This practical module aims to develop your skills and abilities to produce digital products - audio, video, games, images - in a way that meets contemporary audiences' changing expectations. You will consider how digital technology can be used to deliver media in the most compelling ways, and analyse how digital storytelling is altering both audiences and the wider media industry. The module aims to provide you with the specialist vocabulary, concepts and skills required for the use of digital storytelling in a variety of professional contexts such as commercial and educational campaigns and the interactive media industries.
You will consider the short history and emergence of digital storytelling by looking at case studies from various media such as news, television and the internet. You will look at the role of digital storytelling in narrative theory, such as the representation of narrative action, plot and character, and the use of words, images and sound as narrative devices. You will learn how to apply this knowledge to your own media production projects.
Methods for the formal presentation of plans for digital stories such as storyboards and structure diagrams will be covered. You will learn skills in identifying a story with strong audio visual potential and how to grab the attention of the audience. You will further develop competence in recording audio, shooting photography and video, animation, building interactive games and incorporating powerful narrative into the production edit.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
The module will be taught through a series of one-hour lectures followed by a weekly two-hour lab-based workshop in TB1. In TB2 students will work on their digital story project in three-hour weekly lab-based workshops. They will also have use of the broadcast studio.
The lecture series will extend knowledge of context and developments in relevant areas of digital storytelling. In workshops students will discuss, research and pitch their digital stories as well as decide on their technical approaches. Workshops will also give students targeted training in particular multimedia production skills including: video, audio, computer graphics, animation and interactive design. The module employs a problem-based-learning approach in order to encourage important mindset changes necessary for success in the new media landscape, in particular: leadership, initiative and problem-solving. Allowing students to direct their own projects and learning means the module continues to stay relevant in face of industry changes.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Weekly 1hr lecture TB1 Weekly 2hr workshop TB1 Weekly 3hr workshop TB2 | 11 22 33 |
| Guided independent study | 234 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The assessment is designed to test students' skills, abilities and knowledge of digital storytelling within multimedia production and to encourage students to engage with industry-standard practices such as pitching and storyboarding. There are three inter-connected points of assessments. Students will conceive and develop an idea for a digital story project and prepare a video teaser and storyboard to pitch that idea in TB1. They will then proceed to make and produce their digital story in TB2.
Video teaser and concept model
Students will make a 15 second video teaser to trail their digital story production. They will also prepare a concept model for their story plan such as a storyboard
Total weighting 30%
Pitch presentation
Students are required to deliver a pitch presentation of their individual project at the end of the first teaching block. "The Pitch" is an established format within the industry to gain funding or commissions. The pitch should contain material that conforms to industry practice where appropriate. The presentation will 15 minutes, including the screening of the video teaser and presentation of a concept model such as a storyboard.
Total weighting 20%
Digital story production
Students will write and produce a (3 minute or equivalent) digital story, submitting for assessment their planning and production documents along with the final object. This could take the form of a documentary film, a campaign video, an audio feature, a news game or an interactive media product.
Total weighting 50%
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate a practical understanding of the methods and techniques used in the conception and development of digital stories. | Video teaser and concept model Pitch presentation Digital story production |
| Produce work with an engaging narrative structure, which maximises the creative use of different media | Video teaser and concept model Pitch presentation Digital story production |
| Design a concept model for and pitch a digital story | Video teaser and concept model Pitch presentation |
| Produce a significant narrative-driven digital artefact to a given brief and project schedule | Digital story production |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Video teaser and concept model | 30 | |
| PRC | Pitch presentation | 30 |
| Coursework | Digital story production | 20 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Gitner, Seth (2015) Multimedia Storytelling for Digital Communicators in a Multiplatform World Routledge
Kobre, Kenneth (2012) Videojournalism - multimedia storytelling
Lambert, Joe (2013) Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community (Digital Imaging and Computer Vision) Routledge
Miller, C. H. (2009) Digital Storytelling Focal Press
BBC Academy - Production, Ideas and Research: Digital Storytelling
Yorke, John (2014) Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them Penguin