Week 15 — Improvisation & Group Critique

Final Project Notes

Submitted projects are DUE by May 5th

• Add your title and your name on projects. Ideally on the first/home page.
• Twine stories should use the present tense (to match user interaction in the present), but use past tense for events that happen before the present story.
• Grading: effort, design elements, and storytelling (including patterns of interaction in the story).

Course Evaluations

Please take time to complete the course evaluation. Your feedback is valuable and helps improve the course for future students.

Twine Project Notes

Adding Full-Frame Video in Twine/Harlowe

You can add a video to a Twine passage using the HTML <video> element. This works well for atmospheric backgrounds, dream sequences, loops, or cinematic transitions.

• Video should be short: ideally under 30 seconds.
• Use a small web-friendly file size.
• Recommended format: .mp4 / H.264.
• Recommended size: 480p SD widescreen.
• Autoplay usually works only after the player has already clicked, such as from a title page.
• Use muted if you want autoplay to work more reliably.

Folder Setup

Put your video file in a folder called video:

my-twine-project/
  index.html
  video/
    background.mp4

Basic Full-Frame Video Passage

Place this code directly inside a Twine passage:

<video class="full-frame-video" autoplay loop muted playsinline>
  <source src="video/background.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

<div class="video-text">
  <h1>The room flickers into view.</h1>
  <p>Something is moving behind the glass.</p>

  [[Continue->Next Passage]]
</div>

CSS for the Video

Add this to your Twine Story Stylesheet:

.full-frame-video {
  position: fixed;
  left: 0;
  top: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  object-fit: cover;
  z-index: 0;
}

CSS for Text Over the Video

Any Twine text should be placed in a positioned div above the video. The text needs a higher z-index than the video.

.video-text {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 2;
  padding: 3rem;
  color: white;
  max-width: 700px;
}

Full Example

In your Twine passage:

<video class="full-frame-video" autoplay loop muted playsinline>
  <source src="video/forest-loop.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

<div class="video-text">
  <h1>Forest Entrance</h1>

  <p>
    The trees bend in the wind. The path ahead seems to breathe.
  </p>

  [[Step forward->Deep Forest]]
</div>

Autoplay Reminder

Autoplay is more likely to work if the player has already clicked once. A good structure is:

Title Page → click “Start” → Video Passage

If the video has sound, browsers may block autoplay. For background video, use muted.

Student Checklist

• Export Twine as index.html.
• Put video files in a video folder.
• Use relative paths like video/forest-loop.mp4.
• Keep videos short and compressed.
• Add video CSS to the Story Stylesheet.
• Place text in a div above the video.
• Test locally and again after uploading.

Improvisation & Story

Improvisation is not just performance—it is a way of discovering story in time. As writers, we improvise with ourselves. In groups, we listen, respond, and build together.

Watch

Notice how the performers listen, accept what is given, and gradually shape a scene without planning ahead.

In-Class Improvisation (Small Groups)

Work in groups of 3–4. Each group will use one phone in dictation mode (Notes app or similar) to record a shared story. This creates a live transcript of the story as it unfolds.

• Sit in a circle with one phone.
• One person starts the story by speaking a sentence or two.
• Pass the phone to the next person, who continues the story.
• Continue passing the phone so each person adds to the story.

Do at least two full rounds.

• Let the story develop naturally—do not plan ahead.
• Listen closely and build from what is already there.
• Add something new: a detail, action, shift, or character.
• Avoid ending the story too early. Let it keep opening.

After two rounds, find a way to bring the story to a satisfying end.

The goal is not to make a perfect story. The goal is to listen, respond, and let the story go somewhere unexpected.

Three Improv Exercises:

• 1. Passing Story
  One person begins a story by speaking into the phone. Pass the phone to the next person, who continues the story. Keep passing the phone around the group. Do two full rounds. Try to build on what is already there, not restart the story. You may ramble a little, overlap ideas, and discover the rhythm as you go.
• 2. The Interrupt
  Start again with one person telling a story into the phone. At any moment, another person can interrupt with “No, wait—” or “Actually—” and take over the story. The interruption should redirect the story, not kill it. Keep going for two full rounds so everyone has a chance to interrupt, shift, and continue.
• 3. Secret Addition Story
  Before starting, each person secretly chooses something they will add to the story: a noun, a character, or an action. Do not tell the group. Begin passing the phone around as before. At some point during the story, each person must naturally bring their secret addition into the story. Do two full rounds. Let these hidden additions ground the story, surprise the group, or push it in a new direction.

Share: Each group reads their best story.

Group Critique

In small groups (3–4 students), you will read and respond to each other’s work.

As you read each other’s work, take notes using the questions below. Be specific. Focus on what is working, what is unclear, and where the story could develop.

• Who is the central character (even if this is the user/player)? What do they want? What limitation or blind spot do they have?
• Does anything change in the character by the end (emotion, perception, action)? Where do you see or feel that change?
• What are the key events in the story? How does the story move—through progression, repetition, or drift?
• Do events feel connected (cause and effect), or intentionally disconnected? Where does something unexpected happen?
• Where does the story explain too much? Where does it successfully show instead of tell? What information could be delayed, reduced, or revealed through action, image, or interaction?
• Where does the story leave space for the reader/user to interpret? Are there moments that feel unnecessary or could be cut? What is not said or shown that makes the story more engaging?
• If the story includes interaction, do the choices feel meaningful? Does the story prepare the user to understand those choices? Do different paths feel purposeful or arbitrary?
• How do different elements (text, visuals, sound, video) work together? Do they support each other, or feel separate? Is there a strong moment where media elements create meaning together?
• Does the rhythm of the story feel right? Are there moments where it slows down or speeds up in an effective way? Where does it feel too fast, too slow, or uneven?
• Does the story hold your interest? Where were you most engaged—and why? Where did your attention drift or drop?
• What do you think this story is really about? Where does it feel most clear and compelling? Where does it feel confusing, forced, or unfocused?

Use the feedback to your story to revise your project for final submission next week by May 5th.