You’d only be scrolling through your phone, anyway…
Master of cinema Steven Spielberg looks set to showcase yet further innovation with the announcement of a clever new horror series.
In tandem with a brand new “digital content start-up” by the name of Quibi, Spielberg will write and direct the project, with the twist being that viewers can only watch the thing at night.
Set to debut in North America in April of 2020 with a view to a full global rollout shortly, Quibi is a short-form streaming service with a focus on mobile devices.
Shows that wind up on the platform will likely be two to four hours long in total, with each ‘episode’ no more than seven to 10 minutes in duration.
As with the likes of the forthcoming Disney+ and Apple’s foray into the TV world, Quibi is signing up A-list talent in a bid to compete.
Spielberg certainly fits that bill, and his idea might be unique enough to draw people in.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg After Dark – that’s the working title, at least – will consist of 10 to 12 chapters, and can only be viewed under cover of darkness.
In order to facilitate Spielberg’s explicit request that his series be observed this way, Quibi has designed smartphone technology with a clock that results in the show screening exclusively between sundown and sun-up.
The smartphone will monitor where a user is, what time of the day or night it is at that time, and when sundown and sun-up are to occur.
Charlie Brooker is raging he didn’t think of this one, you’d imagine.
“Steven Spielberg came in and said, ‘I have a super scary story…,’ but he said, ‘I only want people to watch it at midnight,'” says Quibi co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, noting that Spielberg wants the show to be “creepier” when someone is watching.
Bring it on.
