What Happened in Piedmont?

A U.S. military satellite hits a small, rural town. Few see the flash of light, fewer hear it crash. Within hours, it releases a virus so lethal nearly everyone dies. And the virus is mutating...

A&E's remake of The Andromeda Strain was the largest production in the network's history. Wanting their excitement to be contagious, they approached us to convey why this was much more than a retelling of Michael Crichton's sci-fi novel. They desired a wide-ranging campaign – proof that the Ridley and Tony Scott production is as good as (if not better than) going to the movies.

Because of the network's broad appeal, our challenge was to reach a widespread audience while providing varying levels of engagement. The experience had to work on several levels – easily accessible to casual viewers while offering puzzles and intricate details for more active online players. We devised a set of parallel interactive campaigns, beginning with an online experience mirroring the cinematic quality of the film and relying on a singular notion: Proceed with caution.

We then created an extension of the movie, allowing individuals to immerse themselves in the story and help piece it together. We layered fiction on top of the plot. By delving into the characters and incidents from the film, we transformed it from a single story into a series of interrelated events.

Andrew Tobler, a student at Berkeley, starts a blog after receiving a startling voicemail from his sister in his hometown of Piedmont, Utah. He's unable to reach her (or anyone in the town) and soon realizes that whatever did occur – whether it was a satellite explosion, a military cover-up, or an alien invasion – is shrouded in some serious danger.

What Happened in Piedmont is much more than a blog. It's an alternate reality experience (ARE). Through social networking profiles, government personnel files, live online chats, intercepted military conversations, encrypted passwords, and video and audio clips, the audience followed along, some helping Andrew uncover and analyze hints. By drawing on assets from The Andromeda Strain to build original material (like the Wildfire Lab Intranet), we created an extension of the movie.

While proactive players discovered clues before they appeared on the blog, we ultimately channeled all critical content back to it, so that it was easy for anyone to follow along. Those who wanted to invest greater effort were rewarded with advance insight and real-time interaction with the story's characters. Twitter and Facebook status updates allowed a stripped down and automated way for folks to follow the core developments through tools that were part of their daily routines.

Our aim was to create something that felt both mysterious and real.  Evidence that we achieved this came from a Utah television station, which ran a story assuring viewers that Piedmont was not, in fact, a real town. During the weeks leading up to the premiere, folks speculated over and dreaded what actually happened in Piedmont. Andrew gained more than 2,500 friends on Facebook. Comments on his blog influenced his mindset, and he responded to players' posts and e-mails, acknowledging key individuals. So when it came time to view the film (which was full of surprises and modern day twists), the audience was actively involved. And A&E was ecstatic. The Andromeda Strain became the network's second-highest rated cablecast.