North

The interactive documentary North (2013) utilises Instagram Video and the database film creation platform Korsakow to examine my experience of Melbourne. In doing so, the film engages with concepts surrounding the areas of aura, autoethnography, interactivity, remixability and Slow Media. The film traces my experiences and memories of Melbourne, as a visitor, new resident and more established inhabitant. In producing the film, I shot mobile footage of a number of locations in and around the city using Instagram Video and then presented the footage using the Korsakow platform, which 'offers opportunities for compelling interactive narratives' (Boa-Ventura, Lopes & Rodrigues 2010 p.297). The platform itself allows the viewer to decide which clip to watch next and, although it currently requires that films be viewed on a webpage operating Adobe Flash, there are plans to allow mobile viewing in the near future. For screening purposes, a 'static' version of predetermined length may be arranged. At its core, Korsakow offers a more 'thoughtful and reflective' experience for creator and viewer alike, with creators engaging with the film through careful sculpturing of juxtapositional images and viewers selecting the path of the film's narrative. This interactivity rising from the use of Korsakow, combined with the sharing of 'more personal moments' (Brown 2013) with the viewer via Instagram, means that the film delivers a series of contexts and a feeling of aura to its audience. As such, the film highlights emergent practices associated with social media and presents new opportunities for filmmakers to explore different contexts. The film was selected through a peer-review process for MINA, which showcased mobile filmmaking projects from around the world in Wellington (November 2013) Film Archive, Auckland (21st and 22nd November 2013), AUT University, Auckland City campus new Precint building and Melbourne (9th December 2013), RMIT University.