Spotlight: HBO Imagine

HBO has just launched a new interactive campaign, so I thought i'd single it out before moving on to another industry.

If you read my last post (A&E), I was talking about bringing interactivity to the viewing space. Coincidentally enough, that's just what HBO has done with their HBO Imagine campaign.

Turn the box to watch the drama from a different viewpoint.

Or zoom out to choose a different node of the story.

The web of story, flattened for you to keep track of what you're seen.

I wont' go into details on the story I've watched so far....but there is a "drowning mime" scene.

what are you still doing here?

/.chow.\

Cable Ready #6: A&E

Ok, one more post and then we're done with Cable shows for now.

I was determined to see if the Photo-hunt game-type was a common occurence in other stations sites. While I did find another photo-hunt on the A&E site, it was the following piece that prompted me to add another post. (BTW - the History channel has the best games I've discovered).

AE has an Interactive Investigation that is basically a choose your own adventure through a "ghost-hunter" like show. You choose the people to talk to and the actions the team performs.
I think it's a web-only show and cast.

Why web-only cast though? What excites me about this is the thought of interactive tv. Why limit it?

Here's a crazy test. Take a show like Heroes. It's premiering tonight, and it's 2 hours. Why not put it up the day before online - but interactive. Where you choose a hero/plotline and experience the episode through that perspective..making the choices along the way.

Pros:
1. The viewing experience for fans could possibly go from 2 hours to 3+ (with replays and revisits).
2. Ad impression would be minutes not seconds (see #1)

Cons:
1. Plot revealed a day before. Oh well.

There must be more Cons..any thoughts?

/.chow.\

Cable Ready #5: Californication, Tudors, and the Sho

Wrapping up this segment I took a stroll over to Showtime.

Californication has a typical QA flash piece at areyouhellasexy.com, but it's executed nicely.

After you answer each question (they're multiple choice) it gives you a clip from the show that features one of the answers in the scene. One nerdy note..the box seen above that holds the clips moves about a little on a Z-axis, and the video will skew along with it. Just slightly mind you, but nicely done nonetheless.

The Tudors has a Tower Defense Game:

The only connection between the game and the show is...cannons and archers maybe? Would be more fun if you were defending against the zombie horde of Henry's dead wives.

Apparently Photo-hunts are in this fall. Showtime has a whole Flash experience that features most of it's shows in a Photo Hunt game.

This one seems better put together than the one for Crash, and harder. Good soundtrack too.

/.chow.\