7 Ways the Apple iPad will affect Filmmakers and Creatives

Fresh DV by Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo

This guest post was contributed by Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo; he is the winner of the 2008 Webby Award for Best Drama Series and one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Film. He is currently working on a number of transmedia projects that he hopes will make it out of development hell, and he blogs to maintain his sanity at nofilmschool.com, where he recently authored The DSLR Cinematography Guide.

The Apple iPad offers a number of exciting new possibilities for filmmakers and story architects thanks to its screen size, connectivity, and interactivity. At first glance it may seem like just a big iPhone, but it’s priced to move and — whether you plan on buying one or not — in 60 days it will be in the hands of millions. For filmmakers and independent creatives, there’s a lot of brain candy contained in that thin body; here are seven ways I think the iPad will change filmmaking and interactive storytelling.

The above image (apologies for the blurriness; taken from the iPad’s live announcement, courtesy Gizmodo) demonstrates a couple of simple possibilities for interface overlays on top of video. For live sports broadcasts, these interfaces may be merely informational, but for narrative content, touch-based widgets offer a whole new world of interactivity. From “choose your own adventure”-style video content to multi-angle controls, by giving audiences real-time interfaces on screen, filmmakers can turn viewers into a participants. TV and set-top manufacturers are increasingly integrating internet connectivity and on-screen widgets as well, but none of them have the immediate tactile control of a iPad. While widgets are an easy-to-visualize example, the touch screen itself offers all sorts of interactive affordances; you don’t need something displayed on top of the video to allow viewers to interact with your content. read more...