| Theory & Practice of Digital Narrative | Lori Landay | ||||
| Union Institute | Summer 2001 | ||||
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LEARNING AGREEMENT Theory
& Practice of Digital Narrative |
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| course description | learning results | learning experiences | documentation | evaluation | |
| course outline | assignments | on-line materials | |||
Course Description In the Digital Age, what is the relationship between the "medium" and the "message"? Or rather, the medium and the story? This course blends theory and practice in an exploration of digital narrative. We will work critically and creatively with linear and nonlinear narratives in a range of media: writing, graphics, animation, games, multimedia, and interactive media. The overall theme of the course will focus on moving image narratives--both linear and non-linear--that explore ideas about storytelling, time, and memory. In particular, we will consider how interactivity changes narrative, and whether there are new kinds of digital narratives and aesthetics emerging. A course in the Theory and Practice of Digital Narrative offers students the opportunity to strengthen their critical and production skills, and to see how "studies" and "production" are interrelated. Students will use programs including Word, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Media100, Premiere, After Effects, and Director to make websites and CD-ROMs that illuminate ideas about story, plot, character, time, and narration. This course is intended for advanced students who have proficiency in at least Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver. 1) Gain knowledge of current theoretical and practical tendencies in the emerging field of Digital Narrative. 2) Formulate a critical framework for analyzing traditional and new forms of narrative. 3) Develop narratives that employ the theoretical and critical concepts explored. 4) Master the new media tools and aesthetics to create digital narrative. 5) Combine theory and practice in an interdisciplinary exploration of narrative and technology. 6) Make connections between academic studies and the changing world in which we live. Learning Experiences 1) Read and screen primary texts as examples of traditional and emerging narrative forms. 2) Read secondary theoretical and critical texts to acquire a vocabulary and conceptual framework for analyzing existing narratives and creating new ones. 3) Use new media tools such as software programs, digital imaging devices, and other technologies to produce digital narratives that exemplify the concepts used to analyze existing narratives. 4) Complete a series of creative projects that move from traditional to new forms of storytelling. 5) Write a critical analysis of each project. Documentation 1) Reading/screening/planning journal. 2) Three projects, each comprised of a series of smaller assignments that foster production skills and apply theoretical concepts. 3) Critical analyses of how each project combines theory and practice. Evaluation 1) Completion of assignments according to stated technical specifications. 2) Ability to incorporate sophisticated theoretical concepts in quality creative work. 3) Self-evaluation/critical analysis of ideas for projects and how they are realized with the tools and skills available. Course Outline (subject to change) UNIT 1: INTRODUCTIONS (Weeks 1-2)
Week 1: Intro: What is narrative? What is Digital Culture? Week 2: Linear narrative
& storytelling
UNIT 2: APPLICATIONS (Weeks 3-6)
Week 3: Non-linear
narrative Week 4: Hypertext/hypermedia Project 1: hypermedia explanation/exploration of non-linearity with animation
Weeks 9 & 10:
Interactivity and character Weeks 11 & 12:
Interactivity: Plot, Chronology, Pace
Project 3: Completed digital narrative & critical analysis that explains how creative product exemplifies theoretical concepts
AGREED: Professor: Lori Landay Student: Nancy Thorn Faculty Advisor: Loree Miltich Dean: Timothy Mott |
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ON-LINE MATERIALS: "Story Shapes for Digital Media" Scott McCloud's "I Can't Stop Thinking" "What Is Digital Cinema?" by Lev Manovich "Digital Transformations: The Media Is the Mix," Lori Landay Alphaweb, a hypertext poem by Diana Slattery Patchwork Girl, Shelly Jackson Talk to Eliza Talk to an UltraHal AI bot User-generated content: Our Stories, CameraPlanet, weblogs "Immersion vs. Interactivity: Virtual Reality and Literary Theory," Marie-Laure Ryan |
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| Remediation, Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin THE VIDEO! | |||||
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Hamlet on the Holodeck, Janet Murray Remediation, Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin THE VIDEO! The Digital Dialectic, edited by Peter Lunenfeld Patchwork Girl, Shelly Jackson Victory Garden, Stuart Moulthrop Hyperizons: A Guide to Hypertext Fiction |
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| To Lori Landay's other courses | |||||
| Lori Landay, Berklee College of Music | |||||