In Thursdays Week 9 class, we started off by collaboratively discussing our project Crash Course and how we can expand it into a larger interactive documentary. Utilising the same aspects of interactivity, user-generated/contributed content, variability, cross-platform and diverse content that is able to capture a unique experience from a wide range of audiences. In the previous project, I did some exploring and found a website named Odyssey that used maps as the driving force of the documentary. Therefore, during the class I had a look at the platform; how it worked, and if we were able to implement both photo and video in the small box windows (which were each individuals worst travel experiences). However, upon researching and playing around with the platform, it highlighted that it was only HTML5 which is pretty much website coding. Which many of the group members and I are not educated in and are not comfortable in using it for a significant assessment. This allowed for us to again scan the web and try and find another platform that utilises the characteristics that we want to launch, and something that’s easy to use (something as easy as WIX, but for interactive documentaries). Through the PBS website we were able to look into various interactive video-making tools such as, Adventr, MultiPoP, FrameTrail, and GoPop. At the time GoPop looked to be the most exciting and interactively engaging, with using gifs/images and short clippings of videos to engage the audience with the topic of the box. It also utilised tags, links, and can have the photo at the front page and then play (what they thought was a photo, into a video). But this isn’t exactly what we wanted, since we were pretty keen on having a map as the base. Where the stories could draw parallels between location and story theme, whilst still holding a sense of singularity. By which I mean you are able to listen to as many stories as you want, and you don’t have to follow a specific path to understand.

In the end, Antonia told us that she has found that Google allows you to create your own map on Google maps. We all straight away jumped on it to see what we could explore, and from looking at it just on the surface, I was very excited. It allowed you add boxed windows depending on location, where you can implement text and photos. However you can’t add (.mp4) videos, which left us at a saddened state. But I knew their had to be a way, so whilst the groups were going around to talk to each other about their ideas and what their plan is for Assessment 4 I navigated through all the layer options, styles, link features, and importing content structures. Upon a trail and error approach, I identified you could indeed embed a Youtube link onto the window which allows you to watch the audio-visual within the window. Not only that, you able to create a series of layers which would act as each individual theme of the stories, and would have crisis icons that link colours, symbols and stories together. So the audience are able to listen to injury stories, or police stories, ect.

Now the next step is for each group member’s (recorded stories from the previous assessment) has to upload on to the Google map. Then put under the specific theme that it follows, with the specific icon. Then we have to share our project and start formulating a larger group of content, driven by extended family and friends.