Rich Fiscus
24 Nov 2007 14:58
An indie rock band called Arcade Fire has found a unique promotion for their second album. The group has released a video online for the disc's Title Track - something many bands do. What makes it unique is that the viewer can use their mouse to control the action in the video. It's the latest development in what's being called reactive video.
"Traditional videos are mostly viewed on YouTube now," says creator Vincent Morisset, who also develops the band's Web sites. "I thought, 'Why spend $200,000 on a production and finish with this tiny pixilated thing? Since it will end up on a computer, let's take advantage of the possibilities that medium offers.'"
"Videos made specifically for the Internet are catching on, because they really get fans engaged," says Londoner Marc Connor, who manages Canadian opera crossover act RyanDan.
A recent RyanDan web video produced in association with interactive multimedia firm Coull features a different type of interactivity. The video for their Like The Sun single featured information and hyperlinks directing viewers to other online resources from a forum to online shopping for band merchandise.
"The realization that you can just click on a video and it takes you somewhere is huge," Coull CEO Irfon Watkins says. "It can lead users to merchandise, tickets and anything else the artist or label wants to sell."
Earlier this week Coull launched coull.tv, a viral reactive video site that allows users to not only upload video, but also add interactive features for free.
Source: Reuters