So, after spending what was my entire morning looking for new media narratives on the internet. I have finally achieved my mission!
Firstly, I found this fantastic article on Web 2.0 Storytelling
http://www.uh.cu/static/documents/RDA/Web%202.0%20Storytelling%20c.pdf
which I am sure will prove extremely useful in the long term (as I'm yet to read the entire thing), but one of the links on this article really stood out for me. It was about a company called 'Dreaming methods'. Dreaming Methods have produced some of the most beautiful and intuative rich media narrative spaces I have ever seen on the internet.
http://www.dreamingmethods.com/uploads/dm_archive/objects/html/d_object_175487_100913_thickbox.html
Here is one as an example called 'Dim O Gauble'. It's about a boy who has bad dreams, which appear to only be shared by his Grandmother.
It is a beautiful piece of work. But I can't help but feel it's really complicated... I only understand part of the narrative myself. But I've had a good look through their sites. All their projects are similar to this. Beautiful, but incomprehensible (well to me anyway).
These are for a niche audience I would say. Probably people who are already in new media narrative circles... which defeats the object of my project.
For another thing, since my narratives are already written, the workload should be somewhat easier, although I'm currently looking at design styles and the like (posts about this coming soon!)
I then tried to search around to see if anyone had revived the classic in this way....
Thankfully not... However, at one point 'penguin books' did an experiment called 'we tell stories'
http://www.wetellstories.co.uk/
in this some classic penguin narratives are given a digital makeover... Another thing I will check out soon, to see how good they are. On a first glance, I wasn't massively impressed, considering they had worked with game designers and the like...creating an lj account is hardly a mighty feat (although once I have view them all I will surely review this comment)
Other than that, I have been reading the first part of 'Computer as theatre'. It does carry some pretty good points along with it. I will write a more detailed blog entry soon. I just needed to get this all down somewhere!
Over and out for now
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Concerning copyright...
The discussion of my research plan went well with my supervisor for my project.
But it's been hi-lighted that I need to move along with this research rather swiftly. Particularly with regards to which narrative I'm going to recreate because I was worried about copyright clearance.... However, after doing some research today I found out that work is copyright free from...
70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last remaining author of the work dies.
If the author is unknown, copyright will last for 70 years from end of the calendar year in which the work was created, although if it is made available to the public during that time, (by publication, authorised performance, broadcast, exhibition, etc.), then the duration will be 70 years from the end of the year that the work was first made available.
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law
And it's 50 years for music. I'm massively relieved as most of the classics I'm thinking of reviving as it were are over 70 years old.
The list of works I have to whittle down are here:
Dracula
Frankenstein
The War of the Worlds
The ones that I think would be best suited are the ones written in purple.
But it's been hi-lighted that I need to move along with this research rather swiftly. Particularly with regards to which narrative I'm going to recreate because I was worried about copyright clearance.... However, after doing some research today I found out that work is copyright free from...
70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last remaining author of the work dies.
If the author is unknown, copyright will last for 70 years from end of the calendar year in which the work was created, although if it is made available to the public during that time, (by publication, authorised performance, broadcast, exhibition, etc.), then the duration will be 70 years from the end of the year that the work was first made available.
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law
And it's 50 years for music. I'm massively relieved as most of the classics I'm thinking of reviving as it were are over 70 years old.
The list of works I have to whittle down are here:
Faustus
The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Sherlock Holmes (not sure which story yet)
A Portrait of Dorian Gray
Phantom of the OperaDracula
Frankenstein
An Inspector Calls
Journey to the Centre of the EarthThe War of the Worlds
The ones that I think would be best suited are the ones written in purple.
Current objectives:
To find out what is currently on the market
To learn more about what users like about narratives
Computer as theatre
Make a decision on which narratives to test with audience
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Research Plan! (Warning heavy and expansive!)
This is nowhere near a final plan for this, but I thought it would be good to just have a very idea of all the things I need to research about. There are so many topics to look at. I have read some books on the subject. I'm hoping to meet up with a lecturer who specialises in New Media narratives tomorrow, hopefully she can point me in the right direction for some of my research. As for the rest... I shall be seeing Helen tomorrow (all being well) to get some advice. Other than that I shall definately asking nearly everyone I know if they know someone who doesn't read very much. I will then need to contact them (I'm not sure about a focus group... or whether I should do interviews. The way I see it, accessibilty and the reasons that people don't read might be very sensitive, I don't think it would be a good idea to have a focu group. But I'll speak to Helen and see what she says
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Hamlet on the Holodeck.....
After my meeting with my supervisor, I thought I would read up on the subject of narrative in order to see what I have to cover, to see how much ground there is. I am planning to write my research plan this weekend (later on today in fact...)
Well after reading just two books, 'Hamlet on the Holodeck' and 'The interactive book'. I have realized that there are so many issues with new media narratives that must be addressed. To name the big two agency and immersion.
Due to the massive field this has opened up. I'm planning on attending a lecture on Monday about theatre and game immersion.
But very basically, I have to consider how immersive the narrative should be. Sometimes if they narrative is too real, people can be disengaged by it's realism, and feel 'wronged'. As if they have received a little more than what they bargained for, they willing suspend their disbelief, because they know it isn't real. With this in mind I want to recreate a fantastical story for the pilot novel, that cannot have any basis in reality. So my audience cannot feel 'betrayed' in any way.
Before I decided this I thought I would go and watch my housemates play games (they are the closest thing to new media narratives in our house) and see how immersed they became within the narrative.
It was surprising just how immersed they got, regardless of how complicated or simple the plot was. From the boys playing Halo Reach to the girls playing Mario Kart... (one of the two girls has never really played video games in her life it seemed she quite liked winning) they all seemed completely immersed, even though the narrative of Mario Kart is simply 'win the race'.
Despite the fact that we are intelligent academic students, we can be so easily sucked into these narratives. This is probably because of the level of 'agency' a person has in games. They control the destiny of the avatars they are playing as. They are in affect 'puppeteers'. They can control the destiny of their characters, and this is appealing. They can save an imaginary world of Halo from evil, or give Yoshi the cute green dinosaur appreciation he so rightly deserves and get him first place in the race.
This presents me with a problem. In my project, the end of the story is already decided, it is a classic narrative, some people will already know the ending of the narrative, before they have even started. What incentive do they have to play it?
The answer to this.... 'the journey that they will take in order to get to the end'. Or put in another way 'the narrative experience'.
I bought a new game for my PSP on Thursday, it was a prequel to a game I have already played called 'Kingdom Hearts'.
As a female game player, the 'Kingdom Hearts' franchise marries two franchises I already love, Disney and Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) into one game.
The new game is called 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'.
It is a one player game for the most part, this makes it even more immersive than playing with a friend (there is a multiplayer option, but it has nothing to do with the narrative).
I already know what will happen at the end of the game, because I have played the sequels (Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2), yet the journey is a mystery to me... just how will this game progress? How will the events of this game connect me to the story of Kingdom Hearts that I already enjoy?
This is the reason I am playing it.
I have already played the game for a good hour, and there has only been about 20 minutes of gameplay. There are so many cutscenes in this game. Again, makes the game immersive, it's almost as if gameplay breaks up the narrative a bit (However, I am at the beginning of the game... I'm sure this will change soon).
So... I have a lot to think about when creating this new media narrative... but here are just a few things I've been thinking about reccently, there will be more to follow.
Well after reading just two books, 'Hamlet on the Holodeck' and 'The interactive book'. I have realized that there are so many issues with new media narratives that must be addressed. To name the big two agency and immersion.
Due to the massive field this has opened up. I'm planning on attending a lecture on Monday about theatre and game immersion.
But very basically, I have to consider how immersive the narrative should be. Sometimes if they narrative is too real, people can be disengaged by it's realism, and feel 'wronged'. As if they have received a little more than what they bargained for, they willing suspend their disbelief, because they know it isn't real. With this in mind I want to recreate a fantastical story for the pilot novel, that cannot have any basis in reality. So my audience cannot feel 'betrayed' in any way.
Before I decided this I thought I would go and watch my housemates play games (they are the closest thing to new media narratives in our house) and see how immersed they became within the narrative.
It was surprising just how immersed they got, regardless of how complicated or simple the plot was. From the boys playing Halo Reach to the girls playing Mario Kart... (one of the two girls has never really played video games in her life it seemed she quite liked winning) they all seemed completely immersed, even though the narrative of Mario Kart is simply 'win the race'.
Despite the fact that we are intelligent academic students, we can be so easily sucked into these narratives. This is probably because of the level of 'agency' a person has in games. They control the destiny of the avatars they are playing as. They are in affect 'puppeteers'. They can control the destiny of their characters, and this is appealing. They can save an imaginary world of Halo from evil, or give Yoshi the cute green dinosaur appreciation he so rightly deserves and get him first place in the race.
This presents me with a problem. In my project, the end of the story is already decided, it is a classic narrative, some people will already know the ending of the narrative, before they have even started. What incentive do they have to play it?
The answer to this.... 'the journey that they will take in order to get to the end'. Or put in another way 'the narrative experience'.
I bought a new game for my PSP on Thursday, it was a prequel to a game I have already played called 'Kingdom Hearts'.
As a female game player, the 'Kingdom Hearts' franchise marries two franchises I already love, Disney and Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) into one game.
The new game is called 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'.
It is a one player game for the most part, this makes it even more immersive than playing with a friend (there is a multiplayer option, but it has nothing to do with the narrative).
I already know what will happen at the end of the game, because I have played the sequels (Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2), yet the journey is a mystery to me... just how will this game progress? How will the events of this game connect me to the story of Kingdom Hearts that I already enjoy?
This is the reason I am playing it.
I have already played the game for a good hour, and there has only been about 20 minutes of gameplay. There are so many cutscenes in this game. Again, makes the game immersive, it's almost as if gameplay breaks up the narrative a bit (However, I am at the beginning of the game... I'm sure this will change soon).
So... I have a lot to think about when creating this new media narrative... but here are just a few things I've been thinking about reccently, there will be more to follow.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Thinking about project stuff
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (*)
Anyway... I met up with my supervisor of my project today. The meeting went well, though I have quite a lot to think about. Aside from research methods and the audience (aside from snowballing, I have to think of an appropriate audience and the right method). I also need to think about how accessible I will make the new media narrative... without it become a cumbersome and involving too much text. Trying to cater for so many accessibility issues will be quite a challenge...
Also, I've been thinking about when I would actually launch this new media project into the world (if it was real). I came to the conclusion that there would be two key periods to advertise the new media narratives I'm planning to make.
http://www.worldbookday.com/index.asp
World book day seems to make sense. There doesn't seem to be that much aimed at adults. A few trailers... and a few sections of books read aloud, but that's really all that there is. I think that they need something a bit more interactive, something more interesting... so I feel that my project would fit in perfectly with this. This event is in March (Despite me thinking it was in November).
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Another less known writing/ narrative event in the year is 'National Novel Writing Month'. Now I chose this period too because... well I think that people who like to write stories may also enjoying experiencing them in less conventional ways. So I think it could be worth a shot! (This is in November... it's a shame they are so far apart).
So that's todays research done... NOW OFF TO PARTY :D
Anyway... I met up with my supervisor of my project today. The meeting went well, though I have quite a lot to think about. Aside from research methods and the audience (aside from snowballing, I have to think of an appropriate audience and the right method). I also need to think about how accessible I will make the new media narrative... without it become a cumbersome and involving too much text. Trying to cater for so many accessibility issues will be quite a challenge...
Also, I've been thinking about when I would actually launch this new media project into the world (if it was real). I came to the conclusion that there would be two key periods to advertise the new media narratives I'm planning to make.
http://www.worldbookday.com/index.asp
World book day seems to make sense. There doesn't seem to be that much aimed at adults. A few trailers... and a few sections of books read aloud, but that's really all that there is. I think that they need something a bit more interactive, something more interesting... so I feel that my project would fit in perfectly with this. This event is in March (Despite me thinking it was in November).
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Another less known writing/ narrative event in the year is 'National Novel Writing Month'. Now I chose this period too because... well I think that people who like to write stories may also enjoying experiencing them in less conventional ways. So I think it could be worth a shot! (This is in November... it's a shame they are so far apart).
So that's todays research done... NOW OFF TO PARTY :D
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Starting project and HTML5
So... Luckily, I'm rather relieved that my project idea was received quite well from the vast majority of people I pitched it to. They could clearly see a gap in the market and thought potentially... it could be quite a good idea.
I'm still not too sure about the delivery though... Part of me is seriously considering building it in HTML5... paritally because it would be future proofed and there is no point in running away from something like that and secondly because... well it has more functionality... and may potentially save a lot of Flash work as well (But I'm not yet certain about that...)
And also whether it will be something like an App... or maybe on the Internet... or even a CD-ROM... I think CD-Roms are kind of going out a bit now... due to the impressive capacity of the Internet... but I do want a rich media product...so we'll have to see about that.
I think I would like to experiment with the interface and how it will work, how it will be used.
SO
I started reading books and plays recently, so then I can decide what narrative I will prototype... Faustus was a great play... I have to confess... I mean... wow... even though it's so old... it could quite easily be brought up to date... I'm not sure about the language... but it has the classic line
Was this the face that launched a thousand ships...
Or at the very least on the TV tropes page...
In other news... I decided to play a new media narrative from a long time ago... called 'Clocktower: The first fear' it was a game for the SNES... but was also a PC game... and my word... it is so frightening...
You would think that a 'click and point' narrative doesn't have the capacity to scare... but this is the very reason why it does...
There is little text and almost no explanation... anyone (over the age of 13 due to scariness) could play it, I mean younger audience could play it... however it is a very distressing game.
but the story is excellently revealed (with over 9 endings... 6 of them blood-curdling).
I don't know how far I can call it research... but all I can say is that it is so intriguing... that I had to look into it... and it is horrifically frightening.
The commands are simple, walk, examine, use item and run. There is very little dialogue... and to be honest, you don't need the dialogue either. You are trapped in a house and must escape by collecting items and using them at appropriate times, you have no weapons, and the ending you get is determined by the order you complete the tasks. No obvious moral choices... it's purely pot luck
... I think that is it really it being one of the most frightening survival horror games in existence (despite the fact it was made in 1995). Mainly because of the helplessness of your character.
Brilliantly done. Anyway, I'm not going to make a scary survival game, but the dissemination of the narrative is what was worth playing it for...
So soon I will be looking into devices and more rounded ideas.
Ciao
p.s. interview for placement happened today... I'll hear about it soon
I'm still not too sure about the delivery though... Part of me is seriously considering building it in HTML5... paritally because it would be future proofed and there is no point in running away from something like that and secondly because... well it has more functionality... and may potentially save a lot of Flash work as well (But I'm not yet certain about that...)
And also whether it will be something like an App... or maybe on the Internet... or even a CD-ROM... I think CD-Roms are kind of going out a bit now... due to the impressive capacity of the Internet... but I do want a rich media product...so we'll have to see about that.
I think I would like to experiment with the interface and how it will work, how it will be used.
SO
I started reading books and plays recently, so then I can decide what narrative I will prototype... Faustus was a great play... I have to confess... I mean... wow... even though it's so old... it could quite easily be brought up to date... I'm not sure about the language... but it has the classic line
Was this the face that launched a thousand ships...
Or at the very least on the TV tropes page...
In other news... I decided to play a new media narrative from a long time ago... called 'Clocktower: The first fear' it was a game for the SNES... but was also a PC game... and my word... it is so frightening...
You would think that a 'click and point' narrative doesn't have the capacity to scare... but this is the very reason why it does...
There is little text and almost no explanation... anyone (over the age of 13 due to scariness) could play it, I mean younger audience could play it... however it is a very distressing game.
but the story is excellently revealed (with over 9 endings... 6 of them blood-curdling).
I don't know how far I can call it research... but all I can say is that it is so intriguing... that I had to look into it... and it is horrifically frightening.
The commands are simple, walk, examine, use item and run. There is very little dialogue... and to be honest, you don't need the dialogue either. You are trapped in a house and must escape by collecting items and using them at appropriate times, you have no weapons, and the ending you get is determined by the order you complete the tasks. No obvious moral choices... it's purely pot luck
... I think that is it really it being one of the most frightening survival horror games in existence (despite the fact it was made in 1995). Mainly because of the helplessness of your character.
Brilliantly done. Anyway, I'm not going to make a scary survival game, but the dissemination of the narrative is what was worth playing it for...
So soon I will be looking into devices and more rounded ideas.
Ciao
p.s. interview for placement happened today... I'll hear about it soon
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Wow HTML 5 is blowing my mind... but how on earth does it work?
Okay... so I have finally got back to Uni now... good times.... However, HTML 5 is blowing my mind at the moment, not necessarily because of it's amazingness... (which is self evident)... but rather that I have to think about how I am going to make any of my future products... (especially flash)
I have been looking at this site today
http://gorillaz.com/club-room and oh my goodness... it is a thing of beauty... but how on earth does someone make something like that? I mean it is possible to find out how in flash... but in this HTML 5... I have no idea... and it worries me.
Meanwhile... I am thinking of making an interactive novel... as I have mentioned and thus I'm doing a lot of research around it and what kind of books would be good (I'm thinking Doctor Faustus right now)
I'm sure I'll change my mind again.
But I think that my interface won't be as complicated as that Gorrliaz one... fun it is... but very frustrating... anyway...
I have been looking at this site today
http://gorillaz.com/club-room and oh my goodness... it is a thing of beauty... but how on earth does someone make something like that? I mean it is possible to find out how in flash... but in this HTML 5... I have no idea... and it worries me.
Meanwhile... I am thinking of making an interactive novel... as I have mentioned and thus I'm doing a lot of research around it and what kind of books would be good (I'm thinking Doctor Faustus right now)
I'm sure I'll change my mind again.
But I think that my interface won't be as complicated as that Gorrliaz one... fun it is... but very frustrating... anyway...
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