A Year of Interactive Video Annotations

"Choose a different ending" is an interactive video describing the life of a teenager trying to survive the slums of London. The story, which is shot from a first-person point of view, lets viewers control the hero’s actions (e.g. deciding whether or not he should take his knife to school). Only when the plot reaches one of its grim endings do you realize that the video, commissioned by the London Metropolitan Police, is actually a powerful tool in helping youngsters cope with some of the tough decisions they are faced growing up in a violent environment. This interactive video is a great example of how annotations on YouTube have evolved in just one year: what started as a small-scale experiment is now changing visual storytelling on the web.

• Provide dynamic commentary: Basically, this means placing a layer of comments on a video; things like director comments, pet dubbing clips, and how-to tips for everything from origami to guitar lessons.

• Add interactive links and menus: Many video-makers use the links to direct traffic to other videos and to create spatial video menus.

• Create branching story-lines: Unlike the above two types, which maintain the individual video as the comprehensive story unit, this third group emphasizes a collection of videos organized in a hierarchical structure as a new format of storytelling. Here we find a wide spectrum of use cases, including interactive advertisements, murder mysteries and even wacky dating tips.

• Play interactive games: The climax of interactive sophistication can be found in these intricate collections of interconnected video elements. Examples include spot the difference, break-dance competitions and this clever ad agency homepage that's actually a YouTube interactive video.