As we might watch: What might arise from reconsidering the concept of interactive film?

Abstract

To date, an interactive film form has been conceived of in terms of branching; multi-linear narratives predominantly drawing on the mechanics of the computer games industry. The interactive engagements that have been produced within this framework have failed to revolutionise either the gaming or the film industry, leading the director Peter Jackson to remark on the announcement of his deal with Microsoft to develop the form, that his team still have to ‘work out how to do it’ (Waters 2006). Might this apparent stalling in the production process actually arise from an incomplete consideration of the potential of interactive film? Film and interactive experiences have much to offer each other beyond simply altering the narrative structure of a linear story. In this light, a rethinking of the modes of address afforded by an interactive environment, both in new media and more traditional narrative form, highlights a new territory that might be created by merging their agendas, rather than attempting to reconcile their forms.

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