Throughout this  semester in studio Thinking in Fragments I have gained more knowledge of how online space offers new ways of thinking about screen media. It has been a journey exploring the realm of media through the past 4 assessments. Our final project in particular, Time Out embodies a combination of multiple characteristics of online spaces. As a group we were determined to expand out of the norm way of narrative linear structure and unpack the idea of “storytelling” in an interactive screen project by incorporating the characteristics of modularity, interactivity, multi-linearity with an unregulated length. The characteristics of our project in my opinion determines the notion that is beyond traditional media which to answer a question presented to us that yes, to an extent we do consider our work to be web specific.

To elaborate further without dwelling too much on what our project is about because we have covered that a lot, our project consisted of 3 perspectives and in 3 different locations.  First of all each of the clips in our project are of unregulated length and of no constraint in time length making each fragment authentic and flexible. In terms of modularity, each fragment of our project work consists of distinct perspective and locations which can be understood independently but all have a common theme and relation when put together.

As a group we have occasionally discussed the concept of intertextuality even though not discussed that much in class.  We discovered this concept throughout the course of creating our project and how the relationship between one fragment to another fragment grouped in it’s specific order of format shows interconnection formed in the narrative that our project portrays. The form of the narratives projected through the different scenarios take the viewers along in the day in the life of the character, it obtains the intertextual narrative of an isolated university student we emphasised on.In context to multi-linearity, the idea of different perceptions and locations in our project allows viewers to go experience multiple paths in no particular order but still resulting in the same theme and flow of feeling.

Lastly one of the main characteristics that we focus on in this studio is interactivity. Before experiencing this studio, my only knowledge of interactive media spaces was narrowed to social media platforms. The interactive aspect of our project work is carried out through the use of Korsakow. It allowed us to use it as a platform to storytell in a non linear way utilising computer driven database to show how different media fragments not by any specific narration but under the theme of Isolation. The interaction aspect of our final project is reliant on the reciprocal contribution and involvement by the viewer / “user” , this allows the user to engage and experience different perceptions as the foundation to the interactivity of the project.

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Through the making of this project and the opportunity to explore online screen productions, I have learned that it is important to experiment on film making to really understand the effect a project has in projecting the ideology behind it and it’s narrative. This studio has really opened my eyes and stepping out of my comfort zone in terms of thinking in media production particularly new media and screen production. As mentioned before that my knowledge of interactivity and online screen media has consisted of social media platforms such as instagram and youtube. However throughout the semester breaking down every assignment and online media I experience as allowed me to question myself in how I experience media. Questions such as what was the aim of the project? Was it linear or non? What did they try to portray through that particular aspect? It has made me realise that film is not about having a narrative and linear start to end but more so evoking a prompt/theme and feeling a certain way about it.