An interactive documentary can take many forms using multimedia like photos, text, audio and animations to offer an interactive experience controlled by the viewer. They can have linear structures or be user-navigated. Challenges include collaborating across skills, limited bandwidth in Australia, and ongoing costs, but advantages are convergence across platforms, low production costs, worldwide accessibility, and instant audience contact through social media. The key is choosing an engaging story and accessible technology.

1. The Journey of Documentary
presented by Atalanti Dionysus

2. Defining Interactive Documentary
• An interactive documentary can take many forms and be more
flexible in its storytelling by making use of a range of multimedia
assets such as: photos, text, audio, animations, graphics
• They can offer an interactive journey that the viewer can control
and become immersed in. For example the Participatory doco The
Virtual Revolution audiences helped shape the outcome, the Crowd
sourced doco 18DaysinEgypt uses audiences content of which is
uploaded directly to website.
• There are linear productions like Alma, user-navigated journeys
such as Prison Valley and The Places We Live, which uses
photographs and audio recordings and web based archives such as
Mapping Main Street. And then we have Docu games like Warco,
making the game player the war correspondent writing the
outcome of their own story.

3. Making my web series
The Challenges & Opportunities
Linear Vs Non-Linear
Pre-production
The production process
Post Production
Online Broadcast Carrier
Social Media Marketing
The Screening

4. Making An Interactive Doco
• What is the story – the power of the story is in the story
• Think of a creative way to tell the story – research other web docs
• What components could make it interactive, interviews, photos,
audio, gaming
• Think long term, consider educational resources for schools
• Keep audiences in mind, use simple easy to navigate technology
• Make sure technology is adaptable & accessible to all
• What will keep audiences coming back – a call to action
• Include social media tools
• How many platforms can the project move across
• Allow time for testing and re-testing the site
• You are only limited by your mind!

5. The Challenges
• Creative Collaborations – will differ for each project
as different types of experiences require different
types of skills
– The producers needs to be aware of who to bring on board
– Each platform needs to be managed as a separate project
– The producer needs to understand the language that each
collaborator speaks, otherwise they may find themselves
in a costly mess as a result of misunderstandings
– The producer may have to hire a digital media producer
when working on convergent productions who speaks the
language

6. The Challenges cont…
• Bandwidth - until Australia has NBN (National
Broadband Network) installed our internet speeds will
have an impact viewing of web docs.
• Budgeting is difficult to ascertain as there are many
variables – e.g. producers constantly have to keep
interacting and keeping content alive by spreading it.
• On going production costs such as web costs, hosting
etc.
• Impact of the film is not as great on a small screen
• Limited distribution opportunities on the internet

7. Advantages
• Convergence - flow of content across multiple media
platforms
• Can be made cheaply and without the need of funding
bodies
• Can be independently distributed by filmmaker
allowing them to recoup all the profits
• Accessibility for audiences worldwide is only a click
away
• Instant contact to audiences/fans/advocates via social
media platforms
• You can tell a story is a much richer more enhanced
way

8. Recap - Interactive Doco
• The Idea – the story is the key
• The crew - are now collaborators of a different type, web
developers, user experience designers, software designers
• Common Language – make sure you are clear about the
different type of terminology used
• Technology needs to be accessible to your audience base
• Budgeting – be sure you are aware of the costs associated
with making interactive content. Web developers and flash
designers all charge their own prices, do not assume anything.
• Lifespan of a project – longer and wider audience exposure,
can be limited to the Internet
• Consider cross platforms