“For nearly 150 years, The Program has pursued its secret mission to identify and develop the ‘abilities’ of individuals with paranormal powers.” This is the introduction to In2ition, the new interactive supernatural conspiracy thriller from Take180, which has produced three original web series since its soft launch in July. Hope Fox, played by up-and-comer Emily Pennington, has abandoned friends and family to go on the run when The Intuitive Genetics Program abducts her boyfriend Zain (Hector Bucio), using her special powers to guide her—think Bourne Conspiracy meets Minority Report, except she needs your help.
In an interactive twist characteristic of Take180’s web series, the plot of In2ition is guided by audience participation. From the site: “As Hope goes on the run, the only people she can trust are Belinda and the members of SAGE—a small group of resistance fighters who oppose the The Program. By participating in challenges, you’ll become a member of SAGE and help Belinda and Hope evade Program agents and discover the dark truth behind Zain’s disappearance, Mrs. Fox’s true identity and The Program’s real motives.” Challenges include “Submit a video of yourself as a SAGE member giving directions to Hope and Belinda,” “Design an original outfit for a bad-boy character,” or “Submit a video of yourself as a SAGE member warning people about the IGP and the evil Mrs. Fox.”
Hope FoxThe interactive element has been a welcome challenge itself for writer-director Chandler Evans, who created the 12 episode series with audience participation in mind. “In2ition is about a young teenage girl who has lost her voice—this show is about empowerment of young adults,” Chandler tells us. “And through the interactive challenges in the series, In2ition provides an opportunity for our audience to find their voice.” Chandler cites X-Files and comic books as his primary inspiration for the series, and says he was determined to create anaccessible hero. “We all have the potential to change and express ourselves in great ways,” Chandler adds.
Weaving audience contribution into the storyline every week isn’t the only challenge Chandler is dealing with, however. Production was delayed nearly a month when one of the lead actresses, Courtney Ford (who plays Hope’s sidekick Belinda Randolph), was replaced by Ogy Durham, which meant re-shooting segments of the pilot episode and covertly replacing the photos and social media on the site—as if she herself were abducted by The Program.
With Episode 5 in production and a highly anticipated abduction promo featuring internet darling iJustine soon to be released, things seem to be back on track. Chris Williams, CEO of T180 Studios, is thrilled by the audience response to Take180’s participatory platform. “Many creators out there are producing content and throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks. At Take180 we’re making sticky walls—and when the audience is emotionally invested they have a reason to come back,” he told us at the T180 Studios in Beverly Hills, CA. “The programming on Take180 is not choose your own adventure, it’s create your own adventure. When you’re online, you’re interacting, and we’re taking advantage of that opportunity with In2ition and our other shows My Alibi and The Juice Box.”
