New & Notable – Bear 71
Bear 71 is an award winning interactive web documentary (that’s a mouthful) that incorporates various media formats in its pursuit to tell a story in an innovative way. It is the story of a Grizzly Bear tagged as number 71 in BANFF National Park. The story is told from 71’s perspective as it contemplates the meaning of the tag, the surveillance she must be subjected to, and the intrusion of humanity into the daily habits of this one particular bear. It is quite beautifully written and even humorous at times, though always subtly so.
On the interactive side, the viewer spends most of their time traveling through the virtual park while listening to 71’s narration. You can link through to surveillance footage of other animals tagged in the park or scenic locations. These connections are full of interesting and educational tidbits that keep you entertained while you listen to the story. A part of why the dynamic presented here is successful is the idea that animals are surveilled. That we are inherently interested in knowing the secrets nature holds and perhaps we can capture them on camera. Most of the footage here is innocuous, animals roaming the wild, as they do, but the storytellers present a compelling case for being curious enough to click through.
I am not a nature lover… I wouldn’t be caught dead camping unless there was a fabulous air conditioned log cabin for me to sleep, bathe, and eat in. However, this site has beautiful design and the storytelling is compelling … so I stayed. It also points towards a very different and perhaps even practical future for digital storytelling. The educational potential here is pretty exciting.
Sometimes a Good Notion 