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==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|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=http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/13/movies/when-the-film-audience-controls-the-plot.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|date=January 13, 1993}}</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 [[laser disc]], and digitally projected to allow for nearly seamless transitions when audiences made their choices.<ref>{{cite web|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=http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/13/movies/when-the-film-audience-controls-the-plot.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|date=January 13, 1993}}</ref>

In very early roles for both of them, comedy actors [[Michael Ian Black]] and [[Robert Ben Garant]] appear as background in a party scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://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}}</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}}</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=NYT2>{{cite web|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}}</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; real-time interaction hampered the viewing experience, and engineers began working instead on technology that would let users customize movies ''before'' viewing began.<ref>{{cite web|title=Orchestrating Digital Micromovies|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology|author=Davenport, G.; Evans, R.; 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|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=December 23, 1992|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-23/news/mn-2336_1_pistol-grip}}</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}}</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=NYT2>{{cite web|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}}</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|author=Davenport, G.; Evans, R.; 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/>
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/>

Revision as of 16:07, 10 May 2012

I'm Your Man
Directed byBob Bejan
Written byBob Bejan
StarringKevin Seal, A. Whitney Brown, Jack Beaner, Colleen Quinn
Edited byRutt Video
Music byJoe Jackson
Production
company
Controlled Entropy Entertainment
Distributed bySony Pictures Entertainment/Loews Theatres
Release date
  • December 18, 1992 (1992-12-18)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
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

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.[1] 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.[2]

In very early roles for both of them, comedy actors Michael Ian Black and Robert Ben Garant appear as background in a party scene.[3]

Distribution

The film premiered in a special theater at the Loews on 19th Street and Broadway in New York City in December 1992.[4][5] Tickets to the 20-minute show were $3, and ticket holders were allowed to stay for as many viewings as they wanted.[2] 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.[6] 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"[5] and "not like watching a real movie... more like rooting for a basketball team."[7] A common criticism was that moviegoers would use the controls at vacant seats to vote more than once.[5][8] 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.[9]

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.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "AMC Loews 19th Street East 6". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/14482" ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b "When the film audience controls the plot". New York Times. January 13, 1993.
  3. ^ "I'm Your Man - Full cast and crew". IMDB.
  4. ^ "You make the movie/Interactive film allows audience to decide plot turns". Houston Chronicle. December 18, 1992.
  5. ^ a b c "This movie requires a pistol grip". Los Angeles Times. December 23, 1992.
  6. ^ "Rutt Video & Interactive".
  7. ^ a b Napoli, L. (August 17, 1998). "Interactive Filmmakers Hope to Make a Comeback".
  8. ^ "When the film audience controls the plot (pdf version of NYT article)" (PDF).
  9. ^ Davenport, G.; Evans, R.; Halliday, M. "Orchestrating Digital Micromovies" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)