I Am User Generated

Soldier, Brother

A story about a young woman’s struggle communicating with her soldier brother in Afghanistan.

Role: Interactive Storyteller The National Film Board of Canada.

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Track Listing

Shake It Out – Florence and the Machine
Psychic City (Classixx Remix) – Yacht
Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye
Bike Home – Humans
Liko Lene Lisa – M+A
Good at Heart (RAC Maury Mix) – Lacrymosa
Montonton 2 – Humans
How Deep Is Your Love? – The Rapture
Nightcall – Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx
Niggas in Paris – Jay-Z and Kanye West
Gotta Have It – Jay-Z and Kanye West

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. Right-click to download.

My prediction is that more feature screenplays will start to turn into interactive transmedia stories. The biggest challenge I see is visualizing the script knowing that the audience exercises more control on their viewing experience. I’ve been working more with game designers who I believe should be the script doctors of the future. These guys fully grok non-linear audience controlled narratives. A movie like Inception blew people’s mind because of it’s non-linear approach to narrative, but how would that look as a web experience instead of a film experience? I’d argue that the story would be less impressive because we are so used to non-linear on the web. It blew people’s mind because it messed with expectations of linear three act structure. What if that story was a console game that you could pick up and put down. Again probably less interesting because in games we’re used to jumping in and out of a linear narrative and piecing the puzzle together ourselves.
Making the two minute web experience is easy, making a 20 minute web experience relies on some serious thoughtfulness on all the possible audience reactions which makes for a less contained and often less linear story. But linearity is a plot construct that becomes less important in character driven pieces. This is where our game designer friends are at a disadvantage. Most game designers and game writers aren’t known for developing engaging characters but it’s my belief that the emotional connection you have with a character and their life will be what drives a user to stick around for anything more then a quick hit two minute experience. Does this hybrid role of a Hollywood screenwriter, console game designer, UX specialist exist? Or do we need more transmedia directors who are experienced in directing these types of talent? The tools are there, the stories are there but we don’t have our web auteurs, yet.

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Track Listing

Jazz Thing – Gang Starr
Act Too The Love of My Life – The Roots
Be – Common
Find A Way – A Tribe Called Quest
Life is Good feat. Mos Def – DJ Deckstream
Party Tonight feat. Jean Grae – Black Sheep
Things They Say feat Lauryn Hill – Method Man
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) – Digable Planets
Drop – The Pharcyde
Solitaire – Rascalz
Success – Jay-Z
Don’t Let It Go To Your Head – Brand Nubian
Never Let Me Down feat. Saul Williams, Jay-z – Kanye West
Do What You Feel – Redman

I Want It All. Right-click to download.

Explore Like a Local

Challenge: Connect local knowledge with potential travellers to Canada.

Creative Solution: Create a live user-generated site that surfaces tips from locals using location-based services.

Role: Creative Lead/Copywriter