S.O.S.
Everything is quiet…you struggle to open your eyes. The gentle sounds of water surrounds you. Where are you? What has happened?
Just last night, you were celebrating your birthday with friends on the maiden voyage of the ship “Silver Explorer.” Flashbacks of your friends singing, a sudden explosion and the heat of flames flood your mind. You remember the sounds of the distress calls going out. The S.O.S. code reverberates in your head. You keep hearing the rat-a-tat of the ship's operator as he frantically taps the Morse code signal into his keypad.
As your eyes open, you realize that you are not alone. Passengers and debris surround you. The realization that something terrible has happened is just starting to sink in.
Questions run through your mind…Were any ships close enough to hear the distress call? Is anyone coming to rescue you? How will you survive? Will you ever get to see your family again? Is there any hope?
This year’s marching show will feature the band marooned on a deserted island and the struggles that ensue. A constant theme throughout is the sound and rhythm of the S.O.S. distress call and samples from The Police’s song Message in a Bottle.
We will begin the show with a preshow featuring audio samples and ending in a big impact point. This first movement will most likely start with the band laying on the ground surrounded by debris from the crash. The second movement will show the tension created by realizing that we are alone on an island. It will feature music from the movie North by Northwest.
The third movement will focus on longing for home and will feature music from the movie Cast Away. The last movement will feature the music Message in a Bottle by The Police and will highlight the band’s eventual rescue and/or escape from the island.
This year’s show will have a different feel and look from previous year’s shows. We decided to pursue a different path this year with the show planning with the company Pulse Marching. They are writing custom music, drill and visual elements for the entire production. Because the music will be custom, we do not have MP3’s to share for each movement but will share them as we receive them. By getting a custom show, we can have a marching show that is tailored to our playing and marching ability level. It should give us a more complete package and should help in the general effect captions.
Show MP3's - please be aware that the recordings that we have received are MIDI recordings which means they are not real instruments that you will hear. In my experience, MIDI recordings do an OK job at giving you an idea of how the song will sound but real instruments will sound much better. Movement three and four will be added when I receive them: