I have learned about the importance of tailoring content to specific audiences and how to effectively use various digital tools and platforms to reach those audiences. Additionally, the course has taught me how to create engaging and interactive content, particularly in the areas of games and online environments.
Overall, this course has given me a comprehensive understanding of the basics of writing for new media, and I feel more confident and competent in my ability to create content across a variety of digital platforms.
Assignment One
Disclaimer
This is based on true events that happened throughout 2020. My intention is to express my feeling of uncertainty and apprehension during these past months. This is directly related to my life and the descriptions are accurate to my memories and experiences. It might contain private thoughts regarding structural changes -physically and psychologically.
Audience
My main purpose is to express our feelings of alienation and detachment from our family, and our recounter due to quarantine in COVID-19. Hereby, it is aimed at an audience preferably older than 13 years old -when we start to desire a strong self-identity unhitched from others, but we are uncertain to what extent should be adhered to others. Besides the fact that it is a phone-based experience, it is more suitable (but not limited to) for teenagers and young adults who are more used to this technology.
It invites the audience to be a member of the family - they are the main protagonist. However, they do not have direct character interactions, and their role thought the story is passive, observant, and in a fixed position: the epicenter. That is why it would be suitable for a single user to generate a sense of intimacy and power.
The user purposely does not have a lot of choices to present vulnerability toward life changes. It is a guided content that portrays the controversial concept of family: its openness to structural dramatic changes but it is also a unit of security and comfort. By using my personal family situation, people who share experiences with little siblings, parents who are nurses or doctors, or the loss of a close family member would have a deeper connection to the story. Thus, the audience is comprised of those who want and need to remember the importance of family and its role in our well-being.
Describe the technology/platform
As the user has no need to move around (i.e.. walk), it is designed to be a phone-based experience- for instance, it can be a YouTube video, and the use of goggles is optional to welcome a wider audience. It will use the technology of Virtual Reality to allow the user to travel in the totality of a new world. Hence, the VR need to feel “there” is accomplished through a total restriction of the audience’s current environment to immerse them in a fictional setting of trees.
This transition regarding the coming of age is metaphorically represented through the role of the audience. There is a metamorphosis toward the user’s freedom. In the beginning, through audio and visual stimulations, the audience is forced to follow the story through rigorous patterns to avoid missing an important event. This is because the spotlight slowly introduces each character independently (avoiding the user feeling nauseous), they are free to choose the direction of their movement.
Describe the setting/visual style of your story: Where is it? What kind of world or environment? Style of graphics? Realistic or not? 360 cinema or computer graphics? Also, provide a sample image to give us a general idea. 100 - 150 words, plus a sample image.
My story is based on our “family trees”. The setting is not realistic and the story takes place on a tree stump. I created a world full of family trees, but for the sake of the reader, I will first focus on one tree so that the audience may understand the level of interaction.
The user will be the center of the story, standing from a tree stump- while the other characters are on the tree’s leaves. The fact that the trunk is cut down, but its leaves are still green suggests that it is still spring, so the tree was unnaturally cut, due to deforestation. This is a metaphor to represent the family’s enervation, fragility, and deterioration. These literary devices encourage people to be “divers” and be able to add their own interpretation of the story.
I believe in most cases it is easier to emphasize with a more cartoonish style of drawings as we can see ourselves reflected in them. Hence, this 360° project does not use “realistic” faces but is more of a childish technique that contrasts the seriousness of the subject at matter.
The best time of the day to be part of this Virtual Reality experience is at night due to its dark shades of color (at the beginning) to develop a feeling of intimacy, of a profound and earnest environment. It is important to highlight that it does not use elements from the user’s environment as it is not augmented reality.
Read my submission here: Assignment One: VR
Assignment Two
The primary objective of this project is to depict traumatic stress experienced during childhood from a retrospective point of view. The focus is on young adults who revisit their childhood experiences and recollect their innocent thoughts. The project includes three stories that feature the emotional journey of individuals through a significant structural change in their family, including the loss of their parents, child abuse, and adoption. Although they are linked by their time at the same orphanage, their starting and ending points differ.
The project was born from a thought-provoking moment: a person whose mother volunteered at a local orphanage returned to their hometown to learn more about their friends' lives in the orphanage and distract themselves from their own.
Short Stories Summary
Napkins and Erasers: The protagonist lost his mother at the age of four and holds himself responsible for her death. He is too hard on himself and remains unadopted.
Shrug Shoulders and Sketches: The protagonist's lack of knowledge about her parents forces her to live in a world of uncertainty. To protect herself, she avoids certainty in life, fearing that things will fall apart.
The Flight Boy's Betrayal: The protagonist suffered maltreatment at the hands of foster parents and lived in her own fairy tale world, hoping for someone to rescue her. The police removed her from her foster home and placed her in the orphanage.
Link to my submission here: https://theneglectedones.tumblr.com/
Through the process of writing a virtual reality script, I have gained a number of valuable skills and insights into the world of new media. One key skill that I developed is the ability to create immersive and engaging experiences for audiences. By working with the unique features and limitations of virtual reality, I have learned how to craft narratives that not only captivate the viewer's attention, but also draw them into a fully-realized world.
In addition, I have honed my skills in storytelling and character development, as these are critical elements in creating a successful virtual reality experience. By creating believable characters and compelling plotlines, I have learned how to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the story, which is essential for creating a truly immersive experience.
The course in new media has also helped me to develop a range of technical skills that are essential for working in this field. For example, I have learned how to work with specialized software tools and platforms that are used for creating and publishing virtual reality content. I have also gained experience in working with different forms of media, such as audio and video, and in using them to enhance the overall impact of my work.
Overall, the process of writing a virtual reality script and taking a course in new media has allowed me to develop a range of skills that will be valuable in my future work as a creative professional. Whether I am working in virtual reality or other forms of new media, I feel confident that I have the skills and knowledge necessary to create engaging and impactful experiences for audiences.