J222 Interactive Narratives: Future Storyforms

This course explores digital narratives as they are designed, produced, and consumed in various electronic and “virtual” formats. Given this is a broad and expansive discipline that will continue to spawn new immersive experiences, stories and technologies, the course will lay the foundation for understanding new trans-media environments and explore best practices for creating non-fiction narratives on emerging platforms. We will explore narratives in 360, VR, AR, and mobile. What are the elements of a persuasive digital story? How do digital spaces function similarly/differently from non-digital spaces when looking at narrative? What are the tools and techniques one can use to produce and visualize narrative in new and emerging digital formats? And finally, what does it mean to “tell stories” when digital forms and technologies are constantly changing? As technologies continue to evolve, how will we create, share, and experience the most fundamental unit of human culture—the story? Students will have the opportunity to explore various digital technologies, create and produce mockups with various softwares, and analyze stories in new innovative forms. This course will introduce students to the world of alternative story forms and show them how to add them to their visual journalism repertoire.