Finding our story IV

It’s been hard to fit everybody’s ideas and expectations into one coherent narration… we are trying hard not to restrain anybody’s creativity! We have had the help from Jouko-Thomas in building a meaningful emotional experience, thinking from the audience’s point of view.

So far we decided to have 2 main characters, strangers to each other, but who end up sharing the same Near Death Experience (NDE).

Characters
One, a fool-hearted fireman who always tries to be the centre of attentions. The second one is a young woman who is a professional swimmer.

Plot
The young swimmer was taking doping pills because of a competition. She accidentally took an overdose, so she faints while having a bath. She cries for help while loosing her senses. She starts to drown in the full bathtub. And so she didn’t realize that in the meanwhile a fire broke in the hotel.

At the same time: The fire brigade is called to the hotel to fight a fire. Our fireman and his partner enter the place on a rescue mission. He hears a noise in one of the rooms and wants to investigate so he calls to his partner but his partner doesn’t hear him. In his rush to play the rescue hero he makes the decision of going inside the room alone. Unfortunately there is too much smoke already and he starts to suffocate. As he reaches the bathroom, he faints on the floor.

By then, both characters are unconscious in the bathroom and start experiencing a common Near Death Experience viewing flashbacks of each other’s lives. As they meet in the NDE realm they seem to be willing to help each other returning to life. But after awhile the woman starts changing into a Death Goddess, and her actions turn into dragging the fireman to the Death world.

At this point the audience can make a choice, whether the fireman should be allowed to live or not.

Other forms of interaction with the audience are also being thought.

Finding our story III

We spent the last days (29-31 Jan) coming up with a concept for the story. As major guidelines we decided that this is a totally fictional plot, presented as a collage of small stories that undergo one same theme.

Brief story outline:

1. Overall subject matter is the Near Death Experience (NDE)
2. This is linked with the theme of FIRE (and this might be balanced with WATER)
3. Overall "idea" is MAN FACES HIS MORTALITY
4. Main character is a FIREMAN. He will suffocate in a FIRE
5. Second character is a YOUNG WOMAN. She will drown in WATER.
6. Important SPIRITUAL/MYSTICAL aspect eg Voodoo, Shamanism, Kalevala. Might take place in an exotic warm location eg. Haiti/Cuba
7. The role of the audience will be bringing one of them back to life.

Stage design

I am collaborating with the stage design team, and in our first afternoon meeting this is what we came up with:

1. A foyer area
2. Corridors
3. Two small screening areas
4. A main performance area
5. Two more 'open' spaces for installations that can be "browsed" by the audience

We even built the scale model shown above!

Developing interaction concepts

After viewing some interactive videos provided by Chris and Teijo, having read other shows description (like Desert Rain) and after having had that earlier session of manipulating interactivity we have been thinking of creative ways to perform interactive happenings in our show.

We outlined a series of possible items or technologies to use (inputs), and possible results to be achieved through them (outputs).

Inputs:

SPATIAL:
G.P.S.
Radio Fequency ID tags
Pressure sensors
Rotation sensors
"gravity box"

AUDIO: Sound frequency, sound volume, word/voice recognition

BODY: Pulse, Skin conductivity

VR: Augmented Reality, use VR headset and apparatus

VISUAL:
Motion detection.
Motion capture suit
Light or infrared detection
Gesture, shape, colour recognition. Image and pattern recognition

DEVICES:
Keyboard, mouse.
Scanner
MMS/SMS sent to audience member's phone. Calling to a phone.
Smoke detection
Videogame controller, joystick.
Use functions on a website.
Barcodes

Outputs:

Choose or change the plot or in some way to select story fragments
Dynamically control multiple audio channels
Explore a 2D or 3D territory i.e. spatial
Receive an SMS or a call onto a phone.
Compete or take action in a game.
Generate or process visuals using realtime algorithms or effects.
Upload to a blog/vlog/chat
Printout/photo given to audience
Control a 2D or 3D avatar.
Give information eg. a clue or a fact
Physical result (there could be many, such as squashing a flea with a mechanical hammer, moving a giant ball, lift somebody up and down, cause a performer to react.)

Some examples of how this inputs/outputs can be creatively linked:

• Twisting a real marionette or puppet (rotation sensors) --> controls an avatar in 3D world
• Pumping an air pump (pressure sensor) --> makes virtual character go up and down
• Playing a wind instrument (sound sensor) --> the resulting sound is transformed.