Interfilm mission statement/design document

This was found on the I'm Your Man DVD and described therein as "The original Interfilm mission statement is presented here for the first time" although the back cover calls it a "design document". The formatting is left intact but I corrected the numerous spelling and punctuation errors. Originally presented as a series of still frames, I removed the repeated pages and rearranged them to what I assume what should have been the correct order.

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Introduction

The following pages will outline the process and configuration of the Interfilm medium.

It is our hope that this first attempt at documenting and mapping the trial by which we were able to create this first Interfilm episode will lead to a better understanding of what is needed to effectively create interactive cinematic experiences. As well as provide a template for the creation of subsequent episodes.

For purposes of clarity and ease of reading the document will be divided into three sections.
1) Story Development
2) Production
3) Presentation.

With that said, let us move on to the process itself.

Story Development

Despite the fact that Interfilm represents a commitment to interactive branching entertainment, there are many of the classic rules of drama and storytelling that apply in the format.

It goes without saying that the ability each audience has to make organic changes in the story makes an Interfilm episode non-linear... however, the mere fact that an audience member can press a button and turn a character from a hero into a coward is not enough to sustain interest and excitement past the first few moments of the experience.

A commitment to character depth and solid storytelling is essential to a successful interactive experience.

To that end, this first episode was written through the implementation of a writing team approach.

Unlike a normal writing team situation where all of the writers would concern themselves with storyline, plot development and characters in the global sense of the script, the Interfilm team worked very differently. The team was lead by a head writer. The head writer worked primarily as a referee... responsible for the structural integrity of the story. Making sure that events that were happening in real time on different levels were actually jibing together. In addition he had a responsibility for the plausibility of each situation. What is meant by this, is keeping the story fun and interesting rather than resort to the classic “and then I woke up” scenario.

With this "hub" in place, the remaining members of the writing team focused on the voices and actions of specific characters. In this way the writers were free to really concentrate on the way a character would react in any given set of circumstances.

Rather than having to be burdened with all of the incumbent baggage of multi-plot line development of the ramifications of any of their character's actions on the plot of other
Characters, they could instead concentrate on making sure that dialogue and action rang true for the character and that the jokes were funny

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expected of them during the course of the picture. He also serves a similar role to the head writer in that he defines the rules of play to the audience. Finally, he introduces the audience to the three principle characters of the episode.

With this introduction accomplished, the audience is ready to move on to the next act and begin developing the next set of skills that are required of them.

Act Two: Audience as editor

Interfilm was created to be a group activity on purpose.

So much of technology is isolationist in nature. The objective of Interfilm is to create a satisfying group experience that utilizes technology to its end.

This intention, however, has its pitfalls. First, the fact that the experience is had by a group requires that in branching situations. The majority wins in the decision.

The obvious problem with this truth is that if you take a group of strangers, put them in a dark room and make them vote right off the top of an entertainment experience. Two thirds of them are going to be mad at you because they didn't get what they voted for. We had to find a way to introduce the audience to the characters without making them vote for organic change in the script.

For act two, we play upon a characteristic that has developed in almost all of us when we watch television... we graze, moving from channel to channel looking for something interesting enough to keep our attention for a period of time.

The difference is that with Interfilm, the channels that the audience is grazing through all relate to each other. Each is a movie created in a specific and different style that focuses on one of our three principle characters. These movies play in “real time” although all of them are very different in every way we realize that, as we watch them, the characters are about to find themselves in close proximity. That is to say, close enough that they will be able to interact with each other. In many ways, the easiest way to visualize this is to see a chess table with the pieces put away. Act two is really the setting of the table for play, one by one, in “real time” the pieces are assembled on the table. Each of the pieces is very different, possessing a unique character with different needs and powers, but all of them arriving at the same place about to share the same experience.

The audience is then encouraged to "group graze" through the use of a cumulative voting process. The channels change as half of the group chooses to watch a specific character. Once The change is made, the tabulation of votes resets to zero and the process begins again, over and over, as many times as the audience wants.

This accomplishes several things. First, it allows the audience to get a sense of each of the characters and learn a little about their stake in the situation. Second, it makes the audience comfortable and articulate with the hardware. It's easy so there is no reason not to play with it and have fun. And third, perhaps most importantly, it gives the audience a sense of itself.

Because the tabulations are projected below the picture, the numbers are speaking for the audience. At least at the beginning. The numbers will serve as the voice of each individual of the audience... each one making his or her statement. Then, as each of them becomes more and more involved in the story and their role in its outcome, they will begin to speak for themselves... calling out the choice that they want to see... campaigning to get the segment they want to see.

Once this sense of self is established, it becomes much easier to ask the group to vote on organic change in the story... the reason being that they have now become inextricably linked not only to each other, but also to the picture itself…they have a direct effect on the outcome of the plot.

At each choice point the audience is offered either two or three choices. They are then given ten seconds in which to decide Where to send the characters or the situation. In duration we tried to give the audience an opportunity to partake in the film every 1 1/i2 to 2 minutes.

It does not take long to figure out that two to three choices over ten minutes of film times three characters could create an almost infinite number of possible courses and changes.

Why the intersection applies:

The reason that the intersection scene is so important to the Interfilm process at this point is because we are, for the near term at least, limited by the capabilities of tested, robust hardware.

Because we are utilizing laser disc technology to store and play back the movie’s elements. We are limited to 45 minutes of media per disc. At the time of the writing of this document, an Interfilm retrofit consists of one (1) laser disc player. It is, however, reasonable to assume that over the next 24 months that storage capability will be doubled.