Filmmaker Mani Shankar on how 3D AR motion posters will be a game-changer
The set-up looked like that of any other shoot, but when we shot Kajal Aggarwal and Rana Daggubati, their augmented reality (AR) motion posters went on to create history since they are the first-ever actors in the world to virtually pop out of a poster.
For three weeks before the release, the posters were put up at 2,000 movie theatres across three states (for the Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam releases), with thousands sending in selfies with the stars taken through our app, AppStar.
These are heady numbers and we are just about getting started with incorporating AR into movie promotion. We realised that home-based markers work, wherein a star can be brought through AR into your drawing room. But poster-makers in a public space can turn into quite a buzz, with people waiting their turn before the poster, posing for corny selfies and generally getting a more thrilling experience even at this level of interaction.
Soon enough, fans will be able to dance with their favourite stars in an AR space. And it is simply a matter of time – a year or lesser - before you could converse with a Shah Rukh Khan or Ranbir Kapoor with an artificial intelligence component included in as well.
The first selfie shot with the virtual Rana was by SS Rajamouli, who happened to be there at Rama Naidu Studios, and the next person was Prabhas. Although I wasn’t there to meet them, I was told that they were rather kicked about the whole thing. The impact was quite big within the industry too and we now have producers from everywhere approaching us for using AR in movie promotions. Suresh Productions, through their affiliate, Kwan, is also looking to partner with us to promote this technology throughout India and make it accessible to every movie possible.
The man who made #Bhalladeva standing with the AR of #RadhaJogendra!! Thank you captain for taking the time ;) @ssrajamouli pic.twitter.com/gp6ToWdAg8
— Rana Daggubati (@RanaDaggubati) July 19, 2017
All other forms of traditional movie promotion like teasers on YouTube offer a rather limited level of interaction. In terms of the sheer user experience, there is always a separation between you and the promo. For the first time, you are actively interacting with the promo and are a part of it. It creates the sensation of having actually interacted within a suspension of disbelief. Post your selfies or interactive videos on social media and the buzz that it can create is virtually phenomenal. This shift from a passive consumption of a promo to an active and personal participation has never happened in the century-long history of film promotion in the world. For us at Avantari – headed by a team of young innovative minds - this is only the first step.
Eventually, there will also come a time when you can act with the actor. The idea is to request the filmmaker to create a short scene that you can act in through AR. The filmmaker can then choose the best such video and invite you to be a part of the film. Besides a tremendous boost to the promotion, it can also create a casting opportunity for someone talented out there.
The possibilities are immense and virtually limitless with this technology and the only "lakshman rekha" we are adhering to is the capacity of the phone itself. Our software takes possession of your phone and then uses it to deliver the augmented reality experience.
We are making our technology to cater to the hardware capacity of the basic phone, since we want to reach out to as many people as possible.
(As told to Mona Ramavat.)