Increasingly, the dance flash mob is casted, and professionally choreographed. Perhaps T-Mobile's series in 2007 did it best, literally cramming a train station full of dancers who rocked out so hard, their infectious enthusiasm spread to passersby who picked up snippets of the choreo and joined in. Lately, however, the drive to control the message of the flash mob has generated a fourth wall in semi-public, but mostly private consumerists spaces.
The latest effort of Beyoncé to take over the world through hairography and pumps comes not from her Goldeness Herself, rather from a "flash mob" created for Target to celebrate the launch of her album at the retail chain, or given the date, her team's nomination for an MTV Music Video Award for best Choreography. This video has very high production quality and most strikingly, has a storyline, just like a regular advertisement would. Give it a look:
As you can see, the crowd is forced out of their space, their routine for shopping, not because they want to watch necessarily, but because the producer realized that the best place to stage the mob was by the registers, which became the backstage for the waves of dance crews. Displacing the shopper does not turn them into an audience member. In fact, it could be argued that this particular iteration of flash mob is not the "gift" we have come to enjoy from large scale group choreography. Done in tiny teams each with exceptionally virtuositic timing (seriously, who would pick up these moves in a few moments other than another professional dancer), matching costumes meant to harmonize with the other brand in the room--Target--this flash mob for Beyoncé is foisted upon the shoppers. There is no negotiation of space, the music pumped overhead tells them they are in a different space, and the cameraman definitely cut down their ability to move across the aisle to the check out lines.
This is not a dance flash mob: it is an advertisement that disrupts the main show just like a regular one. The only difference? This ad does not pay dancers residuals, stalks the viewer, blocking the exits, and unfortunately, the bathroom.
7 comments:
Hey Anna...I'm very protective of my students and so please take that into consideration with my following comment. While I realize you may not know anyone in this video, I want to say your blog entry is misinformed and down right incorrect. Most of the dancers in this video are current students at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Hollywood. I know because I am a film teacher there and many of the people in the video are my students. This is no paid advertisement by Target to promote Beyonce. We train student so shoot film, act, dance...and in general tell stories in different mediums. I'm proud of the video quality, quite frankly because it's a credit to what we're teaching the students. I know these young people work MANY hours in the dance studios at the school to create something exciting and unique. You need to do a little more research before you speak on what you think is fact. Thanks Anna. TDV
Honestly I thought it was very entertaining, however, I find it hard to believe that it's not a paid advertisement for Target promoting Beyonce. Of course, I have no idea and perhaps their reasoning for Target color coordination and spelling out Beyonce was just the hope that that it would get bought or at least go viral? Just because they are students doesn't mean that it couldn't be for a commercial though, does it?
"Just because they are students doesn't mean that it couldn't be for a commercial though, does it?" This makes no sense to me when I just said this wasn't a commercial. It couldn't just be they coordinated their look and worked hard on the choreography and considered quality filming because THEY had an idea, THEY had a clear concept, THEY worked hard, THEY took advantage of social networking and new media to show the world what they can do. No...couldn't be that. It could ONLY be that they bought puppets advertising Target and Beyonce. They got Beyonce's attention with this. She highlighted it on her social networking pages and recognized their creativity and hard work. Does it draw attention to Bey? Sure, but does she really need it? Would she REALLY hire a bunch of kids to promote her latest single when she can spend a grip of money on a crazy, epic video?! You're argument makes no sense to me. Make me understand your POV...because right now, it's just demeaning when I KNOW these people and what they aim to do when so many their age/demographic is playing video games and whatnot. Make me understand.
Damn...your...not you're. lol...
Hi Téresa.
Mamie's comments should be well taken.
While it is fantastic that you and you're colleagues have worked these students up to this skill level, ease, and professionalism, given what you posted in your second comment, this is in fact an advert, just not for Beyoncé: it is an advert for the kids themselves.
Fine.
However, it is pretty safe to assume that this reads as an advert, not a flash mob, and yes it is very entertaining. The main character is hilarious. I found the step sequence weak, they did not seem to understand how to subdivide the rhythm so that Stepping could remain Stepping. The shooting and editing is fantastic. The costuming is well done.
All of those things, to your typical TV watcher, indicates "advertisement." In that regard, this is a VERY successful ad.
My question, however, is whether or not this is still a flash mob.
I think it is something else.
Given the incredible data you gave me--thank you thank you thank you because often the production companies, when they do things like this, have NDAs in place and the dance scholar cannot find out jack even though we want often to celebrate and document the dancers--I would have to say this is a new genre, and one that I personally find troubling at this juncture.
For labor reasons: this shoot was all student labor. So the agreement was about gaining exposure. I have been asked to choreograph these things and when I asked about payment for the dancers, I am often told "there is no money." And then asked "wouldn't thy just do it for fun?" That disturbs me. From a producer's stand point, this type of work is like money back into the budget: the talent donates their time.
For the Commons: we don't have a lot of truly public space in the United States. Frequently we use quasi public areas, like department stores and malls, as ways to socialize. Dance flash mobs had the possibility of reinserting the public into space, creating a portal of communal enjoyment and experience. They also tended not to have the fourth wall, and when they do have a "front," (working as if on a proscenium stage) the focus is on the architecture or objects of the space while the dancing presents an absurdist interaction with those elements (yeah, I've watched too many of these I think). Finally, the dance phrase tends to be either simple to pick up, or already a popular dance. Even when that is not the case (I watched a hula flash mob in San Francisco, for example) the dancers are mot sequestered from the public by the presence of evident video cameras: the cameras are well hidden as are the operators.
This flash mob, and one for Scope that I witnessed on the Santa Monica Promenade, and then yet another in the same location for the Promenade itself are examples of implying a stage, inserting a fourth wall and turning the public into an audience. The expectation is that you as a shopper-now-audience member will just stop what you are doing and witness, not join in.
Again, this points to this being a different genre and it intrigues me.
Finally, yes, Beyoncé would likely hire a bunch a students to pump her work. I hope she has the common sense to do so with this crew in the very near future. Lots of money or not, she is a business woman and this is a GREAT deal. Over 365,000 views so far and she still has the project going with Michelle Obama (another win-win product placement strategy) and the MTV Music video awards. All of those things are free. All of them promote her work. I would like her to pay your students.
It's that simple.
(con't...ran into the character limit)
When we stumble into a new genre, a new play area, the rules of engagement are not quite there yet. it is up to us to create them, discuss among ourselves what is happening and figure out ways to share our work and our love of what we do while promoting the greater good.
I strive to create conversations that are often uncomfortable for that very reason. Your students accidentally made a kick ass advertisement for Target and Beyoncé while trying to promote themselves. They got her attention, and 365,000 other people's, too. I would LOVE to interview them. I would not say that this is an example of the maker being out ahead of the scholar, but it is a great example of the scholar having completely other concerns than the makers. Perhaps in this instance, because the scholar has also served as a producer has a wee bit of fear for well being these exceptional students of yours.
Please put me in contact with them.
I will share the links you placed on my Face Book Page in another entry.
And let us know what course work they have related to labor rules on shoots and the DMCA. I am very curious now.
Thanks!
Post a Comment