Leader: Tom Chandler

Offered

Berwick First semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit aims to develop the student's knowledge of the concept of narrative structure, and its importance in the development of their understanding of how to create, and implement contextually appropriate narrative forms for multimedia products and systems, with a special emphasis on the game environment.
Topics will include: linear, visual and non-linear narrative, historical perspectives on the evolution of the narrative forms, and concepts such as representation, characterization, point of view, genre, closure, the role of the user, interactivity, immersion and engagement.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit students will have a theoretical and conceptual understanding of:

1. the concept of narrative structure and a range of techniques employed in the construction of traditional media
2. the main forms of narrative construction which might be usefully employed in a multimedia environment
3. the key areas of research and development in the creation of narrative structures in multimedia environments

At the completion of this unit students will have developed attitudes that enable them to:

4. appreciate the importance of narrative structure to the user's experience of multimedia environments
5. appreciate ways in which narrative forms might be adapted to the contextual diversity of different media
6. appreciate narrative techniques appropriate to the multimedia environment
7. appreciate the goals of multimedia production in relation to the input of narrative structure

At the completion of this unit students will have the skills to:

8. integrate and further develop skills acquired in the Digitatal Media Authoring and the Entertainment and InteractiveI Technologies units to create multimedia for business, entertainment, education and social environments
9. analyse and identify the key elements in the narrative structure of a variety of media and technologies
10. create narrative structures appropriate to both context and user
11. evaluate the ways in which narrative structure contribute to the user's experience of the multimedia product or system

At the completion of this unit students will have developed the teamwork skills needed to enable them to:

12. learn from, adapt and transform narrative models from other disciplines to multimedia environments where appropriate
13. understand that they produce meaning through a language (visual, audio, written etc) and that this language manifests in multimedia representations in order to exchange meaning to communicate
14. understand the nature of the developing trends in narrative structure within the context of an historical perspective

Assessment

Assessment Task 1 (Linear Narrative Project and Analysis): 30%
Assessment Task 2 (Visual Narrative Project and Analysis): 30%
Assessment Task 3 (Non-Linear Narrative Project): 40%

Contact hours

Lectures: 2hrs/week, seminars: 2hrs/week

Prerequisites

FIT2012

Prohibitions

MMS3403 (Translation Set: MMS3403)