Social film
Encyclopedia
A social film is a type of interactive film that is presented through the lens of social media. A social film is distributed digitally and integrates with a social networking service, such as Facebook
or Google+
. It combines features of web video, social games and social media
.
Using a combination of these factors, a social film engages viewers to interact directly with the work, be it through social media functionality like comments and ranking or adding directly to the narrative itself.
Just as with memes, social film distribution relies on the viral
spread enabled by social media. This is based on the viral expansion loops model, in which a viewer benefits from sharing the application with friends, exponentially creating new viewers compelled to share the application.
in April 2011. It was distributed exclusively through Facebook and promoted as the first “Facebook film.” The film is composed of short video clips and interactive slideshows, integrating Facebook’s Social Graph
API. Users participate via text-based additions to the story which are viewable only by friends within their social network.
Other examples of social film include lonelygirl15
, which used YouTube posts to create an interactive video series about a fictional character, and Ron Howard's Project Imagin8ion, where a photo contest was used as the basis for a short film.
In July 2011, Intel and Toshiba
partnered together to create Hollywood's first Social Film experience, a thriller called Inside, directed by D.J. Caruso and starring Emmy Rossum
. The project is broken up into several segments across multiple social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. In this instance, the audience is challenged to help Emmy Rossum’s character, Christina, safely make it out of the room she’s been trapped in. This particular form of social film is a major undertaking in that it combines social media activity with A-list acting talent to create a user experience that all happens in real time.
Although not quite the same idea, Hollywood has been experimenting with the idea of interactive and crowd-sourced
films. For example, Ridley Scott's
Life in a Day, is a documentary style feature, which strives to be the largest crowd-sourced feature film ever created.
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
or Google+
Google+
Google+ is a social networking and identity service, operated by Google Inc.The service was launched on June 28, 2011, in an invite-only "field testing" phase. The following day, existing users were allowed to invite friends who were over 18 years of age to the service to create their own accounts....
. It combines features of web video, social games and social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
.
Key Elements
Social films are a recent phenomenon and, in turn, there are few precedents for their format. Regardless, the medium has certain identifiable elements:- Casual entertainment
- Social media
- User-generated content
- Game mechanics
Using a combination of these factors, a social film engages viewers to interact directly with the work, be it through social media functionality like comments and ranking or adding directly to the narrative itself.
Just as with memes, social film distribution relies on the viral
Viral phenomenon
Viral phenomena are objects or patterns able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them....
spread enabled by social media. This is based on the viral expansion loops model, in which a viewer benefits from sharing the application with friends, exponentially creating new viewers compelled to share the application.
History
The first social film, Him, Her and Them was produced and released by MurmurMurmur (company)
Murmur is a hybrid studio/technology company that creates and distributes social films. It was formed in 2010 by producer Mike Knowlton and writer/director Hal Siegel....
in April 2011. It was distributed exclusively through Facebook and promoted as the first “Facebook film.” The film is composed of short video clips and interactive slideshows, integrating Facebook’s Social Graph
Social graph
The social graph is a term coined by scientists working in the social areas of graph theory. It has been described as "the global mapping of everybody and how they're related"...
API. Users participate via text-based additions to the story which are viewable only by friends within their social network.
Other examples of social film include lonelygirl15
Lonelygirl15
lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006 and ran through to August 1, 2008. Developed under the working title The Children of Anchor Cove, the show gained worldwide media attention when it was outed as fictional in September 2006.-Overview:lonelygirl15...
, which used YouTube posts to create an interactive video series about a fictional character, and Ron Howard's Project Imagin8ion, where a photo contest was used as the basis for a short film.
In July 2011, Intel and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
partnered together to create Hollywood's first Social Film experience, a thriller called Inside, directed by D.J. Caruso and starring Emmy Rossum
Emmy Rossum
Emmanuelle Grey "Emmy" Rossum is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first starred in a string of movies including Songcatcher , An American Rhapsody, and Passionada . However, it was her role in Mystic River that garnered her wider recognition...
. The project is broken up into several segments across multiple social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. In this instance, the audience is challenged to help Emmy Rossum’s character, Christina, safely make it out of the room she’s been trapped in. This particular form of social film is a major undertaking in that it combines social media activity with A-list acting talent to create a user experience that all happens in real time.
Although not quite the same idea, Hollywood has been experimenting with the idea of interactive and crowd-sourced
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
films. For example, Ridley Scott's
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
Life in a Day, is a documentary style feature, which strives to be the largest crowd-sourced feature film ever created.