Distributed Narratives: Organization and Design

When traditional narratives, and by traditional I am referring to theatrically screened films and home viewed television, are presented to audiences viewing a production simultaneously in different locations there is no communication between the audiences. In addition, members of an audience collectively viewing a production at the same time and at the same place are also not in contact with each other. Furthermore, individual viewers of productions on television are not in contact with each other. Once the method of distribution changes to internet, email and text messaging so too does the level of audience interaction. The internet becomes a common denominator for simultaneous audience participation. Thus, the maker of the production viewed must take into account the venue of distribution and the desired level of interactivity. The desired audience reaction invariably has an effect upon the choice of email, text messaging etc. as the vehicle to deliver the production values. If we look at three types of interaction: human/human, human/computer and computer/computer, in some cases, one party seems to dominate the interaction. We may even refer to this domination as, “control”. By relinquishing control do we diminish the narrative quality of the interaction? Is a theatrical presentation [again, I refer to a film or video presentation] more of a narrative because the audience has no control over the production? If there is an equal amount of control in the three types of interaction cited, we then enable nine types of interaction. By deciding how much control to relinquish, the desired level of interaction is facilitated. With this end result in mind, the choice of one or a combination of the types of interaction can be made.

~ by epkfilms on June 23, 2008.