True/False Film Fest visitors in Columbia, Missouri, will have an opportunity to reminisce about previous festivals in an interactive experience with the help of a mobile app.

Filmgoers can find window clings featuring augmented reality codes, each with a lightning bolt icon, at the film venues, box office and other areas frequented during the festival. There are 14 codes. Each is a different color to represent the various years.  

Users can download the free Zappar app on a mobile device, scan the codes by holding the device up to the icons and then watch as a collection of photos, videos, articles and other content pops up. Users can interact by clicking the various pieces of content.

The project was built by staff at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Futures Lab as a way to present content in a less traditional way than written or visual content, says Kat Duncan, senior video editor.

“We are experimenting with how newsrooms can use augmented reality to present their content in an interactive and innovative way to readers,” says Duncan, who is leading the project.

RJI’s new Innovation in Focus video series will publish content in April about how the project was created and how people reacted to the AR experience.