Interactive video
Digital video enabling viewer interaction through clickable hotspots.
Interactive video is a form of digital video that supports user interaction, allowing viewers to click or touch within the video to trigger actions such as displaying additional information, jumping to different parts of the video, or changing the storyline. The technique blends interaction with linear film or video, often using clickable areas called 'hotspots' to enable viewer engagement.
- First interactive film
- Kinoautomat (1967)
- First interactive computer game
- None
- Key technology
- Laser disc (commercially introduced 1978)
Lore & Background
Interactive video also refers to a technique used in computer games where premade video clips, often from laser discs, create an interactive narrative. This approach, known as 'level III' interactive video, emphasized character appearance and movement over interactivity. Examples include Dragon's Lair (animation) and Night Trap (live action). Various types of interactive video emerged: customizable (e.g., Miss Helga ad), conversational (e.g., Subservient Chicken), and exploratory (e.g., BT Series for the Tate Gallery).
Reader's Guide
Interactive video has evolved from early laser disc experiments to a widespread tool on digital platforms. Its significance lies in blending passive viewing with active participation, enabling branching narratives, educational content, and advertising. The technology has been applied in advertising (e.g., Burger King's Subservient Chicken, awarded Cannes Grand Prix 2005), art installations (e.g., Perpetual art machine integrating over 1000 video artists), and VJing, where video is mixed interactively to music. Research communities in human-computer interaction and multimedia have studied video interaction tools. While early interactive video required specialized hardware like laser disc players, modern platforms such as YouTube and Netflix have made it accessible to a broad audience. The legacy includes influencing participatory cinema, interactive movies, and hypermedia, though the term also refers to a less common technique in computer games that prioritized visual quality over interactivity.
Did You Know?
- The first interactive film, Kinoautomat (1967), required a projectionist to manually switch scenes based on audience choice.
- YouTube's interactive annotation feature, added in 2008, was disabled in 2019 and replaced by end screens.
- The interactive video game Dragon's Lair (1983) used animation clips from a laser disc.
- Netflix started releasing interactive animations in 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Interactive video?
Interactive video is a digital video format that lets viewers click or touch on-screen elements to trigger actions like revealing extra information, jumping to a different segment, or altering the storyline. It essentially merges audience agency with traditional linear filmmaking.
What technology made Interactive video commercially possible?
The laser disc, which hit the market in 1978, served as the key hardware that allowed interactive video to move beyond experimental setups into a consumer-facing medium.
What was the very first interactive film?
Kinoautomat, released in 1967, is credited as the first interactive film, predating the laser disc era by more than a decade.
How do viewers actually interact with an Interactive video?
The video embeds clickable regions known as 'hotspots' that, when tapped or clicked, prompt the player to branch to a new scene, display supplementary details, or shift the narrative direction.
Why does Interactive video matter in the history of interactive storytelling?
It established the core technique of layering viewer choice onto a pre-recorded visual medium, creating the foundational grammar that later branching-narrative games and choose-your-own-adventure films would build upon.
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