Regularities of Constructing the Narrative of an Interactive Documentary Film as an Infotainment Phenomenon

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article provides a content analysis of 10 interactive Russian-language and English-language projects to isolate documentaries from them and analyze the structure to derive the principles of constructing the narrative of an interactive film. Based on the study, the authors deduce three patterns of regularities of constructing the narrative of an interactive documentary film: a clear project structure with rationally chosen techniques that complement each other as part of the designer; the choice of a story, whose perception should not be linear and can be formed from independent elements; creation of convenient navigation, intuitive for users, as well as the creation of instructions for a complex project form. Interactive documentary films in this article are compared with video games, with which this direction of documentary science is similar to the user as a coauthor, as well as the use of technology. The article discusses the technology of shooting 360 degrees, which allows the user to “look around”. Considering the growing popularity of streaming channels, and web projects, interactive film has a future in documentary filmmaking. Creating an interactive film requires not only knowledge of technology and multimedia storytelling techniques, but also a solid foundation in perception psychology, and storytelling theory, as well as the ability to study and reinterpret the experiences of video game creators.