This is the opening image from the SBS interactive documentary “N’gari“, which centres on the 1837 story of Eliza Fraser, a young british woman and wife to Captain Samuel Fraser, who “discovered” Fraser Island, or N’gari as it was named by the original inhabitants of the island, who cared the Fraser’s when they became shipwrecked on the island.

This is a story of ownership, as well as being about the power of stories, and the repercussions of these stories. I won’t explain any further the story of the documentary as it really should be experienced. It is a beautifully well made video, and the interactive elements follow the thematic drive of the documentary to wash away Eliza’s story from existence, and to return the island to its original name. The main issue I have with this interactive documentary is that it really in not much of an interaction at all, as the main interactions occur with just simply clicking on the screen to have the words of Eliza wash off the screen, which is a very basic idea of interactivity that only involves the audience on such a arbitrary level that it almost becomes a chore to do.

 

The main element of interactive videos that I find interesting and unique to the form is the ability to turn a passive audience into an active one, which is an incredibly powerful tool that when used correctly can engage an audience that is only really possible with the most immersive video games, or some film genres like mysteries or crime dramas.

An example I found of  an interactive documentary that does a much better job of engaging the audience is “Empire” made by PBS centred around a single audio track that would be used for a traditional documentary but the video is displayed on two sides that are flipped like a revolving door depending on what side the audience want to see. Thematically this very simple interactive method works very well in making the audience think about the duality of life and death, and the choices we make along the way, leaving us at the end of the video with this lasting image (Below) which I think is very powerful. This documentary is a much better example of the power that interactive media holds and the capabilities they have.

 

 

“I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.” – Frank Capra.