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NDIN_COMM2540_Assessment Task 2
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Category Archives: New Direction of Narrative
Task 9: EPOC Media Objects
SIDE REACTION
Narrative Demo: http://philome.la/leilawangy/side-reaction
In the final project for New Direction in Narrative, I am going to collaborate with Leila (Yin Wang) who is making an interactive video series.Leila is the director who writes the screenplay for Side Reaction. My role is a filmmaker whose responsibilities are accomplishing a particular visual effect in the project.
The story of Side Reaction is a university student who has a second chance to change his fate after suffered a fatal accident. Audiences will participate in the interactive story by watching video clips. The narrative develops when participants choose one of the multiple options provided at the end of each video. Every decision will reveal a new part of the story and the goal is keeping the protagonist alive.
(Side Reaction, Narrative Structure)
In the week 9’s class, Leila and I has discussed a several of things about the interactive project. We exchanged some ideas with each other and we developed a consensus toward the project.Technically, Leila defines the work as a comedy horror genre. She provides me a complete view of Side Reaction by demonstrating the storyboard and the narrative structure. We find a visual reference, Deliver Me to Hell, which is the particular style matching her requirements.
Deliver Me to Hell is an advertising commercial made by Hell Pizza New Zealand. It is a comedy horror story about human beings fighting against zombies. The protagonist has to deliver a pizza for the customer who is surrounded by the antagonists, the zombies. So participants will make decisions for the protagonist in each clip so that he is able to complete the mission. Deliver Me to Hell is a useful visual reference for Side Reaction.
Comedy horror is a genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. The genre almost inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre. Comedy horror will often use satire on horror clichés as its main source of humor or take a story in a different perspective. The particular genre is famous for a several of films such as Shaun Of The Dead (2004) and Get Out (2017) which is showing in the cinema recently.
The lighting treatment is challenging and interesting in comedy horror genre because it is a contradictory genre which makes you laugh one moment and scream the next. Conventionally, a pure comedy film employs high-key lighting techniques meanwhile a real horror film is using low-key lighting techniques. High-key, where white tones predominate the scene, allows actors’ funny performance. Low-key, where mid-gray or black tones predominate the scene, create mystery and conceal details. These are two completely different methods. So I need to research how did the predecessors deal with comedy horror genre. Do they need to make a compromise while rigging the scene?
Task 7_Media Coverage and social media
Critically reflect on ways in which media convergence and/or social media has influenced your approach to designing and marketing digital narratives. How has the evolving media landscape challenged and/or extended your approach to digital storytelling? Refer to one or more of the course readings/videos in your discussion.
The strategy of using social media to promote the Goffee Beans project is dependent on the biggest communication app in China, Wechat. The social media app has become one of the representatives symbol in China. It has predominated the Chinese market with 700 million members becoming the fastest growing platform in recent years. Wechat is very functional, it combines chatting, sharing contents and electronic payment. It is an all-in-one social media app. According to Tencent’s annual report in 2016, the most frequent Chinese users on Wechat is from 11-year-old to 30-year-old with 25% of overall. These group of people matches the demand of the Goffee Beans which targets 18-year-old to 30-year-old skillful social media users.
In Melbourne, there is a famous subscription account ‘Melbourne 7fan8’ which explores food and drink culture in the local area. The account provides service of recommending local restaurants. It not only targets on international students but also reaches global travelers who temporarily visit Melbourne. The marketing strategy will be collaborating with ‘Melbourne 7fan8’ to promote the Goffee Beans. It is because the target audience of the project is international tourists. ‘Melbourne 7fan8′ has so many resources about the food and drink culture in Melbourne. The Goffee Beans will be benefited from the strong support by the Wechat subscription.
According to the reading materials in week 4, people are now in the Web 2.0 era where allows users to add their own content to websites. Then, the websites collect user’s data as a side-effect of their use of the site. Audiences’ participation to the Internet has created a new phenomenon where is network society. The participatory culture connects audiences in a new way as it encourages online participations.
In conventional media form, like film or television, this is impossible to happen and audiences are completely passive in the narrative. In Web 2.0, audiences become more active than the traditional media platforms. Crowdsourcing is one of the features created in Web 2.0 where allows participants shares their own content. The active participants are able to extend the narrative in the new digital media platforms. In the Goffee Bean project, users will post their selfies to the website then the photos will be displayed to global audiences.
Task 5_Audiences Analysis
Why are you creating this story? Goals, rationale, purpose, premise? What do you want your audience to experience or understand?
Premise: Fitzroy is inhabited by a group of cafe entrepreneurs and graffiti artists who demonstrate their anecdotes to international visitors through an interactive documentary.
The main reason of creating this webdoc is Fitzroy is Melbourne’s oldest suburb where it is famous for its art and cafe culture throughout Australia.
In this interactive documentary, the purpose is assisting travelers to explore the unique culture existing in local streets. For example, the Mario Cafe est.1986 locates at the Brunswick Street which is the commercial heart of Fitzroy. I am expecting users to experience the real Melbourian food and living atmosphere within their short stay in the city.
What is your story? In what way will it be original, surprising, human, passionate, truthful or relevant to your audience?
My idea is creating an interactive documentary where combine coffee culture and graffiti paintings to demonstrates the unique street culture in Fitzroy. There are many tour guide website that only provides traveling recommendations without giving insights of the real local culture. So the doco will not only be featured a number of representational scenic spots, but it will also allow tourists to participate into the Melbournian community in an innovative way. The participants can receive back-stories of the scenic spots through viewing interview videos, archive photographs, and description texts. After audiences have a specific context about Fitzroy, they will be deeply affected by the location when they have an actual visit.
In additions, the Goffe Beans is semi-open webdoc where allows participants upload their stylish selfie to the website. In modern society, ‘showing off’ on social media platform is trending up. People are passionate to unfold their personal stories to attract more viewers. The doco is able to satisfy their demands.
Where will you publish your story? What platform/s and hardware are suited to your audience? E-books, blogs, videos, photos, podcasts, tweets, status updates, apps, games, forums, websites?
The interactive documentary highly replies on mobile devices where users are easy to access the content with their smartphone. The initial idea is building a website based on a computer platform, but it is not an efficient way for a traveler. From a tourist point of view, the smaller electronic devices bring more convenient in their journey. Also, the portable electronic devices like Samsung tablets and Apple iPhone predominate in contemporary society. Those devices are as functional as the traditional laptop or PC. So the ideal solution is establishing a friendly mobile web that is accessible for a smartphone or other electronic devices.
Who is your audience? Who is your target viewer/user – i.e. the group you will target in promoting the work?
‘The Goffee Beans’ project is targeting at international tourists, ages 18 – 40, who is skillful smartphone users and is active on social media platform.
Reaching international visitor is dependent on the flourishing tourism industry in Melbourne. According to Tourism Victoria, Melbourne experienced year-on-year growth in international spend (+5.9%), visitors (+9.6%) and nights (+8.7%) in 2016. The city has received 2.5 millions global travelers in the same year.
When will you create the content and start to engage your audience? What is the production process and publishing schedule?
At the moment, the project is still in pre-production. But it prepares to start to create content in June. This is a big project involves many aspects of specialty such as graphic design, website programming, videography, and marketing. Therefore, the production process will take 4 to 6 months and the final result estimates to release at the end of 2017 or early 2018.
How will your audience participate in the narrative? Will they be able to contribute to the narrative, alter the narrative, respond to the narrative?
The main participation happens in an interactive map where users start navigation in their own way. They are able to walk through the streets in any possible directions. Once the users begin to explore, the next decision may activate a secret scenic spot which could be a coffee shop or a graffiti painting. Then, an additional window will pop up onscreen so participants can browse information in the window. Finally, they can visit a found spot and may have a physical interaction with interesting people who inhabit in Fitzroy.
In general, the process is divided into eight steps:
Step 1. Users start to know contextual information of Fitzroy from an intro
Step 2. Users enter the interactive map and encounter scenic spots through navigating a red point on the map.
Step 3. Users receive information about a local cafe or a graffiti painting.
Step 4. Users reach the cafe and buy a coffee. With their purchase, they will receive a card that has information about a specific graffiti painting in the area.
Step 5. Users explore nearby surroundings to find the graffiti.
Step 6. Users take a personalizing selfie and upload to social media platforms
Step 7. The outstanding pictures will be selected and be added to the webdoc by the Goffee Beans.
Step 8. Users will be rewarded with their fabulous pictures (Optional)
Task 4_Narrative Flowchart
Task 1_Review “Welcome to Pine Point”
Story elements:
Events – the point at which things transition from one state to another. Events can be causally and/or chronologically related.
The series of events in the ‘Welcome to Pine Point’ is both chronologically and causally related. The webdoc not only outlines the development history in the town, but it also reflects on the shutdown of Pine Point.
Actors – characters that cause or experience events. Actors are not necessarily human.
Two kinds of main characters in the webdoc:
(1) The original residents lived in Pine Point, including Kimberly Feodoroff (The Beauty), Lyle M. Hryniuk and Wayne Robert Hrynuik (The Brothers), and Richard Cloutier (The Bully).
The residents includes Kimberly Feodoroff (The Beauty), Lyle M. Hryniuk and Wayne Robert Hrynuik (The Brothers), and Richard Cloutier (The Bully). The webdoc compares the residents’ past memories and experiences with the present living environments.
(2)The significant places symbolized the town, such as the Soviet Union Satellite, the supermarket, and the resident’s houses.
In particular, the Pine Point Bar&Restaurant basement, on which most residents spend their leisure time, is found in the other town being ruined.
Time – when the events take place – past, present, future.
The main town of Pine Point was removed because of the closure of the mining industry. Residents were re-accommodated to other towns nearby and the town is buried and burnt.
Place – where the events take place – location, environment, setting.
Location: Pine Point, Northwest Territories, Canada
Setting: from 70s’ to late-80s’, old-fashioned lifestyle.
Narrative elements:
Ordering – arrangement of chronological events (e.g. in media res, flashbacks, flash forwards, ellipses)
The interactive documentary uses flashbacks as the intro, chronologically describing the up and down development of Pine Point. At the beginning, the author, Micheal Simons recalls the first time he landed on the land by plane. In the following chapters, the narrative reveals the representational incidents happened in the town, such as the closure of mining industry, the falling satellite and the removal announcement from the council of Pine Point.
Pace – the time of the tale vs. the time of the telling (e.g. real-time, sped up, slowed down or variable)
The time of the tale is approximately 30 years since the shutdown of the town in 1987. But the “Welcome to Pine Point” only selects the representational events to tell the story. Its narrative structure is divided into chapters and every chapter represents dissimilar aspects of the town. So the time of the telling is faster than the time of the tale as audiences are able to know the story about Pine Point in one or two hours.
Focalization – the point-of-view from which we view the narrative. Where is this point of view located in time and space and does it vary or change during the narrative?
The point of view is from one of the filmmakers in this webdoc. Michael Simons who had lived in Great Slave Lake area for ten years witnessed the closure of industry towns after losing their purposes. After experienced several times of migration in the U.S, Simons finally settled down in Vancouver. Simons becomes nostalgic and he decides to explore the disappeared hometown Pine Point.
On the way of Simons’ return, he discovers what people’s life will be after the closures of their hometown and how the result impacts on them. Simon’s focalization lands on the Pinepionters who have contributed the golden time of their life to the town. Although the town was abandoned, the memories will not be forgotten.
Narrator – is the ‘intelligent being’ who is telling the story inside or outside the narrative? Is she, he or it omniscient or limited, reliable or unreliable, explicit or implicit? What is his/her/its mood and tone?
A narrator is a not predominant element in ‘Welcome to Pine Point’, but the use of narrator by Richard Cloudier foreshadows how the story will be revealing.
The intro of the interactive webdoc, a voice-over carefully says words like “mouse click..tap..579…click.” This is a mystery at the begining of the webdoc. The implicit description gets my attention to wonder “what is this?”. The same voice-over will appear in the later section and it leads to the climax of the story (Explain in the ‘CLIMAX’ questions).
Text – the format or medium used to recount the narrative (e.g. printed text, painted mural, cinematic film, television episode, video game, puppet show, theatre performance, graphic novel, etc.)
‘Welcome to Pine Point’ consists of multimedia throughout the documentary. Traditional mediums like Audio and video do not predominate in the webdoc, but the filmmaker also utilize massive printed text and archive photos to drive the story.
Printed text is one of the prominent formats. The text mainly provides audiences the content of different chapters.
Digital Photo Gallery is also featured in the webdoc so that audiences are able to view photos by clicking the button of the section.
In some section, the webdoc designer also creates a video gallery for viewers with twenty different videos displaying on the same page. Once the viewer navigates the mouse on a particular video window, the video will be played automatically.
Traditional narrative features:
Linearity
The interaction is limited rather than wide open for users. Although the webdoc authorizes users to plan thier own paths in the narrative, but the foundation of the documentary is based on a linear structure. The structure is set by a specific timeline where contains the development history about Pine Point from its establishment to its death.
Series of conflicts that leads to a climax and resolution
The climax comes at the moment of revealing Richard Cloudier (The Bully) spends the rest of his life sitting in a wheelchair. The Bully was a masculine and healthy man in the past and he was widely known in Pine Point. When the webdoc exposes his present life, Cloudier is making a website for the hometown Pine Point by his verbal instruction because he is paralyzed.
“Mouse Click… Tab…Five Seven Nine…Click”
This is a great twist. The mysterious words are finally revealed at this moment as Cloudier is building a website protect the memories of Pine Point. Even though the town was buried and Cloudier is not as healthy as young, the Bully transforms to the Protector for his hometown. This is the best resolution for a disappeared Pine Point.
In additions, another detail is worth to note. To build up this climax, all of people in the chapter Pinepointers are shown with their full-body, except for Richard Cloudier who is only shown with an extreme close-up portrait. The filmmakers try to conceal information to create the biggest contrast in the climax.
Protagonist and antagonist
The Pinepointers’ golden memories and the disappeared home town
Three-act structure
Act One: Simon is nostalgic to his hometown, but the town has been abandoned. The closure of mining industry results in the re-accommodation of Pine Point. People lost their hometown after the town lost the industrial purpose.
Act Two: Simons starts to discover Pine Pointer by collecting the pieces of memory in many different ways, such as interviewing Pinepointers, reviewing the biggest incidents in the town, finding the old buildings.
Act Three: Simons found that Richard Cloudier who is building up a website to save the memory of Pine Point. Also, people are still celebrating the festival from Pine Point.
Heroes journey
Heroes journey is not significant because of the interactive form of website documentary.
Digital narrative features:
Numerical coding
This is a website based interactive documentary. It highly relies on flash to create the audiovisual effects.
Modularity
‘Welcome to Pine Point’ is divided into ten chapters: 1. Intro; 2. Towns; 3. Pinepointers; 4. Ends&Odds; 5. Cosmos 954 6. Here to Work; 7. Shelf-life 8. What’s weird? 9. Remains; 10 One For the Road
Variability
Accessibility is easy by simply clicking on one specific module. To forward or backward pages, the user can navigate the mouse on ‘Prev’ or ‘Next’ button which locate at two sides of the window.
Programmed elements
In some aspects of ‘Welcome to Pine Point’, the filmmaker automates audios, videos, and animations in the narrative.
The intro section is set up with an archive footage of a landing plane and Richard Cloudier’s narrator.
In the town section, the use of animation visualizes how the industry towns like Pine Point are established.
Participatory aspects
‘Welcome to Pine Point’ is created by a media group, the Goggles. The project was produced in Vancouver by National Film Board of Canada.
It is a website documentary, so participants are able to access the content with internet browsers. But viewers cannot add extra content to the modules because it is a closed doco. The audiences are able to select their own way to unfold the story.