Welcome to our ‘Interactive Storytelling’ showcase page!
For more than 20 years now, we have been producing interactive films as part of the Digital Media (DM) degree programme under the academic supervision of Prof. Manfred Gaida. To date, this has resulted in over 250 film projects.
You’ll find a selection of recent years’ work below.
Feel free to take a look at the individual year-group projects and films and discover the creativity of our DM students.
What is “Interactive Storytelling”?
“Interactive Storytelling” is one of many innovative fields of study in the interdisciplinary Digital Media (DM) program at the Technical University of Ulm (THU).
Prof. Manfred Gaida introduced the topic of “Interactive Storytelling” to THU in 2001 and integrated it into the curriculum of the Digital Media program. He is the founder and director of the “Interactive Storytelling” specialization within the Digital Media program and has supervised all project work conducted there since 2001. When supervising projects, he makes it a priority to pass on his extensive practical experience and enthusiasm for “Interactive Storytelling” to his students.
The viewers decide for themselves how the film’s plot unfolds
“Interactive Storytelling” is about using cinematic techniques to tell interactive stories. At certain points in the film, viewers can decide for themselves how the plot will unfold by selecting specific options and branching paths as they watch. Depending on which “path” the viewers choose, the film’s plot develops in different directions.
Concept Development and Film Production in Just One Semester
DM students conceptualize and produce their own interactive film in just one semester. Although they begin the project with theoretical knowledge in the field of film design (the “Image and Film Design” course taught by Prof. Manfred Gaida in the first semester), they generally have little prior practical experience in film production. The results, which are then available at the end of the semester-long project, are quite impressive.
A structured approach and individualized coaching lead to success
After an ideation phase at the beginning of the semester, the DM students develop their own screenplay and storyboard during the pre-production phase, which document the entire narrative of the interactive film and visualize it in the storyboard. Using this screenplay and storyboard, the film’s narrative can be interactively played through and “tested.”
The screenplay and storyboard are indispensable and essential tools for planning and organizing the shoot for the next phase: Using their detailed storyboards and overview plans, DM students are able to carry out their film shoot very efficiently and in a structured manner during a compact production phase lasting just a few weeks. In the process, they produce their film with great dedication, edit it afterward, and finally prepare it for interactive presentation here on this website.
At the end of the semester, the DM students look back on a project that was certainly demanding but also very enlightening, and they can take pride in their significant academic achievement. A major factor in this success is Prof. Gaida’s professional expertise and his intensive academic coaching throughout the entire project.