Mosaic (murder mystery)
Mosaic is a 2017 murder mystery by Steven Soderbergh, producer Casey Silver, and writer Ed Solomon, published via HBO. It was released in two forms: as an iOS/Android mobile app and as a 2018 television drama. The app works like an interactive film; while the user cannot affect the plot, they can choose from which perspective the same plot is viewed, and learn different facets of it. Users can also investigate on their own time background documents, emails, news clippings, voice mails, police reports, and the like in a "Discoveries" option.
HBO released Mosaic as a six-episode television series in January 2018. The television series contains largely the same content as the app, but without the interactivity or the ability to research documents, and is slightly shorter.
Mosaic begins in a flashback to four years before the main events of the story. Eric Neill is attempting to seduce and defraud children's author Olivia Lake at the behest of some of his associates. In the present, Eric is in prison for Olivia's murder; Petra, Eric's sister, and others reopen the investigation into the events four years prior.
Writer Ed Solomon said that he tried to build the themes of Mosaic's structure into the narrative; he wrote "Every villain is the hero of their own story. This forced me to think of every character as being worthy of their own movie."[1] Olivia's most famous book, in-setting, is supposed to be read both as a story of a hunter trying to protect his family from a bear as well as the story of a bear trying to protect his cubs from a hunter.[2] The multiple viewpoints are intended to allow the user to understand all the sides.
The footage for Mosaic was largely filmed in Park City, Utah.[3] The style and nature of the work meant that there was fairly little post-processing or special effects, and Soderbergh did not use many "takes", preferring to aim for a less rehearsed and more naturalistic feel.[4]
In the Mosaic app, all playthroughs start with the same introduction. After the prologue is watched, users can continue as either Joel or Eric; after that, the story branches further, allowing users to view from multiple character's perspectives. Notifications of additional content sometimes pop up, similar to app push notifications; they offer the ability to see a flashback, flash forward, or related document.[5][6] The creators compared the "Discoveries" to the ability to turn to a glossary, map, or appendix in fantasy novels.[1]
