Interactive film: You decide what happens next

For more than a century, film has been an integral part of our society. Initially as analog silent films in cinemas, films and videos are now consumed via streaming, social media and on the web. Digitalization is opening up new ways of getting viewers out of their passive stance and inviting them to participate. The once linear medium is becoming increasingly interactive.

What is an interactive movie?

Interactive films and videos offer viewers the opportunity to actively participate in the film narrative. They can repeatedly make decisions and thus help determine the course of the story. One prominent flagship project is the interactive Netflix film “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”. But interactivity can be part of the film experience not only in major blockbuster productions.

 

If you could change one day in your life, would you?

In the interactive short film “starrk.”, you follow the main character Mia as she replays the same day in her life over and over again and asks herself what would have happened if she had made a different decision.

 

To the interactive movie

 

Together with Rosa Zimmermann, I produced the interactive short film “starrk”. The multimedia project was created in 2023 as a bachelor’s degree project at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden in co-production with SRG. “starrk.” consists of a series of interviews and a short film on the topic of sexualized violence. The interactivity makes the complex topic tangible in all its complexity.

 

Advantages and disadvantages of interactivity

The production of an interactive film is more complex than that of a classic film, as several storylines have to be filmed. However, the possibility of interaction creates an active and personal engagement with the film content, a higher level of commitment and a stronger emotional bond.

 

 

The interactive format is particularly suitable for tutorials, explanatory videos and exploratory tours, where viewers can delve deeper into individual areas of interest. Several target groups can be addressed simultaneously with an interactive film. Gamification, e.g. by means of a points system, encourages viewers to delve deeper into the topic of the film. However, it is also possible to present complex and sensitive topics, as the interactive film creates a more personal approach to the topic.

 

A look into the future

The rapid development of artificial intelligence brings with it a new variety of possibilities. For example, AI could also be used in interactive films to generate new content in real time and thus enable a kind of live interaction. The interactive format already offers exciting new approaches for conveying stories and information in a new way.