Smart Storytelling 4 communities

Abstract

This presentation will explore the recent work of the Smart Storytelling Consortium. As a collaboration between the SIR], Social Innovation Research Institute and MINA, the Mobile Innovation Network and Association, Dr. Max Schleser and Dr. Hilary Davis initiated the Smart Storytelling Day, which brought together different non-government organisations (NGOs) and community groups to explore the poten­tial of Smart Storytelling for community engagement. As one of its first initiatives Tales from Yarriambiack Shire, a web series commissioned by Yarriambiack Shire Tourism was produced in 2018-9. The application of Smartphone filmmaking will be explored in the context of 'Mobile Screens and the rise of new audiences, practic­es and technologies'. We understand audiences not as passive viewers, but co-cre­ators of the smart stories (Schleser et al., 2018). Hilary Davis's contribution will illustrate how the non-hierarchal approach supports empowering of storytellers through mobile storytelling, as observed in our other community engaged smart-phone filmmaking projects such as 60+ Online (Davis et al., 2018). Hilary Davis is a social scientist interested in how digital technologies generally, and digital story­telling in particular, may support people from diverse communities living with disadvantage. As a filmmaker Dr. Schleser produced mobile-mentaries (mobile documentaries) (Schleser, 2011) and community projects that demonstrate how storytelling and smartphone filmmaking can make a difference for the way commu­nities represent themselves as exemplified in Spirit of Rangatahi or E Vaine Toa. Max Schleser will review the current trends and directions in smartphone filmmak­ing through the International Mobile Innovation Screening. During the last eight