Last week saw my final mini-breif for the Creative Media Practice module. The session explored the use of annotations in YouTube videos to create a non-linear, interactive narrative. YouTube enables producers to edit ‘boxes’ onto their videos, which can take the user to a completely different website, video, or even section of the video. Producers have exploited the annotation function in YouTube to create short films and clips that the user can interact and engage with.
The function is used in many different ways. For example, annotated videos can be used as a game, much like the one shown below.
There is now an endless list of possibilities that you can do with annotations, from promotion and story videos, to educational videos. My favourite is shown in the video below.
This has had an excellent effect in the development of narratives, giving producers a greater level of creativity and the ability to engage with the audience. The diagram below is named Freytag’s Triangle. This is from a book Freytag wrote called ‘Technique of Drama’, published in 1863. The diagram shows how the main character determines the rise or fall of the plot.
Mark Meadows (Pause and Effect, 2002)
Edgar Allan Poe rearranged this triangle, brining his readers closer to the story. The diagram below shows how this brings us one step closer to interactivity.
Mark Meadows (Pause and Effect, 2002)
With the current technology of today, there a various amounts of diagrams that explain the broad range of narratives authors can now produce. The diagram below, named the Nodal Plot Structure, best symbolises how annotated YouTube videos work. Nodal plots contain a series of non-interactive events, which come to a point of interactive events.
Mark Meadows (Pause and Effect, 2002)
However, my group and I were able to create an annotated YouTube narrative that follows the Open Plot Structure diagram, shown below.
Mark Meadows (Pause and Effect, 2002)
Below is my group and I’s submission for the mini-brief. There are four of us to find, see if you can catch us all!
After playing the YouTube video, you can see how the narrative matches the Open Plot Structure. There are points of decision that carry the user to the next point of decision. Open Plot structures are described to be the most expressive for the user, by Mark Meadows in his book, ‘Pause and Effect’ (2002).
The interactive video that I experimented with taught me a lot with how to engage a user. Although the narrative takes a lot more planning, filming and editing, it seems to be a worthy technology that I should consider for future productions. I feel the Hide and Seek game conveys clearly how annotated YouTube videos work, as well as creating a fun narrative. Although, I do feel the annotations need to be a little more clear cut. Sometimes when the user clicks to go to a certain section of the video, a frame from a random section is shown, creating an unprofessional look. If I had more time I would have done this on a much larger scale, possibly across the city of Liverpool. I would get the user into trouble by ‘trespassing land’ within the video, or create comedy by running and falling over an object whilst searching for characters.
Overall, I feel the annotation facility in YouTube is a great, free facility that all creative-thinkers should definitely explore.
beckybg 