Interactive Movies

With technology and interactivity becoming more and more distinct and predominant in our lifestyles, culture and society, a demand for interactive experiences and the delivery of more personalized entertainment content becomes noticeable. The course introduces students to the concept of interactive storytelling and digital narratives. For the purpose of this course the term “interactive movie” will refer to animated, filmed, video game-based and any other kind of movies following a main story but enabling user interaction. Interactive movies implement interactive dramaturgies and typically use technologies to allow users to influence the storylines.
Students will learn to create their own interactive narratives having regard to different aspects in digital storytelling like interactive dramaturgy, morality, ethics, human behavior as well as social responsibilities of the media in general. They will also learn fundamentals of human-machine interfaces – a prerequisite to the design of interaction.
Topics included in the module (may vary dependent on the actual focus of interest):
• Psychology of interaction design
• Interactive storytelling
• Interactive movie approaches
• Geometric design
• The storyboard
• Ambient entertainment
• Interactive cinema as a communication channel
• Interactive media art
• Virtual acting
• Media effects

The students are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical work, coupled with assigned readings from textbooks, scholarly books, and research articles that cover the major themes of the course in depth.