In a move that aims to enhance the storytelling experience, HBO has unveiled a four-panel video installation called the HBO Cube of the HBO Imagine campaign. Located in the Meatpacking District in New York City, the Cube is a unique new installation that offers four different perspectives on the same scene simultaneously. In telling the same story on four distinct points of view, each side of the cube stands alone as an engaging film, and as a piece of a larger puzzle. As viewers move around the cube, they watch the story unfold from different perspectives, forming different perceptions, and often misperceptions, of the characters and plot.

“There is always a twist and turn on things. Instead of creating a linear 30-second piece, the story is told at four different angles and you can see how parts of the plot can be hidden. But as you walk around the cube you will see that each shot of the cube is part of a much bigger story. ” said Greg Hahn, Executive Creative Director at BBDO.

The video cube was envisioned by BBDO and The Barbarian Group. It features two films, Heist and The Affair by Noam Murro of Biscuit Films. Each are two minutes in length and played twice successively on a rotating basis.

“We wanted to engage people in storytelling in a way that lets them explore and process the information. To be open to these experiences, it’s in HBO’s DNA. They want to show you something in a fresh perspective. It’s bold and it’s an extension of who they are,” replied BBDO’s Executive Creative Director Michael Smith.

If you can’t physically go and view the cube, you can view the interactive version online. The Barbarian Group created HBOImagine.com, a microsite that features an interactive storytelling experience where you choose what films you want to see. There are over 41 pieces of content, including short-and-long-form video, audio files, and news stories that are connected to each other like a web. The user can navigate the story by unlocking and viewing the content. As you uncover the characters, the connections and the motivations driving them are revealed. The interactive feature is great because like in gaming, the story develops deeper with more surprises as you watch the layers of the plot unfold.

The opening attracted a huge crowd and people were certainly interested in display. Although a few colleagues that I spoke to said they did not follow the cube or the plot through to the end of the short films, I still think it’s an ingenious idea. Playing with the plot angles, its interactive site pulled me in for a good 15 minutes which is an incredible amount of time. (Five seconds is the average time a person spends on a website, when captivated, before moving on to something else.)

The HBO Cube is currently displayed in New York (Gansevoort and Little West 12th) from Sept 17-19. It is set to travel to Philadelphia (Old City District) and Washington D.C. (Plaza at Adams Morgan) in October.

HBO Imagine