I posted about Improv Everywhere awhile back on the ol' myspace blog, but i recently saw vid of theirs under Director Videos on youtube so i thought i'd revisit it.
Improv Everywhere is a group based in NYC who "cause[s] scenes of chaos and joy in public places." They're responsible for
Operation: Best Buy , in which about 80 people showed up at the same store dressed in an outfit similar to the official Best Buy employee uniform.
"As agents started arriving, I had them wait out of view and sent people over individually in fifteen-second intervals...Pretty soon there was an agent stationed at every aisle in every section of the store."
Slo-Mo Home Depot is another, slightly more elaborate, "mission".
One Saturday, about 225 people showed up to participate.
"We would sychronize our watches and then walk over to Home Depot and shop. At exactly 4:15 we would all begin moving in
slow motion. We’d do that for five minutes, and
then shop normally for five minutes as if nothing had happened. At exactly 4:25 we would all
freeze in place for five minutes. When that was over we would go back to normal and eventually leave the store."
Just before the freeze-in-place portion of the mission, Jewel's "Standing Still" came on the store speakers
My all-time favorite mission though is called The Moebius. This mission makes these people my heroes!
"On Saturday, March 22, 2003 Improv Everywhere agents created a living moebius strip in the Astor Place Starbucks. Seven undercover agents meticulously repeated a five-minute slice of time for twelve consecutive repetitions. Starbucks employees and patrons were frightened, confused, and ultimately entertained as they found themselves stuck, without escape, in the middle of a time loop."
There were six major components to the scene:
- Agent Todd and Agent Dippold enter the Starbucks holding hands. They stand in line, debating over what to order. Agent Dippold reaches in her purse for her cell phone, revealing a pack of cigarettes. Agent Dippold becomes frustrated and begins to walk towards the door. Dippold exits and Todd chases out after her.
- Agent Mason sits and writes at a table. Shortly after Todd and Dippold enter and stand in line, he spills his coffee. He trots across the Starbucks, grabs napkins, and returns to clean up his mess.
- Agent Barrison sits and reads at a table. Directly after Agent Todd and Dippold exit, he receives a cell phone call (the ringer is set to loud and to “The Entertainer”). He gets up and walks to the window for better reception. He finishes the call and returns to his seat.
- Agent King sits at a table and writes. Shortly after Barrison takes the phone call, King rises and heads to the bathroom line, stumbling and bumping in to Agent Mason on the way. He apologizes to Mason, asks the patron at the back of the bathroom line, “Is this the line for the bathroom?”, briefly waits in line, and then returns to his seat. After sitting he remarks to Agent Barrison (who is sitting at his table) that the line to the bathroom is “long”.
- Agent Keech enters from outside with a boombox playing “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M. The song is approximately 15 seconds underway when he enters. Keech dances through the Starbucks and exits out the door on the opposite side.
- Agent Kula sits and reads a copy of ESPN The Magazine. After Keech exits he sneezes loudly, waits two beats, and then clears his throat. Moments after his sneeze, Agents Todd and Dippold enter and the loop starts again. Agent Kula is also responsible for placing the cell phone call that makes Agent Barrison’s phone ring.
This sequence of events was repeated seamlessly for one hour.
Check out the Improv Everywhere website to see more mission.
Here is their youtube page as well
