If you have attended a Disney Institute workshop, you know that Disney has a term called “plus it up.” What this means is, once you have your idea or project done and ready to go, take one more look and see if you can make it just a little better (plus it up).
The example they gave at the workshop was from a scene in Roger Rabbit. There was a hanging lamp over a table in one scene and the lamp gets bumped and begins to sway back and forth. It made no real difference to the movie and the average viewer will probably not even notice. It did however add a lot of production time to that scene. Why did they bother? Because they wanted to make that scene just a little bit better. They “bumped the lamp,” another way they refer to “plus it up.” Next time you watch the movie, check it out.
We recently remodeled our reception area. What did we do to “plus it up”?
The basic room is finished in the above picture but it didn’t have the right atmosphere yet. The awnings were giving it an outdoor feel, so we went with that idea. We added the flower boxes…
and an old-fashioned lamppost
And I can’t forget the complementary lollipops in our mailbox.
And of course an unexpected “Hidden Mickey”
- The bracket was used upside down revealing a hidden Mickey.
- The next time you are working on a new business project or idea, take a moment to see how you can “plus it up.”
The Disney Institute can really influence small businesses.
Contributed by: Donna F. (NDGM#14). Donna is our resident Disney Institute expert for small businesses.
I attended a single-day event with the Disney Institute, and the “bump the lamp” story was one of my favorites. It was then really amazing to me to go back and watch the movie to see what a difference that made in the scene. Again, many people won’t think about it, but when you are aware of what it took to do that, it makes you appreciate the work even more.
I love how you plussed your reception area!
Brian, thanks for reading my blog. I do not get notified when there is a comment so I apologize for the delayed response. What were your thoughts of the 1 day workshop? BTW, I believe it’s all what you make it.