Mike Vogel is a writer and director in Portland, Oregon. His movies include The Waiting List and Did You Kiss Anyone? Download his app, Phrenic, in the App Store.
Technology has not only changed the way filmmakers tell stories, it’s creating new types of stories to tell. The Portland Film Festival explores this new wave ofstorytelling again this year with the Storyworlds program on Saturday, September 5th. Storyworlds invites you to learn more out more about transmedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, and ways to hone your creative idea to build an audience.
One year ago, Phrenic launched in the App Store and became the first iOS thriller that users could watch, read, and play. This cloning thriller–created in Portland–is told using episodes, mobile games, choose-your-own-adventure stories, social media fiction and more.
Phrenic–an iOS thriller you watch, read, and play–invites anyone to create a character by uploading a video or writing a very short story from the perspective of a human clone. Videos and stories can be submitted from the Phrenic app itself or on Phrenic’s page on Theatrics. A storyline about liberated clones was designed specifically as a framework for user generated content. Disguises (or Halloween costumes) are encouraged to protect the identity of other clones.
Stories and videos will be published in the Phrenic app and online (one user-submitted story is already live in the app).
The first-of-its-kind iOS app Phrenic has launched version 2.0 with a new episode, short story, and now uses Theatrics to allow anyone to become part of the story by creating their own character and submitting a video that will show up in the app and online. The new design also makes it easier to jump between the mobile games, episodes, and stories that all take place in Phrenic’s world of insanity, cloning, and murder.
Phrenic, a Portland transmedia series that premiered as an iPhone app last month, is releasing a portion of the experience online. The first two episodes are available as well as an interactive choose your own adventure story that puts the reader in the world of cloning and creepy talking dolls. The Doll has over thirty possible endings and text that changes each time you read it. More episodes and stories will be released over the next few weeks.
Phrenic, my futuristic thriller made in Portland, premiered in the App Store this week. Not in a theater. Not on YouTube. In the same App Store where you go to download Temple Run or Angry Birds.
I began thinking about creating a story for mobile devices last year when I realized I was watching fewer feature films but binge-viewing full seasons of compelling TV shows. What if I could make a miniature version of this experience? Smaller in terms of budget and scale, but also shorter episodes that could be watched on the bus or–let’s face it–in the bathroom. Continue reading... “Phrenic: A Futuristic Thriller for Mobile”
