Every Screening is a Behavioral Study: What Can We Learn From Data Produced by Collective Audience Choices in New Interactive Cinema Technology

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Interactive Poster Session: Communication and Technology Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

With the CTRLMOVIE technology, audience members watching an interactive film in a movie theater can choose actions on behalf of the main characters in a democratic fashion with their mobile devices. The most popular choice of plot development is then shown, resulting in a construction of the film’s narrative that is comparable to ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books of the 80s. CTRLMOVIE thus enables collective viewing and decision-making, which has previously been deemed impractical. This paper describes a comparative, mixed-methods study of anonymized audience choice datasets from CTRLMOVIE screenings, analyzing differences across geographic, sociocultural, media-specific and other parameters to ascertain which characteristics and contexts might determine narrative choices. The final paper will also contain a discussion of the ethics, consequences and scientific viability of using datasets such as these and will lay a foundation for further research.

Author

• Morten Bay, U of California, Los Angeles