There were many big announcements that came out of CinemaCon 2018 last week, including Fox’s plans for a new film based on the popular Choose Your Own Adventure series of books. The upcoming movie will allow audiences to choose what happens next via an app on their smartphones. Fox has partnered with Kino to create an app called CtrlMovie, with an eye towards releasing a series of app-enabled films.
The technology, which was demonstrated in a trailer shown at CinemaCon, is similar to Telltale’s story-based, quick-decision video games, where players have a few seconds to choose how to respond to certain situations as the story unfolds. Audiences watching the film will be able to vote on different options on the CtrlMovie app, meaning that no two screenings will have the same plot.
Details about the first CYOA film, which will be produced by Davis Entertainment, Berlanti Productions, and Chooseco, are still under wraps. As movies continue to compete with the rise of gaming and the seemingly endless golden age of television, it makes sense that they are looking for new tech-friendly ways to engage their audience. As a film fan, this strikes me as an uninspired gimmick. Part of the enduring appeal of cinema is that it is a communal experience: we all sit together in the dark, watching the same story unfold. While our experiences of the film will vary, the content remains universal.
We go to the movies to see storytelling in action, not to write our own. How are we supposed to get lost in a character’s journey when we are endlessly prompted to choose which way they go? Watching a story controlled by the whims of the audience seems like a frustrating and mind-numbing experience. It’s gaming, not film. It’s like a restaurant that makes you cook your own food (fine, shabu-shabu is tasty, but you see my point right?). I’m already distracted by people texting in movies, the last thing I want is a room full movie-goers frantically tapping away at their screens in the darkness. When the CYOA movie is released, it will be an adventure I will not be choosing.
(via The Wrap, image: via Chooseco LLC)
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