In my opinion, Whale Hunt is a database that is also a narrative. According to Lev Manovich, a database is a structured collection of data. Whale Hunt meets that criterion. Manovich quotes Mieke Bal, defining a narrative as a cultural object ” ‘that should contain both an actor and a narrator; it also should contain three distinct levels consisting of the text, the story, and the fabula; and its ‘contents’ should be ‘a series of connected events caused or experienced by actors.’ ” Further, Manovich asserts that a new media narrative is usually interactive. In the case of Whale Hunt, the work is interactive. Since the work is a documentary rather than fiction, I’m not sure how that aspect fits into Bal’s definition of narrative. More important to me is the fact that Jonathan Harris considers his project to be a narrative. On the “Interface” link, Harris explains the challenge he faced related to creating the interface. The database includes 3,214 pictures. Harris wanted an interface that would preserve the story and minimize picture download time. He definitely achieved the goal.
Taking each of Bal’s criteria one-by-one:
- Does Whale Hunt contain both an actor and a narrator? In my opinion, Jonathan Harris is the primary actor, and Michael Moore, through the lens of his camera, is the narrator.
- Does the work contain the distinct levels of text, story, and fabula? It is commonly expressed that a picture is worth a thousand words. Although a text does not accompany the pictures, enough information is given in the “statement” that a story naturally forms through the sequential presentation of the data. Related to the term fabula, I cannot find a definition for this term.
- Is the content a series of connected events caused or experienced by actors? Whale Hunt definitely fits this criterion. The entire narrative relates to the experience of Jonathan Harris.
Based on my application of Mieke Bal’s definition of narrative, Whale Hunt conforms to the model and is a narrative.
Whale Hunt is truly a spectacular experience. As a person who loves nature and the outdoors but also respects the unique ways of life represented by indigenous peoples, I was spellbound by this piece. Harris’s trip is the experience of a lifetime-an experience that everyone can share through the database of Whale Hunt.
You say “Although a text does not accompany the pictures, enough information is given in the “statement” that a story naturally forms,” but if you check the options at the bottom, there is a captions button. With this, you get a brief not on each picture, such as what’s being done, or who the main people in the shot are. Additionally, there are indirect bits of text at the bottom through different mouse-over features. These include cast, location, and other helpful bits of knowledge.
As far as the term fabula is concerned, the closest I could trace it was some French word roughly equating to fable. Still, I ignored it.
This is about the same conclusion I came to overall. Manovich’s definitions provide enough overlap to comfortably place the piece in both categories, and I certainly feel it belongs in both.