Brainstorm 2.0 - Taking it to the next level.

[Agent Tuttle]

We have nearly two times the agents of New York and I hope that one day we get most of us in on a mission. It is time to step it up, boil it down, and filter it out.

In reference to ideas that were less than extraordinary, an agent not to be named made a good point recently: "If I were Imporv Everywhere, I would have made us change our name too." Which gave birth to this thread, the only one with rules.

To post a mission idea to THIS thread, the following guidelines must be considered. Most of them are a matter of opinion, so use your best judgment. Here it goes:

-You must have been thinking about this mission for at least 24 hours. No "umm, how about this..."

-Think of a title for the mission that can almost sum it up. Great movies can do this and it is a good guideline. "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
(This will also help keep variations of a theme separated and clear. ex: Ikea party / Ikea musical / Ikea soap opera)

-Try to be able to sum up the idea in one sentence. Same idea as above, the best ideas can be described simply. "An archaeologist races the Nazis to find the Ark of the Covenant."
(ex: agents stage a housewarming party in an Ikea kitchen / etc. / etc.)

-Tell someone about it and gauge their reaction, agent or not. If they laugh or say: "oh my God, that would be so funny (or awesome)" then you're on the right track. If they say: "Let me know when you are going to do that, I want it!" Congrats, you've just recruited someone.

-It should be original. It can be inspired by something and it can be similar to something that has been done, but in an original way or variation.

-It must not cause even the lowest of intelligent onlookers to panic.

-It should cause awe and wonder. A good rule of thumb would be if it would be worthy of an episode of The Twilight Zone.

-It should not make agents or the general public think that they are at a fund raiser for Jerry's Kids. Leave the schoolyard games out unless it is such a magnificent tweak that it passes the test.

-It will not make people think that it might be a terrorist activity.

-It will not put any agent into a risk of being arrested.

-The venue should fit the mission. Are you suggesting 3rd street just because it is 3rd street or can it be done somewhere else? Some missions might be ideal there and that location should be saved for such, if it can happen somewhere else, be open to it.

-It should be fairly easy to set up and disband. If there is rehearsal or major prep to be done, be prepared to take those tasks on. Some missions need props, cooperation of a business, etc. and those can be great missions. But there is something to be said for a mission that disappears like a fart in the wind. ex: the freeze

-It should be fun. After the 24 hour thought process, does it still sound fun, or are you sober now?

-It should cost little or no money. Some ideas require an investment. It's usually better to make it involve things most people have and can bring rather than need to all go out and buy. You'll get more participants that way. ex: purchasing tickets to disneyland, buying costumes, etc.

-It should not be too strenuous. People have suggested piggy-back missions before. When was the last time you gave one and how far were you able to go? Try a ten minute freeze and rethink the physical aspect of your idea.

-It should not be a typical birthday party activity for an 8yr old. No tag, no duck duck goose, no red rover, no leap frog here. Keep an open mind, though. Follow the leader has proven to be really great and it breaks the boundaries of the other mentioned activities.

-It should present an alternate reality of some kind. Role reversals, context swap, irony, social commentary. IE's subway mirror was brilliant, underwear subway was funny. Each made people think they stumbled onto something foreign to them. Take it to the next level.

-Keep it simple, yet clever. Never underestimate the power of subtlety. ex: slow motion shopping or agents dressed as employees takes a moment to notice. The revelation moment is great.

-It should be guaranteed success. What I mean is a mission should not hinge on a big if. "IF a celebrity shows up, we will do this..." WE should be in control of the defining elements of the mission.

-It should be practical. Training animals or trying to be Chinese acrobats should be left to the experts. If you are one, bring it on. Will it really work, or is it something that only works on film? ex: banned x-box commercial

-The mission should be safe. All precautions should be taken to make sure that nobody gets hurt. If you have some skills that apply to a key part of the idea, then you do it.

-If it's a musical, be prepared to organize meetings 'n' such. Don't think it will be easy and if it is your idea, as mentioned before, build a team and be ready to do most of the work YOURSELF. Have the musical work with the venue somehow. ex: IE food court musical.

-Try to make it so that many agents can be involved. Small missions can be great too, but maybe more people can get involved?

-Make it extraordinary and worthy of a mission. Public limbo or conga lines would need to have a big twist to work.

-Try to make it iconic LA. Let's discover the culture here, do things that can only be done here, etc. Olvera street, union station, travel town, the getty, hollywood blvd., universal city, etc.

-Keep an open mind when you get feedback. If someone has a good idea, use it, if not, then don't. My OPINION is that: If it's you're idea, it's your mission and have full kill and approval rights. If there is total disagreement against you, then a new more popular variation has just been born and should be explored. Perhaps two missions have evolved from one!

I know what you might be thinking right now, but listen. I went to photography school and sometimes we were given assignments with strict guidelines and those were always the most interesting because it forces you to think on a different level and opens creative doors.

Now challenge yourself and go for it!

[Teddy]

great job, this really helps in developing missions...until the people that dont read what the discussion is about join and start posting

[Agent Tuttle]

If we get one really good mission out of it, it'd be worth it. Thanks btw.

[Agent Judge]

Spontaneous Award ceremony:

First, we get some little 99 cent trophies, like the ones they give to every kid at liitle league. All the agents more or less hide or blend into the crowd as one agent, dressed in a tux or dress, walks up to someone and presents them an award for say, "best crossing the street" or "best hailing a taxi" or "best exit off a bus" and so on. we hand them the award everyone starts claping, not cheering, but like they do at an actual awards ceremony. We could even have a microphone and a PA system and ask them to make a speech.

[D]

Incredible idea! This would be a lot of fun.

[Agent Judge]

also, what if we had someone say: "and the nominees are" and when thye say who won (the random citizen) we have an agent throw a fit for not winning. im trying to think of ways we could have our agents do more than just applause polietly. any ideas? (also, thanks A, for the compliment)

[Agent A]

Brilliant. Nice thinking Judge!

[Trevin]

do it. i'll help. if I'm free.

I happen to play the flute. Not a James Galaway, but probably good enough. =]

[Agent Tuttle]

And in the middle of the speech an agent with a boom box cuts them off with orchestra music. I like it.

[Agent Judge]

i didnt think of that, that would be halarious!

[Agent Tuttle]

This is a good idea. They sell fake mini oscars at those crap stores on Hollywood Blvd.

[Agent 99]

I'm moving to Los Angeles in a month. (from Indianapolis) Please keep me posted on this trophy idea, I'd love to do it as my first introduction to the LA art scene, I think it's great.

[Ben]

"The Human Solar System"
(small-ish mission)

On the lawn right in front of the Griffith Observatory, we can get 10 agents to re-create the Solar System. One agent dressed in yellow is the Sun and the other 9 are the planets. Each planet-agent can either dress up in a way suggestive of that planet (Saturn has rings, for example. they can wear an inner-tube or something), or just have a big piece of paper taped to their shirt with their planet name on it, if we want to be simple. Anyway, all the planet-agents can "orbit" the Sun, who just stands there. Mercury orbits the fastest so that agent can run circles around the Sun quickly, while the others are more leisurely. Neptune is the furthest out there. Pluto isn't even a planet anymore. Poor agent. They can be the angry one.

We can have a "tour" coming through with the guide presenting the Solar System, and the followers can take notes, pictures, watch and discuss in awe, etc. Again, kind of a small mission, but on the weekends both during the day and at night the Observatory is pretty crowded. Good potential for an audience.

A possibly educational mission, too! We won't get kicked out.