There are hundreds of millions of smart phones in peoples hands right now that have graphics processing capabilities equal to game consoles. In an industry that has been focused on making our lives brilliantly efficient, there are entire aspects of our emotional landscape that are barely touched. So, we asked: what can we do with all this power? We wanted to use the tech to engage the human side of its users.

We put our engineers together with award-winning storytellers, and created a new canvas for artists, and a new experience for users. Spotlight is a new film language and a format unique to mobile. Tens of engineers, producers, and artists worked with over 30 partners (animation studios, visual effects teams, music and technology experts). We use the latest advances in 3D graphics to create and deliver immersive and interactive short stories in real-time – where there are no cuts, framing is -- no longer framing, lighting and timing... different.

We created content with CG Animation, hand-drawn animation, and live action. For our film "duet," the director wanted to create a visual poem. We blended classic 2D hand-drawn animation with our new interactive storytelling world. Animators and engineers sat side by side. The director drew 10,055 original drawings, in 3 point perspective at scale. It took a hierarchy of compression algorithms to handle the high resolution images and produce a small streamable movie that plays back at 60fps.

The director's response to the new technology reflects the reception it has been getting from artists and storytellers: “It wasn’t a screen at all. It was a window into an infinite virtual world. A seamless storytelling with no cuts – like unbroken eye contact. A captivating conversation between the artist and the viewer."

People carry mobile devices with them all day; powerful graphics computers, loaded with sensors.

Instead of simply using them as a small screen to play content produced for bigger static screens, can we create a new kind of content, made for mobile, something beautiful, emotional and interactive.

We created the tech, the format, and a new user experience:

• A sensor fusion suite based on algorithms used for precision planetary landings, coupled with a 60fps rendering engine, making the phone into a window to the virtual world of the story.

• New interaction and framing techniques allowing an immersive experience. The audience controls the pacing and framing of an authored story with a beginning, middle, and end.

• The first ever implementation of Pixar's open graphics standard on mobile and first in real-time. Tech that runs on big rendering farms is now running at 60 fps on a phone.

• Interactive music that allows for variable length scores and an audio pipeline that can create 3D soundscapes with binaural playback in real-time.

• A live action end-to-end pipeline: multi-camera rig, 360 degree cinema-quality live action capture, filmic color range and 360 video playback decoding at 60 fps, with full sensor interactivity.

• Cloud delivery pushes stories directly to users, removing discovery barriers. Control of when and where content is delivered, and the potential to change stories over time.

• Deep analytics track how people engage with stories: where they looked, what story lines they followed and how long they spent in each moment. Allowing us to adapt and re-distribute stories based on user response.

Next? We developed the full production and distribution pipeline for the creative community: our Story Development Kit is going out now to artists and studios to create immersive stories, as we explore more mediums and possibilities.

Google/Motorola has sponsored 3 stories that have been released thus far to more than 5 Million users. Nearly 18,000 users rated the app a 4.7 out of 5. Our platform continues to scale over time via our public app. The technology and content is expanding rapidly as we develop special projects in-house that will push the boundaries of what is possible and drive further development, and simultaneously release our Story Development Kit to a select international group of production companies to produce a slate of new stories; brand-curated content.

Storytellers have been inspired by this new creative medium. "I was looking for some way to connect in a deeper, more personal, expressive way as an artist. I see this medium as a way of putting my animation directly, literally, into the palms of people’s hands.” - "duet" director

"duet" was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and nominated for an Annie, animations highest honor.

Press reactions have been very positive:

“The Oscar contender that SHOULD be watched on a Phone.” – Variety

“Has an app ever made you feel special?” – Gizmodo

“Where High-Tech Meets High Art.” – Animation Magazine

“Welcome to what might become the future of cinema.” - Backchannel