i-Docs: Interactivity, Documentary and Memories

The ways in which new forms of storytelling and new technologies affect narration in documentary film remains an important issue. Theorists agree that the representation of collective and individual memories has changed
and will continue to change as the process of writing a story constantly moves from traditional supports (i.e. books) to more advanced ones (i.e. table computers). Indeed, I will illustrate through the analysis of a number of
interactive documentaries, how different and very contemporary degrees of interactivity are changing the way in which documentary storytelling relates to reality. Furthermore, my aim is to answer specific questions: What kind
of invitation does the i-doc issue to his/her spectator? And how does the computer (or other) screen influence the spectatorial experience? In these productions the audience gains access to information through participation in the
digital space, thus becoming cognitively engaged whilst interacting with the interface. In my article, I will also explore the relationships between digital technologies and the representation of the real world through the collective memories of a specifi c community. My case study is the recent Welcome to Pine Point, a web documentary (originally written as a book) which is a creative linear collection of material from and about Pine Point—a Canadian town that was destroyed in the 1980s.