The CVR narrative as a moebius strip1

Abstract

Drawing on teaching sessions that I conducted last year, alongside my own practice-based doctoral research in narrative or cinematic VR (CVR) predicated on the Deleuzian notion of immanence, I propose that the CVR screenplay is better understood as a moebius strip than a linear narrative; a tale that turns around on itself. But far from being unorientable like its mathematical paradigm, the moebius narrative can be both oriented and scripted, as I hope to illustrate using student work as well as my own script iterations. Taking it to be both a model and a metaphor, this article explores how a moebius narrative can be designed – and why design thinking is more suitable for this process than traditional screenwriting methods. While still an understanding-in-progress, I find this conceptual framework useful for both practice and pedagogy. This article hopes additionally, therefore, to make a case for pedagogy as a research method in its own right, especially in the context of practice-based research.