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Google’s film tech being used to create Android-friendly interactive live action shorts

Motorola and Google may have officially split up, however the search giant has retained the interactive short film brand known as Spotlight Stories that was featured on the Moto X and Moto G smartphones. This newer filmmaking technology pushes stories from the big screens of the theater to a person’s mobile device and features engaging cues that impact the way the story told and heard. For example, if a helicopter were to follow a vehicle as part of a car chase, a viewer would be able to lift their phone upward to get a closer look at the iron bird in hot pursuit.

Google’s tech is currently being used to produce a new live action short film called Help!, which is being shot with massive sphere-shaped multi-lens’ed camera rig, referred to as a “spidercam.” Fast & Furious director Justin Lin is overseeing the shoot and the project will eventually hit the masses as a Spotlight Story.

The gear being used to produce this new immerse flick originally came from the Advanced Technology and Projects team at Motorola under its short run as a Google company. When the Mountain View, California-based tech giant agreed to sell its Motorola brand to Lenovo, the ATAP division wasn’t part of the deal and the unit was moved to Google’s Android fold. Green-lit by Android boss Sundar Pichai, Spotlight Stories were able to keep moving forward.

“The ATAP team has developed a new art form created specifically for mobile,” Pichai told Backchannel. “We’re excited to see how the technology behind Spotlight Stories will be used by artists to bring stories and characters to life for people to enjoy.”

The immersive, 360 degree, Google-powered Help! is expected to hit your mobile in mid-2015 if all goes according to plan.

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