Comments on: How Screenwriting and Film Theory Creates Enchanting Websites

By: smseonext

smseonext — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:41:10 +0000

SeoNext I like your presentaion.Its really a great theme.Really a great post.

By: mleis

mleis — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:02:24 +0000

Thanks Yu Yu! Why does that not surprise me at all? (^_^) But I think the other important aspect to keep in mind is how — more than suspense — information is revealed over time and space. If you look at messages in the campaign, or page states, as scenes, you can really create something more involving. And you're right, even with the runaway success of B2B campaigns like “Will it blend?” B2B marketers are still slow to really embrace or engage people as, well, people.

Ay, now I really have to write that Mise en Scene post!

By: mleis

mleis — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:46:22 +0000

Ha! Repo Man. Loved that movie, and I would go even farther to say that using generic labels really demonstrates how many deliberate choices are made in the making of a film, and in this case, Websites. So it's not inspirational so much as it is a tried and true framework for creating flow and revealing information over time and space in a way that involves the audience more with every step.

In terms of "old media," I agree about game and virtual world design. But the Web videos are a great example of where the worlds collide. On the one hand, you can create video-based experiences that are very interesting and circular, like http://inthemotherhood.com -- where you have a forum that spawns branded entertainment. But in the case of YouTube and other more traditional video sites, there's a clash of classic narrative and old-school Web design. As a user, you are creating a new, whole experience over a series of page views, but it's not necessarily evocative or meaningful over the span of the visit.

One of the amazing things about film is that since the advent of TV, it has been utterly obsolete. And yet, it continues to reinvent itself with various presentation methods to keep drawing audiences. The gigantic screens and shared experience are also major drivers. These kinds of shared experiences and discourse are also what makes social networks so powerful, to me.

By: mleis

mleis — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:28:05 +0000

Thanks Paul! I think you were there for the common-engine part with Miller, but it was last fall, looking at Will Evans' (http://semanticfoundry.com) conceptual model of social networks that made the connection for me between circular narrative as a user experience technique and a technical framework.

By: yuyudin

yuyudin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:15:24 +0000

Micheal, as always, very thought provoking. I've personally used building suspense techniques in screenplays to get more opens and clicks for email marketing campaigns. That was for a B2C campaign. You can do it in ads for B2B campaigns. Just requires a bit of out-of-the-box thinking. It's also a fun way of marketing to folks that both the marketer and the audience enjoy.
Looking forward to your mise en scene post!

By: Dan Thornton

Dan Thornton — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:11:57 +0000

Oh, and I don't think I'd describe film as an 'old media' form, in that online film is a hugely interesting and evolving space from Youtube to the mix of film/comics of 'The World of Jonas Moore' or the interactive film/videogame world etc…

By: Dan Thornton

Dan Thornton — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:08:21 +0000

Really nice presentation, and a theme I totally agree with – the important thing for any business and/or website is to present a story that (some) people can identify with, invest emotion in, and build upon.
And there are no better inspirations than film, literature, and comics in my mind for doing this – film has the benefit of also combining audio, visual and (limited unless subtitled) text. But in trms of design, the work that goes into set design and props also plays a huge part in a film. I think one of my favourite examples is Repo Man, where characters drink from cans labelled 'beer', and eat from cans labelled 'food' despite the fact it isn't set in some soulless space stations.

By: Paul Marran

Paul Marran — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:12:17 +0000

Michael

Great analogies here that are extremely relevant. Looking at SM and overall user experience as circular narrative is very interesting and really provides me with a new perspective. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to more.