report Korsakow Workshop @ IDFA

Interactive narration seems relevant to the documentary practice for several reasons: an interactive presentation of material offers to the viewer the possibility to explore side stories to the main subjects. It may offer different possible perspectives on themes parallel to each other, forming each other’s context. Also, an interactive project may allow the viewer to enter an actual discussion with the perspectives of the author on his viewpoints. The key issue of interactive narration and the central question of the workshop was: how can the user's actions and choices be integrated meaningfully with the meaning of an interactive story?

During this intensive five-day workshop the participants searched for the answer to this question. In the morning sessions they discussed theoretic problems relevant to this subject, in the afternoons they learned the practice of working with the Korsakow tool.

The setting for all this was the beautiful, almost fairytale-like Plein-Foyer hall of De Schouwburg in Amsterdam.

The documentary filmmakers were invited to bring their own footage to make their interactive documentaries. For the first time in this workshop's existence nearly everybody did, so the projects which where shown during the final presentation in De Balie were great and very divers.

Nina Simoes, Zoe Young and Mano Riedijk Camon worked together on a project in which they used film material showing The Brazilian Landless Movement. During the presentation Nina recounted on her working process. She found it hardest to let go of the linear thinking. But her aim was to let the user participate in the story, so she changed her linear thinking into thinking from the user's side and became very excited about the possibilities of the Korsakow System.

Steve Anderson was also very excited. As a teacher at the film school of South Carolina USC he had a special interest in the Korsakow System. In his project he used authorized film material about the Kennedy assassination. During the final presentation, he told the audience that the goal in his project was for the user to find out the truth about the Kennedy assassination. At first his idea was to show three perspectives, which is still a form of linear storytelling. But during the process he gained more knowledge about the Korsakow System and its possibilities and he changed his plan. He deliberately allowed more non-linear chaos in the project so the user really had to explore the film material to find out the truth.

After the presentation there was a small party at the Colabar at Mediamatic Supermarket where everybody could exchange stories of their experiences on the days before.

This workshop is made possible with the support of the MEDIA PLUS PROGRAMME of the European Community, the ThuisKopie Fonds and the Mondriaan Foundation