Part.Narrative is a participatory video application that records and aggregates pieces of user generated storytelling. As such, it is an exploration in group dynamic and user generated content.

We were brought to this project when challenged to think about the evolution of narrative art.

The inspiration for this project comes from an improvisation exercise called the Typewriter Scene. In this exercise, one person takes on the role of a typist and begins to tell a story that the other players must act out. Participants share the advancement of the story by taking turns as the typist when the story slows.

In Part.Narrative, the role of each user is similar to that of the typist. They will stand in front of a video camera and microphone to record a story, continuing where the previous user had stopped. The difference is users will be oblivious to all parts of the story except the part told by the previous user. In the end, the entire story will be revealed to all participants and they will have a new perspective on the role they played in the complete story.

Anybody who enjoys telling stories and is comfortable in front of a camera.

A camera and microphone are mounted directly above a display screen facing perpendicular to it. A user stands in front the screen which is displaying live video of them framed by a flash interface. Text generated by the flash interface application prompts the user to record themselves continuing to tell the story recorded by the previous user. The user can then do two things, click the record button or not. If the latter is true, instead of walking away the user has the option to wear the headphones and listen/watch other completed stories. If the former is true, the user will be asked to wear headphones as the previous user's video begins to play. After the previous video is done playing a counter will be displayed giving the current user only 10 seconds to record themselves. After 10 seconds, the video will automatically save and display an image of the current user in a timeline with all the other users who have participated in that story. Once the user sees their picture in the timeline, they can choose to preview their video aggregated with the previous video or watch other completed stories. User's will not be able to view an entire story until a dedicated number of user's have contributed to it.

We are using Flash 8, Action Script 2.0 and Macromedia Media Server 2(MMS2) for this project. MMS2 enables live video streaming and recordings to be stored and retrieved. Also, the video playback streaming is significant benefit of using MMS2. It allows users to watch video immediately without waiting for downloads. So, in Part.Narrative, multiple live recorded video streams can be retrieved from the server and appear on the client side in one screen.

A simple version of the software is currently functioning. We plan to do several user tests to find out what is the best way to get interesting user content. Once this is accomplished we will be able to add more useful features.

The ideal interface for the display of the recorded videos will somewhat resemble a family tree. Users will be able to select any point in an existing story to continue with their own video. Once the required amount of users has participated to that story path, they will be able to watch the story they've participated in, from the root, through the path of stories leading to their video.

Design has also been an issue. We've noticed that users are confused where they should click, and when they should start telling their story. We are currently working on a design scheme that should dramatically improve this issue.