Creating interactive video wasn’t easy in the beginning. I can remember a time over a decade ago when companies like Avid Technology created some of the first interactive hotspot capable plug-ins for its NLE. Great stuff, but you had to be competent with the whole program to make it work. Later, companies such as wireWAX continued that approach to creating taggable video hotspots.
Treehouses nodal layout will be familiar to Nuke and Maya users.
There are other ways of creating interactive video experiences. Now Interlude, with offices in New York, Palo Alto, and Tel Aviv, is offering a free version of its online Treehouse technology, which allows anyone to create an unlimited number of videos offering an unlimited number of views.
You’ll have have 3rd party advertising also on the page in this basic version, but that of course that pays for the offering. If you really get into it, you might want to plunk down $149 per month to get the ad free version. (If you make a commitment for a one-year plan, the price drops to $99 per month.) You can check out Treehouse here (you’ll be asked to create an account first).
Here’s Interlude’s press release –
Interlude, the leading digital media company that designs, develops and markets interactive video technology, today announced it has opened up new creative possibilities for all creators, from brands to media and entertainment companies to professional filmmakers to educators to consumers. All of Interlude’s users now have access to unlimited free use of its web-based self-serve interactive video authoring suite,Treehouse, for both commercial and personal use.
“Our goal at Interlude is to help as many people as possible create amazing interactive experiences, whether that be for a school project or a professional production”
The new offering includes a free, ad-supported plan. It also includes subscription-based options for creators who prefer an ad-free viewing experience.
“Our goal at Interlude is to help as many people as possible create amazing interactive experiences, whether that be for a school project or a professional production,” said Yoni Bloch, co-founder and CEO of Interlude. “We started this company because we were looking to tell new types of stories, and there wasn’t an interactive video solution that met our vision. By making interactive video available to all users free of cost, this new offering sets the stage for interactive video to explode, following the pattern we’ve seen in blogging and social media.”
To meet the needs of its broad user base, Interlude has introduced four different plans: Core, Plus, Premium and Enterprise. Across the four plans, users can create an unlimited number of video projects with a growing array of advanced features that include viewer insights, outbound content linking, customized branding and hosting options.
Features within each tier include the following:
- Core: Treehouse is available to anyone at no cost. Users can create an unlimited number of videos with an unlimited number of views for each video. Videos created within this plan are ad-supported and can be seen on desktops, tablets and mobile phones.
- Plus: This plan removes third-party advertising from the content and includes advanced viewer insights. The plan is available for $149/month or $99/month with a year commitment. It also includes 10,000 views per month across all videos.
- Premium: This plan allows creators to add custom branding to the video player’s loading screen and allows for 50,000 views per month. This plan is available for $499/month or $349/month with a year commitment.
- Enterprise: For customers that desire a custom platform solution, Interlude provides an Enterprise offering. Tailored to the customer’s needs, these plans include benefits such as multiple-user access, customized insights and back-end integration, personalized training and a dedicated account management team.
“Creativity flourishes when people are given simple, accessible avenues for production,” said Bloch. “With our new offering, we are making video creation easier for all users so they can experiment with making interactive videos and better communicate with an audience that is increasingly consuming content through interactive devices. We’ve already seen tremendous success with our users and we look forward to seeing the creative expression of our community develop even further by broadening our reach.”
Numerous brands and artists have already utilized Treehouse. This year the Tribeca Film Festival incorporated Treehouse for its first interactive film category; Lincoln Motors teamed up with musician Aloe Blacc and Interlude to create an interactive branded music experience; and acclaimed film directors DANIELS used Treehouse to create two unique interactive films.
About Interlude
Interlude (www.interlude.fm) is a digital media company that designs, develops and markets technologies and platforms to enable interactive video creation and distribution across multiple markets and devices. Interlude’s self-serve authoring suite, Treehouse, enables all video creators – from enthusiasts to musicians to cinematographers to leading brands – to create interactive videos. Founded by Israeli musician Yoni Bloch and his band, Interlude is backed by Sequoia Capital, Intel Capital, NEA, Marker and Innovation Endeavors.
