Broadcasting companies tell stories on TV, radio and the internet. But nowadays stories can be found everywhere: on your body, in the train or on your phone. How can we use new and unexpected platforms to tell these stories? Which story suits which medium? And above all, how do you reach an audience in these particular situations? VPRO Medialab is going up and down the country with the travelling dialogue ‘VPRO Medialab Meet Up’ to find out what the future holds for storytelling. Media makers and storytellers with all kinds of backgrounds and disciplines come together to discover new things and inspire each other. Programme developers, journalists, creative coders, game designers, artists and innovation experts can all partake in these meet ups.
VPRO Medialab Meet Ups
Broadcasting companies tell stories on TV, radio and the internet. But nowadays stories can be found everywhere: on your body, in the train or on your phone. How can we use new and unexpected platforms to tell these stories? Which story suits which medium? And above all, how do you reach an audience in these particular situations? VPRO Medialab is going up and down the country with the travelling dialogue ‘VPRO Medialab Meet Up’ to find out what the future holds for storytelling. Media makers and storytellers with all kinds of backgrounds and disciplines come together to discover new things and inspire each other. Programme developers, journalists, creative coders, game designers, artists and innovation experts can all partake in these meet ups.
Five media festivals, five aspects of storytelling
Together with five national media festivals we will research five aspects of storytelling. Our first stop is TodaysArt on 23 September, which focuses on non-fiction stories: how does one imagine and tell non-fictional formats differently? At Cinekid in October the focus will be on Immersive stories: how do you lure children into a story with mixed reality formats like VR and AR? Stories in Data at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam in November will dive into data journalism and visualisation, and during Eurosonic/Noorderslag in Groningen Spreading Stories will be the main subject. Then finally, at STRP Biënnale in March 2017 all these chapters come together and the fifth aspect, Mobile Storytelling, is added at a big conference.
Meet the makers
We will invite six inspirational (inter)national makers to each VPRO Medialab Meet Up, together with the relevant media festival. After two of their presentations about storytelling you can join the group with your favourite storyteller. In a small setting, you can then together examine and research how the medium influences the story, if the format is appropriate to the medium and how you can help the maker, and he you.
Moderator: Elfie Tromp
Elfie Tromp is an awarded author of novels, columns, plays and essays. She's an eager storyteller and host that is always looking for the best way to get a message across to her audience. She joins VPRO Medialab on this traveling dialogue to host all five Meet Ups.
Conclusion by Geert-Jan Bogaerts
Geert-Jan is head of the department Digital at VPRO, of which the VPRO Medialab is a part. In this position he is responsible for digital channels and innovation and distribution strategy. He is also entrepreneur in his new media consultancy Raker. Previously he taught at the University of Groningen, consulted on new media strategies, lectured and headed workshops at different media and marketing companies. Each Meet Up, Geert-Jan will conclude the event with a short presentation.