Audience immersion explained
Audience immersion is a storytelling technique which attempts to make the audience feel as though they are a part of the story or performance, a state which may be referred to as "transportation" into the narrative, permitting high levels of suspension of disbelief.[1] Audience immersion may be used to enhance learning or to create a more realistic experience.[2] Various methods may be employed to this end, including narrative perspective in writing or technical design in the performing arts.[3] [4] An early example of audience immersion is from the 1846 travelogue Pictures from Italy by Charles Dickens, in which the narrator, speaking in the first person, addresses the reader using second-person pronouns, allowing the reader to "picture themselves with Dickens as he travels."[5]
In theatre, audio-visual technologies have been increasingly employed to increase immersion.[6] For example, the 2019 Cold War play Anna used binaural sound transmitted through headphones to make "each spectator culpable in the tale of spying, surveillance and secrets" in a voyeuristic manner.[7] Immersive theater is a style of theater that enforces audience immersion by physically placing the audience within the performance space, allowing interaction with performers, and breaking the fourth wall during the performance.[8] British theatre company Punchdrunk is well known for its immersive theatre productions, such as Sleep No More, an adaptation of Macbeth.[9]
Many audiovisual media formats including video games attempt to employ audience immersion. In video gaming, audience immersion has been studied as a strategy for promoting behavior change for the implementation of public health objectives.
Notes and References
- Lu. Amy Shirong. Baranowski. Tom. Thompson. Debbe. Buday. Richard. June 2012. Story Immersion of Videogames for Youth Health Promotion: A Review of Literature. Games for Health Journal. 1. 3. 199–204. 10.1089/g4h.2011.0012. 2161-783X. 3833363. 24416639.
- Lu. Lilly. 2013. 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas: Students' Responses and Challenges in Contemporary Art Education. Studies in Art Education. 54. 3. 232–245. 10.1080/00393541.2013.11518896. 24467862. 150559818. 0039-3541.
- Freitag. Florian. Molter. Céline. Mücke. Laura Katharina. Rapp. Helena. Schlarb. Damien B.. Sommerlad. Elisabeth. Spahr. Clemens. Zerhoch. Dominic. 2020-12-11. Immersivity: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Spaces of Immersion. Ambiances. Environnement Sensible, Architecture et Espace Urbain. en. 10.4000/ambiances.3233. 2266-839X. free.
- Shearing. David Richard. Audience Immersion and the Experience of Scenography. April 2015. PhD. The University of Leeds School of Performance and Cultural Industries., p2.
- Rutledge. Alison. 2015. Travelling Narrator, Travelling Characters: Developments in Narration and Characterization in the Novels of Dickens. Dickens Studies Annual. 46. 59. 10.7756/dsa.046.003/51-70. 44372247. 0084-9812.
- Web site: Suine. Emily. 2021-03-17. How sound design is reinventing the way we experience theatre. 2021-09-15. Happy Mag. en-US.
- Web site: Dilek. Mert. 2019-05-26. Ella Hickson's "ANNA" at The National Theatre. 2021-09-15. The Theatre Times. en-US.
- Bouko. Catherine. May 2014. Interactivity and Immersion in a media-based performance. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies. 11. 1.
- Prudhon. Deborah. 2018-07-01. Punchdrunk's Immersive Theatre: From the End to the Edge. Sillages Critiques. en. 24. 10.4000/sillagescritiques.6341. 1272-3819. free.