Week 2 Reading: Interactive Documentary – Setting The Field

The week one reading by Ashton and Gaudenzi explores how the non-linear medium opens up possibilities of storytelling. The versatile and non-fictional form of documentary allows viewers to draw their own interpretations.

The four types of interactive documentary include:

Conversational: This style allows the viewer to engage with the computer by making their choices from an interactive video.

Hypertext: The viewer is able to create their own journey through selecting a series of existing options.

Participative: The digital authors engage in a reciprocated beneficial relationship with the users. The documentary evolves as viewers contribute to the creation at various stages.

Experiential Mode: This locative style of documentary combines the viewer’s virtual and physical existence.

These varied styles of interactive documentary result in different outcomes for the user, the author and the narrative.

The interactive documentary symposiums discussed in the readings allowed expert opinions and concerns regarding the future of interactive documentary to be shared. One of these included Nick Cohen (BBC) who “…referred to the 90-0-1 principle, as cited by Jacob Neilsen (2006), which suggests that there is a participation inequality on the Internet with only 1% of people creating content, 9% editing or modifying content, and 90% viewing content without actively contributing” (Ashton and Gaudenzi 2012, p. 131).

Interactive documentaries are tools for allowing users to understand our society in an engaging narrative format. They free the author from the restrictions of traditional story telling. The audience can be fulfilled knowing they have contributed to the creation of a narrative or perhaps by the idea that they have explored a documentary differently from all others. As a result of the expansion of possibilities within the area of interactive documentary there may be a need for a taxonomy to distinguish the conventions. The understanding of the genres would benefit the user and potentially the author by creating expectations and guidelines within these categories to help us understand the new format.

My First Look at Interactive Documentary

 

http://interactive.nfb.ca/#/pinepoint

‘Welcome to Pine Point’ created in 2010 is an example of a semi-closed project put together by Canadian media group The Goggles. The story mostly unfolds through the written word, as it was originally written as a book, but the documentary is a creative collage of material from and about Pine Point—a Canadian mining town that disappeared in the 1980s. The documentary revolves around memories and the objects that keep the town’s spirit alive by combining photographs, sound and video clips, interviews, music and narration.

 

Korsakow…?

Korsakow….?

I must admit I have never heard of Korsakow. Considering the majority of our assessment this semester is related to this program I thought I would find out a little more information.

The Korsakow System was invented in 2000 by Berlin-based media artist, Florian Thalhofer. It is an easy to use computer program that allows the user to create database films known as Korsakow-Films or K-Films. The software can be used to produce experiential, documentary and fictional narrative works that are interactive.

I found the Korsakow Facebook group page filled with useful hints.