where to look
challenge the visual
Because my thesis will be part practice and part written I feel as I am working at parallel lines of focus for each part of the thesis. This working on parallel ideas has led me to think in terms of a parallel narration or contrapuntal narration. In seeking to create my own digital fiction I have explored various forms of visual narrative presentation. This has led me to look at contrapuntal narration as described by Seitz (2006):
'Narration which functions as a counterpoint to the action; narration which undermines, contradicts or otherwise pushes against the images; active narration that defines an internal personal world; a world that exists apart from (or parallel to) the world depicted on screen.'
How convergence will feature in my work.
​​Secondly I used this concept quite often when creating and choreographing dance, my first career. Within dance I often felt that the dance and the music should work alongside one another and not necessarily a supportive or timing device. In doing this associations could be created by the viewer. It does sometimes feel that in composite performance one art form dominates another. This leads me back to the digital narrative that I need to be working on and how this will be presented. I have already looked at simple narrative formats and this contrapuntal idea might move things forward.
I am trying to make sense of analysis. I have definitely had trouble with multi modal analysis because it does not make sense of what I see but as Andrew Burn said, the analysis is about what you are looking for. So what am I looking for? I am not looking to analyse visuals, digital visuals and moving digital visuals in a social semiotic fashion. My work is not to set within this setting. Setting, structure, and meaning were confusing me and in the muddled mess of ideas I was forgetting what I was trying to do. Methodology was confused by the surrounding influences within my area of research. Sometimes you need to take a step outside and view what you are doing in another way. So I decided to look at a piece of dance.
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Reading, Windows and Mirrors, Bolter (2003) has helped me to focus on the methodology for actually creating my work of digital fiction. As they say;
The most important part of any digital application is its interface (p11)
The setting, design and functioning of the digital fiction is as important as the content. However I do agree that:
Digital interfaces are like mirrors in the sense that they reflect the user in context, including her physical surroundings, her immediate working or home environment. (p27)
Creating the work itself is a digital programming problem, a design and creative puzzle and finally the work itself is a creative challenge. Therefore I need to know more about contrapuntal narration before I know whether this style of work will be suitable for me.
Analysis
Reading
Contrapuntal Narration or the juxtaposing two event narratives can be seen in the film Hiroshima Mon Amour. ​
Hiroshima Mon Amour was a film created with a nonlinear storyline, which moved through a series of flashbacks, to build an exploration of character and emotion. Two people, a French actress and a Japanese architect, share an affair in the present whilst still suffering from their Second World War experiences. The way the film was composed, and edited, was revolutionary demanding the full participation of the viewer. I like the idea of the challenge to the viewer, the active participation of the viewer, and a story from more that one viewpoint.
In seeking to create my own digital fiction I have explored various forms of visual narrative presentation. This idea really appeals to me as a style of presentation. First it is almost a visual display of how I think. I often feel like I am playing two ideas or themes against each other.