By Edward Michael Francis (they/them) CultFroggy | The Marching Revolution www.cinemarchmedia.com Note on Sources: This paper draws on a combination of archival materials, published scholarship, and informal sources such as internet forums and community histories. While such unofficial sources are not ideal in traditional historical research, in the case of drum and bugle corps they often represent the only surviving record of events, practices, and perspectives not captured

By Edward Michael Francis (they/them) CultFroggy - The Marching Revolution www.cinemarchmedia.com The psychological landscape of high-demand groups is defined by a sophisticated interplay of environmental control, cognitive restructuring, and emotional manipulation. While the term cult is often colloquially reserved for fringe religious sects, the underlying architecture of totalism—the systematic attempt to dominate human thought and behavior—is observed across a wide spectr

How systems of evaluation create norms, enforce conformity, and produce the very “truths” they claim to measure by Edward Michael Francis (they/them) CultFroggy www.cinemarchmedia.com Marching arts — whether drum corps, winter guard, or indoor ensembles — present themselves as creative fields governed by artistry, athleticism, and expressive interpretation. Yet beneath the surface of guards, drums, and color wheels lies a system of evaluation that functions like an intellige

There are documents that are clumsy. There are documents that are misguided. And then there are documents that are so reckless they quietly dare catastrophe to prove them wrong. MAASIN’s ICE Safety Plan for marching groups falls squarely into the last category. MAASIN (the Marching Arts Safety & Inclusion Network) is an advocacy organization focused on safety, equity, and inclusion within the marching arts. Because its materials are often treated as best-practice guidance by

This is not a warning. This is a refusal. In recent days, MAASIN released messaging asserting that immigration enforcement, specifically ICE, is now a risk factor that marching arts organizations and families should “prepare” for. That alone should have ended this conversation. If an arts activity requires families to consider federal law enforcement risk just to participate, the activity has already failed. If organizations respond to that reality by issuing vague warnings

The Language of Legitimacy: A Clinical Breakdown of Modern Drum Corps Judging Now and in the Future by Edward Michael Francis (they/them/theirs) The Marching Revolution / CultFroggy www.cinemarchmedia.com   Beyond the Numbers: A Scientific Examination of Drum Corps Judging Systems The world of drum corps competition is as thrilling as it is enigmatic, with highly trained performers pouring their lives into a single 12-minute performance, all to be evaluated by a series of num

CultFroggy did not appear out of nowhere. It emerged directly from the work, audience, and analytical spine of The Marching Revolution . The Marching Revolution  began as a focused project: examining the marching arts through a materialist, anti-authoritarian lens. Over time, a pattern became unavoidable. The dynamics being named were not unique to drum corps, color guard, or performance culture. They were repeating everywhere. What started as a critique of a specific ecosyst

Welcome to the next phase, Comrades! Myron and I are back from our December rest, recharged and ready to get loud again. CineMarch Info Club Official Seal First things first: we've got a new Patreon name.  Welcome to the CineMarch Media Information Club  — a nod to the legendary MST3K Info Club, because if we're going to build a community of critical thinkers and culture warriors, we might as well tip our hat to the best. Same mission, sharper focus, better toolkit. Speaking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CineMarch Media Launches CultFroggy: New Podcast Series Examining High-Control Groups and Cult Dynamics Revolutionary media company expands content offerings while maintaining commitment to marching arts advocacy January 1, 2026 — CineMarch Media, LLC announces the launch of CultFroggy , a new podcast series dedicated to analyzing high-control groups, cult dynamics, and systems of manipulation. The show arrives February 2026 as part of a strategic expans