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Project Overview

We all love documentaries, but we wanted to make this linear experience interactive and even more engaging. Documentary makers have reams of research underpinning their story that never sees the light of day - we wanted to let this content shine. How to Start a Revolution provides the full doco along with background content, source material, biographies and even maps – all appearing at the right moment. This additional content is available in a dedicated area and includes four free books. The underlying theme of the film is supported by Revolution Monitor which provides live tweets from the revolution hotspots.

Organisation

The Project Factory

Team

Kirsty Hunter - Digital Executive Producer
Jennifer Wilson - Digital Executive Producer
Joel Dawson - Developer
Andy Skinner - Developer
Az Newman - Designer
Ruaridh Arrow - Content Director

Project Brief

How do we make ‘coffee table’ documentaries in the way we have coffee table books? Can we make films more engaging for the viewer while honouring the story? Enter ‘Touchies’ – a way that interactive, linear video can be made even better, even more engaging when delivered as tablet apps.

Working with The Big Indy, TPF took the idea of making linear content interactive and built Touchie. HTSAR follows the work of Gene Sharp, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and father of movements towards democracy the world over.

Gene Sharp’s work provides recommendations, tools and writings to encourage peaceful revolutions. His influential book, From Dictatorship to Democracy, inspired this film as well as struggles in Egypt, Tunisia and Eastern Europe with one activist saying “I would rather have this book than the nuclear bomb".

TPF build a scalable, reusable platform that delivered the iPad app for HTSAR and can deliver similar functionality for any video content. Featured content can include links, galleries, images, videos, text, maps and more.

Each Touchie features a ‘magic button’, providing full screen content to really extend the app. For HTSAR Revolution, a Google Maps/Twitter mash-up allows the user to track the ongoing discussions around key terms relevant for the selected country. (Other implementations of the magic button include interactive timelines, 3D fly throughs, 360o footage, a game of any other form of live or interactive content.)

Project Need

We generally watch films, TV and documentaries as they are, while on DVD we might have extras. TPF’s Touchie platform allows context to enhance the experience. What about offering that ‘outtake’ after the relevant scene? What about the deleted scene? Content edited for a release length can have a new life - in one app, you have the theatrical experience; Director’s Cut and information on the influences, characters, sources and more.

When we built HTSAR, we wanted to offer all this, and more. We wanted to create a new way of watching content; we wanted to offer a way for filmmakers and producers to showcase what went on behind the scenes that resulted in this film being made. Touchies deliver apps for iPads, Android tablets and even web apps in a simple, elegant manner.

The DVD market is declining – we rent from iTunes, Quickflix etc. Producers struggle with the need to be able to influence their distribution, and find new source of revenue. As an app, there is a new market, a new form of discover and a new audience that they can reach. In App purchases allow merchandise to be sold (albums, next series etc), and analytics show what the audience wants and what most resonates. Sharing adds to the promotion and marketing and where user’s agree; they can even market new titles to them.

Touchies change the way that linear content, especially documentaries are bought, viewed and engaged with. How to Start a Revolution shows what is possible.

User Experience

How to Start a Revolution is purchased from the app store. The app begins with the tailored splash page and then moves to the home screen. From here, the user can opt to ‘play from start’ icon to start the 90 minute film; they can jump to specific chapters in the film by selecting from the images which march off to the right; they can look at a specific element of featured content by tapping the thumbnail for this underneath the chapter image in which this content appears; they select the ‘Features’ button from the bottom navigation menu to look just at the feature content or they can select the ‘books’ option to see the books available for free download. The button on the far right allows them to share content while that on the far left marked Revolution Monitor will bring up the Google Map/Twitter mash-up of live tweets.

Most users will hit the play button and start watching the film. The content plays in full screen mode and the menu options slide off the screen, returning if the video is paused. While the film is playing, at selected intervals (based on time codes chosen by the producer), thumbnails appear from the top right corner, sliding onto the screen. They stay for a while and then disappear. If the user choses, they can tap one of these content thumbnails. This pauses the main video and the selected content is presented. This might be a text bio which is presented in an overlay on the screen; it might be a new video which slides in from the right, goes full screen and automatically begins playing – there are a multitude of featured content forms. When the user closes the feature content or when it reaches the end if a video, the paused main content will pick up from where it was paused.

Our experience is that most users will watch some way into the film, then interact with the thumbnails, discovering what they do, then go back and start the film again – now choosing to dive deeper at specific points that resonate with them.

The educational possibilities are endless.

Project Marketing

The app is marketed through the Albert Einstein Institute, a foundation set up by Gene to support his work. The award winning nature of the film has helped with marketing and Gene’s nomination in 2013 for the Nobel Peace Prize have all helped the marketing. The film resonates with those who see the need to have a more just world, to overthrow dictators and to encourage the seeds of democracy to grow globally. There has been a targeted marketing strategy designed to outreach to these people through social justice newsletters, democracy websites and on forums where these discussions take place.

Along with this, TPF is actively seeking new producers, content and film makers to embrace this and try out a Touchie.