„360 video and virtual reality present untapped storytelling models that are encapsulated by metaphysical qualities: existence and influence.
OBSERVANT ACTIVE
- New form of story
- You do not exist in the world, but act as a God-like decision maker with the power to contribute to, and dictate, a story’s outcome
- You are without a rigid digital identity, but rather float amidst the content. The “active” aspect is limited by a predetermined set of choices (nodes) laid out by the storyteller, by which the storyteller has construed a variety of outcomes for the observer. This functions in certain forms of digital media, as seen in the increasing popularity of “choose your own adventure” types of stories
- The storyteller explicitly intrudes on the user experience through freeze frames, narration, subtitles, and annotations; or, the storyteller covertly empowers the viewer’s gaze to follow a specific character’s journey
- The storyteller controls an expository dialogue with the viewer
- Glen Keane’s “Duet” (link)
- Yoni Bloch’s “Pretend to be Happy” (link)
OBSERVANT PASSIVE
- Any form of traditional media, be it narrative or documentary content
- You do not exist in the world, nor can you influence the story
- You watch dramatic or comedic events unfold in a procedural manner
- The storyteller retains complete control of the action and information presented to the viewer
- Gabo Arora, Barry Pousman, and Chris Milk’s “Clouds Over Sidra” (link)
PARTICIPANT ACTIVE
- You exist in the world as a character or a story device, and have influence over your “own” story
- The world acknowledges and addresses your existence
- You interact with the world and are bound by its laws and underlying story
- Your character has the ability to go off on a tangent, but the story will reset, adapt, or evolve based upon certain parameters. These parameters can vary according to the storyteller’s intended structure (rigid vs. free form)
- Samsung and Ustwo’s “Land’s End” (link)
- David Jones and Mike Dailly’s “Grand Theft Auto” (link)
PARTICIPANT PASSIVE
- New form of story
- You exist in the world as a character or a story device, but the story does not ask anything of you, or permit you to inform the course of events
- You function as a silent bystander, or pure-recipient of action
- For example, imagine you’re a juror, but lack free will and narrative voice. Sidney Lumet’s film 12 Angry Men comes to mind as interesting material for adaptation
- Ilya Naishuller’s “Hardcore” (link)“
Source: medium.com