The Interactive Documentary Form ― Aesthetics, Practice, and Research

While the concept of the documentary film is well established, interactive documentary is a newly emerging form of nonlinear, nonfiction narrative that animates viewers to control their own path through a film. Stefano Odorico examines the aesthetic structures and dynamics of interactive documentary as a web-based film experience. His study considers theoretical issues such as critical complexity, reality effect, and polyphony, and assesses their respective media practices. Questions of distribution and preservation are addressed through the analysis of a number of film festivals, museums, and archives. Lastly, Odorico explores the potential of interactive documentary as a research method not only specifically for film and media studies but also for academia more generally.

Stefano Odorico is a reader in contemporary screen media at Leeds Trinity University, a senior research fellow in film and media at the University of Bremen, and associate director of the International Research Centre for Interactive Storytelling in Leeds. While his current work focuses on interactive factual platforms and transmedia complexity, Odorico has published numerous articles in international journals and anthologies on film and media theory, media practice, documentary studies, urban spaces in media, new media and interactive documentaries. He is also a cofounder and member of the editorial board of Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media.