Staff writers for Goldpocket Interactive programming already offer us a glimpse into this evolution, collaborating with networks and production companies to create “enhanced” television (eTV) programming. Although the programming runs the gamut of television genres, the bulk of it currently falls in the arenas of game shows, live events, documentaries, and so-called reality TV broadcasts.

Distribution of the eTV programming happens in several ways. Some eTV programs are dual-screen, involving the use of the TV with either a PC or a cellphone. Other programs are one-screen, assuming the audience has a digital video recorder or a satellite or cable set-top device that can enable two-way interactivity solely through the TV. Some eTV programming is designed for both (more about that later).

For a generation born since Pong, having a controlling device in hand while watching a TV monitor is natural. Laptop PCs and cellphones are viewed as natural extensions of the viewing experience, rather than clunky distractions.

Though much of the interactivity Goldpocket creates is grafted onto preexisting linear programming, an increasing amount is designed from the ground up in the conceptualization of a program or broadcast. And just as a screenplay is looked upon as a blueprint for production, we might view a linear program as a mere blueprint or skeleton for the complete work, which becomes fully realized only when experienced on an interactive platform (whether one-screen or two-screen).

Some of Goldpocket’s programming has included The Real Gilligan’s Island and Outback Jack on TBS; WWE RAW; Star Trek: The Next Generation for Spike TV; Iron Chef America for the Food Network; CSI: Miami Interactive and Survivor: Palau Interactive for CBS; and hundreds of hours of programming for the Game Show Network, including Celebrity Blackjack, Poker Royale, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Interactive, and Average Joe Interactive. On the most basic level, much of the “interactivizing” that Goldpocket writers undertake involves the addition of polls, contests, factoids, trivia, imaginary dialogue pop-ups, commentary, behind-the-scenes information, live chat, and simple games. And maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal or even like screenwriting, but content director Jason Leung would argue otherwise.

“We create a story arc for the viewer from the beginning of the show,” Leung says. “Sometimes we play off an existing story. You have these different parts of interactivity, and it’s a matter of coming up with a thread that ties everything together.” Leung cites the Goldpocket writing staff’s work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, where they were “mining the whole universe and creating further layering” to create a substantially different and rewarding experience out of the original linear broadcast.

Brian Obermiller notes the writing staff’s contribution on the wrestling broadcast WWE RAW: a live production “creating content on the fly” and responding to incoming viewer chat and voting to create a unique experience with continuity and emotional dynamics. The creation of real-time interactive content fits squarely in the continuum of screenwriters writing for late-night live TV, live event news shows, awards shows, holiday parades, and even beauty pageants. Producer Sanjit Das refers to much of what Goldpocket does as “storytelling on the fly,” with the viewer interactivity adding a new dimension to story narrative. As an example, Das cites Real Gilligan’s Island, where a viewer could don the role of a castaway while watching the show and then try to get off the island.

Joe Donatelli, senior editor, holds up the Game Show Network’s Kenny vs. Spenny as a superior example of storytelling interactivity, where the Goldpocket writers created a VH-1 Behind the Music parody overlay to the original linear episode, using all the interactive tools at their disposal.

“It’s all in how you integrate the interactivity,” Das says, stressing that with today’s software and broadcast tools, anyone can add a few trivia questions or polls, but only a screenwriter can look at the big picture and see how enhanced viewer involvement can enrich and expand the storyline of a program. Leung cites the importance of “finding the hook” to create compelling interactivity that becomes a seamless extension of the storytelling.

The Next Frontier

Television interactivity remains in its infancy, akin to the first generation of videogames in the late ’70s: exciting for their time but still primitive in look, functionality, and experience. Where will interactive TV go from here? Obermiller and Leung hypothesize rich DVD-like functionality in any broadcast at any time, with viewers able to hop in and out of narratives to look at special features, alternate or deleted scenes, websites devoted to theories about the backstory, and more. (Imagine, for a moment, a fully interactive Lost.) Two-way interactivity can enhance educational programming too.

“You’re not going to be limited by a 22- or 44-minute format anymore,” says Das. “This opens up great avenues for storytelling.” He envisions the “deep worlds” that state-of-the-art games like Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto create (imagine exploring the overlapping windows and split screens of 24 or sauntering about The Sopranos’ Bada-Bing) and further involving the audience as characters in a broadcast narrative, perhaps via a webcam and microphone. Donatelli foresees entirely new storylines created in real-time during sports broadcasts, something way beyond the “up close and personal” featurettes that are a staple of Olympics coverage and ESPN College Gameday.

The resurgent interest behind dramatic scripted programming is due not only to great writing but also to the ease in which viewers can interact with each other on the Internet, quickly creating show loyalty and spreading the word to others. As that interactivity carries over to a one-screen television format, the chance to extend and expand the world of a show further increases. Forget the morning-after watercooler conversation: The goal is to have people discussing and arguing about the show all week—and throughout hiatus.

But to become an eTV writer, you’ll need to learn programming languages like perl and XML, right? Fortunately, no. Final Draft has created an interactive-TV template, and Goldpocket’s writing staff composes much of its content and interactive features directly within a Final Draft script. Once the script is locked or in a late-stage draft, the software then automates an export to XML. The resulting XML code can then be imported into Goldpocket’s “Content Producer” authoring tool.

“We can teach this to any writer in a day,” Donatelli says. Content Producer allows the writer to work directly with a show’s timecode and, using a drag-and-drop interface, refine and revise the interactivity available through the broadcast. Think of this as an interactive music score—the software allows the writer to make changes and additions as the broadcast happens.

It’s not just screenwriting anymore: It’s live screenwriting.