Michael Steffen

Professor Meeting: David Howard

I met with David Howard, a professor in the Writing Division, this past Monday, and he had some insightful things to say about my project idea. Here are the key points:

The Lady or the Tiger

David first pointed out that I want to avoid a story structure that branches outward at a fast rate. A story that branches in only 2 directions each time will reach gigantic proportions by the 7th or 8th branch. Instead, he recommended a structure that branches out, but then folds back in on itself. Interactive storytelling theorist Chris Crawford calls this a Foldback Scheme.

David used the example of the classic short story, The Lady or the Tiger. At the end of the story, the hero finds himself facing two doors: behind one is a beautiful woman; behind the other lies a ferocious tiger. David theorized that a story like this could be made interactive by combining a foldback scheme with an item inventory. For the example of The Lady or the Tiger, David suggested that during one of the branching segments, the player may or may not acquire a sword. In the end, the player still finds himself facing the two doors, but now the sword also affects the outcome. Here are the possible results of the player’s choice of doors:

1) Player picks tiger, has sword – The player may use the sword to kill the tiger.
2) Player picks tiger, doesn’t have sword – The tiger eats the player.
3) Player picks lady, has sword – Lady is offended by sword and rejects player.
4) Player picks lady, doesn’t have sword – Lady marries the player.

The example is interesting, because it creates multiple outcomes from the same linear story point.

Sequence Breakdowns and Short Films

I asked David whether the 8 sequence breakdown that most feature films use also applies to short films. He said that the number 8 is arbitrary, but that every filmic story, whether it is 2 hours or 2 minutes is proportionally the same: 1/4 of the time is spent in Act I, 1/2 of the time is spent in Act II, and 1/4 the time is spent in Act III. He pointed out that “your pivotal moments: Point of Attack, Midpoint, Culmination, Twist, etc. will happen regardless of the length of your piece, there just needs to be adequate time in between each one so that its significance may be absorbed.”

The History of the Sequence-Tension Breakdown Structure

In his screenwriting class, David Howard teaches students to structure their screenplays as a series of sequences, where each is governed by a tension. I asked David where this technique came from. He told me that films have been structured that way from the beginning, largely because in the early days of film, each reel had a 12-minute limit, and there needed to be a fade-out so the reel could be changed. So writing was naturally structured so the contents of each reel had a beginning (tension introduced), middle (tension increases), and an end (tension released).

This happened intrinsically and subconsciously, but the first person to recognize it and formalize it into a system that could be used to build screenplays was Frank Danielle, a former Dean of the Cinema School. Danielle was a mentor of David Howard.

Ultimately, Stories Are About People

As I was getting ready to leave, David asked me about how I planned to accomplish my project technically. I told him that I had written an engine, but that I was keeping the tech very simple, so as to focus on story. He told me he thought this was “an excellent idea. A story is about ‘who I am and who I’m with’: that’s what makes a story.”

Thesis Prep: Midterm Presentation

Title: Telmahre
Abstract: I am making an interactive narrative about a man who is trapped by his desire for control. My project will take the form of a computer-navigable game-like environment with a strong emphasis on character interaction. It will run on Tantallon, a custom OpenGL/Quicktime multimedia engine that I wrote. I am creating this for a general audience with a particular emphasis on attracting those who don’t normally play digital games.

Motivation & Background

This thesis follows my interest in the potential of interactive narrative. There is a great deal of skepticism about the relationship between narrative and interactivity—many will say that the very term “interactive narrative” is an oxymoron. I disagree wholeheartedly, believing instead that a broadened definition of narrative is required, one where narrative is thought of more as a variations around a central theme, as opposed to a strictly linear sequence of events.
I am currently looking at prior research on the subject, most notably the work of Chris Crawford and Janet Murray and the theories of Randy Littlejohn. I am also looking to apply the narrative techniques of USC Screenwriting professor David Howard. As prior art, I am looking at several digital games, including the Myst series, The Journeyman Project, Chronotrigger, and The Sims, as well as some early laserdisc interactive films.

Methodology

As a narrative structure, I will use a combination of approaches. At the top level, Telmahre will be a branching narrative, though not in the traditional sense. Each node in the branch will be structured as a dramatic tension, in a modified version of the sequence structure taught by David Howard. Unlike many prior branching narratives, interactivity, as opposed to an “A or B” choice by the user, will choose the branch. I plan to apply some version of Littlejohn’s principle of “narrative management at the macro-level, with emergence on the micro-level,” to accomplish this. I would also like to incorporate some of Janet Murray’s theories of “kaleidoscopic narrative”, where the user can explore a narrative as a web.
Tantallon was chosen as the platform of choice because it greatly limits the technical learning curve that would be otherwise imposed by an outside engine.

Scope

The finished piece will consist of four “sequences” where each sequence is governed by a narrative tension. Spatially, the minimum will be 4-5 rooms to explore. The exact length is difficult to pinpoint, as users will be able to navigate certain portions of the experience at their own pace. However, the amount of video footage experienced combined with the minimum amount of navigation will amount to a length akin to that of a short film (15-20 minutes).
(In practice, this will amount to shooting the equivalent of several short films, however since physical locations will be reused, the effects work may be limited to as little as several rooms, if necessary).

Telmahre: Keying in 3D

Here is a badly-keyed test with a still from the footage from the Green Screen Test. Most notably, the framing of the shot cut off my hands, which were resting on the table. Important to remember for future shooting is to make sure all parts of the actor that are visible (i.e. not obscured) are ALWAYS in the shot.

It's cool though, since that was really the point of the test shoot anyway: a dry run to troubleshoot errors before we shoot for real in the fall.