This semester, In English, was a concentration in ways to effectively communicate a narrative story-line. To better define our definition of what a “Narrative Story” was, we read examples of literary works, such as Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler to see complex expressions of world-building through this author’s creative development. Then it was our turn-
We started, in groups, developing characters and a loose story arc, or the events that we wanted to see in our story. Our group decided to develop a psycho-thriller based in 1850s San Francisco. We took time to create a storyboard and professional-level pitch deck for our proposed story, presenting to our class as a group of “HBO Executives.”
Logline –
“Set in the foggy streets of 1850s San Francisco, we follow washed-up pharmacist, R.C. Chambers as he balances uncovering a string of murders across the city and his own battles with drug addiction and psychosis.”
We developed the backstories of each character, developed their characteristics and personal attributes as well as the full plot summary that we wanted to see as our final structure. Our group did a really good job of collaborating and getting our ideas put together, the largest thing we struggled with was getting all our ideas out in a way that worked in conjunction, cohesively with the plot.
Throughout this project, we tried to use AI and AI digital art models to further develop our story and the specific elements of the story. In collaboration with the online platforms, we used specific prompts, extensively developed through trial-and-error to get story images and character images, in conjunction with the physical character and scene art we made. ( This type of work with AI was celebrated by teachers.)