(Identity Theft Commercial “take off”)
If you’ve seen those funny Citibank Identity Theft commercials, you’ll understand this idea – that someone has stolen someone else’s financial identity and used them to make fraudulent purchases. As the “victim” lip-syncs the script they take on the persona of the thief- in this case, someone who lost their innocence to some sin. Once they stop “talking”, you see their actual expression – it could be one of frustration, disappointment, a blank stare, whatever fits the script. Practice is what makes this work.
You can accomplish this one of two ways:
- Low-tech: Have someone in the back of the room or backstage speaking in a mic while the “victim” is onstage lip-syncing the rehearsed script.
- Pre-record the scripted lines as a voice-over on a video of the “victim” lip-syncing it.
You can use this as an intro to just about any theme centered on someone’s vulnerability to sin. A few possibilities:
- Sex: Voice-over (person you hear)– a guy; victim (person you see)– a girl who gave up her virginity to the guy.
- “Hey, she acted like she wanted it, the way she flirted with me. She’s always looking at me while she giggles with her girlfriends. She knew my reputation when she said she’d come over to my house. So she got a little scared when it came right down to it. That’s cool; I know how to handle scared girls. She never said “no.” That’s the idea, isn’t it?!! Aah, virginity. It’s a beautiful thing.”
- Drinking: Voice-over (person you hear)– a tough aggressive sounding guy; victim (person you see)– a little tiny innocent looking guy.
- “So he says, ‘no thanks, I don’t drink.’ So I say, ‘That’s okay, you don’t have to . . . I mean, only everyone else in this entire room is drinking. And we’re all having fun. But if you want to be the only one sitting here, acting like you’re all that . . . (yelling) then FINE!’ And that’s when he gave in. He started with a beer. Ya shoulda seen the expression on his face- ya could tell he hated the stuff. But he drank it any way. Then I handed him a mixed drink. A little mix of my own with various fruit drinks, and Vodka of course. Couldn’t even taste the alcohol. Maybe that’s why he kept drinking those. I’ve never seen someone throw up so long! (laughing hysterically)”
- Hanging out with the wrong crowd: Voice-over (person you hear)– a gangster; victim (person you see)– a preppy guy in hand cuffs, being booked.
- “He always wanted to hang wit us, you know. We thought we’d just give him the opportunity. So we let him roll wit us a couple times, introduced him to our peeps, you know how tis. We go hang out at the drive in, and next thing we know, someone from another set starts frontin’ like they something. So we roll up on dem and give them a little sum sumtin to remember us by. Of course, we let him to the dirty work, and he took the fall. That’s what he gets for perpetratin’ in the first place! Yeah!”
Idea by Amos Self
