Viewers are playing an ever-more-defining role in the movies they watch, including everything from choosing what gets shown in the local cinema — and even powering those cinemas — to guiding the film’s very plot with just the power of their thoughts. Along similar lines, Finite Films is an effort whereby audiences can help shape the events in a series of short films created by a trio of filmmakers each month.
Launched last year by a team of three young filmmakers, Los Angeles-based Finite Films invites visitors to its website to submit a one-sentence “constraint” to help shape the story of its next monthly film. By constraints, they mean requirements such as “one character must have a secret,” or “one scene must take place in a laundry room.” At the end of every month, the filmmakers create a list of their favorite 21 constraints and ask users to vote on the best ones. The seven most popular constraints then become the basis for the trio’s next film; they’re also listed when that film is released, and the names of the viewers who submitted them are included in the credits. During production, meanwhile, Finite Films offers full transparency by publishing weekly video production diaries documenting the process. The video below gives an overview of Finite Films’ premise:
After years of passive consumption, there’s now no end in sight to consumers’ involvement in the creation of popular entertainment as well. Filmmakers, artists and entertainment entrepreneurs around the world: what about you?
