An inside look at MTV's 'Choose Your Own Murder' game for Scream

For Choose Your Own Murder you get a sneak peak at what the series will be like by getting to choose what direction the story can go in (running to your car, helping a neighbor, etc.) to see if you can avoid the murderer. Found Remote interviewed Jack Daley, MTV's Vice President of Fan Engagement and JJ Schmuckler, Interlude's CEO of Brand Partnerships about the experience.

Found Remote: Why is this a unique social TV activation?

Jack Daley: The best digital or social activations start as great, strategic creative ideas that are then enabled by technology and social platforms.

In this case, the idea was based off that moment we’ve all had when watching a horror movie where you find yourself screaming at the screen in disbelief because the victim-to-be ran up the stairs to escape the killer instead of out the front door.

The Scream franchise has always been about analyzing and playing with classic horror movie clichés. So it was a natural fit to give users the chance to make those life or death choices for themselves and, subsequently, offer them a compelling and fun experience. And what was great is that the technology allowed us to make this idea a reality with a seamless interactive video experience.

We’re excited to have the experience playable natively on platforms like Facebook and Tumblr to make it as easy as possible for the content to travel as fans experience the game and feel compelled to share. This activation was unique in how organically we were able to use the technology to achieve our initial creative vision.

FR: What platform/vendor/company did you work with to build this?

JD: We partnered with Interlude, who provided the interactive video technology. Production company Divide and Conquer produced the video with directors Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch (who directed the 2014 horror movie Starry Eyes).

FR: What kind of KPIs will you be looking for to judge the success?

JD: For us, success is first and foremost based on how much fun the fans have with the experience. If we succeed there, we’ll see the results in metrics such as how many times users on average play through the experience and average time spent.

We’re also hopeful to see this activation result in plenty of earned media through consumers talking about and sharing the experience via social. The early read has been very positive on that front.

FR: What have you learned so far about the core fans of the show/brand?

JD: Scream fans are passionate and protective of the franchise. As we approach the premiere on Tuesday, June 30, our goal is to assure them that MTV understands the horror genre and the DNA of the franchise. A game like this certainly speaks to that.

Found Remote: How has the Interlude platform evolved since it launched a few years ago?

JJ Schmuckler: Our partnership with MTV leveraged one of our newest advancements- our HTML5 player. Now, our interactive content can be experienced across channel and device, exactly when and where an audience wants to consume content.

FR: Why was this a good fit for Scream and MTV?

JJS: MTV's Scream is all about poking fun at the horror movie genre. What better way to tell that story than enables a user attempt (but always in the end fail) at avoiding a gruesome death! Your individual choices might help you to skirt death, but only momentarily.

FR: Anything else?

JJS: The interactive experience for MTV's Scream was led by Interlude's Brand Partnerships - a division within Interlude that focuses on using Interlude's core technology to create bespoke solutions for brands and advertisers to help reach their audience and engage their fans.

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