Canal Plus’s site lets you become a film director in a uniquely interactive online cinema experience.

Become Mr. Bearman

French pay-TV network Canal Plus has launched an ad campaign of cinematic proportions to coincide with the type of content offered on the channel. The company has created the combination of a short film — directed by Adrien Armanet — and an interactive website. The site puts you in the perspective of Canal Plus mascot Mr. Bearman, who starts by directing a scene between a princess and a dying king. You can press “cut” to end the scene at any time, at which point the lights go up on the film set and it’s revealed that you/Mr. Bearman is the director of the scene.

Choose how the scene should change

After some interaction with the assistant director (which is realistically-shot, especially if you wait a while to respond and the scene keeps moving in the background), you’re given the choice of how the scene could be improved. After selection from a series of choices such as “Western,” “Action” or “Gangster,” the same scene between the princess and dying king is played out but with a variation based on whatever choice you made. Most of the scenes are parodies of classic cinema genres and archetypes, with some clever jokes dispersed throughout. Just as with the first video, you can click on the “cut” button at any time to return to the film set and make another selection. The entire site offers a futuristic form of storytelling, an exciting blend of cinema and video game-like interactivity.