DIGITAL STORYTELLING
PROGRAMME
NB: The seminar is primarily held in English
9:00-9:25
Arrival, mingling and coffee & croissants in the lobby
9:25-9:30
Welcome by Thomas Vigild
9:30-10:15
Keynote I:
Creating Deeper Connections in the Connected Age: Possible Futures
for Storytelling
Speaker: Steve Mushkin (FR), Latitude
The fundamentals of great storytelling may be timeless, yet there’s no doubt that technology is
creating exciting new ways for audiences to perceive, enter and interact with story-worlds and
the people in them.
Based on insights from Latitude’s ongoing Future of Storytelling project, this talk will address
how content creators can craft experiences that allow their audiences to engage with plotlines,
characters and settings on a deeper level.
It will address both broad themes and tactical insights—including audiences’ desires and
emotional triggers when it comes to narratives, entry points into the story, new possibilities for
more immersive and interactive experiences, the power of point-of-view, and specific “future
requests” submitted by people around the world during the course of Latitude’s studies.
10:15 - 10:45
Moving day
Speaker: Morten Brunbjerg (DK)
Game writer Morten Brunbjerg talks about what it takes to collaborate with a production team,
why we should start seeing video game mechanics as an additional storytelling device, and how
we move our audience.
10:45 - 11:00
Short break
11:00-11:30
Story as Software
Speaker:
Adipat Virdi (UK)
In the ever-changing media landscape - people talk about Transmedia and Multiplatform
storytelling as a way of utilising the power of social media and new technology to engage a
more 'connected' audience.
There is an argument that these are just the engines of engagement and not the fuel. The power
of data (big 'social' data) and the changing nature of how we define themes for our growing
Storyworlds are really at the core of developing narratives for these 'new' audiences.
This talk gives you (a little) theory as to why this is the case and showcases examples to answer
two questions: what kinds of stories are possible with this way of thinking and how can existing
media creators incorporate this into their work?
11:30-12:00
Character-driven
Speaker:
Thomas Wellmann (DE)
This talk is about how to develop believable, emotional connective characters for visual
storytelling. Thomas Wellmann explains his take on creating character-driven stories, using
examples of his work in comics, animation and games and gives a personal outlook on the
present and future of digital storytelling.
12:00 - 12:30
When audience become the voice of the character
Speakers:
Johan Knattrup Jensen & Mads Damsbo (DK)
During the presentation of our recent work, Skammekrogen / The Doghouse, it became clear
to us, that the audience reacted quite strangely, and nothing like we had ever seen before in
regards to traditional movie experiences. At first we thought, that the audience where critical
towards the experience, but then we understood that the criticism was not of our work, but
from the character’s experience of being present within our created world. We realized that
what had happened in effect was that we had made the audience talk, as if they were the
character.
12:30 - 13:15
Lunch
13:15 - 14:00
Keynote II:
Beyond Innovation: Making Natural Interactive Experiences
Speaker: Jon Ingold (UK)
With new technology come new possibilities, but also the danger of innovating for the sake of
that technology and not for the end user. With Frankenstein and Sorcery!, inkle has been telling
interactive stories that have earned thousands of readers from gamers and non-gamers alike.
In this talk, Jon will discuss how they approach making interactivity feel like a natural part of
their story-telling process, and how they employ techniques of pacing, tension and stage-craft in
an interactive context.
14:00 - 14:15
Step into my book! How we mixed games, narrative and physical
interaction for Step-In Books
Speaker:
Merete Pryds Helle (DK)
How do we challenge the book as a platform in the digital era? How do we create surprising
digital narratives and what are the boundaries between experiences and storytelling?
Danish author Merete Pryds Helle showcases the experimental BookJam-project Step-In
Books, where the reader is transformed into an explorer just by simply picking up the tablet
and looking around the room through it. Merete will talk about the design-process, the current
state of the project and the problems, but also huge possibilities of putting the physical
properties of the book into new perspectives.
14:15 - 14:30
Why you should do nothing
Speaker:
Esben Kjær Ravn (DK)
Possibility is the greatest enemy of success in the digital age. Therefore we bring as little as
possible to the experience of reading a physical comic book, when we create the digital graphic
novel ‘Shanghai 1927’ for tablets.
14:30 - 14:45
Coffee Break
14:45 - 15:10
Cloud Chamber - how do you tell a story on networked computers?
Speaker:
Christian Fonnesbech (DK)
After directing and producing more than 35 online and transmedia projects, Christian
Fonnesbech and his team are going global with Cloud Chamber in 2014. The Cloud Chamber
game combines 3D navigation, found footage film and social interaction into a story about life,
family and the mysteries of the Universe. Christian will explain the project and its history - as
well as talking about the challenges of bringing together processes, professionals and artists
from the very different worlds of fiction films and computer games.
15:10 - 15:25
Draw-up of the day
Artist: Stine Spedsbjerg
It gives a useful overview of the day, when you can see what´s been said - literally speaking.
That´s why illustrator and comic-strip artist Stine Spedsbjerg (StineStregen) will guide us
through the key points of the day in her own thought-provoking and humoristic style.
15:25 - 16:00
Debate
16:00
Mingling, showcasing and tapas
StoryTalks: Digital Storytelling is organized by Thomas Vigild & Karen
Jakobsen on behalf of The Danish Arts Foundation and The Danish Film
Institute. The Danish Arts Agency is the operative arm of the Danish Arts
Foundation.
Speakers
Steve Mushkin (FR / US)
Steve Mushkin is the founder and president of Latitude, an insight and innovation firm that
works with media companies of all kinds to discover and develop opportunities at the
intersection of content and technology.
Prior to starting Latitude, he led audience development for original programming at HBO,
helping the network create its first original series and movies. Later, at Comedy Central, he
collaborated on some of the earliest transmedia projects in television, bridging the divide
between TV viewing and the early Internet.
In addition to ongoing client work, he has recently been focused on kids, learning, game play
and game design. Steve is currently spearheading the development of a software platform that
allows viewers to engage and interact directly with video content in order to enhance their
narrative experiences and ideate new ones.
He holds a B.A. in Communications from Stanford University, a M.A. in Political Economy
from the University of Geneva, along with post-graduate studies in Film at New York
University.
Visit Steve at www.latd.com
Read more about The Future of Storytelling here futureofstorytellingproject.com
Morten Brunbjerg (DK)
Hi, I Morten and I make a living lying. That means I’m a freelance game writer. I'm also a geek
and consumer – and writer – of all kinds of stories. My goal is to tell stories that matter and
stories that move players. I’ve worked on games for IO Interactive, InnoGames, Full Control,
and Press Play to name a few.
Visit Morten at www.mortenbrunbjerg.dk
Adipat Virdi (UK)
Adipat Virdi studied Architecture and practiced Socio-Spatial Analysis before changing career
to write and make films. Having studied at Oxford and Cambridge, Adipat has qualifications
that include Creative Writing, Marketing and PR and MA’s in Screenwriting and in Design,
Strategy and Innovation.
Adipat subsequently set up Maaji Productions to develop his media and entertainment ideas
with the philosophy of creating socially responsible projects that nurture new talent and create
innovative opportunities.
Alongside TV, film and documentary projects, Maaji also organizes industry events and is
developing training courses. Projects include Underground, a storyworld set against the history
of London, involving a team of Ghost hunters operating on the Underground system.
A key area of expertise is in Transmedia Production. Adipat's project, Searching, was a
Sundance New Frontier Story Lab finalist that looked to raise awareness around honor-based
crimes (He had an article published about my project, SEARCHING, in The Huffington Post.
Visit Adipat at www.transmediasphere.com
Thomas Wellmann (DE)
Thomas Wellmann is a freelancing cartoonist from Münster, Germany. He works in the field of
visual storytelling in illustration, comic and animation and is also a regular lecturer for drawing
and comics at the Universities of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf and Münster.
Three of his comics, 'Der Ziegensauger', 'Renés Meditationen' and 'Pimo & Rex', have been
published by Rotopolpress ('Pimo & Rex' is also available in English language from Blankslate
books).
Visit Thomas at www.thomaswellmann.eu
Johan Knattrup Jensen (DK)
Director, writer. In 2011 Johan proclaimed that he would, at any cost, go wherever his films
may take him, which then lead him to rural India to face his deepest fears in the hybrid
documentary ’Road to Paradise’. It has since become the credo of all his endeavours in film
and art, which often exposes the darker sides of human nature.
In 2012 he depicted the last days of the Danish punk poet Michael Strunge in ’Verdenssøn /
Copenhagen Love story’. Early 2014 Johan presented the multi POV virtual-reality film
installation ’Skammekrogen / The Doghouse’ in Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center,
which materializes the idea of being able to see a family dinner from each family members
perspective, with all the demons hidden under the table.
Johan graduated from The Danish Film School Super16 in 2012 as a film director.
Visit Johan at www.hanhan.dk
Mads Damsbo (DK)
Mads Damsbo has with his company Makropol taken the lead amongst his generation in
developing trans-media experiences. His work includes projects like World Online Orchestra,
an ambitious browser based interactive symphony, that allows users to upload videos of
themselves playing Beethovens 7th, that is then stitched together as gigantic user-generated
world orchestra. Other projects that define Mads, include: A film that takes place in the cinema
and live as a theatre, simultaneously. An iPad adventure game based on Jussi Adler-Olsens
crime series “Department Q”, an interactive rock documentary about the musician Teitur, and
two viral successes with Copenhagen Philharmonic. Lately Mads has produced the popular
virtual reality installation “The Doghouse” and is a co-founder of a site specific sound-sharing
app called Recho.
Visit Mads at www.makropol.dk
Jon Ingold (UK)
Jon is Creative Director at Inkle.
Inkle is an independent studio making narrative-based games for tablets and smartphones.
Their first project, Frankenstein, saw author Dave Morris retelling Mary Shelley’s novel as an
interactive dialogue with the protagonist. More recently, their Sorcery! series has sold over
100,000 copies, providing an epic fantasy adventure novel built up by the player from a
database of half a million words and ten thousand choices.
Before co-founding inkle, Jon was a lead designer for Sony Computer Entertainment and an
author of interactive fiction, short stories and plays.
Visit Jon at www.inklestudios.com
Merete Pryds Helle (DK)
Writer and digital developer. Has written manuscripts for computer games, text novels, apps
and keeps challenging the digital narrative.
Visit Merete at www.prydshelle.gb-forlagene.dk
Esben Kjær Ravn (DK)
Esben Kjær Ravn has founded Kong Orange and functions as Creative Lead and Producer.
When Kong Orange's two core ingredients, entertainment and cultural depth, are dosed
correctly and fed into each other they ignite spontaneously and become far bigger than the sum
of the two. This is what we want to show in our two major ongoing productions The Reaper
and Shanghai 1927.
Visit Esben at www.kongorange.com
Christian Fonnesbech (DK)
Christian Fonnesbech has directed and produced more than 35 online and transmedia projects
– exploring the intersection between stories, social networks and gameplay.
Cloud Chamber is his latest project - a story exploration game about a girl who risks insanity
and betrays her father to save mankind from itself. Cloud Chamber combines 3D exploration
with found footage, astrophysics documentary, Hollywood stars and social networking. Cloud
Chamber is now being readied for global launch in the summer of 2014.
Visit Christian at www.investigatenorth.com
Stine Spedsbjerg (DK)
Stine has worked as a freelance illustrator since 2008, and today she runs several comic strips
and is a fulltime freelancer. She also works as a storywriter for LEGO and teaches webcomics
at The Animation Workshop in Viborg.
Chairman of the Danish Council of Comics.
Visit Stine at www.stinestregen.dk