Audiovisual Languages and Interactive Narrative (21413)
Degree/study: Bachelor's degree in Computer Sciences
Year: 1st
Term: 3rd
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language or languages: Catalan / Spanish
Teaching Staff: Xavier Ruiz Collantes, Marco Romeo, Carlos A. Scolari, Óliver Pérez, Nina Valkanova
1. Presentation of the subject
Audiovisual Languages and Interactive Narrative is a compulsory subject offered during the first year of the Bachelor's degree in Computer Sciences. This subject includes a theoretical and analytical introduction focused on the narrative world, the audiovisual language and the interactive narratives and it is complemented by practical application activities (from scriptwriting and video production to the design of an interactive communication project).
2. Competences to be obtained in the subject
2.1. General competences
Instrumental
1. Capacity to apply theoretical models.
2. Capacity to analyze with critical foundations and consult and broaden the proposed bibliography.
3. Capacity to communicate, with precision and clearness, the results of the analysis and the following process.
4. Capacity to analyze, synthesise and organize information.
Interpersonal
5. Capacity to work in teams and establish synergies with the rest of mates.
6. Capacity to be critic and self-critic about the activities to do.
Systemic
7. Capacity to understand the fundamentals of the main theories and methodologies of analysis of the narratives.
8. Capacity to apply the theoretical and methodological principles to the narratives analysis.
2.2. Specific competences
1. Acknowledgement of the narrative theories and of the theoretical fundamentals of the audiovisual language and the interactive narratives.
2. Acknowledgment of the methods to analyze the interactive and audiovisual narratives.
3. Capacity to analyze the interactive and audiovisual narratives.
4. Capacity to develop an audiovisual production project from its script to its postproduction.
5. Capacity to design an interactive communication project.
3. Contents
3.1. Unit 1 - Introduction to the narrative study
· Text, enunciation and enunciate
- Enunciation vs. Enunciate
- Fundamentals of the generative path of the text
· The narrative enunciate
- The axiological level of the narratives
- Narrative program and the actantial model
- The discursive level: actors, spaces and time
• Practical application to the text analysis
3.2. Unit 2 - Audiovisual language fundamentals
· Fundamentals of the audiovisual language
- Plan and cropping
- Camera movement
- Edition
- Video examples
· Visual planning fundamentals
- Practical application activity
· Enunciative analysis of the audiovisual work fundamentals
- Enunciator vs. Enunciataire of the audiovisuals
- Focalization in the audiovisual narrative
- Temporal building keys in the audiovisual narrative
- Video examples
3.3. Unit 3 - Interactive narratives
· From the text to the hypertext:
- Evolution of an idea: V. Bush - D. Engelbart - T. Nelson
- Hypertextual narrative: from Afternoon to videogames and interactive installations
- Hypermedia, remediation and convergence
· Interfaces semiotics
- Sense construction in interactive environments
- Interaction syntaxes
· Interactive narratives
- Evolution of an idea: J. Murray - L. Manovich
- Experiences and interactive projects
3.4. Unit 4 - Audiovisual project
• Introduction to processing programming
· Implementation of a video reader in processing- Video loading
- Manipulation of the video time (play, pause, stop)
- Simple interaction using the mouse
- Playing lists and video hops
· Development of an audiovisual work, from the idea to the storyboard- Development of an idea using a theoretical narrative model
- Preparation of a script (relations and actions)
- Realization of a storyboard (spatial situation, cropping and time)
3.5. Unit 5 - Interactive narrative project
· Introduction and basic interaction
- Introduction to concepts and technical aspects in interactive projects
- Capture / apply interaction of mouse in processing
- Integrate functionalities by external libraries
- Development of a graphical interface through control and video edition
· Introduction to computer vision as a basic tool to create interaction without mouse/keyboard (webcams)
- Definition and applications of computer vision
- Integrate external libraries to work with webcams
- Capture and reproduce in real time images of a webcam
- Basic recognition of the movement with a webcam
- Integration of movement detection with a developed interface
· Development of proposals of an interactive experience
- Basic criteria and building process of a proposal
- Examples of development documentation / proposal formats
- Structure of an interactive experience proposal
1. Summary
2. Theoretical justification of the idea
3. Related tasks
4. Detailed description of the project
5. Audiovisual / graphic material,
6. Needed technologies and tools
7. Development team and assignation of responsibilities
- Development of the proposal (final hand-in)
4. Evaluation
The evaluation of competences integrates different modalities. The evaluation will consist of two parts (Individual evaluation + Projects) and each of these parts must be passed separately. The final mark for the subject will be the sum of the two parts, only when they are both passed. To pass the course, in any case, the mark of each part must be greater than 5 (out of 10).
Evaluation tables
Realization of an individual written evaluation
Timing: at the end of the first part of the subject
Value: 40 %
Evaluation done by the teacher
Characteristics: multiple choice + open questions
The theoretical acknowledgements of the subject will be evaluated by this exam.
Realization of a directed project in teams
Timing: at about the end of the term
Value: 60 %
Evaluation: done by the teacher + discussion in teams
Total: 100 %
All the activities are mandatory.
The students who have not passed the individual written evaluation will have to go to the second sitting.
The students who have not passed the project will have to hand in a second version of the project during the second sitting.
5. Bibliography and teaching resources
5.1. Basic bibliography
Unit 1 - Introduction to the study of narratives
Courtés, J. (1980) Introducción a la semiótica narrativa y discursiva, Buenos Aires: Hachette.
Courtés, J. (1997) Análisis semiótico del discurso: del enunciado a la enunciación, Madrid: Gredos.
Greimas, A. J. (1971) Semántica estructural, Madrid: Gredos.
Greimas, A. J. i Courtés, J. (2006) Semiótica: Diccionario razonado de la Teoría del Lenguaje, Madrid: Gredos.
Unit 2 - Audiovisual language fundamentals
Aranda, D. i De Felipe, F. (2006) Guión audiovisual, Barcelona: UOC.
Aumont, J. et al. (1989) Estética del cine, Barcelona: Paidós.
Bordwell, D. (1996) La narración en el cine de ficción, Barcelona: Paidós.
Bordwell, D. y Thompson, K. (1993) El arte cinematográfico, Barcelona: Paidós.
Casetti, F. i Di Chio, F. (1996) Cómo analizar un film, Barcelona: Paidós.
Courtés, J. (1997) Análisis semiótico del discurso: del enunciado a la enunciación, Madrid: Gredos.
Jost, F. i Gaudreault, A. (1995) El relato cinematográfico, Barcelona: Paidós.
Unit 3 - Interactive narratives
Eugeni, R. i Bittanti, M. (2004) Sim-Biosis. Di-simulando The Sims, DeSignis 5 - www.designisfels.net
O'Reilly, T. (2005) What Is Web 2.0. Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software - http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/a/6228
Scolari, C. (2001) Por un puñado de hiperlibros. Interactive fiction, narrativa y retórica hipertextual - http://www.modernclicks.net
Scolari, C. (2003) Sèrie de 7 posts a Dialógica/Clicks Modernos: http://www.dialogica.com.ar/clicsmodernos/archives.html
- Lines, trees and networks
- The founder: Vannevar Bush
- The myth: Douglas Engelbart
- The apostle: Ted Nelson
- What is an hypertext?
- For an amount of hyperbooks
- The total book: the World Wide Web
Scolari, C. (2004) Hacer Clic. Hacia una semiótica de las interacciones digitales, DeSignis 5 - www.designisfels.net
Manovich, L. (2008) El lenguaje de los nuevos medios de comunicación, Barcelona: Paidós (Ed. Orig. The Language of New Media, 2001) - www.manovich.net/LNM/Manovich.pdf
Cap. 1 - What's new media: Principles of New Media (pp. 49-65)
Cap. 5 - The Forms: Database (pp. 190-212)
Unit 4 - Audiovisual project
Tools used
• Processing - http://processing.org/
Unit 5 - Interactive narrative project
Tools used
· Processing - http://processing.org/
· Computer Vision - http://ubaa.net/shared/processing/opencv/
• ControlP5 - http://www.sojamo.de/libraries/
Institutions and important projects
· Ars Electronica, Austria - http://www.aec.at/index_en.php
· MediaLab Prado, Madrid - http://medialab-prado.es/
• Eyebeam Atelier, New York - http://eyebeam.org/
Interactivity and Computer vision - videos
· The interactivity in "Minority report" - a vision of the future? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwVBzx0LMNQ
· Robotics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmj5TP7XIFE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvaXzq-41M
· M-touch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89sz8ExZndc&feature=related
· Videogames
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1_ibDB3Y4
· Interactive experiences in public spaces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1_ibDB3Y4
5.2. Additional bibliography
Unit 1 - Introduction to the narratives study
Bruner, J. S. (1998) Actos de significado, Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
Floch, J. M. (1993) Semiótica, marketing y comunicación, Barcelona: Paidós.
Ruiz Collantes, X., Ferrés, J., Obradors, M., Pujadas, E. i Pérez, O. (2006) La imagen pública de la inmigración en las series de televisión. A: Quaderns del CAC, núm. 23-24. Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya. On-line: http://www.cac.cat/pfw_files/cma/recerca/quaderns_cac/Q23-24ruizferres_ES.pdf.
Unit 2 - Audiovisual language fundamentals
Aumont, J. i Marie, M. (1990) Análisis del film, Barcelona: Paidós.
Chatman, S. (1990) Historia y discurso: la estructura narrativa en la novela y en el cine, Madrid: Taurus.
Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S. et al. (2008) Understanding videogames. Nueva York: Routledge. Cap. 8: Narrative (pp. 168-204).
Tosca, S. P. (2009) ¿Jugamos una de vampiros? De cómo cuentan historias los videojuegos. A: Ramos, M. i Pérez, O. (eds.): Videojuegos y Comunicación: hacia el lenguaje del videojuego. Comunicación, núm. 7, pp. 80-93. Universidad de Sevilla. On-line: http://www.revistacomunicacion.org/.
Unit 3 - Interactive narratives
Manovich, L. (2008) Software Takes Command - http://lab.softwarestudies.com/2008/11/softbook.html
Murray, J. (1999) Hamlet en la Holocubierta, Barcelona: Paidós (Ed. orig. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace, 1997)
Scolari, C. (2004) Hacer Clic. Hacia una semiótica de las interacciones digitales, Barcelona: Gedisa
Scolari, C. (2008) Hipermediaciones. Elementos para una teoría de la comunicación digital interactiva, Barcelona: Gedisa.
Scolari, C. (2008) "El sentido de las interfaces. Una aproximación semiótica a las webs de los museos de arte". A: Mateos, S. (ed.) La comunicación global del patrimonio cultural, Madrid: Trea.
5.3. Didactic resources
- Powerpoint documents
- Projection of video examples in class, as examples to do the case studies
- Videos and interactive products
- Group of texts/web pages, which are mandatory readings
6. Metodology
The subject includes several learning activities. The proper involvement of students in each of these activities will allow them to achieve specific competences defined above, and strengthen general competences mentioned.
The learning activities are the following:
1. Attending to lectures of the program, which includes these activities:
- Attending to lectures.
- Attention to visual and audiovisual examples of the class.
- Mandatory bibliography reading.
- Discussion of the main concepts and theories.
2. Elaboration of the team projects about audiovisual and interactive productions coordinated by the teacher and about a topic related to the subject, which includes the following activities:
- Reading of the specific bibliography.
- Personal tutorship sessions.
- Participation in a team to prepare the tasks.
- Project development
As the methodological models that constitute the conceptual basis of the subject are presented in class, more possibilities for students to discover the areas of application and use of these models will be discovered.
The exposition of theoretical issues is quite limited in the programme frame and, instead it, it is offered an intense dedication to the application of theories and implementation of projects.