Daniel LaCosse N17915938 Rationale

Narrat iv e Const raint s of Media

An Overview

There is a curious assumption about the nature of media that warrants a more precise investigation that each medium has a specific nature... which predisposes it toward facilitating ...certain kinds of communications while obstructing others.1 Naturally, as every communication is a narrative construct2 , these communicative properties easily translate to narrative ones. Perhaps, then, it is best for the narrator to, depending on what they intend to communicate, pick and choose the proper medium/media that might best conduct that information through resonant metaphor3 and design. In order to do this, however, the narrator must first understand to their best ability a) what is at fault for these differences in narrative quality and b) what these differences in narrative quality actually are4 .

There are a series of four constraints that must be set in order for any medium to be defined, as no two media have the same exact sequence of constraint5 . In order to include all possible means of narrative effect, it is necessary to begin in the broadest terms possible the laws of reality. The relevant phenomena which make up a medium, and their properties, serve as our first definitional constraint. These are the most inert and broadest constraints the aspiring narrator must face, as physical phenomena are the cloth which constitute our sensory experience. Its the task of the narrator to cut this cloth to their specifications;

Phenomena Pressure Waves Electromagnetic Waves Quantum Waves

1

Sensor Ears Eyes Body

Sense Aural Visual Tactual

See Kracauer, Siegfried. "Theory of Film." Essays on Photography. See Fisher, Narrative as a Human Communication Paradigm 3 A Resonant Metaphor is a metaphor in which an aspect of a mediums nature is resonant with thematics or aspects of the conveyed Narrative. 4 Likened to McLuhans inventory of effect See, The Medium is the Massage 5 Similar to an electrons principal quantum numbers.
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Pressure Waves Sound arises from a linear series of vibrations, variations in pressure, or waves, generated by disturbances in the environment. The speed at which these vibrations travel is dependent on several factors; temperature, altitude, compressibility, and density of the medium, though typically sound waves travel in the open air at about 340 meters per second6 . Remember, sound is the vibration of matter, not matter itself. Electromagnetic Waves Light is constituent of a different, electromagnetic wave. The photon, a wave-particle of light, is the fastest thing in the universe, with an absolute velocity of 300 million meters per second. It just so happens that this is the natural speed limit of our universe7 . The local speed of light is not dependent on temperature and density, like sounds, but rather whats known as the index of refraction, a ratio between the absolute and local light speeds in a particular medium8 . This refractive index is crucial in calculating how light bends and transitions across different optical environments. Quantum Waves Physical objects, which, to our naked perceptions appear to be governed by a set of simple, Newtonian mechanics, are at this point fundamentally goverened by a probabilistic, quantum wavelength, which is not generally understood and currently begs multiple, conflicting interpretations9 . The continuous-yet-discreet nature of the quanta is baffling, worthy of continued and generous research.
These three phenomena clearly share one common mathematical architecture the wave, or, the

one-dimensional projection of a spinning disc over time10 ;

6 7

See Giancoli, Physics for Scientists & Engineers See Einstein, Relativity: The Special and General Theory 8 Medium here referring to a material, such as glass. 9 Im personally a fan of the Everett Interpretation. 10 See Porphyry, Vita Pythagorae.

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Fig 1: How a wave is generated.

If you were to take a turntable and put a small mark at one point along the edge, youll see the mark travel the circumference of the disk as the turntable spins. Chart that mark's progress along a traditional Cartesian axis, and after one full revolution of the mark you placed, your chart will have generated the pattern of the wave; a single wavelength. It is astonishing to me that the concept of the cycle not only lies buried deep in the explanations for our physical realities, but also within the motifs of mythological and historical narrative11 . Themes of life and death, creation and destruction, and rise-and-fall are so prevalent in myth12 that to outline them in a few sentences would not do them justice, not to mention the many other cyclical themes that mirror them. Our lives are guided by the cycle on all levels. Goethe's Faust said it best;

11 12

See Joseph Campbell, The Power of the Myth Narrative even has a cycle as its driving force - dramatic tension, powered by the alternation of conflict and resolution.

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See how the setting sun, with ruddy glow, The green-embosomed hamlet fires. He sinks and fades, the day is lived and gone. He hastens forth new scenes of life to waken. O for a wing to lift and bear me on, And on to where his last rays beckon. It was this very passage that inspired the inventor Nikola Tesla to realize that alternating (or, cyclical) current would be a natural and more efficient means of transmitting electricity13 . The cycles of life, light and the universe march onward and are the narrators playthings.

The second of our four constraints are biological in nature, concerning our senses and the cognitive perceptions derived from their input. These biological systems were developed over millions of generations with respect to both surrounding phenomena and necessity for survival14 . Our worldly experience is constricted by the specifications15 of our sensors and the cognitive processes by which we perceive. For example, one of the most universal forms of perceptual-cognitive processing is habituation. If a stimuli remains present, but constant, over time, our brain begins to ignore that source16 . From an evolutionary perspective, this is sensible, as only dynamic events threaten survival. In more literary terms: change begets change.17 Immediately this is useful information for the narrator, for if successful narration is dependent on good conveyance, a narrative will fail to habituation should nothing dynamic occur. This brings to the table many crucial considerations. What can be seen? What can be heard? To what degree can we differentiate between stimuli? Knowledge of the perceptual systems relevant to the medium in question will inform the narrator how best to convey their story;

13 14

See Seifer, Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla See Darwin, Descent of Man 15 Specifications here used in a similar fashion to how you might talk about a computer's abilities and limitations (processing power, RAM, etc.) 16 See Pavlov, Conditioned Reflexes 17 See Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapter 18

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Ears Once sound is funneled and focused through the primary ear canal, it reaches a series of small series of hairs which vibrate in sympathy to the spectrum of waves that enter18 , picking up vibrations from anywhere between 20 to 20,000 cycles per second (or Hertz). These hair vibrations generate signals that are separated into and recognized by their respective frequencies19 when processed in the auditory cortex of the brain. Eyes An array of components known as rods and cones across the back of the eye (or the cornea) are responsible for the reception of the electromagnetic waves that enter through the iris. Rods are indicators of contrast (black and white) and cones detect color. There are three different cones, one for each primary color20 . Our visual system only registers in a relatively constrained set of frequencies across the electromagnetic spectrum specifically, frequencies between 400 to 790 tetrahertz21 . By comparison, electromagnetic waves have a wide range of frequencies that span several magnitudes;

Fig. 2: The Visible EM Spectrum.

These signals are run through a long complex series of cognitive Gestalt processes that are themselves not yet fully understood. There are several models present for explaining the processes of feature detection, such as Oliver Selfridges Pandemonium, but I wont bother you with specifics, its enough to know that theyre there.

18 19

See Wolfe, Sensation & Perception A process that is known mathematically as a Fourier Transformation. See Papoulis, Signal Analysis. 20 Red, Green, and Blue. These colors are perceptually equidistant, even though post-processing they do not appear to be. 21 Our visual limitations are far greater than those of frequency detection, however. For example, cones require more light to function properly than rods do, which causes our low light perception to appear desaturated in certain instances.

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Body Touch and movement require the largest allotment of bodily real estate the skin, the nervous system, muscles, bones. Body functions on at least two levels; the sensation of touch, and a more subtle sensory process, known as proprioception22 . There are three stages of touch the detection of contact, processing in the sensory and motor cortices, and the muscular implementation of that process23 , a sequence that on the whole usually takes a total of 240 milliseconds. This process prevents us from reacting, and interacting, at certain speeds. Weber's sensory circle maps24 chart the varying degrees of sensitivity to which different areas of skin can determine fluctuations in direct pressure. The architectural design of our sensory organs have an abstract corollary; their dimensional constraint. Consider the ear while aural-spatial 'experiments'25 have been conducted to demonstrate how one might experience a multi-dimensional narrative of sound, the roots of music and sound lie along temporal lines. A duration of time must pass for a sound to vary and be perceived; time is the dimension that cannot be stripped from a work of pure sound. These outer constraints (together, the mediums physical-physiological constraints) are for the most part absolute and immutable, for we cannot change the laws of physics, nor the way we interact with them26 . The inner constraints are much more flexible, and are constantly in flux expanding and changing with human consciousness and progress.

The first of these inner constraints is the more difficult to define; one might call it creativity or cultural creativity or the field of influence. For the sake of being succinct well call it the first of these terms, creativity. The creative constraint is the limit in, metaphorically, the idiom the skys the limit, in that it can be thought of as the field of ideas and influences that are currently held in the cultural consciousness which pertain to the medium in question. It includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the
22 23

Proprioception is the bodys own awareness of its position in space Steve Swink, Game Feel

Which involves a proprioceptual consideration. See Weber, E. H. Weber on the Tactile Senses 25 by way of Edgar Varse; See Norton, A History of Western Music 26 Though implants and the progress of technology could rapidly change that fact. Id argue that our foundational biology would still remain intact, however.
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breadths of a mediums literature, philosophy, art and myth humanitys associated creations and constructs and its potential for further creation and construct. This realm is the ideological material that is present in the narrators consciousness, a material that must be remixed27 in order for original narrative to occur. This is not to say that a mediums definition changes from person to person based on their knowledge of it and their creativity, at least, not in the absolute sense. The absolute definition of a medium is based on a worldwide field of influence, while the local definition is, in essence, based on an individual or small groups knowledge, ideas, and capabilities. Unfortunately theres no time to go into the dynamics between local and absolute media, I only bring it up to clarify that Im discussing media only in the absolute, theoretical sense.

The fourth and final constraint is of a technical nature; it regards the faculty of the narrator, the capacity to which one can execute their narrative. In the absolute and theoretical sense, faculty is foremost limited by available technology28 . In the local sense, faculty is limited by economics29 and skill
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. The constant flux of the inner, creative-facultive constraints the shifts, expansions,

contractions are each linked to great historical implications that have shaped our progress. For the moment, youll have to use your imagination to determine what these links might be. As of now, I think its best we recap with an example, putting this system of constraints to effect;

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See http://www.everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/ The idea of standarization comes to mind; See http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/945 29 It is interesting to consider, however, the limitations of global economics; See http://www.peopleandplanet.net/?lid=30307&section=33&topic=23 30 Which is kind of like a local technology.

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Film Physical Constraints: Pressure Waves, Electromagnetic Waves Physiological Constraints: Ear, Eye

Digital Game Physical Constraints: Pressure Waves, Electromagnetic Waves, Quantum Waves Physiological Constraints: Ear, Eye, Body

Creative Constraints: Creative Constraints: Film Genre, Hollywood Unoriginality, Continuity of Player Control, Gameplay is of Theatre, Story is of ultimate importance, etc. ultimate importance etc. Facultive Constraints: Facultive Constraints: Camera and Optical Technologies, Crane Theoretical Maximal Processing Power, Mobility, Available Actors, etc. Standardized Game Controllers, etc.

You can see the impermanent nature of the Creative-Facultive constraints come out, as Im only able to represent each mediums qualities with examples and not all-inclusive concepts like sight. The inner constraints are much more difficult to point out in nature, as they are more dynamic, and have a kind of inherent uncertainty principle31 built in. Now, the main advantage of representing different media in this way is that we can begin to compare them, even add and subtract them, in theory. Lets see what this addition might look like;

Film + Digital Game Physical Constraints: Pressure Waves, Electromagnetic Waves, Quantum Waves Physiological Constraints: Ear, Eye, Body Creative Constraints: Film Genre, Hollywood Unoriginality, Theatre, Continuity of Player Control, Gameplay and Story of ultimate importance, etc. Facultive Constraints: Camera and Optical Technologies, Crane Mobility, Available Actors, Theoretical Maximal Processing Power, Standardized Game Controllers, etc.

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of Heisenbergian ire, this should explain the idea and its current scientific status; http://phys.org/news/2012-09-scientists-renowned-uncertainty-principle.html

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The procedure behind adding the outer constraints is well-defined between the two media, all traits that appear are counted once in the final, media hybrid. Adding the inner constraints is a bit more difficult its harder to say what carries over or how different concepts mesh together. Its an idea that requires a more meticulous study, and at this point is merely a matter of speculation. I personally suspect that theres a more universal method for adding these media, one which carries across all four constraints. The ultimate goal of this is that, one day, well be more acutely aware, as narrators, of how to craft the media that are most conducive to the stories we aspire to tell.

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Pre-Modern Aristotle, Aristotle, Boethius, Cennini, Newton, Pindar, Plato, Poetics Metaphysics De Musica Il Libro dellArte Opticks Pythian Odes Ion Sciences Darwin, Moore, Senior, Swink, Tufte, Weston, Descent of Man Schrodinger, Life and Thought Mixing Secrets Game Feel The Visual Display of Quantitative Information Directing Actors Humanities Benjamin, Campbell, Derrida, Fischer, McCloud, McLuhan, Panofsky, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction The Power of Myth Memoirs of the Blind Human Communication as Narrative Paradigm Understanding Comics The Medium is the Massage Perspective as Symbolic Form