Drum corps documentary takes top award
by Chris Hollenback, DCW Editor
A drum corps documentary called "Hard Corps" took the top award in its category at this year's First Run Film Festival, the famed New York University film school's version of the Academy Awards. The film follows a Cadets snare drummer, Tim Greene, through his final "age out" season with the corps.
David Malver, a Colts Drum Corps percussionist from 1996-1998, created the film and was ecstatic that a documentary about drum corps could do so well.
"I made the film so it could appeal to people who don't know what drum corps is," Malver said. "So to have NYU come forward with an award is great. It's a big deal."
The award's official title is "Achievement in Documentary."
Malver said he has friends who have received calls from movers and shakers in the film industry thanks to their success at First Run. The key, he said, is to be ready to take the next step when the call comes. Malver has already received a call from an official at another major film festival.
While the judges have already announced some of the winners, the film doesn't debut to the public until this Friday, April 12 at 3:30 PM and Sunday, April 14 at 6:00 PM.
"I created this film," Malver said, "because I love the activity and I want to expand its awareness."
David Malver, director of "Hard Corps," is the second tenor from
left in this picture of the Colts' tenor line.
(Photo by David Rice)
He has already sensed a curiosity about drum corps from his peers. "I'm getting a positive vibe about it. People want to check it out. One friend came up to me and said, 'you finally made your film about drum corps, huh?' I got a call from a guy from Vermont who wanted to double-check the viewing time for the film because he was driving to New York to see it."
Malver said he knew right away that the gentleman was a drum corps fan. "Who else would drive all that way?"
Malver said he knows that there have been a bunch of documentaries done on drum corps, but he says this one is different. The Blue Devils and Santa Clara Vanguard have done MTV-style DVD documentaries the last two seasons, and the Madison Scouts created a film centering on their mid-1990s seasons.
"My film is different because it goes into their personal lives," Malver said. It includes interviews with Greene and his family and friends at home, on-tour behind-the-scenes footage and even show material.
Tim Greene, Cadets (Photo courtesy David Malver)
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"There's no voice-over narrative; it's all in the words of the people in the film," Malver said. The film was originally a sort of thesis project for his graduation from NYU.
Malver hopes to eventually sell "Hard Corps" at drum corps souvenir stands, but is now waiting to see what festivals might be interested in the film before it's distributed.
The 30-minute movie will debut in New York the same weekend another Malver short film will run at a major film festival in Houston, TX. That eight-minute short, "Rich," will receive an award from the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival this weekend. The festival is drawing entries from 35 countries and has launched careers for major film actors and directors.
"Here's a funny story about how that started," Malver said. Malver was sitting in Grand Central Station preparing to film "Rich" when a woman overheard Malver talking to an associate about the movie while she was waiting for her train.
"Are you film makers?" she asked. "I'm a music composer." Malver exchanged cards with the woman, Danita Ng. When Ng showed up to the movie shoot with her husband, Jason Poss, they noticed that Malver was wearing an old Colts drum corps T-shirt.
"She shows up with Jason," Malver said, "and he's like, 'hey, man, Colts! I marched Scouts '91.'" Poss, like Malver, was a percussionist, performing in the Scouts' front ensemble. Poss and Ng created the score for the film and will be in Houston this weekend to accept the award.
Jason Poss is shown here, far right, playing keyboards for the Madison Scouts in 1991.
(Photo by Karen Sunmark)
"The film is getting an award, but we don't know what it's for," Poss said. "The judges won't tell us until Saturday night." The film's show time is this Sunday, April 14 at 7:00 PM at the Meyerland Cinema in Houston.
Poss and Ng recently completed a fellowship with music composer Mike Post, author of the theme music for famous TV shows such as "NYPD Blue," "Law and Order," and the "A-Team." Poss said he loved working with Malver.
"He's a neat film maker because he works from the heart," Poss said. "When you work from the gut-level, it really comes through. 'Hard Corps' is a great film. I haven't seen the essence of what it means to be in drum corps captured that well before."
For more details on the films, visit http://www.worldfest.org and http://www.hardcorps.homestead.com.
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