Week 3- Assignment 1 Proposal

I would like to analyse the interactive documentaries ‘Highrise’, ‘Out my Window’, and 'One millionth Tower’ by Katherina Cizek. All these documentaries are about the untold stories of lives in residential high-rises of our major cities. The primary aim of my essay is to analyse the social impact of these documentaries and how much has its interactive medium and psychogeography contributed to the social change it has inflicted. The dominant vision of its creator Cizek was to “to see how the documentary process can drive and participate in social innovation rather than just to document it, and to help reinvent what it means to be an urban species in the 21st century.” The users have the choice to interact and witness the true lives of several diverse individuals in every window of the Highrise which presents a true depiction of stereotyped urban lives to us. I aim to investigate how these documentaries have been successful in depicting the misery of these urban lives and the social change it has imparted and the how it has been able to challenge the existing stereotypes about these communities.

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Methodology for Analysis

Cognition

How logically consistent the story line is and the level of narrative as well as perceived understanding of the interactive storyline.

Immersion:

The degree of the user's immersion in the documentary setting and how realistic the representation of the characters are. Also, how much they can identify with the characters.

Affect:

The degree of intensity of emotions generated in the user.

Drama:

The amount of interest in the story and the curiosity to move forward and the sense of accomplishment when finished with the documentary.

Rewards

Eudaimonic appreciation: The degree of emotional meaningfulness and intellectual insight created by the media.

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Narrative Structure

I would like to use a concentric narrative to navigate through the website.

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Website Design

As the documentaries I am analysing focuses on the vertical urban community spaces and windows to the lives of people, I plan to design my website with elements and animations which are connected to the themes of these documentaries.