In the digital age, a new trend is always being born. We all remember the Ice Bucket Challenge and even the planking phenomenon. Many of us shook our heads in disbelief as we watched the first videos. But over time, the videos went viral and soon we found ourselves dumping a bucket of ice cold water over our heads and willingly lying face down on the dirty ground. Well if you haven’t heard, there’s a new trend in town (or in the Internet world) and it’s called the Mannequin Challenge.
Started by a group of students at Jacksonville’s Ed White High School, just a few miles away from Holmes Stamp & Sign, the Mannequin Challenge involves a large group of people pretending to be frozen in all kinds of positions. The top video on YouTube has received over seven million views. People from all over the world have participated in the challenge including Michelle Obama, the Clinton campaign, Beyonce and a number of famous athletes.
Since we love to have fun here at Holmes Stamp and Sign, we decided to give the Mannequin Challenge a try… and it was a BLAST! Watch the #Holmies take on the challenge here:
The Mannequin Challenge may look easy, but it’s actually not as simple as it seems (especially if you have some rambunctious participants J). What looks like a group of just holding perfectly still, actually takes a little preparation. If you’ve been thinking about joining the world in this trend, follow these steps to execute the Mannequin Challenge!
- Select a leader: It’s always easier to organize a large group of people when there’s someone in charge.
- Find a large (the more the better) group of participants and find out when they can do the challenge.
- Set a time and date, then make sure it’s effectively communicated to the rest of the group.
- Establish a location and also communicate this to the group.
- Choose a videographer (maybe the group’s leader)! Stabilizers are a great filming tool if you have one available. If not, just try to keep a steady arm while filming.
- Once everyone’s at the location, have the leader instruct them to hold their favorite position (It can be normal, funny or odd – but remember, unique poses will separate your video from others!)
- RECORD! Have your videographer walk through the crowd, recording everyone’s “frozen” position and paying attention to those that stand apart. Make sure everyone holds as still as possible.
- Once you’re done, celebrate your awesomeness!
- Optional: Lay the audio track “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd behind the video before posting.
- Have the leader post the video to social media, then have the rest of the group share the video to ALL of their platforms so you can get the most views as possible.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully executed the Mannequin Challenge. Now sit back, relax and hope your video goes viral. If not, you’ll have a fun, humorous video to watch for years to come! Above all, the Mannequin Challenge is about having FUN, so make sure to do that.