/imaginarium: A vision of a future fiction experience

Inspired by @johnbattelle’s “The Gap Scenario” (a vision of the future of targeted advertising), and @timoreilly’s “A Dream About Augmented Reality Fiction”, I decided to trip out on my own vision for the future of cinema. Technology and social media have forever changed the nature of how people experience entertainment, yet film & TV are still making products as if it where the 1950’s (at least where the storytelling is concerned). What’s the next step for cinema? What will a fiction experience be like 10 years from now?

I wake up. While still in bed, I check my messages and to-do’s on my tablet. Then I finally pay attention to “it”: the story. My first interaction of the day comes in the form of a message. The story knows when I logged on to the net so it sends me a personalized recap of what went on since the time I logged off. I can choose the text version if I’m in a hurry or the audio version if I plan on multitasking, but this morning I can spare a minute so I click on the video. And it’s worth it: the story has been busy during the night, new characters and storyline twists. I can tell that something is about to happen.

As I bathe, clothe and have breakfast, the story’s live video feeds follow me throughout the screens in my apartment, sharing real estate with my personalized news feeds. Next to the day’s political events I watch different characters scheming, in turmoil, or just plain having breakfast. There are too many characters and story-lines to watch all at once, so I have to pick a couple to absorb while I finish my cereal and catch up on some work calls. Just before I have to rush out the door I get a message from the story: something has happened. The story points me to the live feed where it’s all going down. I look at my watch, it’s getting late. I give in.

I press a key combination on my smart-phone and suddenly the walls in my living room turn into screens, all showing me different views of the story. Other screens show me a mix of text and video feeds from the scores of other people who are experiencing the story at that very moment. I get a video call from a friend, who is also watching. He’s very excited -  he’s scored a private invitation to “go inside” the story. I try to hide my jealousy. The story is ramping up, the big finale is probably coming any day now, and my friend may play a part in it. He has to go and prepare. I am already late for work.

I keep up with the story on my tablet on the metro. I can see others doing the same. The story is definitely about to wrap up for the season - it’s already been live for 9 days and a long weekend is coming up. Maybe tonight? They always keep you guessing. Before my exit, I activate a “lock” on the story: I won’t get updates and anything story-related will be filtered out of my digital life. I’ve got to get some work done. I’ll check up on the story during lunch.

I don’t take the “lock” off the story until late that night. Work was brutal. Like clockwork, the recap message arrives in my inbox. I’ve missed a lot, but am just in time for what promises to be the night’s main event. I sit back on my couch and let the story take over my living room, surrounding me with scores of live video feeds. It takes me a couple of minutes to adjust to the pace but I grab my tablet and soon I’m organizing the video feeds to suit me. There are a couple story-lines I don’t understand and I shoot messages to the pool of viewers. I get quick replies and am soon digging back in time, watching some key scenes I missed, captivated. Then the live feeds call for my attention and I flip through the characters, trying to stay one step ahead of the story, like everyone else, trying to solve the mystery. To win.

And then I see him, my friend. He’s a part of a small mission in the story, but he is soon “shot” and “killed”. I can’t help smiling as I think of all the whining I’ll soon be hearing from him. Several hours later the feeds start to thin out. The finale will definitely not be tonight. The character I’m following falls asleep and I too can’t keep my eyes open much longer. But just as I’m about to log off, I find an official message from the story in my inbox. An invitation for a stealth mission that starts in an hour. I smile as I schedule a “call-in-sick” message for work tomorrow and turn on the coffee machine. I have to get ready.

/ramblings: This is the future (and 3D is not)

I keep hearing talk of how the future of film is 3D. I’m sure technology will soon get to the point where 3D cameras become commonplace and 3D projectors & TV sets are the norm (could those 3D glasses be any sillier?). But is this really the future? What does it actually do to elevate a film’s narrative? Yes, the effect is pretty cool (and I’ll probably stand in line to see “Avatar”), but if this was the future, it would be a very boring one.

I believe that film is stuck. It’s been doing the same thing for so long that it thinks the only progress to be had is in making the images bigger, better & with more tricks so it can compete with file-sharing or other formats of entertainment. I don’t think film is really trying. All it has to do is look around: video games, the internet, social media. The landscape has changed around film. And the best it can do is 3D?

So what’s the future for film? I think the difference is as drastic as comparing a vintage rotary telephone(film) and an iPhone (the future). True, they both make calls, but the similarities end there. And to make my case I present my son, Axel. He’s 2 and he can surf YouTube on my iPhone. You show him one video he likes and he can scroll through all the “related videos” and pick the one he wants to see next. Axel might be slightly impressed with 3D but I think he will expect another sort of entertainment, something that film is definitely not delivering right now.

What’s the next step in the evolution? I’m looking into concepts like hypermedia, transmedia storytelling and alternate reality games. I think that’s a start.

Axel surfs YouTube (YouTube)