The examples of participatory media that we looked at this week are intriguing in that they offer new and unique ways for audiences to delve into the subject matter.
Localore invites visitors to explore the cultural richness of different areas of the United States by clicking on a different region of the interactive map. (Side note: I noticed that maps are a common theme in Localore, Bear 71 and Mapping Memories, which we looked at earlier in the term. I think they are effective for a couple of reasons: they allow people to connect with a particular area where a story or event is taking place, and people in general just seem to like maps.)
The Localore project that most got my journalist senses tingling was Curious City, a crowd-sourcing project in which people submit questions about different aspects of Chicago. If their question receives the most votes, it is investigated by a reporter. While exploring this project, I realized that my group project for this class – Heart Yourself – uses crowd sourcing in a way. We are partnering with local non-profit Girls Inc. with the goal that girls in their programs will take over the website and contribute their own content.
If every documentary was like Bear 71, I truly believe the world would be a better place. This interactive documentary explores the effects of human encroachment into the wild, specifically, Banff National Park in Canada. At one point, the narrator – posing as a mother bear – expresses fear for her cubs because “the wild isn’t really the wild anymore.”
Somehow, it takes what traditional documentaries try to do one step further. I don’t know what it was – the music, the narration, the interactive map or maybe a combination of all the elements – but I haven’t been that moved by a documentary in a long time. It’s not just sitting on a couch and staring at a screen. It’s an experience.
I guess my question is: Would an interactive format like this work for any documentary topic, or are there certain topics that lend themselves better to interactivity and ones that are better suited for traditional film? How do you know what format to use?
Your question about the possibilities and limits of interactive projects is a good one. Personally, the exposure to the transmedia projects we’ve come across this terms have been eye-opening for me –like suddenly seeing the world in 3D, and recognizing the power that can occur when we intermingle different types of media. The baseline for knowing if it’s appropriate or not has to do with knowing why a certain type of media is important to telling that particular story. With the instance of Bear 71, for example, I think the goal was immersive –to think and see and feel like a bear, and a holistic, interactive approach was appropriate. Ultimately though, it comes down to which medium will best tell this story, and we need to be discerning about this, or there’s a real chance the story will get lost in overstimulation and tech soup.
Great point! This is my mantra always in this multimedia candy store: we need to be as discerning as possible about our choice of medium and form; and where it will go; and how it can be appreciated and used. Never say never to a book or article on paper, a movie on a huge screen, or a good conversation with a group of friends and allies. And of course always think about the community engagement piece of the equation.
And we’ll be getting into this next week…
wow Your enthusiastic response to Bear 71 underscores the power of interactivity in documentaries. The emotional impact you describe, attributed to elements like music, narration, and interactive features, speaks to the immersive nature of this format. Your question about the suitability of interactivity for any documentary topic opens up a valuable discussion about the balance between content and format. Thanks for sharing