5 Haitis

5 Haitis

Digital Storytelling

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What is 5 Haitis?

• Digital narrative• Themes

– 2010 Earthquake• Characters

– Omar– Bronte– Guerda

• Interaction– Character stories– Scene stories– Character

dialogues

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Intro

• The concept– Hyper/deep attention– Serious games– The 4th wall– Other inspirations

• The process– Character and narrative development– Graphics and Interactivity

• The critique

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The Concept• A sombre, serious subject• An event of current concern• Something that would provoke thought, personalise

the event

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• Katherine Hayles –“Hyper attention is characterized by switching focus rapidly among different tasks, preferring multiple information streams, seeking a high level of stimulation, and having a low tolerance for boredom” (Jan, 2008)

Hyper / Deep Attention

• How do we prefer to interact?• Deep concentration on one task• Frequently shifting focus around multiple tasks

• Which is best?• Situation determines suitability

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• What about video games?– A seeming paradox

• The key– Interactivity and

rewards– 1000 gamers involved

in a study with University of Rochester

I wanted the narrative to…• Give users freedom to explore and interact• Provide rewards• Provide multiple stimuli simultaneously allowing choice• Lots happening to keep users engaged

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An example of hyper/deep attention media

• Emphasis on sound and text• Limited interactivity• Text flashes up, animates in

time with music • Stimulates hyper and deep

attention• WARNING – contains

flashing images

• An inspiration for the text animation and speed

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Serious Games• Games for more than just

entertainment• When used in training

context can be termed ‘game-learning’

• Can be used to engage users while at the same time delivering a serious message

• Examples – Darfur is Dying, Food Force, Floodsim

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• Users play refugees trying to survive• Tasks include foraging for water, helping their family,

irrigation etc• The experience is deepened by the interaction• The subject matter is handled sensitively and seriously

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A serious narrative

• I wanted the narrative to be serious, allowing interaction in order to make a deeper impression

• 5 Haitis is not a game– No protagonist– No main goals

• However it does allow autonomy, interaction• Users choose how to explore the narrative• Rewards are given in the form of details learnt• The narrative does progress

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The 4th Wall

• Represents the imaginary wall separating the audience and the story

• Can be broken for dramatic or comedic effect

• Used to involve the audience• Tamara (1981) dissolves the 4th wall

– Takes place in a large house with ten actors performing simultaneous scenes in the rooms

– Audience can choose how to experience the play

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5 Haitis and the 4th wall

• The barrier between narrative and audience is removed by allowing interaction

• Users must choose how to experience the narrative

• Characters relate their stories directly to the user apart from the conversations

• Everything happens simultaneously allowing repeated viewings

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Other Inspirations• ‘Waltz with Bashir’– Documenting the 1982

Lebanon war– Stark, sombre, dark

graphic novel style– Evocative soundtrack

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Developing the Idea

• Initial idea– Four characters in quadrants– Story set a year on from the earthquake– An aftershock occurs – The user controls the choices of the characters

• Problems– Time limitations– Not based on reality– Too complex to programme

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• Three characters chosen– Relate their histories– Interact with the scene– Interact with the other characters

• Narratives occur simultaneously, allowing the user to choose how to experience them

• Scene– Typical but fictitious Haitian location– Based on Port-au-Prince

• Time Frame– Just before and then one year on from the earthquake

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Making Digital Storytelling Work• Break the 4th Wall• Use tension, uncertainty• Employ a character arc• Give characters realistic flaws• Employ role reversals

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Creating realistic characters

• Character biographies and back histories• Character motivations should be reasonable,

understandable• In digital fiction, no room for subtlety• Avoid stereotypes or twist them

• Use easy to understand language• Realistic speech and conversation• Clear words and short, bite-sized pieces

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Realistic dialogue• In early versions, the dialogue

was too unnatural, formal• Suggestions (James, 2009)

– Avoid ‘on the nose’ dialogue– Reveal nuances of character

personality– Fit the words to suit the

character– Characters generally interrupt

each other– Use a subtext– Employ humour– Ensure the dialogue adds to/

moves the story forward

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The narrative structure• 3 act structure

– Act 1 sets the scene and context• Pre-quake scene

– Act 2 develops the story, explores conflict, relationships and themes• Pre-quake ending in earthquake

– Act 3 is the consequence of acts 1 and 2• Post-quake

• Exploratorium model with fractals– Users can explore bowls of freedom

that are connected together– The story expands allowing players

to explore freely but following only one theme

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Graphical Development

• The scene – a composite of multiple photos blended together

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Interaction• Built using flash• Interaction achieved

through action script• Narrative built using the

iterator pattern– This allowed interruptions in

back histories to occur and then resume from same position

• All narrative in xml form– Allowed definition of timings,

pauses, unique id’s for narrative parts

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Critique• Main issues in development– Believable characters– Unnatural speech– Consistency

• Interactivity– More features were desired • Character, scene animations• More hot spots

• Structure– Exploration and multiple viewings

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Thanks!

• Any questions?