A performer in the middle of a crowd can make an activation or sink it, and the difference is almost always in the planning: who you cast, how long they’re in character, and what happens when a guest doesn’t want to play.
Cast for the job, on video
For the world premiere of the horror film HERD at FrightFest, the film’s marketing agency wanted zombies on the red carpet: actors who could walk, stalk and grunt in character, and make the night scary and fun. An open call brought in video auditions from trained actors, and the client had a few days to choose two.
Video auditions are the right tool for this. You see how someone moves as well as how they look in a headshot, and the client chooses without a casting day.
- 2zombie actors
- 11hours in character
- 1SFX make-up artist
Plan the whole day
The HERD zombies started in make-up at 10am, with the filmmakers there to give direction. They did red carpet photos and interviews outside Cineworld at 3pm, met guests in the pub at 4pm, had a make-up touch-up, went on stage to open the premiere at 6pm and scared the audience on the way out until 9pm. That is eleven hours in character, in full SFX make-up that had to survive a red carpet, a pub and a cinema.
If the make-up has to last eleven hours, book the artist for all eleven.
Write the safety rules into the script
Uber Eats built a giant takeaway bag outside King’s Cross for Halloween, with a dark room inside and one challenge: stay silent for a minute while the scares come. Our two actors were hidden inside: a pumpkin scarecrow behind a two-way mirror who struck when a light picked him out, and a silhouette behind a fabric wall, pushing towards guests with low zombie growls.
Every guest signed a waiver and a health and safety form before going in. No more than three went in at a time. And anyone could raise their hands and call to be let out. Guests need to know they can stop at any time. Write the exit into the experience before you write the jump.
The actors had to stay still and silent until their cue, then strike, guest after guest, for four hours in a small space inside the set. Our event manager ran the team on in-ear radios, so the actors inside and the team on the queue outside always knew who was next.
Guests left with a treat bag of vouchers and sweets, or a trick bag of garlic and zombie raisins, plus a QR code for their night-vision clip.
Photo: Sam Lane Photography for SpaceandPeople.
Casting real people
For HelloFresh at Waterloo, the brief was a live family dinner inside a giant HelloFresh box on the station concourse, every evening at 5pm, for an hour, in the middle of the rush. The brief asked for a live photograph of a happy, slightly chaotic family evening: natural, warm and never stagey.
We cast two families: a mum, a dad, an older and a younger sibling. Then we rehearsed with the agency and the client to find the tone. The notes were simple: plenty of laughter, faces to the front, and no talking over each other, so the audience could hear real conversation.
- 9,000goody bags at Waterloo
- 3live evenings
- 6scenes in each hour
Checklist
- Video auditions as well as headshots
- A full-day plan including make-up and breaks
- Waivers and safety rules where guests take part
- Rehearsal with the agency and the performers
- A clear brief on staying in character
Common questions
How do you cast actors for a brand event?
On video, so you see how someone moves and performs, as well as how they look in a headshot.
How long can performers stay in character?
A long time if the day is planned properly. The HERD zombies at FrightFest were in character for 11 hours, starting in make-up at 10am.
How do you keep immersive activations safe?
Build safety into the script. At the Uber Eats Halloween bag, every guest signed a waiver and a health and safety form, and no more than three went in at a time.
Send us your idea for a performer and we’ll tell you what it takes to cast and run it safely.
