http://mith.umd.edu/digitalstorytelling/2012/09/10/brotherly-bonding/
The first thought that arrives in my head when I think about my story “Brotherly Bonding” is action. Using e-lit, I would want to expand the presence of the action in the story and really put the reader right into the scene. A major component of “Brotherly Bonding” would rely on sound. I also want the reader to visualize the setting. Aside from the aesthetics, emphasizing and clarifying a few key Latin phrases throughout the narrative would help to signify the recurring importance of them.
1. Background Sound Effects (multimedia/musical track on page)
One of the collections in the second volume of the online literature collection is called “Tailspin”. It uses an audio track in a way that makes you feel is if you are right next to clattering silverware at a party or something. Early in the narrative I mention a few clues about the setting to let the reader know a storm is taking place. Reading this and imagining the environment is one thing: hearing the process of nature around you is completely different experience. A background simulation of a thunderstorm and every sound in that atmosphere would help add a dimension to the feeling of the story (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOJr1csOR4).
2. Picture of Thunder (linking to rest of story)
While I read through the e-lit selection “These Waves of Girls” I took note of the images that accompanied the story. While reading anything accompanied by an image, I automatically think about the ultimate purpose of the image and if it reveals anything about the story. If I were to introduce a picture of some uniquely colored lightning storm, clicking on the picture would symbolically take you in to the rest of the story and tell you more about what is occurring. This takes the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” to a new level. In “These Waves of Girls”, clicking on a picture takes you to another portion of the story and helps the reader understand how everything is connected to the overall story and picture itself.
3. Action Music
Reading a book is like being the director of your own movie. One thing that really makes an impact in a movie is the soundtrack or musical score used within the film. In a physical book, having the reader imagine the same scene you do is already a tough task. If you want them to imagine the same sounds/background music as well then you are venturing towards something very difficult to achieve. A link to a really intense musical selection would add another important element/dimension to the story. In regards to my story, a really intense rock song (such as Fully Alive by Flyleaf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d3RYW0YoEk&feature=relmfu) would really immerse the reader right into the action. This, combined with the thunder audio track I mentioned earlier would be a great combination.
4. Hyperlinked Latin Words
When the average reader sees a word they don’t know, they may become distracted if the definition doesn’t reveal itself. I think it would be beneficial to the author and reader to hyperlink the word to its definition/translation. In the case of foreign words, this is especially true. Linking these words would also draw more attention (and emphasize them) since they would now look different than the words in the rest of the story. Deena Larson’s Fun Da Mentals site really exemplifies this. Even though the description of whatever word she describes follows the word, the hyperlink to pages that expand on the word really do help gain a better understanding of the words she uses while drawing more emphasis to them.
5. Embedded Video Beam Struggle
There is one part in my narrative where the two brothers fire their bolts of lightning at each other. When I picture this, I remember some of the fights from a favorite childhood show of mine: Dragon Ball Z. More specifically, when two blasts of energy clash in the show, it is called a beam struggle. If I could get them to view that part of my narrative the same way I pictured it when I thought of Dragon Ball Z, the action in the narrative would be more intense than it would be if it were just read on paper. The best way to have them see this beam struggle would be to present it in the way of an embedded video right after I mention the bolts of lightning striking each other (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjalIqCl_fg).