Taking your Zombies to the Mall or Street
By such time that weary children and parents are ready to return to their respective cemeteries, a Zombie walk may be on its last legs. Not that a walk can't be organized in ways to keep the supply of corpses fresh. What is important to consider is the type of shamble to aim for. Organization takes a lot of coordination and as one organizer vents in the aftermath of the endeavor, henever wanted to touch another phoneagain.Zombie groups organize for different reasons. For some, it is purely in the interests of appreciation of art, while other groups do so for publicity and yet others do so to raise awareness for charitable causes - not to mention donations. There are also efforts underway to make the Guinness Book of World Records. While we're at it - what famous zombie won the Nobel Peace Prize?All right, a zombie walk can be used to place a wedge in critical thinking. But in fact there is no party line to the nominative case that "zombie" describes. A number of groups support the spectacle out of sheer fun and opportunity to express themselves. If each interested party were to uncoil what could be said about zombies, then soon we would be interviewing mice about cats in the spirit of competition. The political star-gate lies outside the scope of this article, but our reader can be sure that it runs the course of definition in any sense of speculation. And speculation is not an inaccurate way to perceive the sociobiological aspect of jumping on any bandwagon for the sake of receiving directives.
Zombies follow imperatives not directives. And as such, some degree of precision that explains your particular zombie walk may come in handy. Meaning isn't getting anywhere without a prod.At the moment, advocacy of essential organizational prowess is #1. Organizing any public event that takes to the streets is always at risk for abuse and misapprobation. That's why being an informed organizer is so important, because to know what to expect in terms of legal reality proffers an important consideration that law has been gauged to ameliorate anywhere that reality dwells. Generally, this protection consists of seeing that all participants are advised prior to the walk with essential information on how to protect themselves against charges of directing civil offense, in addition to alerting certain authorities of advance need to anticipate medical emergency wherever a large group of people dwell. This is not unrealistic standard procedure that has nothing to do with the fact of the more serious matter at hand, with armies of the undead rising to unprecedented levels and tophcillating into urbane view. But is it right for your performance exhibition?These facts give us that participants act as individuals who are not being directed but instead who gather under the civil idea of "imperative," that describes a type of choice. A "directive" describes another type of choice, but there is no check in case of directive to act a certain way. Further, an imperative were that sort of choice that were self-predicated, and further represents the arts as a form of acting or self-expression. When instructed to act in observance of the laws or to be given sufficient guidelines or rules to follow that results in meeting legal tests, this is no original directive and in fact were purely representational, in conformance to certain constitutional guarantee of a republican form of government guaranteed to the people of each state. Remember that this sort of advice is not provided to be followed but rather to be taken for what it is worth.Nonetheless, there are considerable versions of what constitutes a zombie walk. There is a wrong way and a right way. The wrong way is not a pleasant sight. The right way is directed at being scene while going on about your zombie business in the public domain and ... er, walking. Take it from the words of pro Ron Butler, “A few zombies limping down the street are going to get your attention, but it’s the terrifying horde filling the street as far as you can see and making all kinds of noise that’s really breathtaking....”Walks are often organized for charity in some way loosely-related to zombiedom. Blood donation, food donation, refuse collection - even promotion of a charitable work such as a play performed with charity in mind - constitute some possible scenarios. In a typical zombie walk, there is a point of origin for the horde and a destination. There is also a meet-up point for gathering the participants prior to sendoff.Recommendations1. Contact: Save yourself some troubleRather than field everyone via phone, use a combination of email and phone to follow up. Offer an on-line web form and encourage sign-up via phone, so that way everyone has the benefit of a real, live person to talk to. Once ready to move in, be sure to contact everyone by phone, even if it is only to confirm that you got the email confirmation.Consider opening up a conference call to all the people on the list so that your computer can include all the numbers and explain that it is a conference call. But be sure to call the ones who are of legal age in this fashion. You can also divide the phone numbers however you see fit so that in you are not risking offending everyone. Introduce the call as follows, "Hi, this is a conference call for the XYZ zombie walk. Jon Organizer is getting ready to speak to everyone live and answer any questions that you may have. You are instructed to know that this is a public call, and that means that all parties will hear what you have to say or ask." I have never tried this personally, but I'm sure that it can be used as an effective tool for the job.2. Basic preparation: Kickoff refreshmentsBring a first aid kit and plenty of drinking water, with tiny cups. This is just a precaution because dehydration is an important consideration, and it doesn't cost much. With everyone attending to meet up with you for the sendoff, you'll want to make sure that everyone is comfortable at the start while telling them that if they get hungry or thirsty that they'll be on their own. That's why you should tell them to bring any spending money for refreshments that they will need both on-line and by using the conference call to cover for anyone who heard about the event second-hand or didn't see the specific web page.3. Compound interest: Don't end the fun at the walkPart of being an organizer is an exercise in fun or purpose, but preferably fun. You don't have to be a one-trick pony. First, consider the benefits of bringing a crowd into any restaurant of choice and how that can scale down the cost of food items considerably. Pizza is an excellent example. Most pizza restaurants are willing to provide significant discounts when lots of people are buying. And that means that everyone involved can have a great night, because they don't have to pay much to eat all they want! (Mmmmmm, goooood braaaaains!)You can even arrange dance lessons on how to dance like the undead of popular culture or meet up with an official costume contest. In fact, there is no certain end to the fun.But if you don't want to do these things, it's probably better to be the pony express, above.4. Aim for a "family-friendly" eventAsk participants toengage in behavior suitable for being in publicamidst children and their parents. This also includes observing and adhering to all laws, such as crossing at crosswalks. Also, Avoid confrontations -ham it upif what you are doing is enjoyed, but back off or turn around if someone reacts badly. Don't touch anyone without prior arrangement. Respect private property. Abstain from drinking alcohol outside of designated pubs if that is the law. These are some examples of tips for performance etiquette.Be sure to choose a path for the walk that has the fewest traffic-ways to cross and a minimum of obstacles to negotiate.Leaving fake blood and body parts lying around is not acceptable - unless the route will be walked and cleaned by volunteers.5. Negotiate for privileges to appear in commercial buildingsSome businesses will not want zombies to enter without prior permission, and their wishes should be respected. If all else fails, keeping a fold-able parka that can be donned over all clothing leaves you with nothing but makeup and may be acceptable enough to get you into a public restroom in a time of need.You can make things easier on your guests by explaining your intentions to a few choice businesses along the way and negotiating for acceptance for your zombies to appear. Having insurance is generally a good idea, but it's not necessarily expensive. You want to be protected particularly if this publicity will benefit you personally.The Zombie Walk Handbookfrom World Zombie Day suggests that organizing to benefit a food bank charity may be helpful toward getting insurance, since getting sponsors for the walk means receiving monetary donations.Be sure to know the basic facts when making the sale to business owners that explain the scope of your event and how that sort of event has been known to succeed in the past. To this end, be sure to find out the history and economy of other zombie walks to simplify and expedite your efforts.Police like to know what is going on in advance so they do not feel invaded or unduly challenged. Some zombie events have started out with good luck because a cop showed up before the throng descended and was able to assess the situation without prior warning. The police will be an excellent source to use for finding out whether a permit is necessary. But if you feel you have the right, it's all right to act according to qualitative knowledge of the laws. It's nice to cut through bloody red tape if you have the stuff for the job.6. Promotion is not a package for delivery if it is the agent itself that is scheduled for delivery: The organizerIf marketing is all about the hot-dog, then the bun is all about promotion. The bun showcases the zombie wiener, but the vittle itself is the work of the grill. And marketing goes after the wiener, not the bun. It goes without saying that if you are going to go to all the trouble of showing off a hot-dog, then you may as well make the spectacle a springboard for another hot-dog show. That means that by taking a bunch of photos and video - and scrap-booking all press on physical platen, you'll have anything of substance to show off towards a more successful event capable of garnering interest of a proven production. You can even capitalize on a number of facts of benefit. And that's why volunteers are so important, because benefits can be accomplishments substantial enough to have something to explain to anyone. That is the best course to getting feedback about specific benefits. If you tell people to expect cleanup, then you can feel good if a member of the press publishes a review of your organized promises.Promotion is dynamic and often perpetual. To ensure a good reputation, you get with the fact that you have a number of benefits and confident that you are promoting benefits that you can share in any of those ways that matter. In effect, promotion covers the responsible scope of the zombie walk, and probably the scope that were best to be looking through.So, for a moment, let's look at the parts of the scope that promotion covers.Before anyone knows about the event, while the event is primed to act on and conducted by word of mouth, and all the way from sending out press releases to people you have no connection with to setting the walk down on terra firma and ending the night with whatever plan sees you home to wake up tomorrow, it's only natural to be aware of the benefits involved.For zombie walk participants, it's about dress-up performance art, free expression and fun (this one thing over there, the participants). For the estranged public, it's about an acceptable showing of civility, responsibility for any mess, sufficient legal regard for organizing people, and charity (this other thing over there, the public). So for you, it should be about both things. And in each of those two things, you should find not only what you need to see on through but also what you have been looking for all along from organizing a zombie walk.It's not possible to describe all the things that you shall be doing when organizing a zombie walk, but the highlights of the task are mentioned above. Therefore, it's important to understand the basics of your plan by drawing on guidelines and inspirations as part of the needful hi-lights that your particular endeavor is designed to see through to the end. There will be little things that shouldn't be ignored such as cleanup and big things such as negotiating for clearance so your troupe will be welcome to make a civil showing in private and not sanctioned in public. Plus, other big things such as securing insurance or explaining to the group any necessary legal disclosures and any amenities that are being provided to ensure a good time. Lastly, freedom is also very important, involving how loud any personal performance may be or any unacceptable zombie behavior and expectation such as coverage by the press and by cameras of any sort. Once working through the overall pattern for as many takes as required to see a provision spring to life with its own checks and balances operating in successful, pioneered fashion, you'll have every known reason to expect your first event to be a mash of a monstrous spectacle. For those about to amble on in costume dress and in the lurch of posthumous death, we salute you.Source Notes[1] Ron Butler quoted from Oklahoma Gazette in article entitled, "ZOMBIE WALK OKC," 26 OCT 2011, p. 58.
Site: http://npaper-wehaa.com/oklahoma-gazette/2011/10/26/#?article=1422141
Appendix: Sites for inspiration:
[A] List of Walks
[B] Louisville Zombie Attack Walk
[C] Zombie apocalypse event could give downtown Longview fresh life
