The interactive documentary is gaining momentum, and though its value is widespread, the storytelling devices offered by an idoc really lend themselves to one genre in particular: the location-based interactive documentary.
This platform was made for this genre. Or perhaps it’s the other way around – what better way is there to explore the nuances of a particular community than actually exploring it? Whether it’s a click through experience, a self-guided series of videos and images, or a user-driven site that allows viewers to upload their own content, the interactive element is what drives these stories forward. It’s a medium that requires trust; communities trust filmmakers with their deeply personal stories, filmmakers trust viewers to immerse themselves in the experience. When all the elements come together it’s an experience that offers more depth than could be achieved with video alone.
Hollow arguably counts as one of the greatest examples. (We wrote about Hollow many times before). And we explored the possibilities of the genre with recent projects such as Refugee Republic and Who Are The Champions?. For this Top five, we asked new guest blogger Claudia Dibbs to select her five favorite location-based idocs.