Project+2-+Narrative

Project 2 Layered Narrative

Storytelling in the 21st century can incorporate a plethora of strategies and technologies. On the web, especially, there are possibilities for multi-level, multi-layered narratives, both singular and driven by viewer interaction.

In this project, you will construct a Flash-based video work that incorporates at least 5 separate streams, 3 of which must be video based. You will design an interface that lets the viewer interact with this narrative, either by directing it, deconstructing it or breaking it. Your goal here is to both use and abuse formal narrative structure.

Thins to consider: Who is the narrator? What functions do the “characters” serve? What shape is your story “ark”? How much power do you want the view to have? Does your interface resemble some other kind of interface, or is it transparent?

For next class: Post examples on the narrative page on the wiki of works that explore narrative structure. These can be in any media, including web-based formats such as hypermedia. Post 3 examples each. We will talk about these examples as a group next class.

Artist to look at:

Jenny Holzer Rebecca Horn Guy Ben-Ner Pierre Heuyge Rodney Graham

__**Amanda's Examples**__ 1) Needs to be opened in Google Chrome: http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/ 2)Flash Interactive Video http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/spin

3) Interactive Sculpture media type="youtube" key="6n5PvrV_JMY?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

__**Teighe's Examples:**__ Film: Sin City Although not the first of it's kind, Sin City narrates the situations of seemingly unrelated characters without ever realizing them visually in the end. I found it an interesting and unconventional use of parallel action that makes up the entirety of the film. media type="youtube" key="01oMivD4o3E?fs=1" height="385" width="640"

HyperText Story: The Heist In a hypertext, the audience can chose multiple directions in narrative (becoming a secondary narrator) reordering the story to a final ending. http://www.waltersorrells.com/1.html

Game: Bboy Joker HyperTube Video Game This game is awesome! The author used advertisement links in his videos to create a game that sends you to different videos based on your choices, and than to different videos after that until you reach a win-or-lose final video. Go to the YouTube page to participate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3ywoc2Cp4

Other: Interactive video creation Pretty much everything from this site amazes me. JGL created a format for artists all over the world to participate in the creation of all aspects of others' productions. Not only do these videos combine the ideas of multiple authors and narrators, but the interactive audience participation in the completion of the films, music, digital art, etc, makes the narrative aspect of the completed projects unbelievable. I highly suggest watching this combination of 300 participants: http://www.hitrecord.org/records/65444 http://www.hitrecord.org/

Amy's examples 1) Any work by Kara Walker From "Narratives of Negress"

2) "The Boating Party" by Mary Cassatt 

3) One image of about 50 from "Chemical Diary" by Bjarne Melgaard

4) http://offbeatrepeat.com/index.php