Phonelines... Radioplays... Stick-animations... Digital tales... Unusual scenario's...
Phonelines... Radioplays... Stick-animations... Digital tales... Unusual scenario's...
Phonelines... Radioplays... Stick-animations... Digital tales... Unusual scenario's...
Phonelines... Radioplays... Stick-animations... Digital tales... Unusual scenario's...
Phonelines... Radioplays... Stick-animations... Digital tales... Unusual scenario's...
Curriculum Vitae
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Email:
evaknutz@gmail.com
- Extra text: Structures behind Digital Storytelling /1999
Because the computer/internet allows interaction and user-generated content -
Storytelling within digital media will challenge and change our notions of
authorship, and we might have to reinvent the concept of storytelling in order to
create meaningful digital narratives.
Like the traditional (linear) form of storytelling, plotdevelopment, characters,
locations, and other artistic considerations are just as important when it comes
to storytelling within digital media, but on top of that, the digital story-writers are
faced with a large number of new possibilities dealing with the structure of the story.
These new structures or shapes are mentioned by Katharine Phelps in her text
"Story Shapes for Digital Media" (1998).
http://www.glasswings.com.au/GlassWings/modern/shapes/bml.html
She divides the possible structures of digital stories into 7 story shapes:
Storytelling within digital media will challenge and change our notions of
authorship, and we might have to reinvent the concept of storytelling in order to
create meaningful digital narratives.
Like the traditional (linear) form of storytelling, plotdevelopment, characters,
locations, and other artistic considerations are just as important when it comes
to storytelling within digital media, but on top of that, the digital story-writers are
faced with a large number of new possibilities dealing with the structure of the story.
These new structures or shapes are mentioned by Katharine Phelps in her text
"Story Shapes for Digital Media" (1998).
http://www.glasswings.com.au/GlassWings/modern/shapes/bml.html
She divides the possible structures of digital stories into 7 story shapes:
1) Linear
For example an on-line diary
2) Interactive
Is basically linear, but each screen of material offers an opportunity to enrich the experience.
3) Multi-Linear
Several parallel stories will be presented without being directly connected.
4) Braided Multi-Linear
In this shape we become less focussed on parallel development and more on how lives and
events can repeatedly interconnect.
5) Nested Funnel
Means that you must do "something" or "act" in order to continue the story.
6) Tree-Branching
The classical shape: At each scene the audience is given several choices that again leads to
a new set of choices.
7) Non-Linear
Means simply non-chronological, like for example a sudden random experience within the story.
For example an on-line diary
2) Interactive
Is basically linear, but each screen of material offers an opportunity to enrich the experience.
3) Multi-Linear
Several parallel stories will be presented without being directly connected.
4) Braided Multi-Linear
In this shape we become less focussed on parallel development and more on how lives and
events can repeatedly interconnect.
5) Nested Funnel
Means that you must do "something" or "act" in order to continue the story.
6) Tree-Branching
The classical shape: At each scene the audience is given several choices that again leads to
a new set of choices.
7) Non-Linear
Means simply non-chronological, like for example a sudden random experience within the story.
Linear
Some would argue that linearity has no place in digital narrative, still a lot of
interesting written things on the web are linear.
For example:
- Emails containing a story
- Web-logs, travelstories
Model 1 --> on-line diary
Interactive
An interactive shape is one in which the story is basically linear, but
each screen of material offers an opportunity to enrich your experience of it. It is
sometimes also referred to as an annotative structure or advanced footnoting.
For example:
- A linear story containing links to photos or sound
- A linear story with dif.choice of language
Model 2 --> A trip to the Moon with links:
An interactive shape is one in which the story is basically linear, but
each screen of material offers an opportunity to enrich your experience of it. It is
sometimes also referred to as an annotative structure or advanced footnoting.
For example:
- A linear story containing links to photos or sound
- A linear story with dif.choice of language
Model 2 --> A trip to the Moon with links:
A multi-linear narrative shape is one in which several parallel stories will be
presented WITHOUT those stories directly interconnecting.
For example:
- A documentary with 3 separate story-lines
Model 3 --> A documentary (on the web) about dutch immigrants:
Braided Multi-linear
With braided multi-linear we become less focussed on parallel development and
more on how lives and events can repeatedly interconnect.
For example:
- a braided Multi-linear family album, containing a separate story of each member
in the famely, but with braided connections between lets say father and son or
daughter and grand-mother
- a braided telephone-line, connecting some of the numbers, to one "message"
Model 4 ---> The phone-line/ sketch for phone-project 0909hxjacht:
With braided multi-linear we become less focussed on parallel development and
more on how lives and events can repeatedly interconnect.
For example:
- a braided Multi-linear family album, containing a separate story of each member
in the famely, but with braided connections between lets say father and son or
daughter and grand-mother
- a braided telephone-line, connecting some of the numbers, to one "message"
Model 4 ---> The phone-line/ sketch for phone-project 0909hxjacht:
The Nested Funnel
Within the nested funnel you must either go through all scenes, do all set activities
or at least a significant set of scenes and/or activities within an act before you are
allowed into the next act. Nested funnel stories are typically found in games to
encourage more direct involvement,
For example:
- a computer-game wherein the players must find different objects, which will later
be vital to their success in entering different levels of a game.
- puzzles where the players must answer the question correct in order to continue
Model 5 --> game with Nested Funnels:
Within the nested funnel you must either go through all scenes, do all set activities
or at least a significant set of scenes and/or activities within an act before you are
allowed into the next act. Nested funnel stories are typically found in games to
encourage more direct involvement,
For example:
- a computer-game wherein the players must find different objects, which will later
be vital to their success in entering different levels of a game.
- puzzles where the players must answer the question correct in order to continue
Model 5 --> game with Nested Funnels:
Tree-branching
Tree-branching is the classic structure, which most people are familiar with.
At each scene the audience is given several choices, these scenes in turn lead
to further choices.
Unless you can find honest ways for certain paths to end, you are facing an ex-
potential problem with infinitely finer choices being offered.
A better strategy is to create a story whose theme encompasses a few select
endings and the story is carefully told such that the audience is satisfied with
making a constrained set of choices that will lead to one of these endings.
This is where the challenge and artistry of using the tree-branching narrative
shape enters in.
For example:
- Serial-soaps where in one is given a number of choices that leads to a the next
episode
Model 6 --> Model for Miss Molly and Doctor Jones-Drama:
Tree-branching is the classic structure, which most people are familiar with.
At each scene the audience is given several choices, these scenes in turn lead
to further choices.
Unless you can find honest ways for certain paths to end, you are facing an ex-
potential problem with infinitely finer choices being offered.
A better strategy is to create a story whose theme encompasses a few select
endings and the story is carefully told such that the audience is satisfied with
making a constrained set of choices that will lead to one of these endings.
This is where the challenge and artistry of using the tree-branching narrative
shape enters in.
For example:
- Serial-soaps where in one is given a number of choices that leads to a the next
episode
Model 6 --> Model for Miss Molly and Doctor Jones-Drama:
Non-linear
Non-linearity in its strictest sense simply means non-chronological. This could also
be a random element within the story.
This is nothing new in storytelling, there is lots of examples in the Greek Mythology
of non-chronological storytelling
For example:
- the reader can leap from any one point in the story to any other point in the story.
- a computer perform the selections, of how the story should continue
Model 7 --> Model for game/radioplay Wheel of Fortune):
Non-linearity in its strictest sense simply means non-chronological. This could also
be a random element within the story.
This is nothing new in storytelling, there is lots of examples in the Greek Mythology
of non-chronological storytelling
For example:
- the reader can leap from any one point in the story to any other point in the story.
- a computer perform the selections, of how the story should continue
Model 7 --> Model for game/radioplay Wheel of Fortune):