Blog Prompt: Bill Viola, writing in 1982 at the very start of digital video editing and video storage in a computer, speculates about the future possibilities of “data space” as a kind of potential space that can be explored by a “participant.” How does his vision compare with the branching Netflix movie Bandersnatch? Is Bandersnatch entertaining or tedious? Does the work point to future possibilities for cinema and storytelling? How do Viola’s ideas, drawing on sacred arts of the past, challenge the simple “choose-your-own-adventure” approach to the nonlinear potentials of digital cinema? Where do you think this technology is headed? Please quote from the reading.
“Something extraordinary is occurring today, in the 1980s, which ties together all these threads. The computer is merging with video. The potential offspring of this marriage is only beginning to be realized. Leaping directly into the farther future for a moment, we can see the seeds of what some have described as the ultimate recording technology: total spatial storage, with the viewer wandering through some three-dimensional, possibly life-sized field of prerecorded or simulated scenes and events evolving in time. At present, the interactive video discs currently on the market have already begun to address some of these possibilities. Making a program for interactive video disc involves the ordering and structuring (i.e., editing) of much more information than will actually be seen by an individual when he or she sits down to play the program. All possible pathways, or branches, that a viewer (“participant” is a better word) may take through the material must already exist at some
place on the disc. Entire prerecorded sections of video may never be encountered by a given observer.”
“Bandersnatch” shows how stories can change based on viewer choices, making watching more interactive. While this idea is fresh and interesting, some people find it tiring because there are so many different endings to keep up with. This mix of reactions shows the ups and downs of making stories like this.
Viola’s thoughts on storytelling predicted things like “Bandersnatch,” pointing to a future where stories might be more about exploring and participating than just watching. This could change how we think about movies and digital stories, making them more about joining in and less about just looking on.
Overall, Viola’s ideas and thoughts, were spot on.