"Watching" a movie in Xanadu

by Jack Seay

May 21, 2004

Some of the best DVD's already have some of these features. These are some ideas of how to extend the user's power. The same system is used to watch a movie as is used to edit it. The same resources are available. All the audio tracks, the foley tracks (footsteps, punches, doors opening, etc.), all the music tracks, the dialog, the overlays of computer graphics, all the takes for each scene.

I can, if I wish, just choose to watch the movie as edited by the "official" editor. I can insert one of the deleted scenes or an alternate ending into the movie. I can turn the music down and the dialog up, or just for one actor. I can adjust the color cast that was added to change the mood, restoring the original tint or trying a different hue. I can see the script as I watch the movie, listen to a variety of commentaries by the director, editor, author, actors, critics, or other viewers.

I can re-edit the whole movie and sell my version, getting paid a small amount each time it is viewed. I can read the book the movie is based on, reading and comparing side-by-side each version the author tried, even to the point of seeing every change he/she made during the writing process, and reading all the sources the author read.

I can record or write a review, with the referred to scenes being instantly viewable by those reading or listening to my review.

Whether I am reading a book, (text, audio, or video) chatting, creating art, watching a movie, or all these at the same time, I will be using the same multi-layered, infinite dimensional, automatic versioning and archiving software.

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