Digital Media Production

The Boat and Bear 71 are examples of interactive narrative websites which have developed personal engagement for the users to move their way through the stories. Both The Boat and Bear 71 are categorized as the third level of interactivity, action. This level is when the readers have control to move through the narrative and decide what they want to view. 

Bear 71 is a 20-minute web documentary which follows the life of a grizzly bear which has been watched since the age of three. Moving images was a dominant element in Bear 71. This is how the author portrayed the visuals of the bear and the effects of human settlement on the wildlife. The use of images and archival footage added the illusion of continuous movement as well as setting the scene so that the viewer had a sense of being in in the national park which aims to spark the viewers emotions. This is what I feel the authors intentions were in creating this content. As the viewers are able to scroll over the camera and look at other uses by their webcam it follows the idea of the bear being watched for its whole life. The main purpose of this website was to emphasize the effects that the human world has had on many animals and the wildlife. 

The Boat is a comic which follows the story of a 16-year-old girl escaping the ravages of war after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and how she flees to an Australian refugee camp. It is a six-chapter comic which allows the viewer to scroll through the story at their own pace. One of the main elements of the Boat is the archival footage. This brings life to the story and gives the reader a feeling of being there with the young girl. The outstanding visuals in The Boat are mainly drawn by the author as comic panels. This supported by the interactive elements allow it to appeal to a wide audience. The creator’s intention for The Boat was to educate the wider audience on the contemporary struggles that are faced by refugees.

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