The Nth screen: technology that brings us together in the real world

As new technologies increasingly shrink the physical distances between us, allowing us to connect with anyone, anywhere. Is there a gap in the market for technology that brings us together in the real world? Developed by Tim Kindberg and Charlotte Crofts, with ‘pump priming’ funding from REACT, the Nth screen works by turning a group of phones and tablets into …

NFB & MIT OpenDocLab collaborate on the next production of Highrise

Exciting news from overseas! The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentarian Katerina Cizek will be working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenDocLab , the first-ever collaboration between two pioneering interactive media organisations. The scope of the project is to develop the next production in the NFB’s multi-award-winning HIGHRISE documentary project – a multi-year, multimedia, collaborative documentary experiment that explores …

The ‘linear turn’ in i-docs – a provocation

I have just returned from delivering a workshop on i-docs at the Freiburger Film Forum, alongside Florian Thalhofer, inventor of the Korsakow system. It was great to see Florian again and our respective talks sparked a lively discussion between us on the evolution of interactive documentaries. As two of the pioneers in the field – Florian having invented Korsakow over …

A few thoughts after WebDox 2013

WebDox 2013 has been an amazing conference: held in Leuven, Belgium, and organised by the Media Desk and iDROPS, WebDox has managed to pull together la crème de la crème of interactive documentary… The full programme can be found on Webdox’s website but, just to give you an idea, here was the line up: Jonathan Harris (US) – technological artist and maker …

Filmmakers & web developers to join forces at Popathon Hack Jam

Creative technologist Philo van Kemenade and documentary filmmaker Gilles Pradeau have joined forces in bringing together filmmakers and web developers to collaborate on interactive web-based stories. With the web showing more and more opportunities as a medium for interactive storytelling, collaboration beween software and story becomes a key asset in the production of new media narratives. In collaboration with the Mozilla Foundation, …

NFB announce brand new international documentary initiative!

Great news from the NFB yesterday as they announce their new documentary initiative! The new multi-platform and eventually multi-lingual destination will house some of the world’s best documentaries and interactive experiences. Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the NFB, Tom Perlmutter commented: “As one of the most important world centres for documentary, we have a responsibility to audiences here and around the world, …

DCRC & Pervasive Media Studio present: Transmedia for Change

UWEs Digital Cultures Research Centre and The Pervasive Media Studio  present a very special, one-off lunchtime talk with Ken Eklund. From World Without Oil to Ed Zed Omega and Evoke (and Future Coast, upcoming), much of Ken’s work enlists the hypothetical context of Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG) to pose questions about social change and societal challenges. He’ll discuss “authentic fiction,” the art of designing for mass participation, and the potential of play …

More i-Docs updates: I Love Your Work & a World Press Photo research project

Jonathan Harris, the creator of Cowbird, is known for his love of stories and his latest interactive documentary presents a story you don’t often get access to. “I Love Your Work is an interactive documentary about the private lives of nine women who make lesbian porn.It consists of 2,202 10-second video clips, taken at five-minute intervals over 10 consecutive days.The full …

i-Docs Lab goes to Nyon

I have just returned from delivering the i-Docs Lab to twenty up and coming i-docs professionals in Switzerland. This was a five-day workshop, aimed at audiovisual professionals from across Europe to help them to innovate their productions, to keep up-to-date with the evolution of audience behaviour and to raise competitiveness. My role was to introduce the concept of interactive documentary to …

Webdox, Brett Gaylor & more: an update from i-Docs

The world of interactive documentary is an exciting place to be at the moment. Zeega’s web doc manifesto went live during Tribeca’s film festival and the NFB’s Insomnia project received some well-deserved recognition. Here’s a few more things that are going on… The Webdox conference starts in just under two weeks. If you’ve yet to hear about it, have a read of our …

Must see POV resources & the Web Doc Manifesto!

Another amazing resource on the horizon: POV have launched a new feature on their site dedicated to providing filmmakers with a directory of resources pertaining to film funding, new media and transmedia funding, public broadcasting, engagement strategists, and a comprehensive list of film festivals which feature documentaries. Also, if they’ve missed anything out, you’re able to contact them at filmmakers[at]pov.org and watch …

Searching for Happiness at The Festival of Ideas

i-Docs contributor and documentary maker Mandy Rose is demonstrating her latest work as part of Bristol’s Festival of Ideas. [quote style=”boxed”]Fifty years ago people on the streets of Paris were asked: Are you happy? in a documentary experiment with the new film technology of 1960 – hand-held sync sound. Searching for Happiness takes advantage of a new era of creative …

Learn from the best: MA Documentary and Features in partnership with the BBC

UWE Bristol and BBC Factual, the BBC’s award-winning documentary and factual programme unit, have partnered to create a new MA Documentary and Features course A practical and production-based learning opportunity You’ll be taught by industry experts – with half of the teaching being delivered by current and former BBC production personnel, the very best in the business. The other half …