January - 2015

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BLOG - INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING

This is the place where I share my thoughts on world events, community issues, stories from the inter-webs. It's also a place to talk about some of the projects I have brewing, or that I'm hearing about. I tend to focus primarily on dialogue around developments in the field of interactive storytelling. Then again, sometimes I might just yammer on about myself. #interactivestorytelling #interactive #jennifermoss

Insist on strong character

No matter what the technological bells and whistles, what draws people in is a good story, with characters they can relate to. Narrative arc (inciting incident, rising action, climax, denoument) has compelled us since the days of sitting around the campfire telling stories after an exciting wooly mammoth hunt. Narrative arc is part of us, it’s in every cycle of in and out breath we take, so why fix what ain’t broke? This is the groundwork of every project, regardless of mediu

A Flexible and collaborative approach

By Jen Moss – Writer / Interactive Producer Interactive projects tend to be very collaborative and team-based, with lots of creative ‘cooks’ involved fairly early in the creative process. It’s best if the interactive writer is prepared for this. The whole team strives for balance between story, audience, and form. Everyone needs to entertain creative possibilities from other corners, while playing their role. The writer needs to guard story and social goals, to make sure tha

Look for The Magic Bullet that connects story and form

Think hard about the ACTIVE verbs of the story, and let those verbs inform the interactive mechanism of the story. My former colleague Dana Dansereau at the NFB calls this ‘finding the magic bullet.’ I think of it as looking for a safety pin that attaches story & content to form. This should not be accidental, or left to chance. EG’s: Seven Digital Deadly Sins This is a project the NFB Digital Studio did with The Guardian newspaper. It’s about what SIN looks like in the digit

Allow for 'bendy places' in interactive storytelling

Flexibility of narrative structure can be an asset in some cases, but needs to be carefully considered. Basically in any interactive project you can let people roam free, guide them through an experience, or do a combination of those things. To make a story at least somewhat interactive, you need to look for the joints, or what I like to call the ‘bendy places’ in your story. These are places where you can allow audiences to exercise control. Writers for video games have lon

The role of data in storytelling

You can do more than visualize data. You can use it to tell part – or all – of your story. Think about the data that your users can provide you with, as well as the data you can share with them. Think about whether, when, and how best to interrupt the flow of the rest of the story with data, adding another layer of meaning. Eg: Seven Digital Deadly Sins – As part of this project, the NFB Digital Studio gathered user data that speaks to how we “collectively” feel about certain

Knowing your audience

In interactive storytelling, knowing your audience is as critical as identifying what your story is. You need to consider this early. Think about not only who your audience is – but where they are at a given time of day. What devices they are prone to using? How experimental are they in terms of the technology they access? Is your goal to reach a wide audience, or a particular niche? What are the expectations of your audience around the participatory vs. passive nature of sto

Ode on a Giant Plexiglass Lozenge

Ode on a Giant Plexiglass Lozenge

New York artist Tom Fruin's sculpture, Watertower, made from recycled plexiglass and steel. The vibrant colours come alive as they are lit by sunlight during the day - and during the day and Arduino-controlled internal light sequences (designed by Ryan Holsopple) at night. Made me think of a giant stained glass vase - or a june bug - or a hard lozenge. Seriously, I think this is a great example of how art saves lives.Picture this.You're sitting on the bridge - getting ready t

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The Story from Hear

The Story from Hear

Technology imitating story imitating technology...

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