Refined Proposal

Online Interactive Narrative: Retold traditional tales and the commercial values

A research essay proposal

By MunHui KOH

for

Interactive Media Design Pathway

Level 6 Enquiry / Report / Essay (6FTC1075)

Assignment 1 of 3

The School of Creative Arts

Faculty of Science, Technology and Creative Arts

University of Hertfordshire, UK in partnership with

The One Academy, Malaysia.

Submitted on 30^th July, 2014

( 570 Words)

Introduction:

The traditional mass mediums such as books or through the verbalization from a speaker, story has been told in straightforward structures. As technology developed, Internet has become a communication tools. Narrator has slowly implement storyline into these tools and fully utilized the advantage of new mass mediums to create narrative by using interactivity. Interactivity in website has involved trivial point and click actions on the part of the user. However, interactive narrative has more retainable and preserve commercial value in website.

Research question:

Comparisons of selected websites that have revive traditional Asian folklore. 

Examine how interactive narrative from selected case studies that have implement in the online medium as it preserves both traditional and commercial values.

Research topic:

This paper will analyze and compare selected traditional tales case studies. A proper theory that might use to analyze in this mythology is Monomyth by Joseph Campbell. In the case studies, traditional tales that has been told in various interactions, non-authoring and authoring. However this online medium has not only revive the traditional folklore but also preserve profitable purpose.

Research scope:

Author has selected two resemble case studies, which are Ramayana projects from Google Chrome Experimental in the recent year and Wayang Authoring a web-based application for children. Both case studies have the essence of traditional tales from Indonesia and presented through website platform. This paper will analyze on each case studies that carry on the meaning of traditional tales in various interactions. The Ramayana project has retelling the classic tales by making immersive interaction experience and featuring capabilities in Google browser. While Wayang Authoring, story determine by the user to create their own visual stories by using the traditional tales characters that have provided. Both case studies form the similarities and the contrast to preserve story and commercial values.

Relevance to personal practice:

This research paper is related to author’s final project which is an interactive narrative with fantasy theme delivered by website platform. The examination and analysis of research elements might supports author to develop more in-depth knowledge on the term interactive narrative itself. Besides, understanding using appropriate methods on building a narrative structure is essential for author to connect engagement for the users. Moreover, implications of interactivity by comparing between selected case studies, which are Ramayana and Wayang Authoring might enlighten authors final project.

Feasibility:

This research enquiry is moderate. Some of the research key points that have been introduced in various modules at level 4 and level 5. As one of the theory of Marchall McLuhan “the medium is the message” might apply in this paper. Author will explore more onto the Roland Barthes narrative theory and how Mark Stephen Meadows has discuss on four stages of interaction involve in narratives. Besides, author will exanimate on concept of Monomyth by Joseph Campbell, who has describes there are 17 stages in the hero’s journey. This theory indicates the similar pattern or structure that found in the universal narratives in different culture.

Timeline:

July	Week 9 Tutorial 3                  Week 10 Proposal Submission
August	Week 11 & 12 Tutorial 4, Blog & research Week 13 Proposal Feedback
September & October	Holidays Blog & Research
November	Week 2, 3 & 4 Tutorial 5 , Review & Refine blog
December	Week 5 Review & Refine blog Week 6, 7 & 8 Blog submission, Execute draft Week 9 1st Draft & Feedback
January	Week 10 & 11 2nd Draft & Final Draft & Feedback Week 12 Sharing Session Week 13 Submission
March	Feedback

  

Bibliography:

Felluga, D. (2002). "Modules on Barthes: On the Five Codes." Introductory Guide to Critical Theory [Online] Available at: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratology/modules/barthescodes.html [Accessed 20 Jul. 2014].

This is an useful website has discussed in Roland Barthes narrative theory. Barthes has formulates five codes, which author will further exanimate each of the codes for different literary analysis in narrative.

F-i.com, (2013). Google Ramayana Case Study. [Online] Available at: http://www.f-i.com/google/ramayana/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2014].

This is a case study website of the developing progress of Ramayana. 

McLuhan, M. (n.d.). Understanding Media The extensions of man. 1st ed. [ebook] London and New York. Available at: http://beforebefore.net/80f/s11/media/mcluhan.pdf [Accessed 20 Jul. 2014].

McLuhan theory “ The medium is the message” as a guiding on how narrative emerge in new mass medium.

Meadows, M. (2002). Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative [Online] Available at: http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=29598&seqNum=5 [Accessed 20 Jul. 2014].

Meadows has provides very good points of how interactivity in narrative by using some of the principles and steps that helps increase in reader’s participation.

Scriptboutique.co.uk, (n.d.). Story Structure Part 7: Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth. [Online] Available at: http://www.scriptboutique.co.uk/news/story-structure-part-7-joseph-campbell%E2%80%99s-monomyth [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014].

Monomyth theory that useful to analyze in Ramayana story.

Widjajanto, W., Lund, M. and Schelhowe, H. (2008). " Wayang Authoring ". Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia - MoMM '08. [Online] Available at: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1497284 [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014].

A useful pdf that has noted the concept behind Wayang Authoring.

Andrew Glassner Interactive storytelling: Techniques for 21st Century Fiction

Author found a book "Interactive Storytelling: Technique for 21st Century Fiction" written by Andrew Glassner in The One Academy library. She found this book is interesting to read it as it provided some of the technique and guides for author or other artists who want to create a piece of artwork that is engagement for audience. This book might help author to develop her project in the future. Some of the points in this book that might use in author's final essay. 

Author has selected Chapter 4: Story Technique, Engaging the Audience to make notes and understand the idea that raised by Andrew.

Andrew has noted there is a reason to make audience form engagement to a story. It is because people naturally want to fill in holes in their knowledge. If people that partial understanding of something they care about, they tend to try to fill in what is missing. Andrew has describe there are two benefits when an audience willingly fills in missing pieces of a character or plot.

First, the imaginative involvement causes audience to become more engaged in a story. The creative energy that have drive audience to step into the story themselves rather than just observing it. While audience attend closer to the story, they might looking for clues that help them confirm or revise the holes that filled in.

Second, when audience fill in the missing information, they are building personal connections from the fiction of the story into their own idiosyncratic experience and realities. Audience relate the characters and plots to their personal histories because they found interesting enough to remember and retrieve.

“An important personal contribution is the interpretation of subtext, or the thoughts behind our words." (Glassner, 2004)
Subtext is enormously important in emotionally ambiguous situation. Subtext can be clear and unclear.  The vague situation that form engagement to audience due to their curiosity. (To make it short,  it's fishing the audience)

Besides, imaginative elaboration can bond audience with a character very quickly. The ambiguity gives opportunity for audience fill in the missing pieces with their personal information.

Andrew has also listed down 13 narrative devices to get audiences involved and keep their attention.

1. Accordion Time - time is handled like an expanding and contracting accordion.

2. Advertising the future - An author can tell the audience about something that is yet to come, in order to whet their appetite.

3. Coincidence - a great way to get a story going. Easy way to make improbably events occur.

4. Crucible: Conflicts that happens when people forced to deal with each other.

5. Dramatic irony - The audience know something that the character doesn't, audience tension is heightened because they know what's at sake.

6. Foreshadowing - Foreshadowing suggests what is to come but usually without an explicit description of just what is on its way or what it will mean.

7. Hope vs. fear - Knowing what is around the corner, they simultaneously hope for a positive outcome and fear a negative one.

8. Planting and paying off - These techniques related to foreshadowing. A plant is something that is done at one point in the story that is later revealed to have special significance or a deeper meaning

9. Propelling transitions - Where authors know where the sequence of the story is going to occur, he can set up with a transition that drives audience headlong into it.

10. Plot twists - occurs when story turns in unexpected or unusual direction. Audience get surprise because they are unprepared.

11. Rewind - Multi point of view that present in the same event repeatedly.

12. Timebombs - such as countdown of the bomb, to create excitement

13. Viewpoint - The viewpoint of an external observer. The objective viewpoint, which the audience given no access to the inner thoughts or feelings of the characters.

In overall, Andrew has raised up the key to any successful story is bond between the storyteller and the audience. He has also listed down the methods for storyteller to reach the audience.

References

Glassner, A. (2004). Interactive storytelling. Natick, Mass.: A.K. Peters, pp.96 - 108.

Literature review: The new digital storytelling: Creating Narratives with New Media

Literature Review
A literature review post about Bryan Alexander that he discussed creating narratives with new media inside his written book, "The New Digital Storytelling: Creating Narratives with New Media."

"Engagement can be also understood as a kind of mystery, a story in whatever medium elicits the audience's curiosity and makes us want to experience more of it."(Alexander, 2011:9)

In this book, Bryan has concluded that in the first chapter. He noted that the digital storytelling is so extensive in our culture. First, the increasing amount of "analog" storytelling is being delivered and/or experienced in digital form. Secondly, the large amount of analog storytelling is built in digital formats.

Bryan raised that people tell stories through every communication technology that has invented.
Through blogs, social media such as Facebook and Twitter and Wikis , they all through webpage. Reader traveled hyperlinks among the lexia to experience stories.The story its point can be understood as a theme: "the general underlying subject of a specific story, a recurring idea that often illuminates an aspect of the human condition." The full sweep of emotions and details ground that theme, making it accessible and engaging.Story is high concept because it sharpens our understanding of one thing by showing it in the context of something else.Story is high touch because stories almost always pack an emotional response.

The idea is, a successful story without the formal device of hypertext that could wins its audiences through careful use of mystery. This is the roof of interactivity, and of co-creation. Story that should engage in audience and represent something that recognizable from life. Stories seem to require a challenge at their heart, one for characters to work through and for readers or listeners to appreciate.Bryan has also mention monomyth of hero's journey. Bryan noted that anecdotes are also concrete,  while stories build toward abstract knowledge out of them.

Engagement is essential crucial in each of the narrative. A story is a sequence of content while anchored on a problem which engages the audience with emotion and meaning. Emotional engagement and the meaning in narrative sometimes that form a struggle to attract the audience. Story is warm while data is cold. However, story needs to be create with data so that the story is well spread.

Reference:

Alexander, B. (2011). The new digital storytelling. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger.

Monomyth by Joseph Campbell

This post examines in greater detail Joseph Campbell's concept of the monomyth and the hero's journey by analysing the Ramayana story.

Monomyth, or the hero's journey is the similar pattern or structure that found in the universal narratives in different culture when it comes to their mythology.

The definition of Monomyth is , a cyclical journey or quest undertaken by a mythical hero.(Wordnik.com, n.d.)

Image from : http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-hero-journey-mythic-structure-of-joseph-campbell-monomyth.html

Campbell describes that there are 17 stages or steps along in this journey. Some of the myths have contain many of the stages while others contain a few. Some myths the may focus on only one of the stages while other myths that may deal with the stages with different order.

Here is the summary of the hero's journey.

In Monomyth, the hero begins in the ordinary world. He then receives a call to enter to action such as to save the world , his family or the peace of the community in which he lives. In this stage, the hero who accepts the task to enter the strange world by overcoming either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, he may achieve the boon or a great gift. In here, hero who decide to return to the ordinary world, hero will faces challenges while on the return journey. The hero returns successfully , the boon or gift may used to improve the world. (Scriptboutique.co.uk, n.d.)

From there, concept of monomyth and the hero's journey that found in the story of Ramayana. Concept has analyzed into the summary story of Ramayana in below.

Dasharatha , the Kind of Ayodhya decided to passed his throne to his eldest son Rama and retire to the forest. (Ordinary world : In here, the hero is Rama. Rama is the most obedient and well-behaved eldest son of Dasharatha among the three others brother. The King decided to pass him the throne because of his filial. This stage shows the crucial details about the hero, his true nature, capabilities and outlook on life.)

Queen Kaikey, the favorite wife tried to stop the king because she wanted her sons Bharata the second son to inherit. Because of an oath Dasharatha had made to her years before, she got the king to agree to banish Rama for fourteen years and to crown Bharata. Rama was always obedient, he brought Sita his wife and Lakshmana one of the twins brother accompanied to banishment in the forest.

(Call to adventre: Hero receives a call to action which the king set Rama to banish in the forest but actually is the step mother Queen Kaikey. The task for Rama is to save the community into peace. Rama overcoming with assistance who are his wife, Sita and one of the twins brother Lakshmana. )

One day Rama and Lakshmana wounded a rakshasas(demon) princess who tried to secude Rama. The princess returned to her brother Ravana. Ravana was planned to abduct Sita after hearing about her incomparable beauty. He sent one of his demons disguised as a magical golden deer to entice Sita. To please her, Rama and Lakshmana went to hunt the deer down. After they left, Sita were trapped by a holy man and Ravana catched her to his kingdom in Lanka.

(Crossing the threshold & Test, Allies, Enemies: In this case, Hero now begin his adventure. During the journey, hero will face his enemies. Rama and the accompanies face severals obstacles.The challenges will become more and more difficult, from Rama wounded the demon princess to his wife Sita that catches by Ravana. The skills of Rama will be tested in each of the obstacles, from there reader or audience gain a deeper insight into his character.)

Rama and Lakshmana went to seek for Sita. They sought help from Hanuman, the monkey band can fly since his father is the wind. Hanuman flew to Lanka and found Sita was in the grove.He tried to comforted her and told her Rama would come to save her soon. Ravana capture Hanuman and set Hanuman on fire. With his tail burning, Hanuman escaped and hopped around Lanka. He flew back to Rama and told him Sita location. Rama, Lakshmana and the monkey army built a causeway from the tip of India to Lanka and crossed over to Lanka. Ravana was get killed by Rama and freed Sita.

(Approach to the inmost cave & Ordeal: In here, Rama seeks for the help from Hanuman to seek for his wife and inform Sita that he is coming to save her. The hero get the actual location and start to approach for his final task, which is saving her wife Sita from the demon Ravana. Hero will somehow need some time to reflect his journey and the treacherous road ahead in order to find the courage to continue. Rama seeks for the helps from Hanuman and the fellow monkeys to enter the world of Lanka.In here, it helps the audience understand the magnitude of the ordeal that awaits the Hero and escalates the tension in anticipation of his ultimate test. During the ordeal, it is the hight-point of the Hero's story and where everything he holds dear is put on the line. This is when Rama is shooting the arrow to Ravana. If Hero's fails, he will either die or life will never be the same again.)

 They returned to Ayodhay and Bharata returned the crown to him.

(Reward & Return with the elixier: After Rama defeating the enemy and save Sita. The reward for Rama is the courage, his fame that spread around the world. He decided to return to his ordinary world. His brother Bharata was admired Rama and he felt diffident and passed back the throne for Rama. The hero's life will clearly never be the same again.)

Reference:

Scriptboutique.co.uk, (n.d.). Story Structure Part 7: Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth. [Online] Available at: http://www.scriptboutique.co.uk/news/story-structure-part-7-joseph-campbell%E2%80%99s-monomyth [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014].

Wordnik.com, (n.d.). Wordnik. [Online] Available at: https://www.wordnik.com/words/monomyth [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014].

Literature review - Narrative Meaning Creation in Interactive Storytelling

Literature Review

A literature review post on an online journal"Narrative Meaning Creation in Interactive Storytelling" by Joshua Tanenbaum and Angela Tomizu.

"the similarities between the process of closure and the process of emergent meaning creation — both deal with the cognitive process by which a reader creates narrative meaning out of a narrative artifact."(Tanenbaum & Tomizu, 2008:4)

Authors have discussed the narrative meaning can be considered an emergent phenomenon that arises from a reader's interpretation of and interaction with a text. Four theorists have raised in the journal which three of them having the similar points of meaning creation is shared between reader and author to varying degrees. 

First theorist, Mikhail Bakhtin(1935) has introduced the concept of heteroglossia  for evaluating the different perspective and conventions of language use that are evident in the experience of reading a novel, both from author's and the reader's perspectives. Second theorist, Umberto Eco(1989) , argue the responsibility of the author, who defines the field of possible interpretations for the reader while not minimizing the role of the reader as a unique interpreter and co-creator of meaning.The third theorist, Janet Murray(1995) discussed this emergent phenomenon is a belief creation. She noted immersion as one of the core aesthetic principles of digital media. Immersion has since become one of the most difficult aesthetics to quantify in a mediated experience, and one of the most highly sought after.Immersion is not simply a suspension of one faculty but the exercising of the active faculty of belief creation. While the other theorist is Roland Barthes writing that meaning creation is the sole responsibility of the reader. 

Authors have also mentioned Scott McCloud(1993), who has describes a phenomenon called closure which he defines as "the phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole.  While instead the reader read comic as discrete entities but this process allow reader's mind to fill in the spaces between panels, and developed its own symbolic language on how reader interpretation.

"The audience's freedom is ultimately measured not in terms of activity or interactivity, but in the ability of the work to convey the complexity of meaning found in all successful artforms." (Martin, 1997)

However, the idea is that the meaning creation between reader and author that lies in the hands of the reader while the author who defines the possible interpretation but not minimizing the role of the reader. Thus, the storytelling mediums such as comic books where this interpretative process is most explicitly responsible for creating narrative meaning. 

Reference:

Martin, R. (1997). Interactive Narratives: A Form of Fiction?. 1st ed. [ebook] Convergence Magazine, p.11. Available at: http://martinrieser.com/Interactive%20Narrative.pdf [Accessed 3 Sep. 2014].

Tanenbaum, J. and Tomizu, A. (2008). Narrative Meaning Creation in Interactive Storytelling.International Journal of Computational Science, [Online] 2(1), pp.3-5. Available at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/228341532_Narrative_Meaning_Creation_in_Interactive_Storytelling/links/02bfe50e53ba0ad673000000.

Wayang Authoring

The second case study that shared by author's lecturer Daniel Chong. This case study will be used to compare with another case study Ramayana websites.

Wayang Authoring is use in Web to revive traditional storytelling with puppets. The aim for this tool as an educational use for children around the world to improve media literacy through interesting an interesting and challenging application and an intercultural exchange.

Wayang Authoring is designed as a multimedia web-based application for children to create stories and a virtual community of storytellers. (Widjajanto, Lund and Schelhowe, 2008)

Author can't find the original Wayang Authoring but she found a similar application in Youtube. This video shows how is the application works and to let author have a better understanding on this tool. 

Author found out this case study might compare with the first case study Ramayana. The difference between them is in Wayang Authoring, story determine by the user/audience where they able to create their own story by using the puppet character provided. While Ramayana website, story was implement with visuals and interaction. However, the similarities is they are revive traditional storytelling with the new media. 

In author essay, she will comprehend both case studies to understand how does new media preserve both traditional culture story and the commercial value.

References

Wayang Composing. (2009). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gvD8VFctRk [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014].

Widjajanto, W., Lund, M. and Schelhowe, H. (2008). " Wayang Authoring ". Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia - MoMM '08. [online] Available at: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1497284 [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014].

Ethical concerns in the research topic and/or mythology

From author's research essay topic, she has stated in her proposal most of her research will base on books, online journal and article.

In previous proposal, author has too general topic of online interactive narrative and theories to further develop the ideas. The four theorist that author raised which are Marchall McLuhan, Roland Barthes, Mark Stephen Meadows and Scott McCloud to implement in on a case study by Google Chrome Experimental project, Ramayana and to examine the advantage and limitation of these online medium that bring to the traditional story.

After reviewing the feedbacks of previous proposal and consultation with author's lecturer, Daniel Chong. He suggested to scope down the previous propose topic to examine traditional tales that told in new interactive media that preserve both culture and commercial value. Besides, from Daniel advised author should look for experts or theories that are more specific to her essay topic.

Author has decided to narrow down her research topic on how traditional tales that applied in new interactive media has the both culture and commercial value. Author has also study on some of the theory that might use in her essay. 

In the essay, author will composite theories to form the ideas during her research and in her final essay. She will use the merging of each of the theories and form a proper conclusion. 

During research stage, author has to make clear and stated on the ethical concerns in her final essay. Surveys are not included in author's essay but she would collect most of the data through online, including ebooks, journal, article and books. Author has minimal ethical issues as she has no work with individuals or organizations.

1. Quality and legal sources.

Author will minimize the risk during her research stage. Most of her research theory will base on books from The One Academy library, online e-books and quality online journal.  Besides, author will look for online journal and articles that with strong theorist support behind or identifiable writers. Author will not only look for relevant sources within the area of interactive narrative but also some other sources that could form good ideas. Some risk will occur when author look for unreliable secondary sources, author will pay more concern about it. Author will double check on the resources by viewing comments that gave from the reader.

2. Harvard referencing and plagiarism

All theories, online journal and article will protect by using harvard citation methods. Citation is important to avoid penalty.  Author will not plagiarize the works of others but reuse the idea to generate her own thoughts and opinion. 

Ethic Concern in UH Student Handbook

Why is Ethics approval Important?
If the work you undertake as part of your studies in the School of Creative Arts involves the participation of others, you will need to get the approval of the Faculty Ethics Committee by completing an Application for Ethics Approval. (The application forms are available in electronic format from Carol Organ at c.organ@herts.ac.uk)
The Ethics committee is here to help protect you and others involved in your work
The Application for Approval is designed to ensure that anyone who is involved in any aspect of your studies is protected from any harm or distress your work might cause and that you have designed your project in such a way to ensure that participants are aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, and they have given informed consent that they are willing to participate.
Making sure the information you gain about others is held securely
In your application, you are also required to give assurances about how you will collect and store information and what precautions you have taken to keep that data secure, either password protected or locked securely away. You will also be required to declare that you will not disclose that data or any other information.