worth a total of 40 points.

The Visual caption total accounts for 30 points, and is comprised of the sub-captions of Visual Analysis, Visual Proficiency, and Color Guard.  Each of those sub-captions receives 20 points before being divided in half for the total Visual caption total.

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The Music caption total also accounts for 30 points, and is comprised of the sub-captions of Music Analysis, Music Brass, and Music Percussion. Each of those sub-captions receives 20 points before being divided in half for the total Music caption total/
 

• General Effect (GE)

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Points allotted: 40, 20 from each of the two judges. The scores of the two Effect captions are counted for full value.

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Responsibilities: One of the GE judges has a music background and the other has a visual background, but each utilizes the same judging sheet because they are effectively judging the entire show, not just the effect of the music offering or the effect of the visual production.

GE judges must be the most experienced, most knowledgeable, and most flexible members of the audience. Plus, they know how to manage numbers in order to give a proper score. The GE judges are doing the romantic job, they’re feeling what the show is offering and responding to what the show is. There are three parts to GE, the intellectual, the aesthetic, and the emotional.

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• Music Analysis, Visual Analysis

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Points allotted: 20 each, but divided in half before being added to the final score.

Responsibilities: The Music Analysis and Visual Analysis judges are the classically trained judges, the most scientific in their approach. They analyze how the pieces of the puzzle fit together and they focus on the detailing … how is the music or visual orchestration done, how well is that utilized, what are the developmental phrases, and how is the show composed and constructed.

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• Visual Proficiency

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Points allotted: 20, but divided in half before being added to the final score.

Responsibilities: The Visual Proficiency judge zooms in and out on performers, but from the periphery of the field. They look at small groups and individuals, but try to not focus on any particular person. This is the judge that used to be referred to as Field Visual, and earlier, Marching and Maneuvering.

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• Color Guard

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Points allotted: 20, but divided in half before being added to the final score.

Responsibilities: The Color Guard judge, placed in the stands or press box, is strictly judging the proficiency of each guard, what the guards are achieving and how they are achieving it. To put it another way, what the guards are doing and how well they are doing it. This caption is NOT about the effectiveness of the guard, nor is it about the costumes nor the flags.

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• Brass

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Points allotted: 20, but divided in half before being added to the final score.

Responsibilities: The Brass judge is the easiest to explain as they do what they’ve always done; judge the quality of the brass line.

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• Ensemble Percussion

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Points allotted: 20, but divided in half before being added to the final score.

Responsibilities: The Ensemble Percussion judge needs a little explaining because that’s a brand new caption with brand new criteria to adjudicate, replacing the Percussion 1 and Percussion 2 judges of previous years. This judge explores every percussion voice, from the front ensemble and the battery (marching drum line), and determines how well those various voices come together. The entire percussion ensemble is judged from various venues, possibly from the press box and possibly from within a position in with the audience, wherever the judge can best hear and see the entire percussion ensemble.

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• Field Percussion

Points allotted: 20, but divided in half before being added to the final score.

Responsibilities: For select Premier Events and the World Championships, a downstairs percussion judge is added who adjudicates from the field, sampling individuals and small groups.

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