21 December 2015

#SpecialDelivery: Google Spotlight Stories come to YouTube with interactive 360-degree storytelling

A humble caretaker is surprised when a mysterious stranger causes mischief on the roof. He investigates, but can�t seem to catch even a glimpse of the troublemaker. And so the chase goes... room to room� up and down� The stranger remains just out of sight, leaving behind only a trail of gifts�

Meanwhile, you�re following the action at your own pace, from whatever angle you please�behind you, to your left, to your right, or in front of you. All on your mobile phone.

Today we�re bringing Google Spotlight Stories to YouTube with �Special Delivery,� an original short film made by Academy Award-winning animation studio Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit fans, take note), viewable on the YouTube app on many Android devices.

�Special Delivery� is the latest of several Spotlight Stories to come out of Google ATAP (our Advanced Technology and Projects group). With Google Spotlight Stories, your phone becomes a window to a story happening all around you. The sensors on your phone allow the story to be interactive, so when you move your phone to various scenes, you unlock mini-stories within the story.

We didn�t want anyone to miss Aardman�s �Pink Panther�-style holiday caper! So we also made a YouTube 360 version for other Android devices, iOS devices, and the web. You can find both versions of �Special Delivery� on the Spotlight Stories YouTube channel, and you can also watch with Google Cardboard. Next year, we�ll bring Google Spotlight Stories to more Android devices and the YouTube iOS app.

You�ll want to watch �Special Delivery� a few times to find all the surprises within the story. In the full interactive experience, you�ll encounter 10 subplots, three potential ways to view the ending, and 60+ moments where you can decide to follow the story in different ways. Each viewing is unique. We don�t want to spoil the ending, so that�s all we�ll say for now�

Posted by Rachid El Guerrab, Technical Project Lead, Spotlight Stories, Google ATAP