philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Bringing Interactivity Into the Theater

With a focus on providing a seamless experience for moviegoers, CtrlMovie has developed a patented technology platform to efficiently create “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style movies that audiences play on their phones. To demonstrate the effectiveness of their technology, the company debuted its own film, Late Shift, a fast-paced crime thriller shot in full HD across London.

Developed by CtrlMovie and written by Michael R. Johnson, author of Sherlock Holmes (2009 film), Late Shift has over 180 decision points. Using their smart phones, audiences make decisions on behalf of the main character, Matt, such as “Does Matt steal a car?” or “Does he follow or disobey orders?” Each decision is made in seconds while the film continues to roll. There are no pauses and no looping footage.

According to Johnson, what attracted him to the project was “the idea of a truly interactive film. It’s been attempted before with limited degrees of success, but what I feel puts Late Shift ahead of the pack is bringing the player into the experience in a very intuitive way. I like the fact that rather than saddling the viewer with a series of arbitrary ‘go left’ or ‘go right’ choices, Late Shift instead puts you into the shoes of an actual character—Matt—and the decision-making process always draws on Matt’s ongoing experiences and train of thought. You feel that each separate decision is weighted with careful consideration and the possibility of multiple consequences, good or bad.”

See the full story here: https://www.manatt.com/Insights/Newsletters/Manatt-Digital/Bringing-Interactivity-Into-the-Theater