by Isabella Irwin, #32002475, Digital Media Class Monday 11:30am
The analysis of “Bear 71” and “Points of View” shows how moving images and interactivity can be used to engage a viewer with a real time study of bear conservation, and an insight on life with Palestinians living in Israel and Palestine.
The website “Bear 71” uses a video which engages a human emotion into a clinical study of tagging bears for research and conservation through a process of anthropomorphising the bear. This is engagement with a viewer allows them to have an understanding about the research behind the conservation of bears, in which the narrative is provided through the moving visual image with short comments by the voice over. In this website, the viewer takes the perspective of a researcher and are in the story due to the way that it is filmed using close-up camera shots, which allows the viewer to feel as if they are there. This can considered an “Action” level of interactivity. After the video, it presents a map in which the viewer can track the bear and other animals, allowing them to become a character in the story as they follow the animals.
The website “Points of View” uses video in an attempt to bring emotion to justify a political view point. The videos give a first person account of life being delivered with a perspective to engage the viewer to see life in various cities in Israel and Palestine and to have the viewer see aspects of life that they would not normally see through normal media channels. The combination of the videos and the written statements provide a narrative for a viewer to understand about the lifestyle of the Palestinians. The website uses an observational style of interactivity for a viewer as they can watch the videos and read the statements without affecting the presentation of the website or the story itself. This is considered first level of interactivity.
Both websites use videos to engage a viewer, however the interactivity for both websites are different with one being Action based, and the other being observational.
- National Film Board of Canada. “Bear 71.” 2012, Accessed August ,21, 2019. http://bear71.nfb.ca/#/bear71
- Zohar Kfir and Pierre Sébastien. “Points of View.” 2014, Accessed August ,21, 2019. http://points-of-view.net/en/
- Ryan, M.L (2011). ‘Peeling the interactive onion: Levels of user participation in the narrative text’. In Ruth Page and Bronwen Thomas (eds.) New Narratives: Theory and Practice (pp 35-62). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
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