If we had 16 filmmakers contributing five minutes of a storyline each, we have ourselves a feature film. So what we have to ask ourselves is, at what point would this feature film become completely unwatchable?

I'm talking filmmakers from across the globe, contributing five minutes of a narrative story using different actors playing the same characters.

Seems like a novel idea.

Yet in practice would the constantly changing faces of the characters completely remove the audience’s engagement? Perhaps.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a collaboration not worth engaging.

An exercise like this could have flow-on effects outside those of just the story being told.

For example, the participating filmmakers could create such a ruckus in their collaboration that it warrants attention outside their circles and brings them much needed exposure for their other works.

This would make the project a worthwhile endeavor — but then you have to wonder does the projects serve only to enhance the profiles of those contributing, or to tell a story to hook an audience?

In a perfect world, filmmaking and storytelling serve both purposes — to tell a story that engages and then broaden the appeal of the storyteller.

Since this is all speculation, perhaps there would be many in the world who would not be as distracted by changing faces of characters in order to see where a story told well, goes.

Perhaps the many unique filmmakers associated with one story arc would be such a unique viewing experience that many would find it pleasurable.

Or, perhaps the story doesn’t have to be written beforehand.

A tribe could gather and say “let’s all film five minutes of a story each.”

“I’ll start it off, and then when you — next filmmaker along — have your five minutes, you decide where the story goes from there.”

Then the next contributing filmmaker takes the story in a different path and so on and so forth.

The collaborators do not know how the story’s going to end until you get to the 16th filmmaker. Maybe this is the most engaging way to participate in such an exercise?

Either way, a mass collaboration like this has certainly got me intrigued.

I’d love to know if you’re intrigued as well.