Flags swinging, music playing, and kids dancing all get captured live during the halftime performance but not in the traditional way. Color guard member Aidan Nguyen got together with soloists from this year’s marching band show “Re: Imagine” and strapped GoPros on all of them for an inside look at the show.

“Before I even decided to join Color guard for the marching season, it was my goal to create a promotional video for the band that would display the band’s hard work,” said Nguyen. “And GoPros were a key element in doing so.”

Nguyen is involved in Audio and Video production that is offered through the high school and has worked on many other projects, including the GoPro videos.

“Setting up the entire GoPro sequence was definitely a blend of a passion project and an assignment for school,” Nguyen said. “I think it would be amazing to feature an amalgamation-type video for the entire school to see.”

Each movement of the show has its set group of soloists within the band and color guard. Every soloist adds a different element to the show, whether it’s visually or musically enhancing. While sitting in the stands of the bleachers, Ngyuen pulled the soloists aside to start giving them the GoPros and explaining how to use them and turn them on. 

“The downside to setting up the GoPro sequences is the actual setup processes themselves,” Ngyuen said. “I first ran the idea back to the band director Mr. Hayes, months ago, before we had even debuted our show to an audience. The amount of planning and logistics to get footage in the right place at the right time is definitely stressful, making it a downside to the entire process.”

Soon GoPros were attached to every soloist in the band, and everyone started making their way down from the bleachers to head to their respective warm-up areas. 

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My favorite part about giving people the chance to GoPro themselves is the look on their faces when they see the footage for themselves. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say you get lost in the moment when you perform, and filming a run lets, you relive that.

— Aidan Nguyen

“It was actually really fun,” dance soloist Eliana Wade said. “It took some getting used to, and I was a little scared it would go flying in the middle of the run, but it stayed pretty secure the whole time.”

Almost everyone involved with the GoPros was super excited to have this kind of opportunity and experience.

“ I felt pretty nervous, knowing that people would later see my run and judge my performance on the field,” flute soloist Gloria Olajimi said. “But it was still fun because I was excited for people to see the props and sets from my point of view. 

Having an inside perspective of this year’s marching band show gives others a different kind of feel and shows off a behind-the-scenes look at everything. It also goes to show how much work and dedication can go into this production. 

“My favorite part about giving people the chance to GoPro themselves is the look on their faces when they see the footage for themselves. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say you get lost in the moment when you perform, and filming a run lets, you relive that.”