Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Interactive Movies

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Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 07-25-2006, 10:05 PM:

Since I have first seen the advertising for the Final Destination 3 DVD and with DLPs spreading among the theater chains, I have been wondering just long it is going to be before someone takes another shot at making an interactive movie. Though I in no way think that this would be the "future" of our industry, it might be an interesting added attraction every now and again. What does everone here think?

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 07-25-2006, 10:13 PM:

I think it would be a neat idea to implement, but, I don't know if it will be in the future of the industry. In all, it is a neat idea though. The question I have is how implement it and what kind(s) of equipment would be needed to make an interactive show and how much it would cost. Plus, another question would be, would to studios want to go this route as well?

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 07-25-2006, 10:43 PM:

Was done about 11 years ago. Two probelms;

1. gangs of rowdy kids would push all of the buttons at "voting" time.

2. Since there was no way to have a "fixed" film, Academy award consideration was impossible. Louis

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-26-2006, 04:26 AM:

it was? was this a "real" movie or an amusement-park movie?

and was it really oscar material?

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 07-27-2006, 09:06 AM:

Several real movies.....very bad, however. Probably a good concept, but probably not workable. Louis

Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 07-27-2006, 11:10 AM:

I know that a couple of locations at the theater chain I used to work for tried it with those movies. I had just heard that it wasnt so much the concept but the quality of the movies which were the problems. Not to mention the crappy projectors that was available at the time (the one that looked liked a box with the three color lenses in front). I just think that now, or to be a bit more accurate, a year from now, may be the perfect time for someone to try again.

The movies do not necessarly have to be Oscar contenders or 100 million dollar "blockbusters". The 10 to 20 million dollar Horror genre would be perfect. Taking the Final Destination movies and letting the audience decide who lives or who dies would be interesting. Even more so then that. Can you imagine a movie where you would almost get to choose how a secondary character fights off an attacker? How about if a majority of the audience pushes a button at a certain time, the actress on the screen would then dodge the knife swinging manic (or not). I just think as a novelty it would be a neat idea to do.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 07-27-2006, 11:15 AM:

William Castle used a interactive gimmick with his film "Mr. Sardonicus" in 1961. The audience got a white card with a thumb on it. So near the end of the movie he inserted a scene with him asking should the people die or should he live. Thumbs down no mercy ending , thumbs up happy ending. So they did a poll and the projectionist would show the winning ending. There was only one ending used the with this gimmick.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 07-27-2006, 12:21 PM:

I've always wished my Nintendo light gun would work with everything on the screen [evil]

Posted by Gary Crawford (Member # 2038) on 07-27-2006, 01:28 PM:

Toast, newspaper, water pistols, and weird costumes and they would all have a grand time singing and dancing along with the film!

Total interactivity!

Or has this been done before...? Hmmm

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-28-2006, 03:24 AM:

on imdb i find:

Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie (1995)

according to the technical specs page, it was 35mm, but ebert and others say it played off laserdiscs.

if it were done in a sophisticated way with multiple 35mm projectors i'd go see that.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 07-28-2006, 08:37 AM:

Laserdiscs is correct.FWIW: technical quality was very low; I spent a good deal of time with music video and consumer laser discs, just proving to the managers that "our part" was OK. Louis

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-30-2006, 05:17 AM:

The problem with this concept is that some percentage of the audience is going to be disappointed. The ones who want the character to get blown to bits but don't get their bloodlust fulfilled will leave feeling cheated. This really is works much better as interactive DVD where since you and you along are controlling the outcome, you always get the ending you want (unless you are like me and can't hit the right buttons on the remote in the dark).

The whole point in having an interactive movie and presumably why a customer would be going to see it (and probably paying more for the ticket) would be so they can choose the story line or ending they want. If they get out-voted and don't get to see some other story line or an ending they didn't choose, then how's that different than an other standard, non-interactive movie where the story unfolds regardless of what you wish would happen?

This should remain as a consumer gimmick and keep it in the DVD world and out of theatres, although it probably would be something that would set Lucas's heart a-pounding as he lies awake trying to figure out new endings to his STAR WARS double trilogy so he can re-re-release them yet again after they flop as releases in digital faux 3D.