Interactive Digital

People depend on news to make sense of happenings in the world, but current digital news products do not live up to their potential in this regard. Interactivity in relation to news is often seen as a way to give the consumer control over when to consume something and on which platform. Less attention has been placed on what should be consumed and how. Within the project MyNewsMyWay, a news service was constructed that makes possible a more in-depth and varied media consumption than what traditional news services offer today. In the follow-up design study OurNewsOurWays, additional attention was put on the possibility of combining professional news material with user-generated content.

We define ShapeShifting programmes as interactive and reconfigurable moving image productions that adapt their content, on the fly, to suit the preferences of the viewers or engagers. They are automatically edited at the time of delivery. We have developed a paradigm, a computational model and an accompanying software system for the creation and delivery of ShapeShifting Screen Media programmes. These are all generic - genre and production independent. They employ AI techniques including: logic programming, ontologies, symbolic representations, normative statements, and constraint satisfaction heuristics. This paper outlines the Authoring Environment component of the aforementioned software system.

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

People depend on news to make sense of happenings in the world, but current digital news products do not live up to their potential in this regard. Interactivity in relation to news is often seen as a way to give the consumer control over when to consume something and on which platform. Less attention has been placed on what should be consumed and how. Within the project MyNewsMyWay, a news service was constructed that makes possible a more in-depth and varied media consumption than what traditional news services offer today. In the follow-up design study OurNewsOurWays, additional attention was put on the possibility of combining professional news material with user-generated content.

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

We define ShapeShifting programmes as interactive and reconfigurable moving image productions that adapt their content, on the fly, to suit the preferences of the viewers or engagers. They are automatically edited at the time of delivery. We have developed a paradigm, a computational model and an accompanying software system for the creation and delivery of ShapeShifting Screen Media programmes. These are all generic -genre and production independent. They employ AI techniques including: logic programming, ontologies, symbolic representations, normative statements, and constraint satisfaction heuristics. This paper outlines the Authoring Environment component of the aforementioned software system. *

This paper introduces a common design thread for a talk about four experimental digital drama productions. The introduction is followed by the short descriptions of the productions: Daisy's Amazing Discoveries (1996), Shift (2002), Accidental Lovers (2006) and Alan01 (2010). Keywords: Drama, Narrative, Storytelling, Design, Digital, Interactive, Generative, Procedural, Participatory

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

Broadband can support forms of audio visual storytelling in which the viewer can shape the narrative, this has been called ShapeShifted TV. This paper describes the early results of a project that is creating such productions from genres including news, documentary and drama. It identifies that the creation of ShapeShifted TV brings with it new challenges, in conceiving stories that can be ShapeShifted and in subsequently authoring them such that each version makes sense to the engager/interactor. The challenges have been tackled in a project called New Millennium, New Media (NM2) which has developed a Narrative Structure Language and software tools in order to achive this. The software tools include:

This paper presents an approach and a computational model, implemented in a software system, for the creation and delivery of interactive moving image productions made with filmed material that level the aesthetic and editing quality of existing linear film and television programmes. They have been validated through a number of productions, notably through a dramatic production delivered on a national television channel in 12 episodes. The focus of the paper is on the declarative formal language, called Narrative Structure Language (NSL), which we developed for the representation of such narratives, and on an accompanying reasoning engine. *

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

This paper introduces an evaluated approach to the automatic generation of video narratives from user generated content gathered in a shared repository. In the context of social events, end-users record video material with their personal cameras and upload the content to a common repository. Video narrative techniques, implemented using Narrative Structure Language (NSL) and ShapeShifting Media, are employed to automatically generate movies recounting the event. Such movies are personalized according to the preferences expressed by each individual end-user, for each individual viewing. This paper describes our prototype narrative system, MyVideos, deployed as a web application, and reports on its evaluation for one specific use case: assembling stories of a school concert by parents, relatives and friends. The evaluations carried out through focus groups, interviews and field trials, in the  Netherlands and UK, provided validating results and further insights into this approach.

This paper presents a paradigm, called Shape-Shifting TV, for the realisation of interactive TV narratives or, more generally, of interactive screen-media narratives. These are productions whose narrations respond on the fly (i.e. in real time) to interaction from active viewers. Shape-Shifting TV refers to productions made mainly with prerecorded time-based material, in which variation is achieved by selecting and rearranging atomic elements of content (e.g. video clips) into individual narrations. The aimed quality of the productions (e.g. narrative continuity and aesthetics) is at least that of good traditional linear TV programmes.

Summary results of the assessment of new tools for the generation of reconfigurable screen media (ShapeShifting media) and of eight experimental ShapeShifting screen media productions covering genres including news, documentary and drama, are presented from the project New Millennium, New Media. The new tools for creating interactive and reconfigurable narratives depend upon a Narrative Structure Language which is briefly described. Evaluations suggest that whilst not all the productions could be marketed as they are, all the production formats have commercial potential. The tools, whilst presenting some difficulties in use in their current state, offer a control over the development of narrative found in no existing commercial software.

iTV does not yet have truly interactive programmes, that is programmes whose content adapts to the preferences of their viewers. In commercially deployed iTV productions, the programmes themselves are essentially linear and therefore non-interactive. In the research arena, the main bulk of work in computational support for interactive narratives focuses on wrapping interactions up in meaningful and interesting narratives, rather than on expanding traditional linear narratives with interactivity. This paper presents a validated approach to the development of truly interactive programmes called ShapeShifting TV. In focus is a representation language for narrative structures.

People depend on news to make sense of happenings in the world, but current digital news products do not live up to their potential in this regard. Interactivity in relation to news is often seen as a way to give the consumer control over when to consume something and on which platform. Less attention has been placed on what should be consumed and how. Within the project MyNewsMyWay, a news service was constructed that makes possible a more in-depth and varied media consumption than what traditional news services offer today. In the follow-up design study OurNewsOurWays, additional attention was put on the possibility of combining professional news material with user-generated content.

This paper presents an approach and a computational model, implemented in a software system, for the creation and delivery of interactive moving image productions made with filmed material that level the aesthetic and editing quality of existing linear film and television programmes. They have been validated through a number of productions, notably through a dramatic production delivered on a national television channel in 12 episodes. The focus of the paper is on the declarative formal language, called Narrative Structure Language (NSL), which we developed for the representation of such narratives, and on an accompanying reasoning engine. *

Abstract People depend on news to make sense of happenings in the world, but current digital news products do not live up to their potential in this regard. Interactivity in relation to news is often seen as a way to give the consumer control over when to consume something and on which platform. Less attention has been placed on what should be consumed and how.

results of the assessment of new tools for the generation of reconfigurable screen media (ShapeShifting media) and of eight experimental ShapeShifting screen media productions covering genres including news, documentary and drama, are presented from the project New Millennium, New Media. The new tools for creating interactive and reconfigurable narratives depend upon a Narrative Structure Language which is briefly described. Evaluations suggest that whilst not all the productions could be marketed as they are, all the production formats have commercial potential. The tools, whilst presenting some difficulties in use in their current state, offer a control over the development of narrative found in no existing commercial software.

This article is motivated by the question whether television should do more than simply offer interactive services alongside (and separately from) traditional linear programs, in the context of its dominance being seriously challenged and threatened by interactive forms of screen media entertainment. It suggests: yes. Interactive narrativity, that is, the ability to interact with (and influence) stories whilst they are being told, represents one clear development path for interactive television. The capabilities of computing technology are ripe for exploring this new form of storytelling, from creation to commercial distribution. The article starts by looking at the relationship between narrativity and interactivity in the current context of screen media, and identifies clear signs of interest from certain European public broadcasters in interactive TV narratives. It then presents in detail four recent experimental interactive TV productions in the genres of drama, news, and documentary, developed in collaboration with public broadcasters, which illustrate the potential and richness of this new form of storytelling, but also highlight new technological capabilities necessary for such productions. A number of essential technological requirements are then discussed in more detail in the final part.