Improv Everywhere proved every place is a stage when they broke into song and dance in a grocery store last month and created their own musical.

“Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places.  Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 100 missions involving tens of thousands of undercover agents,” according to the website.

However, the acts aren’t neccesarily improv.  While they are performing random acts in public, the performance is still planned out.

If you haven’t already heard about the craziness they stir up, check them out.  They also performed another musical last month.

Improv Everywhere is at it again… if only life was really a musical.

It’s amazing how you find so many things on the Internet just by clicking and surfing. YouTube has a great collection of videos that it would be impossible to spend a whole day on this site. You probably need a year, at the very least.

After watching one video, I would click the next related one, and then the next, and then you’re taken farther and farther away from the very first video you watched.

I found out about Improv Everywhere from an e-mail forwarded to me by a friend. The link was a video of members of the performance art group freezing for five minutes in Grand Central Station in New York City.

Created in August 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere’s main goal is to cause scenes of “chaos and joy” in public places. They are primarily based in New York City and have executed over 100 missions.

Another Improv Everywhere video, the Food Court Musical, is after the jump.

Acho o máximo este tipo de actos de espontaneidade! Adorava que algo assim acontecesse comigo.

“Grocery Store Musical”

“I Love Lunch! The Musical”

vídeos e making of in Improve Everywhere

Sundays for me usually are very busy. I spend most of it in a dark room developing my black and white film and then try to get some decent prints done. What once was a free day is now dedicated to photography overload – in a good way.

I like to start and end my weeks with humor. If I can satisfy that, the rest of the week is a walk in the park, breezing by.

Fresh off of Friday’s Best Buy revealing I found this video by ImprovEverywhere. Get this, 80 people walk in to a Best Buy clad in blue shirts and khakis. Awkward for Best Buy employees? I’ll bet.

As a bonus, here is a video. Take that bag checkers!

Lol. This is too funny! A bunch of people start singing about lunch to an unexpected crowd. Fun-ny. Its great! Improv everywhere – they make scenes!

Darsh

Check out the latest production of Improv Everywhere.  More about them later.

I wish my lunch break were half as exciting as that.  Yes, that was Ann Curry.  So Improv Everywhere is a group based here whose mission is simply to “create scenes and chaos of joy in public places”.  I’m sure you recall this video they did last year.

This city is never want of people doing strange yet creative things just to get noticed. Only in New York…love it!

It’s a sad day for Texas and the military. I’ll never understand why some people think it’s a good idea to walk into a building and start shooting at innocent people. Never. It makes no sense at all. This man has received way too much publicity already for his heinous act, so I’m not going to further promote his cowardice. However, I will say that my prayers go out to the friends and families of those involved. May God’s peace and comfort rain down on them during this time of grief and confusion.

On a lighter note, Improv Anywhere has staged another spontaneous musical. This time it happened during lunch at the Trump Tower atrium in New York City. Check it out.

And for more info about how they did it, read the Improv Everywhere blog.

Tal como os dije hace un par de semanas, el colectivo Improv Everywhere organizó en distintas ciudades de España su Experimento MP3. Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia y Vigo fueron las ciudades elegidas.

Tras la experiencia sólo puedo pedir, casi rogar, que actividades de este tipo se repitan más a menudo. Fueron casi cuarenta minutos de risas, sino carcajadas, que compartimos cientos de personas en mitad de la Rambla de Barcelona.

¿Queréis ver lo bien que lo pasamos?

No he podido ir por la mañana, pero sí por la tarde.

• Sesión sobre el Computer Animation Festival del Siggraph, presentado por su directora, Carlye Archibeque.
• 20 años de Art Futura, con ilustres invitados de anteriores ediciones y contenidos que con la perspectiva de los 20 años toman mucho interés.
• Los dos directores creativos de Digital Kitchen, Rama Allen y Matt Mulder, han explicado el proceso creativo en sus producciones publicitarias y motion graphics. True Blood, 6 feet under y la cabacera de boxeo para la cadena de deportes norteamericana HBO entre otras.
  http://www.d-kitchen.com
• Para cerrar la jornada, Charlie Todd, la mente tras Improv Everywhere ha mostrado las misiones más importantes de su grupo, y un primer montaje de la experiencia MP3 que hicieron el jueves en las Ramblas de Barcelona.
  http://www.improveverywhere.com

No he podido ir por la mañana, pero sí por la tarde.

• Sesión sobre el Computer Animation Festival del Siggraph, presentado por su directora, Carlye Archibeque.
• 20 años de Art Futura, con ilustres invitados de anteriores ediciones y contenidos que con la perspectiva de los 20 años toman mucho interés.
• Los dos directores creativos de Digital Kitchen, Rama Allen y Matt Mulder, han explicado el proceso creativo en sus producciones publicitarias y motion graphics. True Blood, 6 feet under y la cabacera de boxeo para la cadena de deportes norteamericana HBO entre otras.
  http://www.d-kitchen.com
• Para cerrar la jornada, Charlie Todd, la mente tras Improv Everywhere ha mostrado las misiones más importantes de su grupo, y un primer montaje de la experiencia MP3 que hicieron el jueves en las Ramblas de Barcelona.
  http://www.improveverywhere.com

Interesante arranque de ArtFutura esta tarde:

• Los vídeos de 3D en España, las mejores animaciones por ordenador hechas en España.
• Franz Fischnaller ha hablado en nombre de su empresa F.A.B.R.I.CATORS, empresa de medios digitales especializada en fabricar ideas.
  http://www.fabricat.com
• Multi touch Barcelona y sus proyectos divertidos relacionados con interfaces y juegos aprovechando dispositivos táctiles multitouch.
  http://www.multitouch-barcelona.com
• Villa NURBS y otros proyectos inspirados en los principios de Antoni Gaudí sobre respeto y aprendizaje de la naturaleza por parte del estudio cloud9 contados por el arquitecto Enric Ruiz Geli.
  http://www.themakingofcloud9projects.com
  http://studiobanana.tv/2009/07/03/enric-ruiz-geli/
• Los vídeos de las “misiones” de Improv Everywhere. Os recomiendo que visitéis su web y veáis sus vídeos.
  http://www.improveverywhere.com
  Mi favorito, el musical improvisado en un restaurante de comida rápida.

Interesante arranque de ArtFutura esta tarde:

• Los vídeos de 3D en España, las mejores animaciones por ordenador hechas en España.
• Franz Fischnaller ha hablado en nombre de su empresa F.A.B.R.I.CATORS, empresa de medios digitales especializada en fabricar ideas.
  http://www.fabricat.com
• Multi touch Barcelona y sus proyectos divertidos relacionados con interfaces y juegos aprovechando dispositivos táctiles multitouch.
  http://www.multitouch-barcelona.com
• Villa NURBS y otros proyectos inspirados en los principios de Antoni Gaudí sobre respeto y aprendizaje de la naturaleza por parte del estudio cloud9 contados por el arquitecto Enric Ruiz Geli.
  http://www.themakingofcloud9projects.com
  http://studiobanana.tv/2009/07/03/enric-ruiz-geli/
• Los vídeos de las “misiones” de Improv Everywhere. Os recomiendo que visitéis su web y veáis sus vídeos.
  http://www.improveverywhere.com
  Mi favorito, el musical improvisado en un restaurante de comida rápida.

(via swissmiss)

Oi…

não sei se vocês conhecem a campanha Improv Everywhere…. ela circula por várias cidades do mundo, deixando o dia de muita gente inusitado…. existe sempre um coordenador e um mutirão de gente… fica bem interessante…… tudo para deixar o dia de várias pessoas mais feliz…..

se interessar… http://improveverywhere.com/

Uma galera combinou e saiu as ruas passeando como uma coleira que fica suspensa no ar, dando a impressão de que realmente existe um cachorro ali. Situação muito engraçada criada pelo programa Improv Everywhere!

If you were a gum company trying to promote your new fruit-flavored gum, how would you do it?  Well, you could hire a bunch of college kids to pass out samples in the mall or outside of sporting events. You could put coupons in Val-Pak mailers or the Sunday newspaper advertising inserts.  Maybe you spend the big bucks and launch a nationwide tv campaign.

Or …

you could hire a half-dozen actors, choreograph a 4-minute musical and have them debut it in one local grocery store.  Oh, and maybe you have a few people video the spectacle so a million viewers can choose to see your marketing message on YouTube in the first week!

That’s exactly what Trident did when they hired Improv Everywhere to promote their new “Trident Layers” gum.  Very smart move.

How smart?  Well, Nielsen Company just released research that showed that internet users are watching 25% more online video than they did a year ago – and they expect that to continue increasing.  The heaviest consumers of online video?  Teenagers through age 35 – probably a perfect demographic for a new gum product launch.  To put a million viewers per week in perspective, the popular sitcom “The Office” draws an audience of about 8 million viewers every week … but just try to buy a 4-minute ad on network tv.

If I’m a food company from Iowa  like AE Dairy, Wells Blue Bunny, Cookies BBQ, National Pork Producers or Amana Steaks looking to launch a new food product, I’m taking notes and maybe calling Hy-Vee. (Ok, maybe this is a little out of the scope of Amana’s brand identity … but …)

Author: Tom Flynn III
www.lessingflynn.com
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If these guys did this around me, I would not look around in confusion, but simply put my head down, walk fast, and keep walking until I was home behind locked doors or dead. That is not a judgement, but a simple statement of fact.

So it’s been a while since my past post, but as we all know, the crazy world of pop culture never stops moving. So we’ve got some catching up to do. Here’s the top 6 things you need to know about from the last few weeks.

6. Facebook changes…again…

Oh no! Facebook made another relatively minor change to the site? THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. CLEARLY.

5. Let The Wild Rumpus Start

Everyone’s new favorite kids book Where The Wild Things Are finally came out in movie form, making hipsters everywhere happy. The acclaimed movie is currently destroying the box office, having made a little more than $50 million so far. It’s also managed to destroy any hope that people will have an original Halloween costume this year (trust me, be sure and count all the Max’s thrown in with Billy Mays, MJ, etc.).

4. Ghosts n’ Stuff

In other apparently awesome movie news, indie horror smash Paranormal Activity continues to scare the bejeezus out of people everywhere as it continues to expand nationwide. Spooky scary.

3. Amy Winehouse rises from the grave

Two guesses as to what helped her be noticed again. (zing?)

2. Improv Everywhere Strikes Again

The rascals at Improv Everywhere struck again, releasing their latest video…Grocery Store Musical. It’s quite funny, like pretty much everything else they do.

1. Just Because You’re Named Falcon Doesn’t Mean You Can Fly

Come on, how can I say that I’m good at my job and NOT mention the whole Balloon Boy fiasco? Lying parents, crazy news stories, throwing up on live TV…I mean, the whole thing has its own Wikipedia page and it’s only been, what, a couple weeks since it happened? Heene family, I salute you with the WTF of the Week.

And with that, I’m out. See you all at the breakfast table, same time next week.

Seit 2001 treibt die Gruppe Improv Everywhere in und um New York ihr Unwesen. Die Aktionen reichen von kleinen Inszenierungen, wie einem plötzlichen Musical in einem Supermarkt, bis zu einem Mega-Flashmob, der über vorher heruntergeladene MP3s gesteuert wird. Hier zwei der kürzeren Videos. Mehr Stoff gibt es im Youtube-Channel und auf der offiziellen Webseite. Auf letzteren gibt es zusätzlich noch eine Menge Fotos und Zusatzinfos zu den Aktionen. Reinschauen lohnt sich!

American Morning co-host John Roberts ribaldly recalls yet again Zain Verjee’s ample melons. After a Jeanne Moos segment featuring Improv Everywhere singing in a store’s produce section, co-anchor Kiran Chetry commented, “That never happens at my grocery store. How about you?” Randily John replied, “Well, there was that time Zain Verjee appeared in the produce department of a store.”

[For the reader who may not recollect, Zain Verjee appeared on an American Morning "Great Grocery Challenge" segment memorialized by Jon Stewart on his Comedy Central Daily Show. As she was interviewed by guest co-host Kyra Phillips in the produce aisle, Kyra racily remarked, "Nice melon [pause] behind you there!” Also present, a suddenly reddened John whirled around in disbelief and declared, “Whoa!”]

Looking lustily up with almost a leer, John chortled, “I remember fondly back on that.” Grinning, Kiran risquely added, “That’s right. It made everybody very hungry for watermelon, right?” John smiled broadly, chuckled, and remained wisely silent.*

Well, it is that frisky early A.M.!

AM – 10/27/08 (6:55 a.m. ET)

Who doesn’t love a flash mob suddenly breaking out and dancing?  Below are many examples of the Flash Mob, some of my favorites.  I wonder if they could be called Fantasy Writing, in a sense.  A collaborative work that changes the reality of those watching into a fantasy version of reality.  It’s more honestly described as theatre—probably Guerilla Theatre,  and certainly it is based on “musical reality” where tough gangsters in Guys and Dolls dance, or thugs in West Side Story snap their fingers.  But I think the Flash Mob which has really gained popularity has a more recent common ancestor.

A film called, The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges.  In that film, there’s a sequence where all the walking people in Grand Central Station suddenly turn into dancers.  It’s the essence of Flash Mob–to create a dream sequence.  It’s such a stunning moment that I often see it in mash-ups of film retrospectives.  And the fact that modern flash mob dance sequences take place in large public spaces–like Grand Central–nods, at least a little to “The Fisher King.”

Here’s the Fisher King sequence, and then following it a selection of some of the most entertaining Fantasy moments you’ll find, this side of Reality.  Following that is a short selection of tips I think Fantasy writers can pick up from Flash Mobs.

Fisher King dance at Grand Central Station

Michael Jackson tribute in Stockholm

Oprah and Black-Eyed Peas

Frozen Grand Central Station (the opposite of Fisher King)

And for more of Improv Everywhere–they do musicals in grocery stores and much much more!

What tips can Fantasy Writers pick up from Flash Mobs

1.  They know what their audience expects, and they do the unexpected.  Grand central is supposed to be busy and chaotic–but not when it’s choreographed or frozen in place.  Fantasy writing wants to both fulfill desires and offer something new.   If you have a dwarf, an elf, a ring….uh….we know what might happen, we know what could happen, and we may not wait for anything surprising TO happen.  Shrek and Princess Bride play off expectations.  They successfully surprise and entertain their readers—but they are parodies.  Creating completely surprising fantasy realms–with new creatures, new settings, no medieval setting–can also surprise a reader and make him or her want to read.  

2.  Flash Mobs bring joy to their watchers, or a sense of wonder, by giving the mundane new life.  Subway commutes, catching a train, buying groceries–now that’s a list of first dates I wanna go on!  But if you give the mundane a new sense of wonder you can re-vitalize something that was boring.  Wish they’d do that with filling out registration for car insurance….  Fantasy writing can take the ordinary and make it amazing.  Look at how exciting a compass got in The Golden Compass (yep, an alethiometer!), or CS Lewis transforming a game of hide and seek in an old mansion on a rainy day, or tornadoes in Kansas….  Find a way to take something ordinary, an object, an action, and give it new meaning, new wonder.  Honestly, I want reality to be a little more like fantasy, a little more like a flash mob.  

3.  Flash Mobs are Choreographed.  They look spontaneous!  But in reality, a lot of effort was put in to make them look effortless.  Same in writing.  In writing, you guide the reader’s experience.  It requires you to be more calculating and choreagraphical than maybe you’re used to, but that’s what an interesting plot is.  Imagine if the dancers in these sequences had done boring moves…  Plot is choreography–telling your reader where to move, and what to watch….  

4.  But everyday flashmobbing would become boring.  If you saw this happen all the time, you’d start to think this was reality, and ignore it.  It’s the unusual nature of a flashmob–the sudden coming together of people doing the same thing–that makes it unique.  It has to stay unusual to escape being usual.  What does that mean for fantasy writers?  That we should only create one thing— nope, but variation is important.  If you only do one kind of thing, dragons, let’s say, then your reader may eventually become bored with what you’re doing–even your interesting fantasy might become mundane.  Imagine ten more books of Harry Potter.  HP had to have a story arc that encompassed a certain number of books.  Plan that arc, and then, it’s over.  Else you get a Wheel of Time that keeps on spinning.  

Good fantasy writing changes reality—and ripples into your reality forever altering it.  

Okay, I could be analyzing too much.  Enjoy the damn flashmobs and stop thinking of writing….  Oh, look, over there, it’s a whole collection of random werewolves doing Bollywood!  Made you look.