The Boat is an interactive website describing
a Vietnamese families escape after the Vietnam
war[1].
This story uses non-diegetic sound effects such as thunder, water splashing, and
crying to enhance the narrative in conveying the terror that would of have been
experienced by this family, this adds to the theme of survival and the horrors
of war. This immersive experience is achieved through these non-diegetic sounds
where it is stated by the Music Perception Journal that using sound effects and
regulating the level of sound can change many elements that are essential to the storyline[2],
creating an immersive setting for the reader. Additionally, the website uses participation,
being the second level of interactivity, as users are able to choose how the
story is presented by selecting the chapter of their choice, although the story
flows by following a set-path[3].
This level of interactivity is effective as it does create a false sense of
control of the story to the reader and therefore increases engagement of the
narrative.
In contrast to The Boat, Bear 71 is instead an interactive documentary monitoring the life of a female grizzly bear over a period of 8 years[4]. This website uses both participation similar to The Boat, however also uses action, being the third level of interactivity[5]. Participation is achieved by the user’s ability to experience a 360-degree view of the Canadian Prairies which has been shown by the Virtual Worlds Research to be an effective way in creating an immersive virtual environment[6]. Contrariwise to The Boat, Bear 71 uses action as an interactivity method where the user is able to control and decide how they view the documentary which enables the user to feel as though they possess a role and choice in the documentary storyline. Further, Bear 71 uses both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds which differs to The Boat as the user is able to hear the sounds of different animals as well as the commentary speaker to inform the user.
Bibliography
“Bear 71 VR.” NFB/Interactive – Bear 71 VR. Accessed August 21, 2019. https://bear71vr.nfb.ca/.
Elmezeny, Ahmed, Nina Edenhofer, and Jeffrey Wimmer. “Immersive Storytelling in 360-Degree Videos: An Analysis of Interplay Between Narrative and Technical Immersion.” Journal For Virtual Worlds Research 11, no. 1 (November 2018). https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v11i1.7298.
Huynh, Matt, and Sbs. n.d. “The Boat.” SBS. Accessed August 12, 2019. http://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/.
Tan, Siu-Lan, Matthew P. Spackman, and Elizabeth M. Wakefield. “The Effects of Diegetic and Nondiegetic Music on Viewers’ Interpretations of a Film Scene.” Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal 34, no. 5 (2017): 605–23. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2017.34.5.605.
Tran, Khoa. “Digital Media Production COMM2300: Lecture 2
– Interactivity, Image & Sound in Storytelling” (Sydney, NSW: University
of Notre Dame, August 4, 2019). Lecture.
[1] Huynh, Matt, and Sbs. n.d. “The Boat.” SBS. Accessed August 12, 2019. http://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/.
[2] Tan, Siu-Lan, Matthew P. Spackman, and Elizabeth M. Wakefield. “The Effects of Diegetic and Nondiegetic Music on Viewers’ Interpretations of a Film Scene.” Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal 34, no. 5 (2017): 605–23. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2017.34.5.605.
[3] Tran, Khoa. “Digital Media Production COMM2300: Lecture 2 – Interactivity, Image & Sound in Storytelling” (Sydney, NSW: University of Notre Dame, August 4, 2019). Lecture.
[4] “Bear 71 VR.” NFB/Interactive – Bear 71 VR. Accessed August 21, 2019. https://bear71vr.nfb.ca/.
[5] Tran, Khoa. “Digital Media Production COMM2300: Lecture 2 – Interactivity, Image & Sound in Storytelling” (Sydney, NSW: University of Notre Dame, August 4, 2019). Lecture.
[6] Elmezeny, Ahmed, Nina Edenhofer, and Jeffrey Wimmer. “Immersive Storytelling in 360-Degree Videos: An Analysis of Interplay Between Narrative and Technical Immersion.” Journal For Virtual Worlds Research 11, no. 1 (November 2018). https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v11i1.7298.
Site Title 