A New Web3 Film Is an Experiment in Real-Time Audience Participation

Novel developments in technology have given rise to entirely new industries. One of the greatest examples of this is the film industry: The new possibilities presented by “moving pictures” ushered in a new medium of art, expression, and storytelling.

With the rise of blockchain technology, this century-old medium may see its most significant leap forward. Hoping to spearhead the coming evolution in the film and entertainment industries is actor David Bianchi. He has partnered with Gala Film to develop a series that could take the concept of audience participation to the next level.

Under Gala’s film division, Bianchi hopes to deliver a global experience that will make onboarding to Web3 a more compelling decision than ever. Working with Bianchi on this ambitious project are Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker Steven Cantor and viral Animator Peter Draw. And if things go as planned, it might give us a meaningful glimpse into how NFTs could fundamentally change the way audiences engage with media.

Real-time development of entertainment

So what are Bianchi and the rest of his team cooking up? It’s called Razor — an eight-episode science fiction drama with shades of Black Mirror and Mr. Robot, “focused on the world of neural implants, code culture, and the underbelly of black market crime,” Bianchi told nft now in an interview. Although Razor’s subject matter might heavily feature dystopian imagery, everything surrounding it is heavily optimistic towards what could be our Web3-powered entertainment future.

As such, they’ve gone all-in on making this an exclusive experience for Web3 users only. Upon release, Razor won’t be on Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, or any other mainstream streaming service. It’s set to be a Gala Film exclusive, meaning the series is only going to exist on the Ethereum blockchain.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with David and the Gala community to bring Web3’s first-ever live-action series exclusively to Gala Film,” said Gala COO Sarah Buxton, in a statement to nft now. “David and the team are so incredibly talented and committed as we are to delivering decentralized, fan-first entertainment. I can’t wait to see where this partnership will take not just us, but Web3 as a creative space, too.”

Although the series is still in development, Bianchi and the rest of the team are using NFTs to build up the series’ fanbase long before the show even airs. Dropping in late October, this NFT collection is set to include “a beautiful collection of concept posters, storyboards, and pre-visualizations and conceptual art,” Bianchi said.

Through the release of these pieces of art, Bianchi hopes to “engage the audience as early as possible [and bring them] into the filming process.” While behind-the-scenes footage isn’t anything new in the entertainment industry, it’s often released as a series airs — or as part of a box set release upon the conclusion of a season. But what is unheard of is releasing storyboards and concept art to the public while a series is still in development.

“There is so much art that is associated with producing cinema that most people never even come to grips with,” Bianchi said. He hopes to set a precedent in the entertainment industry by further unlocking the value of these concept visuals through the release of this collection. After all, aside from serving a crucial role in the production and development of a series, they’re also pieces of art.

Access via art

However, a question remains: why does the release of these pieces need to be via NFTs? Because of utility.

By selling these items as NFTs, Bianchi hopes to give the first fans of Razor essentially unlimited access to its ongoing development via the purchase of NFTs from this drop. “You’ll have access to the screenwriters, […] the producers, […and] eventually we will be offering IRL access to live table reads in Los…