I remember when I saw the movie Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time. I’ve actually seen this stunning film countless times and Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddy Mercury is still so convincing that I’m completely captivated with every single viewing! There was a scene in which Brian had just written a new song and he was teaching the band to stamp their feet twice and clap once to the beat. Freddy walked in late and questioned what they were doing. Brian explained that he had come up with a way to give the audience a song that they could perform.
Of course this famous tune turned out to be the blockbuster hit We Will Rock You, still incredibly popular today. Freddy was also famous for riling up the crowd with his “Ay-O” and the audience mimicking him. He led them to do what he did.
A long time ago I worked for a guy, we’ll call him Archie Bannon. He had the annoying habit of nodding when he was trying to convince you of something. And during his speech where he hurdled tons of information at you machine gun style, he’d end each sentence with, “Right?”
Here’s a great Bannon the Cannon example. “So Jen, you know we have to cap expenses, right? And we have this new tracking system, right? All you have to do is complete the twelve fields for each expense over $5 so that our admin folks can properly calculate the costs each week! Sound good?” Oh my god, no! It’s sounds like a damn nightmare! But he was always fishing for audience participation.
Well as the story goes, Bannon the Cannon was so out of control with his “rights” and head shaking that I actually changed his name in my phone to “Loose Cannon” so that every time he’d call my cell, I’d just shake my head in the negative– probably not the response he was going for but it made me laugh. (Follow me for more great tactics of surviving corporate America!)
Big sports fans certainly get in on the action by screaming at refs, pointing at the court after a missed shot or fumbled ball on the field, throwing popcorn at the screen or getting up close and personal with rival fans. Horror movies evoke audience participation but never see their viewers cowering in fear! Have you ever watched a scary movie from home when you found yourself screaming at the TV, “Don’t go outside!” “Look behind you!” “He’s in the CLOSET!” or “Run!!!”
I guess the ultimate movie for audience participation is The Rocky Horror Picture Show. People go to the theater dressed up and armed with props to act out the whole thing! This “shadow cast” mimes the actions on screen while lip-syncing their character’s lines. If you’ve never been it’s quite an experience. And fans return time after time as the song encourages, “Let’s do the time warp again.”
My favorite kind of audience participation is at a fancy grocery store when they are handing out free samples. (C’mon that was a layup.) And I’d have to say my least favorite is on a Teams call where you haven’t been paying close attention and someone asks you to comment! It’s the worst.
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