In hearing the responses my classmates had to the various Project Brief 2 prompts, I’ve realised that it would be naive to assume that concepts of ‘narrative’, ‘story’ and ‘storytelling’ could ever be defined.
Not only are these notions subjective (which makes creating a universal definition problematic, if not impossible, in itself), but they’re constantly developing.
Once upon a time, humans told stories by literally ‘telling stories’, using their voices to speak to others. Hence the phrase. This developed into rock paintings and carvings – telling stories visually.
We’re now engulfed in a world of storytelling. We’re surrounded by stories that present in different forms, from the picture books we read children, to the feature films at the cinema and the songs on the radio. There are stories we’re aware of and actively engage with – such as our favourite primetime TV shows – and there are those we ingest sub-consciously – the ads that break up the broadcast.
Transmedia storytelling has become a phenomenon in itself and franchises dominate the mainstream media. Hollywood entertainment giants control as many media platforms as they can in a bid to broadcast their stories and draw audiences into the worlds they create.
But quirky transmedia narratives are also present within the smaller, ‘indie’ markets – check out some of the exhibitions that contain narratives told via unique, often interactive, transmedia storytelling techniques. These can even be found in urban environments – cities, etc.
Stories are now frequently non-linear (though have they ever been linear? – that’s a discussion for another time). There is less boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl overcome obstacle and live happily ever after. There is less ‘once upon a time – they lived happily ever after’. For example, as discussed in class, stories such as Run Lola Run literally rewind time to present the same sequence over and over.
So in attempting to create my philosophy for storytelling, I have to acknowledge that story is fluid. Story is always changing and my understanding of what it is will always be in development. I know there are facets of storytelling that I haven’t been introduced to yet and that I haven’t even considered.
My philosophy of storytelling is this: story is a fluid, adaptable phenomenon that presents itself in almost all facets of life and is utterly subjective. From there, I don’t think I could ever be entirely sure of any aspect of storytelling.