Warner Says You Ought to Be in Pictures -- Literally

Cutting edge online isn't what you might normally associate with Hollywood studios. Put that perception to the side, because Warner Bros. has a new show that will shatter business as usual. Running online, it will integrate photos, data, and other material from users' Facebook pages so they see themselves in the series.

There have been interesting attempts to make video more interactive. The science fiction series Bar Karma had audience-influenced creative direction, like a television series with a suggestions box at the door. But Warner is trying an entirely new dimension in connecting people with shows -- not taking input, but literally placing consumers in the programs as they watch them. That has a lot of potential power for advertising and even story telling. But, privacy may not be any worse off than it already is. For now.

The new show, called Aim High, is a six-part series in which a high school student becomes a spy. OK, so the concept has done before.

The difference here is the technology. Video runs on a Facebook page.

Software will pull information from a viewer's profile and customize it for that person, as the Warner press release explains:

By choosing to watch "Aim High" in a personalized viewing mode through the show's Facebook page, viewers will be able to see themselves or their friends integrated into select scenes throughout the series - from their photo appearing on a student body election poster, to having their name seen as graffiti on the bathroom wall. This video application not only allows consumers to have an immersive and engaging viewing experience, but also a social one where they can share comments, scenes and Tweets about their favorite moments from the show.

Two people watching the program will see completely different customizations.

The obvious goal for Warner is to get people more involved with the program -- and with any advertisements that just happen to sneak their way in. For Facebook, it's to come up with forms of entertainment that can't be easily duplicated anywhere else. Well, at least until someone does it on another site using ties to Google+ or any of the social networking services.

There is the potentially creepy aspect, though, like the immersion video walls that Ray Bradbury imagined in Fahrenheit 451. Having viewers actually take an interactive part is a long way off.

But how about expanding the technology to video ads? That would grab someone's attention, and definitely raise more privacy issues.

Related:

• Look Out, Netflix -- Dish Wants to Crush You (Eventually)
• Microsoft and Sony Were Right: Game Consoles Are the Future of Entertainment
• Hulu Starts to Kick Its TV Studio Dependence
• Netflix Earnings: Taking on Cable Costs a Whole Lot
• Google Likes Hulu, but Really Lusts After Its Network Backers

Image: Flickr user chokola, CC 2.0. Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman is a widely published writer and editor who also does select ghosting and corporate work. The views expressed in this column belong to Sherman and do not represent the views of CBS Interactive. Follow him on Twitter at @ErikSherman or on Facebook.

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