Co.Create: Creativity \ Culture \ Commerce: It’s rare that moviegoers are encouraged to fiddle with their smartphones during a film, but that’s the case with App, the new Dutch movie directed by Bobby Boermans.
Before going to see the film, moviegoers are asked to download a free app (available for Android and iPhone) to enhance the plot, which involves a 21-year-old psychology student who becomes addicted to her smartphone following a tragic accident.
The App app uses SyncNow, a digital audio watermarking technology originally developed by Civolution to prevent illegal downloads.
4 comments:
I understand some people can be distracted when they use this two-screen experience, but I think this is another brilliant idea in order to promote creativity in film area. Who would have thought to use a second screen in theater? I agree that it this work is successful, then people in film industry can try other projects that deal with technology. I like the detail that this company made: "the movie works perfectly even without the second screen." Using the app as an enhancer for the movie is very creative and it will bring some attention from the audience, which can bring a huge success. I think this movie effectively wrote the plot based on today's society where a smartphone can do everything for you. Also, interacting with audiences can definitely bring more intense, thus adding thrill. I hope that this film succeeds so that other film companies can think of innovative way to use other device to interest people other than 3D glasses.
As the second screen has been in development for the home viewing experience up until now (see Disney's use of Second Screen technology to augment their Blu-ray titles), it's interesting to see its first application toward mainstream usage in the theatre is (a) international (I was expecting it out of Fox Searchlight or a similar indie label in the US) and (b) in a movie that specifically justifies its existence in the world of the story. This second point is more interesting, because the second screen is ostensibly separate from the main film itself - the information shared on it may or may not actually be useful in expanding the film, and its presence is distracting to both those using it and those without. So how do you satisfactorily connect it into what is described as a complete film that "works perfectly even without the second screen"? My guess is that like interactive films and 4D, the number of films developed for the second screen is going to be very small - without being able to justify in the story the existence of an augmented element that verges on giving the audience member a psychic view of what's happening in the scene and not breaking the film's tone will be terribly challenging.
Not a fan. I despise the use of phones during any performance whether it be watching a movie or seeing a play/musical. It's distracting. Nobody in their right minds would want to have to sit there and look at two screens at once to "enhance" their viewing. It takes away from the piece because you can't physically concentrate on two things at once. Not to mention how annoying it would be for those who don't have the app and have to sit in the theater as peoples phone lights illuminate the theater and take away from the experience in all. This destroys the view people have of the show while watching and I don't think this will settle well with audiences and filmmakers and people alike.
So not sure how I feel about this whole thing. A part that creep me out are the ability to send sounds waves to my phone (with out me hearing them) for it to know when in the movie it is and what to do. Just a little creepy for me. Props need to be given to the production team because this is a pretty cool idea, still not sure if I like the idea but a cool idea none the less. Personally I like to just focus on the movie and not to focus on anything else. Just to sit back and relax to become engulfed in the the world of the movie. It will be interesting to see what happen and the impact this has. So well lets see what happens in the Netherlands and go from there.
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