O’Flynn, S. (2012). Documentary’s metamorphic form: Webdoc, interactive, transmedia, participatory and beyond. Vol 6. Toronto: Intellect Limited, 141-157. Viewed 1 August 2016, http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/deliver/connect/routledg/17503280/v6n2/s3.pdf?expires=1470140064&id=88304120&titleid=75007871&accname=Royal+Melbourne+Institute+of+Technology+%28RMIT%29&checksum=65384BA48722709CB62BD16B81295485
O’Flynn discusses the multifaceted platform that is interactive documentary, in her article she explores the evolution of documentary and transmedia with the impact of modern technologies. The article dives straight into detailing the evolutions of i-Doc’s in the past decade, each documentary is investigated as independent and without a template due to the dynamic nature of it’s platform. Experimentation is a crucial aspect of this new model, in particular with social media and new age media are all accelerating this market. Due to it’s unique nature, crowdsourcing has become it’s most important model of communication for fans and even to the extent of crowdfunding. O’Flynn makes it clear that the fluidity of this digital space is what allows i-Doc’s to exist and thrive in today’s society. Gaudenzi’s previous research regarding interactive documentary is also mentioned and referenced in regards to more traditional modes of documentary, and the viewers experience. The contrast between webdocs and i-Doc’s are also delved into, while webdocs distribute content through websites, i-Doc’s are “designed as databases of content fragments”. Further on, Transmedia expands this mode of storytelling to a deeper level and adds to narrative content. This articles plays mainly on the two developing aspects: we no longer follow the generic mode of storytelling but instead choose to explore the open space of i-Docs, and secondarily the influence of new age technology – especially social media.
Rosenstein, J. (2005). Documentary Filmmakers Speak/Documentary Storytelling For Film and Videomakers. Issue 2. Columbia:Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 226-229. Viewed 31 July 2016, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/docview/215288830/fulltext/8DCD8FDA284B487CPQ/1?accountid=13552
In this article Rosenstein reviews the opinion’s of Liz Stubbs and Sheila Curran Bernard and their ideals of documentary storytelling. He begins by stating the more involved and innovative storytelling method is documentary during this era, it reaches masses of people and brings a new level of acceptance for this medium. A documentary maker is described as someone who has rejected publicity and work in anonymity. While there are some exceptions to this rule, however many dedicated documentary filmmakers won’t ever see fame during their lifetime of working due to limited publicity. Rosenstein then dissects Stubb’s book, “Documentary Filmmakers Speak”, as the title suggests is a collection of interviews from historically rich documentary filmmakers. He compares and contrasts Stubb’s book with Bernard’s book of a similar nature, and while Stubb’s book focuses on emphasising the filmmaker’s point of view, Bernard discusses filming processes and techniques. While the previous readings I’ve discovered focus primarily on modern technology and it’s effect on i-Doc’s, this reading provides insight to the difficulties that directors and filmmakers will face with documentaries. However it is through social media and online influences that provide more leverage and publicity that is currently lacking in the traditional documentary community. As previously mentioned by O’Flynn, filmmakers can crowdsource and fund through new media platforms and thus gives i-Doc’s a wider viewership.