Masterclass: Writing for Immersive Media

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Tutor

Adrienne Mackey

Date Tuesday November 21st 2023, 19:00-21:00 GMT

Location Online

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Ever wondered how stories in games differ to those in television or film? Want to learn the nuts and bolts for creating interactive theatre scripts? This Masterclass will explore ways to script interactive digital narratives, taking you from concept, through structure, to a finished draft. If you want to create experiences like Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More or hit apps like Zombies Run, dive into this introduction to writing for immersive media with game designer and interactive theatre-maker Adrienne Mackey, of the critically acclaimed transmedial performance company Swim Pony.

Interactive performance and digital gaming have exploded modern storytelling, exposing the linear plot as just one of a nearly infinite number of shapes a tale is able to take. When you invite audiences into a more collaborative relationship with your fiction you offer them a chance to go beyond passive consumption of storylines and into active exploration of the narrative landscapes you construct. Adrienne will bring to this masterclass her cutting-edge expertise in designing stories that use mapping, collage, and layering as narrative tactics to tell stories that unfold across time and space. Aimed at writers of any experience level, during this session, you’ll gain both theoretical and practical experience of the genre.

Adrienne will first explore some basic tools and theories that differentiate interactive writing from traditional linear construction and then challenge you to put those ideas into practical application, constructing a narrative tour of your own life in the real-world spaces it unfolds in.

Note: you are encouraged to prepare for the session by reflecting on a few personal memories connected to the surrounding space you’ll be physically present in during the workshop.

The Masterclass will be delivered via Zoom webinar, so you can take the session at your own pace, without the pressure of having your video or camera on. Sessions are also recorded so if you are unable to attend live, you will have access to the recording for a month afterwards.

Tutor

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Adrienne Mackey

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Adrienne Mackey is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the potential of performance and play. With her company, Swim Pony, she’s created…

Online: £35

Concessions: £17.50

As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, a limited number of half-price concessions are available for this course at checkout. There are a limited number of free subsidised places for those who cannot afford the concession price.

We are committed to making our Arvon at Home programme accessible to as many people as possible.

Across all of Arvon at Home

All sessions will have auto-generated captioning.
There is a Chat facility to ask any questions.

Masterclasses and Online Writing Day

A recording of the Masterclass will be available to view for one month after it is aired live, simply log in to your account on our website and you’ll find a link under the ‘Event Details’ tab in the ‘Video recording’ column (you may need to scroll right on your screen to see it), similarly, if any learning resources are available, another link will appear under the ‘Course Materials’ tab.
There is a Chat and Q & A facility to ask any questions.
Zoom webinar format (your  video and audio will remain off throughout & your name will not be visible to other participants, so it is a ‘relaxed’ event).
During sessions we will have a text version available via screen share (if you require these in advance of the session, please email arvonathome@arvon.org).

How I Write

There is a chat and Q&A facility to ask any questions.
Zoom webinar format (your video and audio will remain off throughout, & your name will not be visible to other participants so it is a ‘relaxed’ event).
A recording will be available to view for one month after the event is aired live, simply log in to your account on our website and you’ll find a link under the ‘Event Details’ tab in the ‘Video recording’ column (you may need to scroll right on your screen to see it), similarly, if any learning resources are available, another link will appear under the ‘Course Materials’ tab.

Online Writing Weeks / Weekends

Courses are delivered by Zoom meeting, which means they are not recorded.
Courses have much smaller groups than Masterclasses and How I Write events, and are also more interactive with your fellow course participants and tutors, so cameras and audio are usually on (though both are completely optional). If you would prefer your camera and audio to be off at all times, it would be helpful to let your course host know this in advance.
We use Padlet as a landing page for all course materials, and to provide an optional platform for interaction with your tutors and fellow course participants. If you would like some more information about this, or if you have any anxiety about using this platform, please email arvonathome@arvon.org.

Subject to funding/permissions (please contact arvonathome@arvon.org for more details)

Recording of Writing Weeks and Weekends.
Downloadable transcripts.
BSL interpretation.
Live captioning.

If you have any access issues that we have not covered here, please contact us on access@arvon.org

See here for more access information.

"These zoom opportunities are really helping to open my world and keep me inspired to write."

— Masterclass participant

"Arvon at Home creates a model to participate in inspirational tutoring for writers, at a distance. The feeling of attending to my writing life in an excellent fashion, and still having a half-day for my work and caring responsibilities at home, felt like a good balance."

— Masterclass participant

"It was an absolutely brilliant session and very very useful. And it made me realise how much I’ve missed this kind of workshop because of having children and family that I can’t leave. Now we’re all in the same boat the online stuff is truly transformative."

— Masterclass participant