MARGI SZPERLING’S Uncompressed tells its story from six different points of view. Each character’s perspective, arranged in specific chapters – much like the way films are indexed on DVD – can be watched in a linear fashion. But the best way to view the film, according to Szperling, is to constantly shift between perspectives by selecting any other character’s point of view within each chapter as the story unfolds.

"By introducing interactive elements that reflect the layered, complex nature of the human character," says Szperling, "I wanted to break the sorts of preconceptions that people develop in the course of watching a linear film. The characters themselves are all examples of different forms of communication," she adds. "Two are psychics who speak to each other telepathically ... Rebecca, a ghost, is trying to contact her lover on the other side. Dr. Branchit is attempting to communicate pure information to two clones" who are also telepathtic. "And Conrad is just trying to understand what is happening to him."

Undoubtably, so too will the viewer, as the story is carried along into an endless set of possibilities.

Based in Los Angeles, Szperling spent two years working on the project, whose high production values and resourceful programming belie the film’s extremely low budget.

"The public needs to come to an understanding of what is possible with their media," says Szperling, who has little interest in conventional filmmaking. "Uncompressed is a step in the direction of immersive interaction that will help the audience to learn the capabilities of non-linear language."

[contact: margi@substanz.net]