In part 1 we looked at how to:
· add an action orientation
· have a continuous storyline
· ensure exhibits/trails are exciting, and
· keep the suspense maintained.
These tips were generated by the research and analysis by exhibit curator Ariane Karbe who has academic training in screenwriting. Her novel perspective teased out many potential benefits for the interpretive profession. Part 2 of this blog post will embellish this idea of screenwriting suspense, of holding attention and staging immersion, along with understanding visitor motivation.
Are you establishing interest through emotions?
The author asks, “What motivates the reader/viewer to follow a story, eagerly?” She summarized the answer in two words: Emotional Engagement. How often do we design our exhibits and trail signage to generate feelings in our visitors, so they stay engaged with the storyline?
As Philipp Schorch states in his long-term study of global visitors to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, ‘It becomes clear that to “feel” invites us to be “interested” and enables us to “understand.”’ (Note the order!) Too often we jump to understand with only a touch of pre-interest attempted. AND we ignore the criticality of feelings to kickstart any level of receptivity in the visitor.
Emotions of hope, fear, and undeserved misfortune are central to developing suspense and the state of uncertainty. Human stories lend themselves to this storyline. From the animal kingdom perspective, the predator-prey relationship commonly generates feelings of fear and hope for the prey to escape its underserved misfortune. We just need to look for other situations and apply the emotional connections.
The big challenge is how to express and connect emotions to the current visitor when utilizing artifacts built and used by people no longer with us. Even inanimate objects, to ramp up their interest value, could be presented within an emotional context linked to a crucial function in the dynamics of a human relationship.
Faces are often used when wanting to connect with feelings. A common engagement technique in film is the use of zooming in especially on faces. Reading this brought me back to an arresting large wall display of faces in a visitor centre in Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park. The exhibit text captured their voices, and expressed a diverse range of feelings that residents had for the special islands where they live. It was very effective in holding many visitors’ gazes.
Faces of Galapagos Image Courtesy of Bill Reynolds
Zooming in is employed also to change viewing patterns, especially to train the visitor’s eyes on something particular that might arouse emotion. Exhibits and signs can use sighting tubes or peep holes as a visual aid to accomplish this.
Is it possible to avoid storyline fragmentation?
The author mentions Marshall McLuhan as the first to point out that popular films are born storytellers because they demand participation or completion by the audience- to link the story bits. Ariane reminds us that the fundamental fragmentary nature of exhibit halls necessitates the movement of visitors and they can easily pull apart a storyline. Reshuffling the narrative is a common visitor situation if the overall series of “scenes” are scattered, unconnected and not well executed.
Spatial images within displays and between exhibition “scenes” often compete for our attention because they are not presented sequentially as in a film. It is paramount that the viewer find the “reassembling story process” as an entertaining and not a confusing experience. On the other hand… the author then posits that maybe we should be giving visitors less choice of directional movement as they so often break up the narrative sequence - something they don’t do while enjoying entertainment media like films, theme rides, and theatre shows.
image courtesy Bill Reynolds
Based on extensive analysis, a fixed linear order seems to be essential for creating suspense. When a sequence of events is re-told it accomplishes a story that is “followable, intelligible, memorable” - you might actually call it chrono-logical. The author advocates that this approach can maintain interest and continuity, and should not be rejected outright, due to the common complaint of implied power and authority, of the visitor being controlled or having fewer choices within linear narratives. I concur with the author that an organized, staged series of “scenes” can be created using choices and minimizing aspects of expressed authority.
What would you do?
The using of a question is a common technique to garner attention and a personally directed question like, “What would you do?” is particularly effective. This was employed in an exhibit about disease epidemic choices and the unravelling is so much more magnetic in its holding power. This time an interactive element has been incorporated and an element of suspense has been created AND maintained (refer to part one of the same blogpost for a contrast). This comes about due to a participatory choice option, using an element of gaming technique.
Two distinct story pathways have been controlled to maintain continuity, but hands off control is also used to achieve visitor involvement and visitor decision making. The angled positioning of the exhibit in a corner ensures the visitor does not get side tracked from other competing exhibits or pulled away from the desired exhibit outcomes.
Interactive doing, a question and built in suspense Image courtesy Bill Reynolds
Can a sand grain be a protagonist?
In the book the author instructs us that film viewers need to identify with a protagonist to engender suspense. Visitors will be attracted to the interpretive medium if they can identify with a form of protagonist. Films appeal directly to the viewer’s emotions through a link to the universal needs of the key “characters.” These characters in an interpretive sense could be human or non-human. The film industry looks for a conflict or a struggle as well as a resolution with a pathway connecting the two. If this process of identification takes place, the visitor will more likely grasp the essence or story of your place – human/non-human, tangible/intangible, cultural or natural process.
I will never forget in the 1990’s, a certain self-guided trail at a Canadian coastal national park, where I was attracted by its appealing imaging that used an odd protagonist character – a sand grain.
Image Courtesy Bill Reynolds
Thanks to a cartoon-like graphic image of a sand grain, a natural process came alive. By recounting its state of uncertainty due to dune migration and a wild journey caused by erosion/deposition forces, this character had me hooked. This travel adventure technique was an extremely effective form of inanimate anthropomorphism, that resulted in a resolution to a challenge/conflict.
On several successive panels I was then immersed in the storyworld, where I could relate to a sand grain’s existence and accompany the central character on its journey. I suggest it is time to review some of your texts and images to assess the opportunity for integrating an emotional protagonist, as the film profession does.
Film excitement is based on a three-dimensional immersion, whereas my signage example was of a conceptual immersion achieved two dimensionally. It still works, but we need to aim higher. In a park setting additional physical immersion by a visitor could be accomplished, yet it is so often underutilized. Visitors wander alot in a disengaged manner without being set up to achieve a close and personal contact with a sense of place. We have our work cut out for us to add the physical dimension.
Have you thought about smooth transitions?
When you apply the concept of scenography and staging to this type of immersion technique, you can achieve an arc of suspenseful anticipation. The author touches on the importance of ensuring a smooth transition between scenes (trail stops or signs or exhibits) as a suspense maintaining technique. For smooth transitions, she spotlights the use of physical and verbal repetition, the setting up of concrete expectations and the use of recurring motif to maintain the narrative flow and keep the participant engaged.
Props used for Earthwalks Song of the Season experience Image Courtesy Mike Mayer
I have experienced this feeling when participating in an Earthwalk as described in the book, Earthwalks: an alternative nature experience. Staging and smooth transitions are elements stressed in the leadership guidelines detailed in that book, produced by The Institute for Earth Education. The Institute practitioners have succeeded in stitching together a guided walk focused on building a relationship with the earth that utilizes smooth transitioning suspenseful anticipation.
Museum Exhibitions and Suspense - The Use of Screenwriting Techniques in Curatorial Practice illustrates various dramatic screenwriting techniques that enable a visitor to move through a space, stay focused and tell themselves a good story. At EID we are always looking for ways to do a bit of cross pollination between experiential interpretation and other fields. There is plenty of food for thought in this book for the design of trails and exhibits where you desire to attract and hold your visitors’ attention and interest.
Epilogue: Two more thoughts to ponder and if you have any examples that demonstrate these situations, please pass them along to us:
Have you ever used the technique of prologue and/or epilogue to better frame the central interpretive story you are developing?
Have you ever helped the visitor enter into a dialogue with an object on display?