Universal Pictures Launches the Studio's First Multi-Touch Book Created with iBooks Author
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Universal Pictures announced today the release of the free Multi-Touch book Les Miserables: The Musical Phenomenon, a digital companion to the highly anticipated musical epic Les Miserables, which hits theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. This represents Universal Pictures' first book created with iBooks Author, Apple's digital book creation app. Available exclusively on the iBookstore, Les Miserables: The Musical Phenomenon was created in partnership with NBCUniversal Digital Publishing and entertainment marketing company Bemis Balkind.
Highlighting the timeless music, celebrated performers, intricate costumes and sweeping cinematography of the film, the book presents an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the artistry of Les Miserables. It includes exclusive interviews, photo galleries and video, musical performances, interactive timelines and more.
Doug Neil, senior vice president of digital marketing, Universal Pictures, stated: “We're thrilled to provide a digital experience for fans of Les Miserables that enhances the vision of the film's director, Tom Hooper. The interactivity of the digital book allows for an immersive experience, putting readers in the world of Les Miserables before they experience the phenomenon in theaters.”
Curt Doty, who heads up the digital group at Bemis Balkind, added: “Our philosophy on building these new touchpoints is to create a beautiful, illustrated book and enhance it with content and Multi-Touch interactivity. We always want these to have a balance of the written word, amazing photography and compelling interactive content.”
“We are very proud to be associated with this terrific project and to make it available to readers familiar with both the musical and Victor Hugo's classic story,” said Michael Fabiano, vice- president and general manager of NBC Publishing. “This enhanced book is simply a great way of experiencing Universal's behind-the-scenes magic and is sure to reach a whole new fan base as well.”
The book details the 28-year history of Les Miserables the musical, as well as highlights each major cast member in the new film and showcases their musical performances with video clips from the movie. Some of the unique interactive features include the “Character Relationships” widget, which allows fans to see how each character is related to the others, and the timeline, which establishes key events in the course of this epic story that is told over 33 years.
Les Miserables: The Musical Phenomenon is available worldwide for free, exclusively on the iBookstore at iTunes.com/iBookstore. The “Les Miserables: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack” is also available on the iTunes Store at www.iTunes.com/LesMis.
Universal Pictures/PRNewswire(c) 2012 PRNewswire. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.