Publish a review for a link to an article or academic writing

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/once-upon-a-time-narrative-in-video-games/1100-6214951/

This week’s link is of an article from the editorial of a game critiquing website called ‘Gamespot.com’ called ‘Once Upon A Time: Narrative in Video Games’ and addresses the discourse surrounding the importance of Narrative in Video games and whether Video games propose a new form interactive storytelling. The author Laura Parker starts on a note about Human stories and our narratively ridden cultures, now coming to a point where people now have the ability to interact with their stories.

As started by Parker, the viewer is no longer a passive observer but rather an integral part of the storytelling process.

On a whole, the article views video games from the two generalized perspectives, one in which its purpose is solely for the design of its interactive challenge and another in which the narrative is an integral part of the game. By citing various games to draw examples of the degree of narrativity it possess and the significance of it on the critical reception of its  release, Parker ultimately parks upon the game ‘Heavy Rain’, critically acclaimed for its detailed and causally intricate plot that drives the game purely. Wherein which users are required to make certain choices that will effect the entirety of the game as a whole and the narrative presented.

Conclusive, Parker comments how it may be time till video games as a storytelling or narrative medium will be truly actualized, which can entail its potentiality in bringing an integrated effect on cultures to come.

Personal Assessment Matrix

Provide a link to a form of Multimedia

Given light of the topic of Video game Narratives in the review, I have chosen to provide a link to an interactive animated flash-based game called ‘Exmortis 2’. The reason I had chosen this particular media was to embellish on the note that the article leaves off. ‘Exmortis’ is an extremely detailed plot driven horror game that holds unique in its requirement of the user to navigate through its story world and investigate as a player to find a conclusion and explanation to a particular strange occurrence. In the fear of giving spoilers, I leave you with the phenomenal game and hope to make you reconsider the power of video games in telling you a story.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/303832

Publish a review to a link of article or academic writing

http://arstechnica.com/features/2005/05/gui/

This week’s link is to the article “A History of the GUI” by Jeremy Reimer of Ars Technica. Given the contextual relevance of GUI (Graphic User Interface) with the week’s reading, I had chosen this link to provide a sense of understanding towards the history of its design. The article shows the very first semblances of graphics and text on screen with the first Macintosh followed by the development of other related GUI codes that led to developments we know now as application windows, mouse pointers roll down options.

What holds the most fascinating with this recollection is the intricacy and detail of effort that went into the process of designing these interfaces. Now even small elements such as the mouse pointer which we use almost autonomically was developed only over years and years of precision and trial and error.

Ultimately, to seed opinion of a bigger philosophy (which gels in tandem with databases) is to the concept of big things starting from small beginnings. What I can take from this to my work is the notion that just as such, the complexity of working with non-linear narrative interfaces may prove jarring but with time and focus, I too may find my own discovery within this relatively un-plotted new frontier of filmmaking.

Reflect on Reading for the week and pose thoughts on symposium question

This week’s reading is an informational guide on plotting database narratives, accurately called, ‘Plotting the Database’. Unlike traditional plotted narratives, the Database Narrative, as suggested by authors Matt Soar & Monika Gagnon, is one that allows viewers to access to any data virtually temporally disconnected gene forgoing elements such as foreshadowing and other traditional narrative plot devices.

As such, the question is raised, how does a database narrative succeed in its narrative nature without the employment of such traditional devices. Soar and Gagnon propose the solution through the concept of interface design, the terminal and initial contact with the viewer that helps decide and shape the database narrative

The Plot and Interface

Soar & Gagnon explain how in the view of a database the interface acts as the experiential facilitator of the viewer’s exposure to certain story elements. As such, a database narrative attempts to control this experience by facilitating the points, or essentially plotting, at which viewers are limited and exposed to macro and microcosm of the abstraction in the piece at intentional limitations to access and temporal delays.

An implication of this would be now how the author of the work can effectively plot a database so as to reveal these levels of abstraction to the audience without hindering or revealing the underlying intention behind his/her delivery of his/her audience through his/her piece.

Personal Assessment Matrix

Provide link to a single form of Multimedia

In view of the week’s reading about database narratives and the utilization of interfaces, this week’s link is to a flash-based interactive animation called ‘Scale of the Universe’. The animation functions much like a database narrative in it’s controlled exposure to the animation’s elements based on the user’s interaction with the interface. Soar & Gabnon may come to praise its creation as its interface is designed so as to allow the limited exposure of information to the extent to which its audiences are willing to explore it. Ultimately, the piece attempts to show the the relative scale of the size of objects in the universe through the use of  inserted text and the animated diminishing of object size in relation to the appearance of new objects through the use of a proportional, user-controlled browser bar. The simplicity of its interface speaks little for the complexity of its design but the overall beauty of the piece can be argued to show such a cohesion between elements that audiences are taken aback by the awe and flow of the piece without thinking twice as to how it may function.

http://www.scaleoftheuniverse.com/

Publish a review of a link to an article or academic writing

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2014/05/18/caught-in-the-acts-2/

This week’s link is to a piece of writing on David Bordwell’s blog regarding the structure of hollywood screenwriting and the template of writing commonplace in Hollywood in what he describes as the ‘three-act structure’. The piece titled ‘Caught in the Act’, begins with Bordwell’s personalized commentary asserting Field’s implied statement of the a classic three-act structure utilized in Hollywood scriptwriting

Bordwell continues from here to evaluate the practice from a perspective that sees it rather as something that might have arose implicitly, or rather something that was developed with intention throughout the evolution of Hollywood and thus passed on to future generation of Screenwriters.

By referring to arguments set by various different proponents of Hollywood Scriptwriting, Bordwell utilizes the Fieldian Framework of the 120 minute script as a deductive lens through which a series of films are evaluated to observe this possible employed methodology.  Contrasting to the week’s reading, a large motivation for my choice of this Bordwell piece was driven by the contrast of the rigid objectivity of Bordwell’s film writing to the very abstract and experientially driven writing of David Shields.

Personal Assessment Matrix

Provide a link to single form of Multimedia

For the sake of mixing flavors, I have decided the link for this week to be the full video of the animated film ‘La Planete Sauvage’ by Rolan Topor & Rene Laloux. The film is an experimental feature that contextualizes itself in a strange world with no relational positions apart from a sentient human like species that appears to hold prominence in the narrative’s world. What stands interesting about the piece is the almost ‘observatory’ nature in which the author has constructed the animation to depict the series of events almost like an expose into the differing reality. With an overt narration that portrays itself as such, the film acts contradictory to this apparent observational mode by providing a linear construction of visual rhetoric which portrays the story of a human-like ant captured by its relatively goliath like captors. It is almost a narrative film with core premises of observational documentary whilst lacing together its story through these moments of ‘apparent’ observation (which in its core work to actual progress the story). All in all it is truly enjoyable and mind bending experience.

Publish a review of link of article or academic writing

http://litreactor.com/columns/out-of-order-a-discussion-of-nonlinear-narrative-structure

This week’s link is a discussion about the discourse of non-linear narrative through examination of recent major Hollywood film productions and the analysis of the story “Continuity in Parks” by Julio Cortazar. The piece is called “Out of Order: A Discussion of  Non-Linear Narrative” by Taylor Houston on litreactor.com.

She begins by simply outlining the construct of a non-linear narrative and the key premise being its manipulation of space and time. As such, the effect of such action is placement of story elements in a juxtaposed fashion that entices a renewed narrative structure that may draw different effects upon audiences in their linear perception of the work. Citing ‘Memento’ as example, such design can be seen as the film presents itself from the end of a story and builds its way back to the start.

What’s crucial in looking into ‘Memento’ is the idea of how the actual story of the film would not have had its web of complexities and narrative flair were it not for the depiction of its story elements in the backwards fashion given the nature of the main character and the premise of focus on the narrative through his perspective.

Ultimately, the article outlines a simple way at looking at Non-linear narrative construction and entices readers to try it themselves. Grab a random plot you have lying around and jumble it around to see what combinations you can come up with.

Reflect on reading for the week and pose thoughts on a symposium question

This week’s reading examines an excerpt from Bettina L. Frankham’s book on Documentary analysis and approaches. The chapter dubbed ‘Complexity, flux and webs of connection’ attempts to unravel the distinguishing characteristic of traditionally unseeingly connected rhetoric of images of placement. She comes to generalize this characteristic of non-linear documentary mode as an interconnected ‘web’ of relations.

Essentially, Frankham claims that the non-linear documentary attempts to incite an audiences critical thinking by providing images and rhetoric in a juxtaposed manner that the lack of over narration of temporal continuity will allow a space in which the viewer can derive a meaning for himself/herself. As such, this would indicate that such documentaries work to produce an aesthetically environment of film in which its viewers may actively participate by forming the understanding of relations between what they are viewing and the sequence in which they are viewing them.

Frankham further delves into this discourse by ascertaining how most films of  non-linear fashion to having a list of key elements that work to build the foundation of this networked relationship. She describes this as an approach away from the ‘object-ness’ of art but rather a viewership and appreciation of the relational aesthetic. By interrogating the forms of mosaic and the montage through this lens, she connects the intention of such documentaries utilizing this style of filmmaking to further reinforce the prominence of such a characteristic of non-linear documentaries

Ultimately, Frankham provides a possible approach towards defining such documentaries towards rubrics of relational aesthetics, by which the underlying connection between images is what translates the message to insight critical thought rather than the overshadowing voice of narrative direction. Clearly, Frankham details the difficulty however, in placing such rubrics as by defining it to rubrics may in itself void it of its ability to be beyond the linearity of norms.

As such, the bigger question that is left open to readers is the idea of how we may come to give form to such a formless art form.  This follows naturally for society to understand the following implications, or arguably, drawbacks of doing such a thing towards defining the non-linear narrative. Furthermore, the subjective and fragmented nature of associations defined by the viewers towards these relational aesthetics themselves may make it difficult to ascertain such fixed norms of analysis as the whole intention and purpose of the form is prod viewers towards a stream of critical thought. This places difficult when this stream of critical thought is codified and ambitious (as inherent in the nature of documentaries) which could prove a further problem in unifying its definition given the fragmented sense of viewership.

Personal Assessment Matrix

Provide link to single form of multimedia

Viewing this week’s discourse surrounding approaches to assembling non-linear documentary, the week’s link is a short-film called ‘Sound// Mosaic”. The reason I had chosen this film was because I found it interesting how the author had used juxtaposed images to a backing track that have no causal or linear relationship however, he has utilized a linear voiceover to express a particular message that the images rhetoric can be argued to be associated with. As such, the piece attempts to prod the viewer’s ability to build the relational aesthetic with the over narration provided. Overall, it blurs the boundary between a nonlinear demonstration of rhetoric with the linear direction given by over narration. Enjoy!

Publish a review of a link to an article or academic writing related to this week’s topic.

http://i-docs.org/2013/07/31/interactive-documentary-and-the-future-of-journalism/

In view of the formal introduction to Korsakow and multilinear filmmaking from its creator Matt Soar, I have chosen an article that looks at the interactive documentaries, similar to the multimedia nature of Korsakow, and their relevance in today’s world in context of the current industry of Journalism.  The article blog is ‘Interactive Documentary and the future of Journalism’ written by Jess Lingington.

In the article, Jess introduces the ideal of the interactive documentary by presenting the case of ‘Snowfall’ an interactive documentary created by NY times that garnered much attention due to its detail of production in presenting a form of current affairs.  When reflecting this under the notion of interactive documentaries being the ‘future of journalism’, Jess comes to evaluate the statement by firstly acknowledging the power of engaging its audience however comes to cross the clear distinction of how it is technically longer and more expensive to produce than a piece from the current model of real-time news journalism. As such, in viewing it as an alternative to traditional Journalism, Jess calls upon this difference to assert the functionality and pragmatism of such an initiative.

On one hand yes it may prove to be extremely informative and deep in its analysis of a situation however, is it worth the forgone cost of a more efficient news production. As such, it comes to raise larger issues concerned with the process of journalism that entails the viewers understanding of the subject matter and his depth of involvement, holding interactive documentaries to have a higher degree of such practice.

Ultimately, Jess comes to evaluate the argument from a basis of proposed functionality. She does not disregard interactive documentaries as a means of information dissemination, however, she proposes until such a thing can match the efficiency of traditional journalism, it may not hold potential or possibility to fully replace such a paradigm.

Provide Progress Report on ongoing course work

Having realized certain clips of my footage to be less adequate for their prescribed themes, I have reshot the clips for my theme of perspectives and objective in view of what I felt worked better. Given such an open-ended theme, I had realized that my content perhaps needed a more distinct measure that translates the notion of either/or towards an audience. As such, my solution was to change the aesthetic and cinematic progression of the clips to better stand out and portray either quality of perspective and objective.

For example, my original Konstraint clip for the perspective of a house insect had to be reshot as I reconsidered the concept of embodying the subject matter through the camera in a way that clearly portrays the connection to the theme of perspective. As such, I had utilized more jittering camera movement and control in the pace of movement to mimic the behavior of the insect i intended to portray (which would be a house spider in the case of my film). In the similar vein i had reevaluated my other clips and as such have reshot some of them to better demonstrate aesthetically clarity whilst others I have entirely changed due to the lack of relevance I felt it had in demonstrating their relationship to the prescribed theme.

Personal Assessment Matrix

Provide link to form of multimedia

The link for this week is a video to a documentary by the counter-culture magazine VICE who are famous for their web-released documentaries and infotainment segments. What stands unique about today’s link is the fact that it is a consituent of VICE latest series dubbed ‘VICE news’. Unlike the conventional web documentary that may take time to produce and publish, which VICE is known thoroughly for, the new series of VICE news attempts to bridge the interactive documentary to meet the real-time journalistic expectancy. As such, they are now actively disseminating short documentaries on key issues that are happening as for current. With the timeframe still nonetheless stepping away from direct immediacy, it is interesting to notice how the channel has attempted to merge to two extremes with what can be said to be a compromise in the middle. Perhaps this is the concept of investigative journalism meeting a well produced film. I hope you enjoy.