From the 50 Yard Line

i am a member of a high school marching band, and this movie portrays EXACTLY how i feel towards the concept of marching band. they are very helpful in aiding you raise money for your school marching band by allowing you to use their movie as a screening fund raiser. you get to keep half the profit you make. i love this movie, and i think it's destined to be shown in schools across America. i love it and i give it a 10/10. if you ever have the chance to see this movie, do it!!! you will never feel the same about marching band after you see it. and if you see it and then ever hear someone say that marching band is easy, i hope you tell them otherwise, because i know first hand that it isn't, and i am grateful to this movie for showing the world that.

I attended the World Premiere in Providence, Rhode Island. "From The 50 Yard Line" is a movie that every student, parent, educator and school administrator MUST see! This film is able to sum up in an extraordinary hour and a half documentary, the reason why every music educator, music student and parent/supporter makes the sacrifices that they all make for the love of music and why music should be an integrated part of every school's curriculum across the country! "From The 50 Yardline" will become a motivation tool that every music educator can use to motivate his or her students with and community can use to push for the reinstatement or advancement of their local music program. Director, Doug Lantz and his crew have introduced the country to the world of the marching arts and how it can better a student socially, emotionally and academically. Through this awakening, he might just help our political leaders across the country realize how the choices that they have made over the past twenty years have adversely affected or eliminated our school music programs, music's crucial and vital importance in the development of our children and inspire them to help save music education in America! David M. Marshall Director of Bands: Somerset High School - Somerset, MA

As a former film maker and band parent this film is a great representation of the high school band experience for high school students and parents. You don't have to love band music to to be touched the emotion that is captured throughout this season of BOA performances. It's an experience of working hard for a team and succeeding together. It's about the fellowship of life and learning values and dedication at that age. And this film captures the experience of kids working together, playing music together and sharing feelings together. It's great if you win but its the process you'll never forget. Wonderful movie.

The Columbus International Film Festival is taking place this week. Somehow, I've never made it to the festival before; so this year I made every effort to get there. It probably helped that I have a personal interest in one of the screening films, a documentary called From the 50 Yard Line.

From the 50 Yard Line is a documentary on marching band. Primarily, it follows The Centerville Jazz Band (the marching band for Centerville High School in Centerville, OH) through their competitive season. Because, I grew up in Columbus and was very involved in marching band (and its big brother Drum Corps), I actually marched with/was instructed by several of the subjects of the film. That being said, I could go on and on about it, but I'll try to be brief and objective.

First time director Doug Lantz, himself an alumnus of the Centerville Band program, was on hand to introduce the film. The film began with the marching band auditions at Easter and followed the band all the way through their culminating performance at the Bands of America Grand National Championships. The primary intent was to expose the often unrecognized impact of instrumental music education on the development of American high school students.

Stand out segments included deliberately understated interviews with politicians and academics on the unintended effects of "No Child Left Behind" on education, and a recurring man-on-the-street segment called "Bandology 101" which tested average people on their knowledge of marching band lingo. In what seemed like an attempt to even out the piece, the filmmakers spent some time with the Fairfax High School Marching Band (Hollywood, CA) which was restarted this year from an anonymous donation after an 18-year hiatus from instrumental music at the school. Perhaps analogous to the disparities in the programs' budgets and community support, Centerville dominated the screen time 10:1.

During the Q&A following the film, Lantz acknowledged that "there is drama that happens in high school…but we made the decision that we really wanted to focus on the band experience." By choosing to include several students (rather than following the more personal stories of one or two members) the film really does emphasize the communal experience. However, at some points these efforts were taken to the extreme: scenes from the "share session" at the end of band camp (in which each band member was given an opportunity to address the entire group) felt more like a lengthy emotional montage than an image of a group united by their goals. However, the film is still being edited giving it a chance to work out some of the "thematic sticking points".

Most of all, I was impressed by the progress you could see in individuals. A rookie tuba player was featured at the beginning and end of the film with not only a noticeable improvement in his marching and playing skills, but a real transformation from an insecure high school freshman to a confident and coordinated young adult.

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Director, Doug Lantz, provides an insightful glimpse into the world of competitive marching bands. The film offers the personal stories of how marching band literally changes lives in an affluent suburb in Ohio as well as in an inner city school in California. Powerful, inspiring and revealing, this film will change the way you think about marching band. I was in marching band, myself, and it changed my own perspective on the subject! The students in the featured bands tell their own stories and it is clear that for some, it is a lifeline. Watching the students grow and mature throughout the season is a real treat. In my book, From the 50 Yardline scores big! Looking for hope in America's future? Check the band room!