Interactive Version of Glen Keane’s ‘Duet’ Released

Duet, the directorial debut of animation legend Glen Keane, has already appeared online and is a strong contender in this year’s Oscar field, but it hasn’t been available in its interactive format until today.

“Different than the traditional linear story, Duet employs a multi-layered approach that could best be described as a double helix in which the characters’ story arcs literally spiral around one another,” said Keane, who was also the film’s lead animator.

The third short in Google and Motorola’s Spotlight Stories project, Duet can now be viewed in interactive form on the Moto X, Moto X (1st Gen.), Moto G (2nd Gen.), and Moto G 4G LTE.

WATCH: Glen Keane’s Duet (non-interactive version)

The Spotlight shorts use the sensory inputs of a mobile device to create an interactive mobile-specific storytelling experience. The first two shorts in the series—Jan Pinkava’s Windy Day and Mark Oftedal’s Buggy Night—were released in October 2013 and March 2014 respectively.

“Again and again, we were surprised by the freedom this interactive storytelling provided,” Keane said. “Jan Pinkava, who pioneered and directed the first Spotlight Story, Windy Day, continually encouraged us to put the camera into the hands of the audience. However this is not an easy or natural thing for a filmmaker to do. The tendency is to want to control the visual composition, but with Duet we learned to coax rather than control. Because of the nature of this virtual world technology there were no individual shots cut together. It is all one continuous living moment. I think of it less as a traditional film and more as a visual poem.”