Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Flashmobbing for the faint hearted

We've all heard of flashmobs but with everyone and their mum creating chaos in public spaces to get their own message across it's a vehicle that is beginning to look a little tired. Indeed as a good friend of mine said earlier this week 'when T.mobile are using flashmobs in their adverts you know they aren't cool anymore'.

Last week I attended a workshop where I learnt all about these amazing events called 'subtle mobs'. If, like me, when you hear this you immediately think of a really tame flashmob for beige wearing people that are too afraid to make a tit of themselves in a public place then YOU ARE WRONG!

How it works
People are invited to download an MP3 from the subtlemob website and then meet in a specific place at a certain time where they will press play. On the track is a series of instructions, narration and beautiful music that generates a filmic quality to everyday life. Multiple tracks are often available with different instructions for the listeners to follow which means that they take it in turns to be the observer or performer depending on the instructions they are given. The overall effect is like a beautifully choreographed film sequence which is completely undetected by the general public around the listeners (hence the subtle bit!). Get it???

It's extremely hard to explain as you need to actually be involved in one to fully understand but here's how they explain it on the website....

Imagine walking through a film, but it’s happening on the streets you live in

This is about trying to make films without cameras

It’s about integrating with a social or physical space, not taking it over


Want to see what audiences thought about it? have a look at this video . . .



I can't wait for them to come back to Bristol as it seems like a movie geek's dream! To find out more go to: www.subtlemob.com

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