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| director = [[Bob Bejan]]
| director = [[Bob Bejan]]
| producer =
| producer =
| writer = Bob Bejan, Michael Ian Black, Robert Ben Garant, Jeff Durian, Alisa Tager<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171392/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr#writers</ref>
| writer = Bob Bejan<br/> [[Michael Ian Black]]<br/>[[Robert Ben Garant]]<br/>Jeff Durian<br/>Alisa Tager<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171392/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr#writers|title = I'm Your Man (Video Game 1992)|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref>
| starring = [[Kevin Seal]], [[A. Whitney Brown]], [[Mark Metcalf]], [[Colleen Quinn]]
| starring = [[Kevin Seal]]<br/> [[A. Whitney Brown]]<br/>[[Mark Metcalf]]<br/>[[Colleen Quinn]]
| music = [[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]]
| music = [[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]]
| cinematography =
| cinematography =
| editing = Rutt Video
| editing = Rutt Video
| studio = Controlled Entropy Entertainment
| studio = Controlled Entropy Entertainment
| distributor = Interfilm Technologies<br>[[Sony Pictures Entertainment]]<br>[[Loews Theatres]]
| distributor = Interfilm Technologies<br/>[[Sony Pictures Entertainment]]<br/>[[Loews Theatres]]
| released = {{Film date|1992|12|18|}}
| released = {{Film date|1992|12|18|}}
| runtime = 20 minutes
| runtime = 20 minutes
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| gross =
| gross =
}}
}}

'''''I'm Your Man''''' is a 1992 short film which was created to showcase [[Loews Theatres]]' [[interactive cinema]] technology. Audiences used seat-mounted joysticks to vote between three options in action at six different points throughout the movie.
'''''I'm Your Man''''' is a 1992 short film which was created to showcase [[Loews Theatres]]' [[interactive cinema]] technology. Audiences used seat-mounted joysticks to vote between three options in action at six different points throughout the movie.


==Production==
==Production==
The movie was designed as the first test of [[Interfilm]], [[Bob Bejan]]'s interactive cinema company. The film was shot on 16mm Kodak film, transferred to [[laser disc]], and digitally projected to allow for nearly seamless transitions when audiences made their choices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/14482|title=AMC Loews 19th Street East 6}}</ref> Acting and direction were less than impressive; the movie was shot over only 6 days, and Bejan did not require a second take of any shot.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=When the film audience controls the plot|publisher=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/13/movies/when-the-film-audience-controls-the-plot.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|date=January 13, 1993|first=William|last=Grimes}}</ref>
The movie was designed as the first test of ''Interfilm'', [[Bob Bejan]]'s interactive cinema company. The film was shot on 16mm Kodak film, transferred to [[LaserDisc]], and digitally projected to allow for nearly seamless transitions when audiences made their choices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/14482|title=AMC Loews 19th Street East 6}}</ref> Acting and direction were less than impressive; the movie was shot over only 6 days, and Bejan did not require a second take of any shot.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=When the film audience controls the plot|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/13/movies/when-the-film-audience-controls-the-plot.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|date=January 13, 1993|first=William|last=Grimes}}</ref>


In very early roles for both of them, comedy actors [[Michael Ian Black]] and [[Ben Garant]] appear as background in a party scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171392/fullcredits#writers|title=I'm Your Man - Full cast and crew|publisher=IMDB}}</ref>
In very early roles for both of them, comedy actors [[Michael Ian Black]] and [[Ben Garant]] appear as background in a party scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171392/fullcredits#writers|title=I'm Your Man - Full cast and crew|publisher=IMDB}}</ref>


==Distribution==
==Distribution==
The film premiered in a special theater at the Loews on 19th Street and Broadway in New York City in December 1992.<ref name=CHRON>{{cite news|title=You make the movie/Interactive film allows audience to decide plot turns|date=December 18, 1992|publisher=Houston Chronicle|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1992_1100249/you-make-the-movie-interactive-film-allows-audienc.html}}</ref><ref name=LAT>{{cite news|title=This movie requires a pistol grip|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=December 23, 1992|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-23/news/mn-2336_1_pistol-grip|first=Victor F.|last=Zonana}}</ref> Tickets to the 20-minute show were $3, and ticket holders were allowed to stay for as many viewings as they wanted.<ref name=NYT/> Retrofitting an existing theater with the necessary voting equipment cost approximately $70,000.00, and 42 other theaters made the investment in 1993 and 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rutt Video & Interactive|url=http://rutt.com/index.php?p=04e|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042618/http://rutt.com/index.php?p=04e|archivedate=2016-03-04|df=}}</ref> The film&mdash;and the interactivity itself&mdash;were well received by teens but dismissed by critics and adult moviegoers as being "as gimmicky as three-dimensional glasses or scratch 'n' sniff"<ref name=LAT/> and "not like watching a real movie... more like rooting for a basketball team."<ref name=James>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/07/movies/film-view-look-ma-i-m-an-auteur.html|title=Look, Ma, I'm an Auteur!|author=James, C.|date=February 7, 1993|work=The New York Times}}</ref> A common criticism was that moviegoers would use the controls at vacant seats to vote more than once.<ref name=LAT/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brpublicrelations.com/pdfs/interfilms/nytimes-audience_becomes.pdf|title=When the film audience controls the plot (pdf version of NYT article)}}</ref> Another concern was that the act of voting took moviegoers out of the story; it was thought that real-time interaction hampered the viewing experience, and engineers began working on an alternative technology that would let users customize movies ''before'' viewing began.<ref>{{cite web|title=Orchestrating Digital Micromovies|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology|author1=Davenport, G. |author2=Evans, R. |author3=Halliday, M. |url=http://mf.media.mit.edu/pubs/journal/OrchMicromovies.pdf}}</ref>
The film premiered in a special theater at the Loews on 19th Street and Broadway in New York City in December 1992.<ref name=CHRON>{{cite news|title=You make the movie/Interactive film allows audience to decide plot turns|date=December 18, 1992|publisher=Houston Chronicle|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1992_1100249/you-make-the-movie-interactive-film-allows-audienc.html}}</ref><ref name=LAT>{{cite news|title=This movie requires a pistol grip|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 23, 1992|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-23-mn-2336-story.html|first=Victor F.|last=Zonana}}</ref> Tickets to the 20-minute show were $3, and ticket holders were allowed to stay for as many viewings as they wanted.<ref name=NYT/> Retrofitting an existing theater with the necessary voting equipment cost approximately $70,000, and 42 other theaters made the investment in 1993 and 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rutt Video & Interactive|url=http://rutt.com/index.php?p=04e|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042618/http://rutt.com/index.php?p=04e|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref> The film&mdash;and the interactivity itself&mdash;were well received by teens but dismissed by critics and adult moviegoers as being "as gimmicky as three-dimensional glasses or scratch 'n' sniff"<ref name=LAT/> and "not like watching a real movie... more like rooting for a basketball team."<ref name=James>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/07/movies/film-view-look-ma-i-m-an-auteur.html|title=Look, Ma, I'm an Auteur!|author=James, C.|date=February 7, 1993|work=The New York Times}}</ref> A common criticism was that moviegoers would use the controls at vacant seats to vote more than once.<ref name=LAT/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brpublicrelations.com/pdfs/interfilms/nytimes-audience_becomes.pdf|title=When the film audience controls the plot (pdf version of NYT article)}}</ref> Another concern was that the act of voting took moviegoers out of the story; it was thought that real-time interaction hampered the viewing experience, and engineers began working on an alternative technology that would let users customize movies ''before'' viewing began.<ref>{{cite web|title=Orchestrating Digital Micromovies|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology|author1=Davenport, G. |author2=Evans, R. |author3=Halliday, M. |url=http://mf.media.mit.edu/pubs/journal/OrchMicromovies.pdf}}</ref>


Although the format ultimately failed due to lack of marketing and poor audience reception, ''I'm Your Man'' was released on DVD in 1998 as part of a second attempt at interactive video.<ref name=NYT2>{{cite news|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/cyber/articles/17dvd.html|title=Interactive Filmmakers Hope to Make a Comeback|author=Napoli, L.|date=August 17, 1998|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
Although the format ultimately failed due to lack of marketing and poor audience reception, ''I'm Your Man'' was released on DVD on August 18, 1998 as part of a second attempt at interactive video.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/news/38.html|title=First FMV Games Hit DVD Drives|last=Bates|first=Jason|date=August 12, 1998|website=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991117060850/http://pc.ign.com/news/38.html|archive-date=November 17, 1999|url-status=dead|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref><ref name=NYT2>{{cite news|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/cyber/articles/17dvd.html|title=Interactive Filmmakers Hope to Make a Comeback|author=Napoli, L.|date=August 17, 1998|work=The New York Times}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*''[[Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie]]''
*''[[Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie]]''
*''[[Night Trap]]''
*''[[Night Trap]]''
*''[[Black Mirror: Bandersnatch]]''


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
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[[Category:Interactive films]]
[[Category:Interactive films]]
[[Category:Loews Cineplex Entertainment]]
[[Category:Loews Cineplex Entertainment]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]

Latest revision as of 04:32, 14 August 2024

I'm Your Man
1998 DVD cover
Directed byBob Bejan
Written byBob Bejan
Michael Ian Black
Robert Ben Garant
Jeff Durian
Alisa Tager[1]
StarringKevin Seal
A. Whitney Brown
Mark Metcalf
Colleen Quinn
Edited byRutt Video
Music byJoe Jackson
Production
company
Controlled Entropy Entertainment
Distributed byInterfilm Technologies
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Loews Theatres
Release date
  • December 18, 1992 (1992-12-18)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$370,000.00

I'm Your Man is a 1992 short film which was created to showcase Loews Theatres' interactive cinema technology. Audiences used seat-mounted joysticks to vote between three options in action at six different points throughout the movie.

Production

[edit]

The movie was designed as the first test of Interfilm, Bob Bejan's interactive cinema company. The film was shot on 16mm Kodak film, transferred to LaserDisc, and digitally projected to allow for nearly seamless transitions when audiences made their choices.[2] Acting and direction were less than impressive; the movie was shot over only 6 days, and Bejan did not require a second take of any shot.[3]

In very early roles for both of them, comedy actors Michael Ian Black and Ben Garant appear as background in a party scene.[4]

Distribution

[edit]

The film premiered in a special theater at the Loews on 19th Street and Broadway in New York City in December 1992.[5][6] Tickets to the 20-minute show were $3, and ticket holders were allowed to stay for as many viewings as they wanted.[3] Retrofitting an existing theater with the necessary voting equipment cost approximately $70,000, and 42 other theaters made the investment in 1993 and 1994.[7] The film—and the interactivity itself—were well received by teens but dismissed by critics and adult moviegoers as being "as gimmicky as three-dimensional glasses or scratch 'n' sniff"[6] and "not like watching a real movie... more like rooting for a basketball team."[8] A common criticism was that moviegoers would use the controls at vacant seats to vote more than once.[6][9] Another concern was that the act of voting took moviegoers out of the story; it was thought that real-time interaction hampered the viewing experience, and engineers began working on an alternative technology that would let users customize movies before viewing began.[10]

Although the format ultimately failed due to lack of marketing and poor audience reception, I'm Your Man was released on DVD on August 18, 1998 as part of a second attempt at interactive video.[11][12]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "I'm Your Man (Video Game 1992)". IMDb.
  2. ^ "AMC Loews 19th Street East 6".
  3. ^ a b Grimes, William (January 13, 1993). "When the film audience controls the plot". New York Times.
  4. ^ "I'm Your Man - Full cast and crew". IMDB.
  5. ^ "You make the movie/Interactive film allows audience to decide plot turns". Houston Chronicle. December 18, 1992.
  6. ^ a b c Zonana, Victor F. (December 23, 1992). "This movie requires a pistol grip". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ "Rutt Video & Interactive". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  8. ^ James, C. (February 7, 1993). "Look, Ma, I'm an Auteur!". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "When the film audience controls the plot (pdf version of NYT article)" (PDF).
  10. ^ Davenport, G.; Evans, R.; Halliday, M. "Orchestrating Digital Micromovies" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  11. ^ Bates, Jason (August 12, 1998). "First FMV Games Hit DVD Drives". IGN. Archived from the original on November 17, 1999. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  12. ^ Napoli, L. (August 17, 1998). "Interactive Filmmakers Hope to Make a Comeback". The New York Times.
[edit]