Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days
Witty cast commentary and Blu-Ray synching in this behind-the-scenes app for iPad
Offering Flying Circus fans a behind-the-scenes look at “Monty Python & the Holy Grail” (now out on Blu-Ray), the just-released companion iPad app “Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days” covers the epic film’s 28-day shooting schedule with previously unpublished content sure to please Python aficionados and pillocks alike. The production story is laid out in animated pages that mimic the movie’s transition screens and title sequence, with interactive bits hidden throughout the app.
Users can browse by scene or production day to find outtakes, film stills, storyboards and original script pages. Terry Gilliam’s storyboards are hilariously brilliant, and actor Michael Palin’s daily filming journal provides valuable insight on making of the cult classic. John Clese provides the video introduction—just a few of the 70 never-before-seen minutes—and all of the Pythons chip in to narrate a day-by-day recollection of the shoot.
Melcher Media’s Charlie Melcher created the app in collaboration with Holy Grail producer John Goldstone to highlight the newest version of the film on Blu-Ray. The companion disc syncs with the app on a Blu-Ray player, letting you keep up on production notes as you watch the film. Using a simple home wifi network, the Blu-Ray converts the iPad into a second screen to augment the film content. Users who are surfing the app can also play relevant scenes on their televisions with a simple tap.
“We wanted this app to not only tell the story of the production, but also be a quest in its own right,” says Melcher. “Storytelling app design is like creating a topography to give your reader an immersive, tactile adventure through the landscape of the story.”
“Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days” is available from the iTunes app store for $4.99.
