Described are recording tools for generating following behaviors and creating interactive AR experiences. The following recording application enables a user with little or no programming skills to virtually connect virtual objects to other elements, including virtual avatars representing fellow users, thereby creating an interactive story in which multiple elements are apparently and persistently connected. The following interface includes methods for selecting objects and instructions for connecting a virtual object to a target object. In one example, the recording application presents on the display a virtual tether between the objects until a connecting action is detected. The following interface is presented on the display as an overlay, in the foreground relative to the physical environment.