Somewhere between film, technology and interactive storytelling, “transmedia” is a genre prescient to how audiences are experiencing entertainment through a 21st century lens. During Basel art week, Ryan McNamara’s MEEM 4 MIAMI, for one, was designed for social media-hungry viewers, scripting a fast-paced, over-the-top choreography that melded dance, immersive theatre and voyeurism. Another Miami gem was The Love Song of Buckminster Fuller presented by MDC Live Arts, which deconstructed the cinematic paradigm with on-stage narration by director Sam Green and a live soundtrack by Yo La Tengo. This idea of giving people greater agency and engaging them on an experiential level is at the heart of South Florida’s only transmedia festival, Filmgate Interactive, which runs February 1st− 8th at locations throughout the city.
Photo: Logan Leeds
Among the many highlights in programming, Jacqueries by Jacob Niedzwiecki delivers an immersive dance and theatre performance in a political heist thriller. Using synchronized sound, 3D video-augmented reality and a custom iPhone app, the film leads audiences through a range of scenes in Downtown Miami. Participants are asked to bring their headphones, and make sure iOS 7.0 is up to snuff.
Video: Jacqueries Trailer
In the interactive exhibition Unknown Spring, Jake Price exposes the fine line between humanity and the seemingly inhumane aftermath of the Tohuku earthquake, the tsunami and Daiichi nuclear power-plant meltdown. Projected video, audio and photography are the result of four years of documentation in Japan, and raises important questions about Florida’s own tumultuous relationship with natural disasters and climate change.
Photo: Unknown Spring
Don’t miss the Interactive Tech Playground, a three-day expo of the latest in state-of-the-art gaming, video and cinematic technology; workshops for both novices and trade professionals; and a live re-enactment of Ace Ventura Pet Detective – the cult classic that, originally filmed in Miami Beach in 1989, will be reimagined with viewers as actors, and a supporting cast that includes Miami Dolphins players.
