College Marching Bands Star in New Film Compiled from press accounts any ΚΚΨ and ΤΒΣ members will be able to see themselves on the big screen this fall with the release of the new Fox 2000 feature, “Drumline.” Set in the rousing, spectacular world of college marching bands, the coming-of-age tale depicts the ordeals of a gifted hip hop drummer from Harlem who wins a music scholarship to a fictional southern university and hopes to land a spot as a drummer on its marching band’s drum line. Although he initially flounders in his new culture and environment, the tenacious, talented freshman conquers his shortcomings to lead the school’s band in the heralded Big Southern Classic, one of the region’s most popular musical contests spotlighting some of the area’s best college bands. Production of “Drumline” began last December 4 in Atlanta, where the filmmakers used the campuses of Clark Atlanta University, Morris-Brown College, and Georgia Tech to portray the story’s fictional “Atlanta A&T University.” Director Charles Stone also led his company to the Georgia Dome in late January to orchestrate the film’s stirring, climactic marching band competition sequence, which features the actual marching bands from Atlanta’s Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University, Florida’s Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, and Louisiana’s Grambling State Tiger Band. Band members from Clark Atlanta University and Atlanta’s Southwest DeKalb High School made up the fictional “A & T” marching band, and over 40,000 Atlantans served as unpaid extras for the competition sequence in the Georgia Dome. ΚΚΨ and ΤΒΣ also played a part in the production, allowing use of the fraternity’s and sorority’s letters and crests in the background of some of the shots. Budgeted at under $20 million, “Drumline” stars standup comic and Nickelodeon fixture Nick Cannon as Devon
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Miles, a freshman drummer who can’t read music (but can flip drumsticks) but who is nevertheless determined to shine on the school’s drum line. He is joined in the cast by Orlando Jones (“Evolution,” “Double Take,” and the newly-released remake of “The Time Machine”) as the college’s stoic marching band director, Dr. Lee; Zoe Saldana (“Crossroads,” “Center Stage”) as Laila, an upper classman who Nick Cannon (‘Devon Miles’) strikes up a romantic relationship with the talented percussionist; Leonard Roberts (“He Got Game”) as Sean, the envious senior band member who initially resents and dismisses Devon’s talent; and Earl Poitier (“Remember the Titans”), Gregory Qaiyum, a.k.a. GQ (“On the Line”), and Jason Weaver (“The Jacksons: An American Dream”) as fellow freshmen also aspiring to win starting spots on the college marching band. Filmmaker Charles Stone III (“Paid in Full,” TV’s Orlando Jones (‘Dr. Lee’) “Whassup?!” Budweiser spots) directs from an original screenplay by Tina F. Chism and Gina Prince-Blythewood. Academy Award winner Wendy Finerman (“Forrest Gump”) produces the film along with Jody Gerson, one of music’s most accomplished publishing executives and industry veteran Tim Bourne (“Riding in Cars
