Spinning a bit off a comment by Paul Furiga in the recent Q&A with him and his partner, John Durante, I’m thinking that as technical capabilities become every more mind-boggling and jaw-dropping, we need to beware of labeling every technologically stunning multimedia presentation as storytelling.
Last week, a Twitterer sang the storytelling praises of this presentation from Waterlife about dwindling water resources and the fact that water is now polluted with pharmaceutical toxins.
I will grant that this is beautifully done presentation. But I don’t see it as much beyond a very technically advanced PowerPoint presentation with facts and figures.
I don’t see it as storytelling. Do you?
The Tweeter referred to the presentation as “Database Storytelling,” which was a new one on me. I Googled the term, looked it up on Wikipedia, and asked the Tweeter for a definition but could not learn what “database storytelling” is. Do you know what database storytelling is? If so, please share.
I was similarly flummoxed by this piece, also touted in the Twitterverse as storytelling. At first I saw it as a poem, but later I realized it’s apparently some sort of game, an “unidentified game object.” I couldn’t get too far into it because the music drove me insane (I suppose I could have turned off the sound). OK, I can sort of see the game aspect, but can someone explain the storytelling to me?
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I think you raise an important question of how we define storytelling beyond its traditional confines. I don't think technical wizardry doesn't prevent something from being a story--and this certainly the wizardry down. I think it was a failed attempt at storytelling. It starts off with the hook, as all good stories must. But it never personally engages. It moves from story to spouting facts. But it seems to me this heralds good things to come. Storytelling is changing. Alas, I've never heard of "database storytelling."
Good point that this presentation is a step in the right direction. And I agree that "technical wizardry doesn't prevent something from being a story;" we just need to keep from being so dazzled by the wizardry that we don't notice whether a story is being well told.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
I'm still making up my mind about the games/narrative connection, but MacGregor Campbell wrote about it for our site, www.niemanstoryboard.org, last week at http://niemanstoryboard.us/2009/10/01/could-world-of-warcraft-be-the-new-war-and-peace/
Although I'm inclined to leave discussions of storytelling in games to bloggers with more interest in the subject, I was really excited to learn of your Nieman Storyboard site. I have Nieman narrative Digest on my sidebar, but was unfamiliar with the Storyboard site. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.