Netflix Interactive — Flowcharts now to Lego Blocks in the future
It was very interesting to note the recent announcement that Netflix was in the works to release an interactive episode of the Black Mirror series by the end of 2018. The idea would be that the users/subscribers would be able to select how the episode ends or pick how the story branches at key points in the narrative. For avid Netflix consumers like me, this opens up new avenues to explore. I definitely imagine discussing the various endings with family and friends and thinking through what other options could have been exercised.
More than a year back, the same idea had struck me and I remember discussing it with a couple of friends at home following (you guessed it), a Black Mirror episode! My point here is not to claim “Hey, I predicted that!” or that I am a psychic.
I delved in more after this recent announcement and learnt that Netflix already had interactive content for kids programs in 2017. This link lists the various titles available. As an example, the show “Puss in Book” narrative could be represented as a Flowchart show below that is reproduced from this link.
The various branch off points in the narrative create choices for the kids to explore and each decision at a branch creates results in a slightly differing version of the narrative.
Business thinking
As of now, there is no extra cost associated with choosing the various options in the narrative. Will Netflix model each of these options like an in-app purchase? Interactive content thus could create additional revenue for Netflix. This is already a popular and accepted model in multiplayer online games.
On to Lego Blocks
The options in a Flowchart are predefined by the content creator. At each decision point, there could be one or more options but they are all known. Consider Lego blocks of different sizes that many of us would have played with. They can put together in any format and what comes out is a desired form that could be anything — a tree, a ship, an animal or a thing.
What if — this thinking is applied to movie and TV show content? Imagine that video clips of various duration i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5 or 8 min are shot. Let’s call these A, B, C and D. These can be sequenced in a certain way to get one version of the narrative, say A->B->C->D. Imagine that they are presented as Lego blocks on your TV and you have the ability to choose a sequence to create your own version of the narrative. Now, several sequences are possible i.e. A->C->B->D or A->C->D->B. Of course, there will be some sequences that simply do not work, day D->B->A->C or that in forming sequences, there could be some rules that need to be followed e.g. —
A will always have to begin the story.
D will always have to follow C in the sequence though it need not be immediately after it.
At least 3 of the 4 available clips must be used.
Context
What could this mean in the context of movies and TV shows content?
Imagine that a certain character introduction could be moved later in the narrative.
Imagine an action scene that could be moved ahead in the sequence.
Imagine a scene that is a distraction to the main narrative could be removed.
…and all of this could be done by us i.e. users of Netflix Interactive.
I am simply super thrilled about this possibility and I am pretty sure that this is not very far out.
Comments/Thoughts?