35 Reactions to Interactive Storytelling from Emerson College Film Students

I took a survey from my Foundations in Media Production students at Emerson College to gauge their reaction to interactive filmmaking. For 1 hour, each student experienced two interactive films, Bear 71 and Immigrant Nation. They spent 30 minutes with each film. I then asked them five questions on their experience and had them type out their answers.

The students are all around 18-20 years old.

There are around 30 answers per question. Some questions have fewer answers because some students opted to look at other interactive films. But, Bear 71 and Immigration Nation were the most experienced of the group.

The questions I asked related to the following:
Time. If we’re telling stories, the time spent on the story from the audience is important. It’s an investment and we want our stories to be worth the time of the audience.
Emotional Reaction: In storytelling, an emotional reaction is often important. We seek to incite happiness, sadness or even anger.
Experience: How did the interactivity impact experience? We want to create environments where the medium is engaging, comfortable and comprehendible.
Likes/Dislikes: Experiencing a story, especially an interactive one, is often a personal experience. So, what was liked or disliked about this experience?

Clicking on the questions below will take you to a list of their answers. They are listed in no particular order.

Bear 71

1) What did you like/dislike about this interactive storytelling experience?

2) After 10 minutes of experiencing Bear 71, did you want to continue?

3) How did the Bear 71 interactive website impact the storytelling experience for you? Was the use of interactivity needed/justified in telling this story?

4) What emotional reaction did you have to Bear 71?

Immigrant Nation

1) What did you like/dislike about this interactive storytelling experience?

2) After 10 minutes of experiencing Immigrant Nation, did you want to continue?

3) How did the interactive website impact the storytelling experience for you? Was the use of interactivity needed/justified in telling this story?

4) What emotional reaction did you have to Immigrant Nation?