For many years video games have provided us with the interactive experience. Nowadays when technology like virtual and augmented reality has arrived, games became much more immersive than they were before. Even without new technologies some of them serve exceptional movielike storyline. The best example is an adventure game Life is Strange.
Life is Strange published by Square Enix is one of the first adaptations of an interactive movie in the game world. It is an episodic game showing a story from a third-person view. The player mostly faces a lot of cutscenes and dialogues with branching options which affect the whole storyline. Every decision has consequences like in the real world. With these mechanics, the game provides a unique experience each time with a different ending.
Limitations in cinematography kept producers for a long time from producing the interactive movie. The first experience with the interactive movie could be experienced on the YouTube platform. Thanks to the annotation feature it is possible to create decision buttons which redirect to the next scene of the same video or even to the different video.
Music companies were not indifferent to the growing trend of interactive entertainment. German rapper Kontra K has come with an unusual idea for a video to one of his songs (LINK). He launched the website (LINK) where users can play a game. It is focused on decision-making investigation. It simply plays parts of the video and then we have to make a decision which will lead us to different endings.
Worth mentioning here is Late Shift - the world's first cinematic interactive movie. Although it is provided as a game through an external application, real actors play roles in it. It is presented with live-action cutscenes with real-time choices because the game does not pause.
After the success of Late Shift, Netflix has decided to bring interactive videos to the next level by taking care of accessibility of videos. There were created Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. It is an interactive movie placed in the Black Mirror universe. Netflix as a leader of movies/TV series streaming platforms has own applications on TV, phone and PC. Their app is available on most of the current TVs, what makes their products even more accessible.
Bandersnatch has been released on 28th of December 2018. Shortly after, it faced mixed reviews because it has problems with immersion, it is a bane of all interactive movies. Decision blocks distract users as it takes them out to the real world. So far there is no solution to bring user smoothly interactions during the show.
Closing up, I would like to highlight one thing.
When rating the interactive movies, there are two questions to answer:
- How good is it as a movie?
- How good is it as a game?
Although it can be a great movie, it can have poor or not impactful decision making.
Questions:
1. What is your experience with interactive videos? Have you watched any?
2. Do you think that interactive movies will be a real thing soon?
3. How should immersion problems be addressed?
4. Is it true that interactive movies engage users more than normal ones?
5. Which of new technologies can be used in cinematographic business?
6. Are interactive movies forcing their users to spend more time with them? If so, do you think it is good for business?
My first was, the above-mentioned, episode of black mirror. I tried to go through all possible options. I really liked this form, but I think that I prefer to watch normal TV shows every day. It is often the case that I watch the series before going to bed and try to get relax and turn off my brain from thinking, yet this form requires me to think about what to do in such a situation. I think that the next step in the world of movies and games that require interaction with the recipient will be VR technology.
ReplyDeleteI had similar approach with Bandersnatch. The most annoying thing I have faced was rewinding of video to certain decision making points. Also as you described I caught myself more than once that I'm watching movie without pilot around me and I had to stand up and pick it up quickly to select one of the options.
DeleteI tried some short ones and it was fun, but do not know yet if I would like to watch it for one hour or so. I don't think so, there will be few movies coming out in that technology, but nothing more. Same thing happened with 3D movies, some are made in that technology, but I'm choosing them only when there's no tickets for a normal one. Few years ago there was a premiere of movie named Hardcore Henry which was the first long movie filmed from first person perspective and I really liked that movie, but some people were tired of it really soon after start. For sure interactive movies engage users much more, because you have to interact with a movie. Still I will choose game when want to take a part in it instead of interactive movie.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned before I think the biggest issue with interactive movies is immersion. On the other hand, what do 3D movies lack that they have not succeeded in cinematography?
DeleteI watched some intereactive videos on youtube but that's all. I think that right now it is too much work for too little results.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand games with decisions that affect the story and ending are the best ones in my opinion. Only if there are consequences your choices matter.
Witcher 3 is another example of game where your choices affect story and ending. I think that currently interrative movies are very distracting and you cannot get the requaired immerssion and users just get bored quickly becouse of that.
Games have a much simpler solution for immersion problems. When you start playing the game, you quickly become familiar with controls. Then as you progress through the game, everything is exceedingly intuitive for you. If you think about the movies is not that easy because none of us has an impulse of performing any other actions than watching during the seance.
DeleteBandersnatch was the only interactive movie I watched. I must admit that as soon as I found out about it, I could not wait to see it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It turned out that most of the choices I made had no “future”. It looked like I was playing a game, lost one life and was withdrawn to the last restore point. Not what I expected. I think that this kind of film needs further refinement, but it has huge potential. I will certainly be keen to watch the progress.
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with Bandersnatch. I met with a lot of reviews where people says that it is good as a movie but awful as a game. I think that producers force user too much to achieve a certain goal with the main character during the movie.
DeleteI have never watched interactive video, but I think that harmony between watching and making decisions is very difficult to receive, especially that every person have different needs. For sure it is not entertainment for lazy evening, because it engaged much more than a “normal” movie. It also may be addictive. If spectator wants to watch all solutions, he could spend many hours in front of screen.
ReplyDeleteSome of the interactive movies have more than four hours of footage while single playthrough is from 1 to 1.5 hour long. As you said, it might be addictive because as an end user you will spend for sure even more than four hours looking through all possible scenarios.
DeleteI've played lots of games that can be labeled as interactive movies. If I recall right the first one I faced could have been Telltale's The Walking Dead which was the game that started the formula of the episode adventure game. Additionally there are a few worth noting games like Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain or Until Dawn which are examples of a different approach to the idea of interactive movie. All those games are enjoyable and as immersive as an adventure game can be but in my opinion I don't think they can compete with either real movies or games of usual format. Plot of immersive movies is often shallow in comparison to cinematography and decisions which are advertised as a mechanism to shape the storyline are usually just an illusion of a choice. I doubt that movie industry will ever utilize decision making known from games in mainstream movies and I find it unlikely that choices in episodic adventure games will be truly meaningful to the story line.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think they meant to be a competitor for a games itself. More likely producers are trying to bring new kind of entertainment for movie lovers. I have to take a look on game titles you have mentioned because to be honest I have never heard about any of them.
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ReplyDeleteI've never watched interactive movies. In childhood, I've played games. I made an interactive game while studying, and it was fun.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that interactive movies engage the user more because it is he who decides what will happen at certain stages, he gives himself. In the "normal" movie, we can afford to relax by simply watching. New technologies are not my strong point so I will not comment on this topic.
Some of the movies or TV series require from user much more attention because are heavily focused on dialogues like House of Cards. Do you think they can be somehow compared?
DeleteTo be honest I thought the edifice they created was impressive and all the effort they put into trying up loose ends and offering different intersecting paths was commendable, but to be honest, like a lot of Black Mirror episodes, I thought the characters were paper thin, the tone kind of petulantly nihilistic and the whole thing just felt very lightweight to me.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed choosing my own adventure and was impressed by all the effort they went too, but to me this wasn't one of their top notch cutting satires, it was more like something scripted by an 18-year-old who think he's got the whole world figured out.
As I saw a lot of people say that Bandersnatch is not really the thing they expected it to be after watching Black Mirror series. Do you think that it is far away from the universe they have created?
DeleteI love interactive movies and/or games. I played Life is Strange and I must agree it felt more like a movie than an actual game. I also watched the Black Mirror Episode. It was so good and addictive, I spent almost whole day playing different scenarios with it.
ReplyDeleteI think that this kind of interactive tv-shows will become more poplular as well as games that feel more like movies.
The immersion problem doesn't really happen for me, with the app or the controller I easily sink in the story that is presented regardless of how it goes based on my actions and decisions.
What I think it's really important is the story, it should be intersting enough to be played again with different consequences.
That’s right! Without interesting story no one will spend additional time on the interactive movie. Regardless is the story enough to keep users behind the screen?
DeleteActually I have a huge experience with interactive videos. Most of them I've watched/played during video games obviously, especially single player games with a extensive storyline. I've also watched the Netflix newest interative movie, a really nice experience I must say.
ReplyDeleteMore interactive movies are coming to be released soon, but personally I prefer ordinary movies to be honest. I have no idea how can we deal with immersion issues, after all it all depends on individuals personalities.
Obviously a word 'interactive' determines that something engages the user. Ordinary movies do not force the user to do any actions during watching. I believe that interactive movies are forcing us to spend a little bit more time behind the screen, for me this is a bad idea and after watching Bandersnatch I felt more exhausted than usually.
Have you found yourself experiencing the immersion problems? If so, was it the main reason for you to select ordinary videos over the interactive one?
DeleteQuestions:
ReplyDelete1. What is your experience with interactive videos? Have you watched any?
2. Do you think that interactive movies will be a real thing soon?
3. How should immersion problems be addressed?
4. Is it true that interactive movies engage users more than normal ones?
5. Which of new technologies can be used in cinematographic business?
6. Are interactive movies forcing their users to spend more time with them? If so, do you think it is good for business?
1. Yes, I watched a few. I even played in that game on the photo you attached ("Life is strange").
2. In a past I was thinking so, but looking how through so many years, despite technology improvements, it didn't make a big show, I don't think it will do... Well, maybe in some distant future, where the sensations from watching such a movie would be more real.
3. I don't see any problem in that.
4. In some way for sure. But it doesn't mean that casual movies are worse or less interesting. These are just different ways of getting attention just like casual movies, books or computer, or sports games.
5. I really dont' know, I am not such deep into it.
6. I think they do. Is it good for business? It depends. If people would like such long time of playing, then it is good, when they do not like it, then it is not good. I don't know what statistics say, what kind of people has bigger public.
What do you think about games such as Life is Strange? Do they entertain you enough in comparison to normal video games? For me it was really different experience and I haven’t felt at all like I’m playing game.
Delete1. What is your experience with interactive videos? Have you watched any?
ReplyDelete- Yes, I watched Bandersnatch that you mentioned in the article. I have to say that I didn't really like it, beacuse what was important in Black Mirror it was the tension that rose during watching. Because you had to choose, every time you did choose, it was loosing it's tension. But as an experiment it was cool, I like the idea.
2. Do you think that interactive movies will be a real thing soon?
- Maybe yes, but I don't think that there is a to be focused on what you watch and what you decide. And actually I think that most people want to chill out during watching something, so that decision are quite not welcomed.
3. How should immersion problems be addressed?
Maybe using VR in future? So you can be one of the characters in the movie. For now it's quite convinient, for example on PS4 you can just use your controller to control stuff. Netflix also accepts normal tv remote controller.
4. Is it true that interactive movies engage users more than normal ones?
Maybe, but sometimes it can happen that a person won't like the movie because he/she wants to chill out rather than decide again. XXI century - decision, decisions, decisions.
5. Which of new technologies can be used in cinematographic business?
VR will be most interesting I think. Let's see what will future bring
6. Are interactive movies forcing their users to spend more time with them? If so, do you think it is good for business?
Yeah, but in case of Bandersnatch, when I saw it, I just wanted to see what happens in the series so I just was clicking what I feel, and after I saw that sometimes I get into the loop of decision because it's taking me back to the moment of decision so the story can go in it's linear way, I lost my interest. That's the problem for now, linearity.
I played Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, Detroit Become Human, Life Is Strange, also have watched Bandersnatch and all of this was a great experience for me. If Bandersnatch was any longer, I would be exhausted by this short story, BUT when I had all these PS4 games I was gone for the world until I finished them. They absorbed me deeply. Maybe VR or some other technological stuff may increase immersion, but for me the foundation is deep story, that moves me or makes me indentify with a hero for whom I make choices.
ReplyDeleteTo be absolutely honest, I have never heard about interactive movies - I got to know about them from your article. Having read your article, I am not particularly convinced to this kind of entertainment - if I want to "immerse" in the story and have influence on its course, I will rather decide to play computer games (such as already mentioned here Witcher). I usually watch movies on Friday's evening, seeking relax, and not want to be forced to make difficult decisions - maybe in case of short movie it may be full of fun, but in the long run it would grueling
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ReplyDeleteTo be honest I've never watched any interactive videos because I've always think it is a misunderstanding of a whole concept of the video. I'm not an expert but I can imagine that people who are well educated directors are making videos/films/clips or any kind of "moving" art with some purpose and I think choice can easily ruined the whole concept. You mentioned interesting question about splitting it between movie and game. I think we can't achieve really high quality content mixing this both types.
ReplyDeleteI also don't think it will get really popular in some longer period of time. It might get for a while if someone will provide us some great art- like Avatar for 3D movies, but even then sooner or later it will pass away. I think market can see some business opportunity in them and will try to make a profit of it for a while but in the end we'll get back to standard form of video.
I watched only one interactive video - Bandersnatch. It was a great fun, but I think that this is still a long way to make such movies/videos popular. As you mentioned it is a bit like a mix of a game and a movie, but I think that it is very hard to mix this two types of entertaiment. I am very excited and I would love to have a possibility to watch/play a interactive movie with good scenario in the future.
ReplyDeleteI have no experience with interactive videos but i think it's a great idea! I've read above that netflix offering something like that - "Black mirror". I'm curious how it works. In spite of I know next to nothing about it, I can easily predict that is a future of cinematography :) For me as a fan of playing games and watching good films too, unite these two things will move entertainment to a completely new level. I can't wait to buy some super criminal film and be involved in that story. It sounds beautiful and I hope that will be :)
ReplyDeleteI have one problem with such forms of entertainment. They are neither passive, nor active. By that I mean, that i cannot fully relax during the interactive movie. I cannot just sink into those other people's stories. On the other hand I cannot enjoy them as I would enjoy the game, because I'm to limited in what I can do, what I can control.
ReplyDeleteWith this I think that this type of content will always be an interesting experience, but will never overlap the main trends.