Angela LoMantoENC 3417April 7, 2014

Reflection

I chose to base my transmedia presentation on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland an 1865 novel written by English author Lewis Carroll. I didn’t realize all the different ways I could take the story until after I planned a draft storyboard and actually began to create the slideshow. Taking my audience and elements from the original story into consideration, I came with several options and decisions for the audience to choose from. I wanted to make this interactive presentation a way for the audience to truly experience the novel. The following is an exploration of the steps I took to create this experience.The first thing I did was choosing a story from the public domain. I searched for stories and made a list of my favorite ones. I wanted to pick a story that would be fun to do, as well as one I was somewhat familiar with. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ended up being my favorite on the list.After selecting a story, I wanted to make sure I knew all the details to the story. I read several summaries of the story so I had a good idea on the way the original story went. I wanted to stick to keeping my story in the same path as the original, that way the audience would be able to relate and remember. Keeping the storyline similar would also help the audience feel the experience of the original story while still feeling the experience was their own. I made my storyboard based on the decisions Alice made in the original story. I wanted a clear outline of how the story went and from there I was able to create a story in my own way. I made a decision tree that showed Alice’s decision and what led from those decisions. I did this all the way through the story. I also had to come up with new decisions and what would result if Alice had chosen that path rather than the original path. I came up with different scenarios and created new situations that would branch off from the original story. I made a

rough decision tree draft that showed the story from beginning to end and then different directions each decision would lead into.Next, I needed to figure out what perspective I wanted to write the new story in. I chose to make its in the second person, in the “you” perspective. I wanted readers and users to believe the story was based on their personal decision and that it was talking to them specifically. I wanted readers to believe they were having their own personal Adventure through Wonderland. I wanted them to journey through Wonderland not through the eyes of Alice, but through their own eyes. After choosing the perspective I wanted to put the story in, I started to write out the story in a Word document. I would write out the separate section of the story and then decide on the options from each section. I would then write out a section that would result from each decision, whether it would be a good decision or a bad decision. I continued to do this through the whole story. I wrote out the story with the same storyline. I wanted to do this while coming from a second person perspective, whereas the original story came from a third person perspective of Alice. After creating the story with the decisions and the outcomes, I finally started to create the presentation. Before any design decisions, I placed all the sections of the story on slides and linked the two options to the slide with the outcome of choosing one option or the other. My design decisions started with the fonts and background. I wanted a fun, whimsical font for the title slide, but when I tried to incorporate that same font throughout the rest of the slideshow, it seemed too hectic and difficult to read. So, I only kept a fun font for the title slide, and a normal serif font for the rest of the slideshow. The serif font gave the slideshow a storybook appearance. I picked music that correlated with the story line and what was going on in the specific slide. I wanted to start off the interactive game with a whimsical melody that represented the feeling of Wonderland. I put some sound effects that related to the actions happening in the scene. For example, I included a comedic falling sound for when the player follows White Rabbit and falls down the rabbit hole. I placed a sad trombone sound for some of the losing options.

Throughout the slideshow, I wanted to keep a fun and quirky feeling. I wrote the story with a slightly humorous tone that associated with the type of story Alice and Wonderland is. I didn’t want it to seem too serious because the story is more of a silly one. I wanted to stick to the storyline, but as if the player was there and not Alice. The music, pictures, and storyline all help to make the book come alive and turn into a real experience. Finally, the website housing with the storyboard, slideshow, and this reflection was what I had left to bring everything together into one medium. I chose to house these parts on WordPress and put each Part on a different page. I made a Home page that included a table of contents with each section. There is also a navigation bar on top that includes links to each page. I thought this way the whole process would be more organized and easier to navigate through. I used a royalty free image of a fanciful-looking forest as the background and a sky blue font for the headings to keep the Alice in Wonderland theme. The website itself is simple and everything is laid out. I thought that was the best way to display everything. All things considered, the project was somewhat challenging and I had to put a lot of thought behind each separate section. It was easiest when I had planned something out before putting the storyboard, the slideshow, as well as the website together. Each step needed a brainstorming process before I was able to dive in and start working on the section. It was a long process but once I got started it was fun and exciting as the ideas kept coming. The overall project was rewarding and accomplishing in the end as I saw my ideas come together to form the entire project.