I remember this - do you?
Filmgoers are given power to decide plot twists on the screen - interactive cinema screen
Los Angeles Business Journal, Feb 8, 1993 by Steve Ginsberg
With the Southland's first interactive cinema screen debuting Feb. 5 at Pacific Theatre's Regency 8 in Lakewood, theater executives said they hope audience participation films will become a major new revenue source for exhibitors and Hollywood studios.
The Regency 8 sold out many of the weekend performances of the 20-minute film, "I'm Your Man," despite minimal advertising in the Los Angeles Times and on local radio. Tickets cost $3 apiece and audiences determined plot changes by voting their preferences with special pistol-grip selectors attached to their armrests.
Audience members were given three choices as the plot evolved and votes were immediately tabulated. Consensus decisions were made every 90 seconds.
As part of the new technology, audience members are encouraged to lobby each other -- disavowing decades-old movie etiquette of sitting quietly in the dark. There were 68 different scene possibilities in "I'm Your Man," and in test audiences, 35 percent chose an untraditional villain's ending in which the bad guy wins.
Milton Moritz, vice president for advertising and public relations at Pacific Theatres, said the technology "is very good and it brings a totally different dimension to movie theaters. We are living in a society where people interact in many ways. Video arcades are proof of that. This is a very sophisticated version of that."
Theater owners as well as movie studios are looking for ways to boost attendance. For the last three years, attendance nationwide has been stagnant although revenues have stayed around $5 billion because of escalating ticket prices.
"I'm Your Man" debuted in New York in December, averaging $5,000 a week at the Loews 19th Street Theatre, said Bill Franzblau, a partner in Controlled Entropy Entertainment, Inc., producer of the film.
Franzblau is in Hollywood this week negotiating with several major studios. "We want the studios to provide financing and lend star power to these films, but we don't want to be exclusive to any one studio," he said.
Entropy is embarking on its next 20-minute film soon. That will have double the scene variations and cost more than $1 million, Franzblau said. Laser disc technology is a key ingredient in the process.
Lakewood was chosen as Pacific's test site partially because of its young demographics and suburban setting. Adjacent to the theater complex is the chain's family recreation center, which includes a bowling alley.
Pacific has the Southern California rights to all the interactive films produced by Controlled Entropy, a small New York firm that spent $370,000 to make "I'm Your Man." It cost the chain $75,000 to retrofit a 100-seat theater in Lakewood with pistol grips and two special ceiling projectors, said Moritz.
He said he hopes to have at least 50 more theaters converted to interactive venues as more software becomes available. Pacific operates more than 300 theaters in California.
Entertainment analysts have mixed opinions about interactive movies' prospects.
Alan Gould, analyst for Dean Witter, is not a big fan. "I have mixed feelings because I think it will take a long time before theater-goers become accustomed to it," he said. "I believe interactive television is more personalized and has greater potential."
Los Angeles-based Prime Ticket Network, a cable television sports regional network, began an interactive sports programming focus group test this month.
Nick Rhodes, Prime Ticket's vice president of business development, said interactive broadcasts would allow basketball fans to focus on a single player, such as Michael Jordan, get out-of-town scores any time, or get instant replays whenever they want.
"I don't think there is any question that interactive sports television programming will be a regular part of the viewers' world in the not-so-distant future," Rhodes said. "The exact time frame will be determined by the proliferation of expanded channel technologies.
"This would also change the way advertising is sold," he said. "It would allow the viewer to make commercial choices and enable the advertiser to correctly target those who are interested in their product."
Los Angeles Business Journal, Feb 8, 1993 by Steve Ginsberg
With the Southland's first interactive cinema screen debuting Feb. 5 at Pacific Theatre's Regency 8 in Lakewood, theater executives said they hope audience participation films will become a major new revenue source for exhibitors and Hollywood studios.
The Regency 8 sold out many of the weekend performances of the 20-minute film, "I'm Your Man," despite minimal advertising in the Los Angeles Times and on local radio. Tickets cost $3 apiece and audiences determined plot changes by voting their preferences with special pistol-grip selectors attached to their armrests.
Audience members were given three choices as the plot evolved and votes were immediately tabulated. Consensus decisions were made every 90 seconds.
As part of the new technology, audience members are encouraged to lobby each other -- disavowing decades-old movie etiquette of sitting quietly in the dark. There were 68 different scene possibilities in "I'm Your Man," and in test audiences, 35 percent chose an untraditional villain's ending in which the bad guy wins.
Milton Moritz, vice president for advertising and public relations at Pacific Theatres, said the technology "is very good and it brings a totally different dimension to movie theaters. We are living in a society where people interact in many ways. Video arcades are proof of that. This is a very sophisticated version of that."
Theater owners as well as movie studios are looking for ways to boost attendance. For the last three years, attendance nationwide has been stagnant although revenues have stayed around $5 billion because of escalating ticket prices.
"I'm Your Man" debuted in New York in December, averaging $5,000 a week at the Loews 19th Street Theatre, said Bill Franzblau, a partner in Controlled Entropy Entertainment, Inc., producer of the film.
Franzblau is in Hollywood this week negotiating with several major studios. "We want the studios to provide financing and lend star power to these films, but we don't want to be exclusive to any one studio," he said.
Entropy is embarking on its next 20-minute film soon. That will have double the scene variations and cost more than $1 million, Franzblau said. Laser disc technology is a key ingredient in the process.
Lakewood was chosen as Pacific's test site partially because of its young demographics and suburban setting. Adjacent to the theater complex is the chain's family recreation center, which includes a bowling alley.
Pacific has the Southern California rights to all the interactive films produced by Controlled Entropy, a small New York firm that spent $370,000 to make "I'm Your Man." It cost the chain $75,000 to retrofit a 100-seat theater in Lakewood with pistol grips and two special ceiling projectors, said Moritz.
He said he hopes to have at least 50 more theaters converted to interactive venues as more software becomes available. Pacific operates more than 300 theaters in California.
Entertainment analysts have mixed opinions about interactive movies' prospects.
Alan Gould, analyst for Dean Witter, is not a big fan. "I have mixed feelings because I think it will take a long time before theater-goers become accustomed to it," he said. "I believe interactive television is more personalized and has greater potential."
Los Angeles-based Prime Ticket Network, a cable television sports regional network, began an interactive sports programming focus group test this month.
Nick Rhodes, Prime Ticket's vice president of business development, said interactive broadcasts would allow basketball fans to focus on a single player, such as Michael Jordan, get out-of-town scores any time, or get instant replays whenever they want.
"I don't think there is any question that interactive sports television programming will be a regular part of the viewers' world in the not-so-distant future," Rhodes said. "The exact time frame will be determined by the proliferation of expanded channel technologies.
"This would also change the way advertising is sold," he said. "It would allow the viewer to make commercial choices and enable the advertiser to correctly target those who are interested in their product."