1. ABSENSE OF FORM Mahbubani Vivek Ashok 50339925 SM2254 – Writing Interactive Movie

2. Overview of ABSENSE OF FORM ► Story Telling System ► The art of the story is shifted from the author to the reader ► Author only concentrates on the story’s core elements and plot ► Similar to Pseudo Code in programming

3. Overview of ABSENSE OF FORM ► Reader gets to choose a character within the story ► Example: “Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs” ► I pick Snow White ► At the same time my friend can also log in and pick Snow White ► The story begins

4. The Way the Story Works ► The author gives me a set of guidelines:  Snow White walks into her grandma’s store  She picks up a toy/necklace/apple  She sees her dead grandmother’s image  She runs out of the store into the woods/highway/hole ► Now as the reader, I have to create a more appealing story than just these points ► I become the author and I decide how it flows

5. Reader Intervention ► I can decide to make this a psycho-thriller ► Or I can decide to make it a horror story ► Also, I have to record my voice orally as a narrator of the story’s segment and upload it into the story’s database ► The next person who wants to be Snow White will get the next segment of the story ► In the case, it’s my friend

6. Reader Interaction ► My friend must now continue the story using both the author’s guidelines and where my story ended ► The segment that the author provides also changes based on what choices I made.

7. Reader decisions ► If I decided that: ► Snow white was scared ► She went in the store to pick up a necklace ► She saw her grandma’s ghost telling her to go away ► She ran out and found herself in the woods

8. Reader Co-operation ► Now my friend sees the author’s guidelines:  Snow white cries for help  There is a reply  Snow white runs towards the sound  Snow white sees a wolf/dwarf/nothing ► Now my friend must help the story move on

9. The ABSENSE Eco-system ► My system makes use of different people to create a different experience every time the story is read. ► Some people might prefer to create a more interesting story slowly ► Others might want to finish it faster to see what happens next ► Words are the readers’ power!