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Interactive Documentary Conventions


Who is this guy?

  • Brian Chirls
  • NYC, US
  • Knight Technolgy Fellow @ POV Digital
  • Does code, understands stories
  • Likes audiences, tolerates creators
  • Web everything (almost)

Conventions and Patterns

  • Orient the audience
  • Shorthand
  • Show, don't tell (where possible)

???

Show, don't tell:

  • ways to connect emotionally, not just intellectually
  • allows us to skip the explanation.
  • don't have to say, "okay, this scene is at a different place now"
  • also shouldn't have to say, "click here to make stuff happen"
  • takes time for users
  • presentation vs. representation?

Conventions in traditional film

  • Montage
  • Establishing shots
  • 180 degree rule
  • Exegetic vs. diagetic sound
  • Traditional story structure

Interactive video needs new conventions

  • Not TV on the web
  • see: early days of film
  • see: web graphic design c. 1995

???

Some trends starting to show up, but are they good?


Convention vs. Cliche

  • Is it well researched or the first option?
  • Shortcut vs. shorthand
  • Relying on originality?

???

  • How important to the experience is the originality of the technique?

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Examples...

???

examples of trends

Citizen Kane

  • Rosebud
  • nobody hears him say it
  • huge flaw
  • still an amazing film

"FOMO Video"

  • "Fear of Missing Out"
  • back and forth between multiple simultaneous views
  • keyboard or mouse to switch

???

Examples

FOMO: "The Other Side"

  • Essential to the story
  • Two paths are almost identical, so you don't really miss anything
  • Are people really gonna go through it multiple times to catch everything?
  • Needs to be a good enough experience the first time through

Popcorn-style (a.k.a. "Pop Up Video")

  • Interactive bits pop up while video is playing
    • images
    • wall of text
    • maps
    • more video
  • Interrupts flow, distracting
  • Too many things to see at once

???

  • You would never compose a frame of film this way
  • Nor would you edit a film sequence this way
  • alternate between

Interactive Map

  • Good overview of available options
  • Is location relevant to story?
  • Does it give a sense of how to proceed?

???

Will come back to this one


Data Firehose

  • Twitter. ugh.
  • Is it relevant or are you just trying to prove it's live?
  • What happens when the data stops coming?

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How can we do better?

???

Reference other types of experience

  • Video games
  • Traditional Films
  • Theme Parks
  • Museums

Always keep context in mind

ask who plays video games?


Context

  • Location: home? office? mobile? theater? installation?
  • Equipment: browser (many tabs)? VR Headset?
  • Time and attention span

???

Adapt complexity and length to likely scenario DO NOT assume dedicated attention


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The Attention Problem

???

Sleep No More vs. Fuerza Bruta

  • also in VR
  • "movie" vs museum
  • theme park: dark ride, followed by wandering around (gift shop)

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The Interface Problem

???

Video games

  • start out with one crappy weapon
  • build up over time
  • earn each new ability
  • integrated into story

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The Navigation Problem

???

  • which direction to start? getting lost up-front
  • start with narrow space, one direction
  • space can curve, hide next step around corners
  • widen space, narrow side-paths to explore
  • allow back-tracking later on
  • broaden to 2-D space when at least the 3rd "location" has been visited
  • add side missions, but introduce them as part of main story

Questions

  • What not to do?
  • Creation/Construction process
  • How far can we push it?

Thank you

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