DRUMLINE

College Marching Bands Star in New Film College Marching Bands Star in New Film College Marching Bands Star in New Film College Marching Bands Star in New Film College Marching Bands Star in New Film

Compiled from press accounts

Many 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 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 Nick Cannon (‘Devon Miles’) Laila, an upper classman who 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 “Whassup?!” Budweiser spots) Orlando Jones (‘Dr. Lee’) 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

with Boys”). Grammy-winning producer/songwriter Dallas Austin (who has collaborated with the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, ILC and Pink) serves as executive producer while also doubling as the film’s music supervisor. The project, based on Austin’s own experiences as a high school drummer, marks his debut as a movie producer. The film’s production team also includes Emmy-winning production designer Charles Bennett (HBO’s “Miss Evers’ Boys”), cinematographer Shane Hurlbut (HBO’s “The Rat Pack,” “Crazy/Beautiful”), costume designer Salvador Perez (“Men of Honor,” “Soul Food”) and film editor Bill Pankow (“The Untouchables,” “Snake Eyes”).

Marching bands are rare in movies; the biggest ever was undoubtedly in the finale of “The Music Man,” but the tone of “Drumline” is definitely different.

“I wanted to do a sports movie from the band’s viewpoint,” Stone said. “It’s also like a combat movie a little bit –‘Top Gun’ with drums.” “I think people are going to be surprised, because [this film] is a lot hipper than what they might expect,” said Jones. “Music more than anything else can take you completely into someone else’s world, into the mind of Bob Dylan or Snoop Dogg. One of the toughest things as an artist is to have a unique voice. It is amazing no one has done this kind of movie before.” “Drumline” concluded production in mid-February and will be released later this year by Twentieth Century Fox. Further details will be published in the fall issue of The Zoe Saldana (‘Laila’) PODIUM. }

The Editor gratefully acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of Twentieth Century Fox and the “Drumline” production office, especially Angela Carroll and Ernie Malik, in the preparation of this story. Bob Longino’s “Drumline dreams” (Atlanta JournalConstitution, Feb. 1, 2002) was also used as a source.

Sticks are a blur as the percussion section of “the Atlanta A & T University Marching Band” rocks the Georgia Dome during the recent filming of “Drumline.” (Photo by Zade Rosenthal © 2002 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Used by permission.)