Week 15 — Group Project - Production

To Do This Week

Build the Final Project.

Notes

• Add your title and name on projects.
• 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).

Digital Storytelling

• What is the scene, passage, or lexia for? What is its purpose in the plot, establishing the story world, or character development? Is it necessary?
• Delays in plot development work best when there is a strong expectation of what is going to happen. (Hitchcock)
• How is interaction meaningful for the user? If I come to a choice, has the story so far informed me about the meaning of this decision?
• How do you develop character in interactive fiction? It often comes down to character action, guided by the user’s interaction.
• How do you give a sense of destiny in the paths taken, and hint at what other alternative paths might have been?
• Visual: consider how images interact with text. How can image and text be more interdependent, rather than image subordinate (illustrating) the text?
• Diagrammatic / typographic: how can you use font, color, size, bold, italic, and spacing to better express your story?
• Sound: how can sound effects or music tracks support atmosphere and story development?

To Do for the Final Project

• Make sure your name and story title are at the beginning of your digital story and in the file name.
• In the blog post where you submit the final project, write a one-paragraph statement: What is the story, the format, and which class modules and/or works inspired you?

Workshop on Final Projects

Final Project — 30%

The final project is a digital story that incorporates at least two modules from this class: diagrammatic, visual, cinematic, hyperlinked/interactive, or game-like storytelling. The work may be a significant reworking of a previous project or a new direction.

The final project includes required stages and deadlines, each graded separately. Do not leave everything to the last minute. Progress should happen every week. Class time is dedicated to developing these projects.

Project Critique — 8% (Tuesday, DUE TBA)
In-class critique based on progress and completeness. I will also provide feedback.

Final Project — 90% (Tuesday, DUE TBA)
Revise your work based on critique and submit the final version. Post a link along with a short artist statement describing your goals and process.