LOCKDOWN

This Monday I got the entire film class to meet me in the little theater on campus. The class would get a quick introduction to improvisation and character building. At least that was what I told them.

Earlier that day I had Jesse, Alex, and Talal to help me set up the premises for a little short movie project I've had in my mind for quite some time. To stage a classroom lock down, and shoot the students reactions.

So I've got Talal pretending to be a security guard, Alex is the kid gone loco on campus, and Jesse is a sit in art student from Seattle art forum. Jesse had a video camera and, taped the entire thing. I had also talked to a couple if my student; Amy and Tanisha to be the insiders that would help me control the situation, making sure that everybody stayed calm and panicked the entire time. We rigged up the sound intercom, and played a fake message: "there is a level two security risk (which means Virginia tech situation on campus): "everybody keep inside the classroom, and be quiet." We killed the lights and huddled up.

After this we waited about 15 min to do anything else. Then Alex who was already in the backstage area started making noises. Screaming and knocking over things. Everybody freaked out, and we started barracking the backstage doors - somebody was trying to get in to the theater. After five more minutes Talal came in and escalated the matters by saying there is a person of some kind of risk on campus grounds. Before Alex broke the door down, we had to stop it because the students started calling the police and such, and the guys were ready to go in and "whoop some ass" Jesse, the art student, also got heat from videotaping the thing while everybody, including me told him not to.

It was a perfect executed set up, all though it went a bit far. After the session we talked a bit, and the two students involved spoke in front of the class about improvisation and how it was to act in a real environment. I hope it was as educational as it was scary.