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OT: Viewers will vote live on the ending for tonight’s Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is doing an Edwin Drood [link]: “Hawaii Five-O” fans get to choose their own ending [link].
There are three possible endings to the whodunit, and the audience can vote on, well, who they think dun it. CBS will be tallying tweets with specific hashtags for each of the suspects and will play out the most popular ending live.
Interestingly, the West Coast could get a different ending than the East Coast.
It’s apparently the first time this has been tried on live TV, and it strikes me as a very interesting way to leverage the immediacy of broadcast and co-viewing, on several levels. On the creative side, you have the challenge of crafting a story that can viably end any of several ways (at the cost of being able to rely on the outcome in future episodes). On the business side, it’s a unique way to build true must-see TV — DVR viewers will get no say in the outcome, and you can bet a good number of fans will go online later to watch the two un-aired endings.
CBS at 10/9c.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
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2 Replies
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That’s like reading the last page of a book before you are done with the book. But also, you can swap out that page with another one if you want.
I find it odd.What’s the point? Live audience testing on a mass scale? “Let’s find out if they want a happy ending, or a dark ending.” Or “Let’s see which of these three characters we have featured is the audience favorite.”
It would be cool if they’d post all three alternatives online though…
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] “What’s the point? Live audience testing on a mass scale? “Let’s find out if they want a happy ending, or a dark ending.” Or “Let’s see which of these three characters we have featured is the audience favorite.””
I guess the idea is that viewers will vote for the suspect that they think is guilty of the murder, but you’re right that people could vote one way or another for any of a number of reasons.
Seems like a bit of a gimmick, and I’d hate to have to watch (or produce) any significant part of a series this way — but if nothing else, it’s an interesting experiment.
[Shane Ross] “It would be cool if they’d post all three alternatives online though…”
The article says they will.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events
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