Avatars & focus groups

It's only logical. A film studio that has teen-targeting content wants to try it out on a social site popular with teens. We'll be seeing more and more deals like this: The film studio Lionsgate announced this week that – in "identifying the next step in new media opportunities" - it "goes viral" this month. In other words, Lionsgate "has partnered with HABBO [Hotel], one of the world's largest online communities for teenagers, to allow today's teens to determine the fate of a Habbo animated release. Utilizing this interactive technology, Lionsgate will tap directly into the online community for feedback on a potential filmmaking endeavor with Habbo." Habbo users (or their avatars, called "habbos") in Habbo sites around the world will be able to check out 10 animated shorts that are set in the actual Habbo world. Lionsgate wants them to vote on whether or not it "should produce and distribute a longer feature film for the DVD and online marketplace."