Interactive Films and the Lack Thereof

As was discussed in class on Friday, it would be impossible for a work like Twelve Blue to be translated to a theatrical release without removing the hypertextual elements and reducing it to a straightforward narrative. The nature of cinema demands a captive audience, and, as movies are traditionally made for wide release then later transferred to video, most filmmakers are justifiably tied to conventional storytelling methods. Because interactive fiction and hypertext came into their own in the VHS age, film was not a medium that was open to them.

The typical home movie format, now, however, is the Digital Versatile Disc, and the versatility of the digital format has opened up possibilities for innovative filmmakers to create hypertext films. All of the necessary elements already exist – chapters are standard features on most DVD releases, remotes are equipped to play the games that are included in many DVD titles, and most DVDs have menus inviting the viewer to explore special features and deleted scenes. The discs themselves have adopted the hypertext format, but the films they contain remain passive forms of entertainment. It would be entirely possible to take a DVD of even the most conventional film and, using the chapter function, create something of a hypertextual experience, but filmmakers have not yet taken the initiative themselves.

This is understandable. A film's popular success is based almost entirely on how much profit it makes at the box office, with DVD sales occasionally mentioned as something of an afterthought. Direct-to-video movies exist, but popular opinion holds that studios only relegate films with low marketability (be they experimental and "weird," overly violent or sexual, or just flat-out bad) to that particular sub-medium. Considering the dominance of DTV by titles such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame II and Children of the Corn IV, the stigma is well deserved, to an extent. But this is not a flaw inherent to the means of presentation, and the stigma could potentially be lifted if we as DVD consumers were offered well-written, well-directed, well-acted DTV films, whether hypertextual or not.

As yet, the only movie I know of that has taken advantage of the possibilities provided by the DVD format is Final Destination 3. I have absolutely no interest in slasher films, much less slasher film sequels, so I have not seen the movie and cannot personally speak for its effectiveness. Wikipedia indicates that DVD sales were rather impressive, though, which is unusual for a horror sequel. The technology for hypertext film is in place, filmmakers have been toying with alternate endings (Clue, anyone?) and anachronous discourse for years, and the public is interested. All that seems to be missing is financial backing from the same film studios that seem more than happy to churn out dozens of remakes but aren't willing to try anything new.