I have something to confess. I have never truly spent much time watching any web series online! I know, bad media student! Having said this, sitting here in my first Directions in Narrative tutorial, I feel I am about to embark on something very interesting.
Non-linear storytelling is something that does arouse my curiosity. If we were to think back to our childhood and the “choose your own adventure” storybooks, I would say this is a technologically enhanced version of the traditional ‘old world’ format. Why is this appealing? How popular is this concept? This, I truly do not know but intend to find out.
What also strikes me and was then posed as a question in class was how much time was spent in production mode.
And then I am drawn to thinking about how some authors go about piecing together fictional stories like The Time Traveller’s Wife, where the author pieced together separately written chapters to create the narrative of the novel.
I think the value of non-linear storytelling at first glance is great in a world of screens and disconnection. Why? It encourages the user to think about where a story could go, think about and appreciate production and serve as an interactive media rich in educational value in terms of innovative thinking.
But there are some things that I would like to consider.
Non-linear documentaries- what exists?
There are actually various kinds of non-linear story structures that one could engage with or consider using as a foundation for a storyline. It is important to note that it is still a new concept and something that should be considered in terms of why one would choose to use this new technology of interactivity, considering factors like internet users whose user habits can be flippant, requiring less attention span.
Here’s a brief rundown of non-linear narrative structure:
Branching Narrative: this one is a classic ‘choose your own adventure’ narrative.
Fishbone Narrative: this narrative style does not deviate too much from its linear cousin, so the “backbone” of it is actually still linear- nor veering away from the core storyline.
Parallel Narrative: considered to be a blend of branching and fishbone narrative.
Threaded Narrative: this narrative is a great option to convey multiple points of view and where the plot itself does not follow one path alone.
Concentric Narrative: this narrative style allows the viewer to choose their starting point. The core storyline does remain the same, so no matter which path they take they will be taken back to this main narrative. It is considered easy to set up and allows for a lot of viewer freedom, however, the view might not experience a true journey-like-feel that they would in the previous narrative non-linear styles. (Munday, 2016)
I really look forward to exploring New Narratives and Directions in Media and hope to create a proposal of some value in the end.
References:
Munday 2016, Interactive Documentary Guide, Director’s Notes, viewed 04/03/18 <http://directorsnotes.com/2016/08/08/interactive-documentary-guide/>
Akpem 2015, Building NonLinear Narratives for the Web, A List Apart, viewed 04/03/2018 <https://alistapart.com/article/building-nonlinear-narratives-for-the-web>
Niffenegger, A 2003, The Time Traveller’s Wife, MacAdam/Cage, USA.