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October 7, 2012 1:38 PM   Subscribe

The Ohio State University Marching Band, in its October 6 game against Nebraska, decided to pay tribute to video games. (SLYT)
posted by booksherpa (39 comments total) 21 users marked this as a favorite
 
Pah. My alma mater, Ohio University, has Gangnam style.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 1:45 PM on October 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


The crowd reaction was great when it became clear what was up.
posted by dilettante at 1:45 PM on October 7, 2012


Watch until the end. Wow!
posted by ColdChef at 1:48 PM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


THE Ohio State has a football team?
posted by HuronBob at 1:53 PM on October 7, 2012


For those of you who are not from the United States, or from parts of America without college ball, Stephen Fry has a pretty awesome three minute introduction to the subject.
posted by Blasdelb at 1:54 PM on October 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Well, I was just about to say something nice about the band, when they ran that block M down the flagpole... I'm not feeling as generous now....
posted by HuronBob at 1:58 PM on October 7, 2012 [6 favorites]


Epona was fantastic!

Thanks, booksherpa!
posted by merelyglib at 2:03 PM on October 7, 2012


Hilarious ending.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:24 PM on October 7, 2012


OSU pfft.

Needs more bagpipes and sword dancing.
posted by charlie don't surf at 2:31 PM on October 7, 2012


This was excellent.

I found it interesting how the pixelated source material of many of the "8 bit" titles, lends itself well to this representation. The epona and halo parts would not have been as easy to pick up on without the surrounding context or, in the case of Halo, using the text/logo.

I suspect that this is part of why the classic game aesthetic has such lasting popularity. Due to processing constraints, videogame imagery had to be reduced to simple signifiers, these are easy to replicate and recognize. The mario sprite looks like Mario from any angle, whereas representations of a character like Master Chief appear to require color, detail, and posing. The band arranges themselves into the face of Mario and the likeness works pretty well, I wonder if it is possible to portray Master Chief in a similar way and have it be as readable.

I realize that these are characters that are working in completely different genres and hardware generations, but it seems that there is something to be learned here about what symbols last and which don't. (I of course don't know the longevity of the Master Chief character, I am just using it as an example since it was in the link)

If anyone knows of any good writing on this subject, I would appreciate it being pointed out.
posted by Hicksu at 3:00 PM on October 7, 2012 [4 favorites]


Ok, that was surprisingly awesome, even if it did waste time on Halo BS.
posted by wierdo at 3:06 PM on October 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


"Well, I was just about to say something nice about the band, when they ran that block M down the flagpole... I'm not feeling as generous now...."

This wouldn't have anything to do with OSU winning 10 of the last dozen games would it?

[/reluctantbuckeye]
posted by Blasdelb at 3:06 PM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


And Michigan still sucks!
posted by phaedon at 3:27 PM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


forgotten about last year have we?
posted by HuronBob at 3:37 PM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Don't know anything about college football but that marching band is great. I think it's awesome how they move completly in synch and all over the field, every person in their place.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 3:44 PM on October 7, 2012


No worries, Huronbob, aside from the marching band, there's always the athletes:

Ohio State's third string quarterback "ain't come to play 'school.'
posted by Ghidorah at 4:00 PM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


That was stunning. Wow. Thanks for posting.
posted by motty at 4:13 PM on October 7, 2012


Wow. Just... Wow.
posted by pla at 4:14 PM on October 7, 2012


It was so awesome I kept thinking it had to be fake! Wow.
posted by cashman at 4:31 PM on October 7, 2012


The most amazing display of synchronized marching I have ever seen. I can't for the life of me figure out how they kept everyone in the right places. Even if it's a simple trick I'm too stupid to know the result was cool as hell.
posted by localroger at 4:49 PM on October 7, 2012


"The most amazing display of synchronized marching I have ever seen."

Oh, allow me to introduce you to major league marching band, also known as DCI. College bands learn a new show for every game, which is awesomely hard, but they do some easier figures and some "park-and-play." DCI drums corps work all season on one show and they march the HELL out of them. The music is much better-played and the marching is way tighter and more complex. Here's a "best of 2011" and the related links will lead you down the rabbit hole so you can watch whole shows. If there's a DCI competition near you, it's definitely worth seeing live.

"I can't for the life of me figure out how they kept everyone in the right places."

You take a graph of a football field, using the 5 yard lines, the sidelines, and the "hashmarks," and you draw the picture and plot a dot for each of your marching band's personnel. (Today you can do this on a computer.) Then you generate for each member a personal sheet that tells them where to go. The drill book (or dot book) looks like this; an individual's sheet looks like this. A "step" is a standardized length that the band practices in unison for parade-type marchine (usually 8 steps to 5 yards). So you figure out you're 3 steps inside the home hash (towards the front) and 5 steps outside the left 40 (yard line) and position yourself there. Then you figure out your next spot and you know you have 16 counts, say, to get to your next position. Then everybody does it at once! And that's really all there is to it -- you practice the figures, you practice the music, you practice it together, and you keep doing it until it's right. As you get better at making the figures, you start cleaning up the lines ("dressing the echelons") and making decisions about whether you'll all line up off the guy in the middle or the guy on the far right, or how you'll pass through lines, or whatever. Some figures are much harder to perfect than others.

In competitive marching band, bands are judged on the show (music and figures and story and coherence), music (how well it's played, certain specific things), marching (how in step everyone is, whether the lines are clean, etc.), and the difficulty of all of these things. If there's a judge in your way when you're marching in a competitive show, the proper response is to run him over. Or brain him with your sousaphone, as necessary.

Anyway, it's ridiculously fun. It's hard work and a good workout, but it's so much fun. I only marched in high school but we were a well-regarded competitive band and a lot of my friends went on to march in DCI corps or major college bands.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:16 PM on October 7, 2012 [30 favorites]


I had a nephew in The Best Damned Band in the Land and the amount of work at OSU--or really any top-level competitive band like this--is amazing. Easily a fulltime job. And that is the most amazing marching band show I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them, from my own high school and college days and now the young relative's. And their fervor is insane.
posted by etaoin at 5:16 PM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


That was freaking amazing.
posted by xedrik at 5:19 PM on October 7, 2012


Well, I was just about to say something nice about the band, when they ran that block M down the flagpole... I'm not feeling as generous now....

LOLZ

In general, I do not give a damn about football. I cannot even be bothered to get my dander up about the OSU/UM game, even though I live withing walking distance of the OH/MI border and my neighborhood is awash in dueling colors for a month before. HOWEVER...the past few years, I've been sort of paying attention and cheering for UM, because my Extra Kids all seem to keep going there to play ball. I've known Kevin Koger since he was in 4th grade, he lives around the corner from me, and I was just as pleased as pie when he made co-captain. (He is recovering well from his recent injury, I think he has a pretty good shot at the pros next season.) Chris Wormley is also one of my Extra Kids, we were all heartbroken when he hurt himself and was sidelined for this season. Younger Monster's bestie is being scouted hardcore by the Wolverines as well, looks like I've got at least 6 more years of paying attention to a college team, if only to watch "my" kids.

All that said, though? OSU's marching band beats UM's by miles.
posted by MissySedai at 5:53 PM on October 7, 2012


Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to The Corps.
posted by nushustu at 6:10 PM on October 7, 2012 [5 favorites]


That brought back a lot of high school memories. Band was a big time commitment in the fall what with home and away football games, several marching competitions, coming to school 50ish minutes early every day, band camp for two weeks in the heat practicing before school began, etc. I guess that's why everyone that went through it together bonded so tightly.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:16 PM on October 7, 2012


Not much makes me nostalgic for my childhood in Columbus -- but this does. Coming from multiple generations of OSU alumni, I remember my Dad and Grandpa taking me to the games when I was little. I never really got into football. Though when I got a little older, I could follow the game. But I loved the atmosphere of the stadium and most importantly the half time band show. I never understood (and kinda still don't) why they don't show that on TV. I know there's commercials and other scores to check in with -- but really, watching it on TV means you miss the best part.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 7:29 PM on October 7, 2012


Epona-sterical!
posted by ShutterBun at 7:48 PM on October 7, 2012


I went to my first ever College Football game yesterday (Yay Terps win!). I really loved the whole atmosphere and everything, but my favorite part was the marching band. Nowhere close to this amazing performance (the horse!!) but still very cool. We stuck around to see them march out of the stadium - even with just a few stragglers in the stands they were all coordinated. What a fun tradition!
posted by gemmy at 8:30 PM on October 7, 2012


Why is someone waving an the Ohio State flat at the end of that Auburn video (I don't mean The Ohio State University flag, I mean literally the state flag of Ohio).
posted by EJXD2 at 8:46 PM on October 7, 2012


That tears it, I'm forsaking all future animated GIFs in favor of having a marching band act them out for me.
posted by Copronymus at 9:31 PM on October 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Why is someone waving an the Ohio State flat at the end of that Auburn video (I don't mean The Ohio State University flag, I mean literally the state flag of Ohio).

They marched out with what I assume are all of the state flags during the God Bless America bit. Shortly before you see Ohio, they pan around Stephen and show Maryland and New Jersey and there's a brief marching out bit before that where I spotted California along with like a fucking dozen of the blue-flag-with-state-crest ones and seriously people the point of a flag is to be iconic and not to look exactly like the others and have people squinting at the screen and thinking "Is that New Hampshire? Fuck, maybe it's Virginia or Idaho or Kentucky?"

The SLYT was a cool marching band video, is my point.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 11:04 PM on October 7, 2012


My alma mater (U. Oregon) also has Gangnam style! With Muppets! :) Our marching band version is different.
posted by fraula at 3:00 AM on October 8, 2012


Born and bred in Columbus and I love some Ohio State football. This was great and pleasantly nostalgic. And I got a hell of a kick out of the Michigan flag. Thanks for posting.

That said, between that and the "To Boldly Go" show I saw on the YouTube sidebar that they did last month, I'm really wondering what happened -- did the engineering department seize control of the band's playlist this year? I like it!
posted by olinerd at 3:12 AM on October 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


Far more impressive than, "A Salute to Mayonnaise."
posted by halfbuckaroo at 4:03 AM on October 8, 2012


I also had a nephew in TBDBITL. D Row is his 2nd family. Lots of corny traditions, but also genuine support. He also had to keep his grades up to stay in band. I enjoyed this; thanks for posting.
posted by theora55 at 8:54 AM on October 8, 2012


Oh man, this thread takes me back. So many cold autumn mornings spent in fingerless gloves holding a dot book.

Also, even DCI ain't got nothin on BLAST.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:49 AM on October 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


Honest question: How is it that 18-year olds today still react to Super Mario or Zelda nostalgia? The average freshman these days was born in, what? 1994? 1995 even? My exposure to Super Mario Bros came from endless hours in the basement on my NES, circa 1988, well before many of these young'uns parents even met. Why such attachment, youths?
posted by bicyclefish at 10:46 PM on October 8, 2012


bicyclefish, I've got a 17-year-old who obsesses over those old games, and he even has collected the original cartridges AND the consoles from 1985-1990. I didn't teach him that.
posted by grubi at 9:24 AM on October 9, 2012


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