My group consists of me and Camile.
Our idea for the group project is mutli-tiered. First we'd like to create a play loosely based on an ethnographic approach--but without the ethnographic ethics in the sense that we will create five characters and build scripts for them based on short interviews we'll do with them in class, but the characters we create will be stereotypes based on the interviews. The questions we ask will be formed to bring out easy stereotypes in our informants. For example, the question, "what is your favorite music" might elicit a response that an informant likes country music. They might then turn into a character named Bubba who wears a red bandana. The point is that we want to be blatantly clear that we are creating stereotyped characters. Our class mates will be aware of this when we announce that we are looking for volunteer informants. Those who do not want to participate don't have to. Once we know who is interested in volunteering, we'll pass numbers around and randomly choose 5 informants, with whom we will conduct short 10-15 minute interviews.
Once we have our information, Camile and I will create characters and develop a script so that we have a play/story. This play will be acted out with hand and mouth PUPPETS as a puppet show. We will film scenes separately so that we will be ble to develop a "choose-your-own-puppet-show" type presentation online. Viewers will have the task/opportunity to click on links as they come to the end of a scene which ill direct them to a new scene and an alternate development in the play so that each viwer's experience will be a little different. In addition, we hope to create at least one looped scene, similar to 12 Blue, where a viewer will continuously return to a random scene and will have to back track and find a new path to the end of the play/puppet show. Our hope is that this will be a light, comical show in which informants will be able to identify their contributions to a certain character, and where at the same time, classmates will enjoy the process of finding their way through the visual narrative.
We will include intrview transripts and the script we write on our websites.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What is Narrative?
Well, I thought I had a vague idea of what narrative was, and then I read Arseth's article...now I'm totally befuddled. I kept waiting for Aseth to specifically address narrative and discuss what that is--or at least what he thinks it is. He discusses text and what that is and what it's been thought to be. He also discusses cybertext--obviously--and provides a definition of what that encompasses, which was actually quite informative. I was one of the naive people who thought that cybertext necessarily implied computers. Surprisingly to me, Arseth explains that cybertext is any text/"system" that possesses some sort of information feedback loop. Ok. He also refers to ergotic literature as a machine. Interesting. I can't say that I understood ALL of what Arseth talks about, but my perspectives on text and literature and cybertext and ergotic text have been broadened assuredly.
But that still leaves me with the question "what is narrative?" to answer.
UGH.
Is narrative different from text? Is narrative different from literature?
Somehow I feel like narrative falls somewhere between the two. Narrative is more specific than text in that it tells some sort of a story. It is a text, but a text, I think, might not necessarily be a narrative. Similarly, literature seems a bit too narrow a term, since narratives can include non textual aspects. A picture can be a narrative. A song can be a narrative.
People question whether multiple user dungeons and text-based games and digital role playing games and other hypertexts are narratives. They seem to be up in arms about whether these texts can be considered linear or literary, etc. At least in terms of being narrative, I tend to think, well, yes, why not? Whether the author is totally the author and the reader totally the reader, or whether the author sets the groundwork and the reader takes on part of the authorship-creatorship, or is simply more of a participant, engaging in the illusion of authorship, a story is still, in the end being told. As a narrative, I think that's what counts. a narrative can be a story of past, present or future, made up or true, or parts of both. I think the end result--what comes out of every reading, even if each reading is totally unique, counts as narrative.
But that still leaves me with the question "what is narrative?" to answer.
UGH.
Is narrative different from text? Is narrative different from literature?
Somehow I feel like narrative falls somewhere between the two. Narrative is more specific than text in that it tells some sort of a story. It is a text, but a text, I think, might not necessarily be a narrative. Similarly, literature seems a bit too narrow a term, since narratives can include non textual aspects. A picture can be a narrative. A song can be a narrative.
People question whether multiple user dungeons and text-based games and digital role playing games and other hypertexts are narratives. They seem to be up in arms about whether these texts can be considered linear or literary, etc. At least in terms of being narrative, I tend to think, well, yes, why not? Whether the author is totally the author and the reader totally the reader, or whether the author sets the groundwork and the reader takes on part of the authorship-creatorship, or is simply more of a participant, engaging in the illusion of authorship, a story is still, in the end being told. As a narrative, I think that's what counts. a narrative can be a story of past, present or future, made up or true, or parts of both. I think the end result--what comes out of every reading, even if each reading is totally unique, counts as narrative.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Remix Peer Review
I really loved watching all the presentations last week; it made me regret not being a film or art major and being able to have the chance to appreciate other peoples' creativity in an intimate communal (yes, it's a class, but it still felt at least somewhat communal) environment. I kicked myself after sitting back down from my own presentation and realizing that there were all sorts of things I had planned on saying and then forgot to under the projector light and in the "hot seat." Ah well.
There were several projects that struck me particularly--especially Bo's since he used lines from the text of my faith. Actually, I have to say that I felt really happy to see those lines up there on the screen, since not a lot of people have ever heard of my faith, and if they have, chances are it's some ignorant gossipy negative misinformation that they picked up (on the Internet).I guess that's why Bo's project made me feel so--um, accepted?--so happy; because without any preconceived notions, Bo took my faith's text with all the rest and sort of equalized everything.
BUT. The project I actually wanted to talk about here is Rose's project: "Strength and Weakness."
I think one of the things I liked most about it was its simplicity, which in fact allowed the detail and meaning of the piece to emerge more fluidly. I was surprised to find that while I had been so engrossed with making my project complex enough and interesting enough, Rose had succeeded in achieving these things with very little technical methods required. Had I once again gone overboard?
Well, that aside, I love the arrangement of Rose's words on each page of her site. Some pages seem to make a shape with her words, particularly the "devour" page, which begins with "a single act of good will" on the left, with words above and below moving to the right in a funnel or arrow and ending with "lonely." The movement makes sense here, I think.
I enjoyed trying to imagine what these sentence fragments were once a part of--what thoughts were they expressing? It's strange to think of all those diary entries shattered and strewn around on the web pages, forming new meanings and significance on their own, and as they exist with other fragments on the screen. I also enjoyed finding the links--looking for the one or few words that would channel me to the next collection of loosely-strung words and phrases. IEach page certainly reads like a poem, and what's great is that there isn't one set order in which to read the poems; each one can change every time depending on how I choose to read it.
There were several projects that struck me particularly--especially Bo's since he used lines from the text of my faith. Actually, I have to say that I felt really happy to see those lines up there on the screen, since not a lot of people have ever heard of my faith, and if they have, chances are it's some ignorant gossipy negative misinformation that they picked up (on the Internet).I guess that's why Bo's project made me feel so--um, accepted?--so happy; because without any preconceived notions, Bo took my faith's text with all the rest and sort of equalized everything.
BUT. The project I actually wanted to talk about here is Rose's project: "Strength and Weakness."
I think one of the things I liked most about it was its simplicity, which in fact allowed the detail and meaning of the piece to emerge more fluidly. I was surprised to find that while I had been so engrossed with making my project complex enough and interesting enough, Rose had succeeded in achieving these things with very little technical methods required. Had I once again gone overboard?
Well, that aside, I love the arrangement of Rose's words on each page of her site. Some pages seem to make a shape with her words, particularly the "devour" page, which begins with "a single act of good will" on the left, with words above and below moving to the right in a funnel or arrow and ending with "lonely." The movement makes sense here, I think.
I enjoyed trying to imagine what these sentence fragments were once a part of--what thoughts were they expressing? It's strange to think of all those diary entries shattered and strewn around on the web pages, forming new meanings and significance on their own, and as they exist with other fragments on the screen. I also enjoyed finding the links--looking for the one or few words that would channel me to the next collection of loosely-strung words and phrases. IEach page certainly reads like a poem, and what's great is that there isn't one set order in which to read the poems; each one can change every time depending on how I choose to read it.
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