Digital agency Resn teams up with director Tanu Gago for newly launched interactive documentary
A new documentary, from the emerging field of interactive content, has just premiered online. Digital agency Resn has teamed up with Piki Films, New Zealand on Air and the FAFSWAG creative collective to create Fafswagvogue.com – The Interactive Documentary, from director Tanu Gago.
The documentary explores the LGBTQ vogue ball scene in the world’s biggest Pacific city, Auckland, New Zealand. Vogue ball culture is a global phenomenon with underground scenes established around the world. The documentary will make New Zealand’s scene accessible to an international audience by streaming for free at Fafswagvogue.com.
The experience uses a gaming methodology; drawing the audience into the story through intuitive interactions while they learn about vogue culture. Audiences can choose striking characters and locations to the become the judge in a unique dance battle. Selecting a winner will unlock short-form documentaries revealing the personal lives of five young Performers.
The technology powering Fafswagvogue.com is Resn’s own interactive video platform, CAKE, previously seen in projects such as Converse Diamonds, VeilHymn and Pocket Mustang. Resn has expanded CAKE’s capabilities, allowing an audience to actively participate and control aspects of the unfolding narrative. Resn’s goal was to reimagine an audience’s relationship with film and to deepen their involvement with the story.
Says Wade Cowin, creative director, Resn: “Through interactivity, our audience naturally becomes more engaged with the characters and will spend more time learning about them.”
Gago made the decision to make the film interactive early on.
Says Gago: “I was drawn to the interactive format because it allowed storytellers to develop an immersive experience that mirrors the social interaction you have in real life. You invest time and emotional energy, you’re not just a passive viewer and in the end, you’re rewarded with a deeper understanding of the people and the world they occupy.”
Fafswagvogue.com – The Interactive Documentary was made possible through funding from New Zealand On Air’s Digital Media Fund.