Something which caught my eye on channel 4 quite a while ago now was a television show entitled ‘Dubplate Drama’. Dubbed the ‘first interactive television drama’ this show follows a young girl with dreams of becoming a famous MC. What makes this interactive and so innovative is that at the end of each episode there is a cliff hanger and the audience get to chose between a series of choices as to what happens next. This was done through online voting, text messaging and video blogging.
Therefore although the choices are limited, the audience still have some ownership in the production and in the well being of its characters. This short show (at only eleven to fifteen minutes in duration) has only aired six episodes thus far but did carry a vital message about drugs to kids. The kids it targeted in particular were thought to be those who were hard to reach and which conventional methods did not communicate well with in parts of
London. The programme itself therefore, aired late at night, revolved around things they could relate to such as the urban music scene, gang culture, fashion and drugs. The audience were then encouraged to visit a collaborated website dealing with people with drug issues called Frank.
It was also streamed across the Internet, onto mobile phones and also via Sony handheld consoles, which are appealing to kids and young adults. It also had a cameo from Ms Dynamite, a well known London R’n’B and Garage artist. At peak it had a viewer ship of approximately 400,000 and cost in the region of £100-£500k.
The main page of this TV show is very appropriate to its urban theme. It appears dark and gritty, just as the show, along with its topics are. The interface is easy to use but its content is rather simple and you have to sign up in order to cast a vote or for other privileges such as watching past episodes, accessing the online forum and getting some free online music. The show itself is has good production values and easily appeals to the cultures it represents, especially since it is aired at a suitable time. Being made available on technologies used by the youth it is targeting also makes it viable to why it was quite a success in its initial launch.
This shows a piece of work which has a focus to send a message out, has an intended audience and suitable means of reaching that audience. It’s use of urban and youth culture is also attractive and its short sharp burst, along with audience interaction keep the viewers waiting for the outcome of the next episode. I generally like the idea of an open end which the viewers decide on. It would be intentional, I would assume, that the writers had already penned in the two or more various endings before the show went out, although I am not sure if it was screened on a weekly basis. Voting would have to be done over a short period of time to allow script development, rehearsal and then filming before the next episode is due to air, and even though each episode is relatively short, a minute of filming can often take a days effort. Nonetheless the interactive element of this, along with its moral intentions and well focused audience positioning are definite points to consider when looking at such a production.
