Sam Haren
Daniel Koerner and Sam Haren are extremely passionate about creating work that can engage audiences through unexpected ways that usually make the audience an active part of the work. The pair is behind Sandpit — a collaborative company that works to immerse audiences into a storytelling experience.
Last year, they were moderators for one of the Melbourne WebFest panels called “Beyond The Buzzword: Transmedia Storytelling”. Sam and Daniel, along with Kylie Robertson and Christy Dena, talked about how storytelling experiences can engage an audience and how it’s a good way for content producers to create new ways to immerse their audience.
This year, Sam and Dan will be running one of Melbourne WebFest’s professional workshops.
Their experience design workshop will be exploring how emerging technologies can be used to create immersive, participatory storytelling. From wearable displays to locative beacons, their workshop will explore the storytelling possibilities within the many new technologies and platforms around us, and how they can be used to create immersive storytelling experiences for audiences.
“It’s great to be part of an event like the Melbourne WebFest that is bringing together grassroots creators who are creating great things for audiences who deeply love it,” says Sam.
Sandpit has already had a busy start to 2014. So far they have created an interactive web experience as a companion to a theatre work Girl Asleep by Windmill Theatre. This production is soon to be adapted into a feature film.
Dan Koerner
They have also worked with Penguin Books to create an interactive storytelling project called Dial-A-Story, where people are able to dial a number into specially placed telephone booths around Australia and hear a story from an author.
The Sandpit duo have also been traveling around London and Iceland to do some research for a couple of their new future projects. They have received funding from the Australia Council for a three-year initiative that will explore the role of emerging technologies in live performance. They will be viewing storytelling possibilities through different gadgets and digital platforms that are being created in today’s technology advanced world. The grant will allow Sandpit to do a number of workshops around South Australia, and Melbourne WebFest is lucky to be able to offer their expertise to its series creators.
Sandpit recently created a multi-platform extension involving a mobile application and a physical photo booth for the film 52 Tuesdays. The feature was released in May last year and was met with very positive reviews. Sandpit’s extension project was also presented at the New Frontiers programme at Sundance.
“Dan and I have a fairly eclectic background, including creating interactive live performance, music videos, films, and web and mobile applications – and we bring this mix of experiences to the work we make,” says Sam.
Melbourne WebFest is excited to have Sam and Dan share their expertise and experience at this year’s festival.
Tickets are available via EventBrite.
Elizabeth Alderslade is a third year Journalism student at Swinburne University. She was born and raised in the Barossa Valley. Moving to Melbourne, she settled into the city becoming a coffee connoisseur and music enthusiast. She spends her time writing music reviews for The 59th Sound and articles for The Swine, her university newspaper.