They Know Drama?

Interesting movement in the iTV (interactive television) world with TNT — Turner Network Televison. They have a site called ‘We Know Drama’ that keeps viewers up to date with what is showing but also provides parallel viewing. The idea is you watch the movie on TNT and at the same time have this website up with the specific trivia page playing at the same time. The trivia panel cycles through slides that provide details about the making of the film, background info about the actors and writers, and hints on what to watch out for. You can click forward or back or just let the slides cycle through whilst you watch. I had a look at the trivia panel for Bloodwork:

There were quizes during the ad breaks, questions about whether I was an organ-donor (to promote discussion in the lounge-room?), facts and anecdotes. And the trivia info basically cycled throughout the film so if you were immersed in one scene you could pick up the facts in one when you’re not. I think the system has great potential for playing with plot points and character development — making the questions more of a game version of the film or a puzzle part to aid in the figuring out of the film. Perhaps renegade creators can experiment with the form by just putting up sites for TV shows or films that are being shown on free-to-air TV or the like. The problem with free-to-air is that you have to know before what is coming up and then you only have one showing. For now though, I found the concept interesting and inspiring but the content dumb.