Dr Brad Gyori
- 01202 961245
- bgyori at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2455-7527
- Principal Academic in Digital Story Telling (Broadcast)
- Weymouth House W444, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB
Biography
Dr Bradford Gyori is a Principal Academic in Digital Storytelling at Bournemouth University. The program leader for the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing, Gyori has worked as a writer-producer for such networks as MTV, VH1, E!, FX and HBO online. He was the head writer of the Emmy winning series Talk Soup. His scholarly articles have appeared in The Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journalism, Interactive Storytelling, and others. His short fiction has appeared in The Mystery Tribune, Museums Journal and others. His practice-led projects include the location-aware story Shelley’s Heart and the immersive audio play Mr. Illusion. He leads various outreach initiatives including ComMent men’s writing workshops, Rising Voices showcase for BIPOC writers, Allies in Action intersectional storytelling scheme, DISC interactive storytelling project with young offenders, and Memory Markers, an initiative seeking to improve socialisation for people living with dementia via AI enhanced creative collaboration... Gyori has been commissioned by Bloomsbury to author Designing Minds: Thinking like a digital interactive storyteller (expected Summer 2024).
moreResearch
I study how new media stories work by creating them. My practice-based research includes elements that are interactive, multi-media, transmedia and location-aware. I am particularly interested in how different virtual and physical contexts influence User Experience (UX), narrative enjoyment, retention and comprehension.
I am a Practice Led Researcher. I make stories in order to understand how stories work. Key characteristics...
• Social – influenced by the crowd
• Interactive – influenced by the individual
• Locative – influenced by the context of engagement
• Multi-Modal – influenced various mediums and platforms
The research questions I explore are…
1. How does merging contexts of engagement (physical, theatrical and virtual) influence User Experience?
2. What designs best promote associative learning?
3. How do the poetics of path and place influence narrative pleasures and meanings?
My current project, Shelley’s Heart, involves collaborations with students and staff from diverse disciplines including creative writing, game design, animation, and filmmaking. I have also teamed up with industry professionals, including local actors, web designers and sound designers. Shelley’s Heart centres on two local heritage sites (St. Peter’s Church in Bournemouth and The Shelley Theatre in Boscombe). It has been awarded funding from the Bournemouth Borough Council and Bournemouth University.
In November of 2018, I directed a staged production of Shelley’s Heart at the Shelley Theatre. Elaborating on multi-media assets from this production, our team is now creating an interactive location-aware story experience. This iteration of Shelley’s Heart will be unveiled on October 31st 2018 (Halloween) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The project debut coincides with an academic conference host by AUB and the launch of the annual Shelley Frankenstein Festival...
The app will be freely available to the public for years to come and will function as both a tourism draw and an educational tool. It features 4 intersecting story-paths including information about 4 key literary figures: Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and John Keats.
moreFrom 2015-2020, Dr Brad Gyori designed the Shelley's Heart Transmedia Learning Experience. Its research aim: promoting cultural education across multiple media platforms.
Tying the Shelley Tomb in Bournemouth to the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein (2018), Gyori secured £12,000 in funding. He then investigated the mechanics of interactive education tools and read biographies of Mary Shelley and the Romantics. Via an Action Research methodology, prototypes and user tests were developed and best practices were identified across three platforms:
Theatrical (2017) – An interactive stage version presented in the Shelley Theatre in Boscombe took two hours to perform but contained six hours of available material. To keep the budget reasonable, Gyori filmed eight ghostly characters who appeared on screens around the stage and interacted with three live actors. During the first performance, the audience voted to skip key scenes, so the voting mechanic was subsequently altered to limit such choices.
Locative (2018) – Creating a locative story set in St. Peter’s churchyard meant shifting to a single-player interface, so Gyori split the story into four paths, each representing the perspective of a different character. As location-aware narratives requires participant to hike trails and brave harsh weather, he reduced the number of scenes per path (from 15 to 10) and their length (from 3 minutes to 1). Participants at the debut requested more narrative context, so an introductory text was added... Also, some of the geo links were widened to make them more responsive.
Desktop (2019) – As desktop users sought more immersion, Gyori re-envisioned the participant as a ghost engaging with supernatural social media platforms to unlock educational content. This version can reach students in a classroom setting, allowing them to explore the churchyard remotely. The static map solves tracking issues, and animated gifs replace videos making for a fluid interface and lower data usage.
moreJournal Articles
- Pope, J. and Gyori, B., 2023. Branching Paths: Using digital interactive storytelling to encourage marginalized young people to engage with creative writing. Writing in Education, Spring 2023 (89), 41-48.
- Gyori, B. and Zaluczkowska, A., 2022. How we role: The collaborative role-playing poetics of the Secret Story Network. Journal of Screenwriting, 13 (2), 207-230.
- Pope, J. and Gyori, B., 2021. Decision Points. Writing in Education, 18-25.
- Gyori, B., 2019. Reanimating Shelley’s Heart: breathing new life into locative learning with dual process design. Media Practice and Education, 20 (4).
- Gyori, B. and Charles, M., 2018. Designing Journalists: Teaching Journalism Students to Think Like Web Designers. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 73 (2), 200-217.
- Gyori, B., 2016. POV X 3: Helping journalism students juxtapose author, actor and audience. Journalism Education, 5 (2), 27-36.
- Charles, M., Gyori, B., Urbina Peñuela, J. and Wolters, S., 2015. Target: BACRIM. Combining fact and fiction to create an interactive documentary game. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 9445.
- Gyori, B., 2013. Naming Neda: Digital Discourse and the Rhetorics of Association. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 57 (4), 482-503.
- Gyori, B., 2013. Mentorship Modes: Strategies for Influencing Interactive Learners. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning.
- Gyori, B., 2013. Flow Favorites: Ethics of Exposure. Flow, 17 (13).
- Gyori, B., 2013. Ethics of Exposure. Flow, 17 (08).
- Gyori, B., 2013. Fair and Balanced Philosophy. Flow, 17 (11).
- Gyori, B., 2012. Breaking Dad. Flow, 17 (04).
Chapters
- Gyori, B., 2018. Creating Kismet: What artists can teach academics about serendipity. In: Goggin, M. and Goggin, P., eds. Serendipity in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research. University Press of Colorado, 246-256.
- Gyori, B., 2015. Britain's Got Tories: Yank Scholar on U.K. Lifestyle Politics. In: Jackson, D.A.N. and Thorsen, E., eds. UK Election Analysis 2015: Media, Voters and the Campaign: Early reflections from UK leading academics. Bournemouth University: Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community, 87.
Conferences
- Karathanasopoulou, E., Amelidis, P., Gyori, B., Sharp, M. and Gee, M., 2023. Exploring affect in creative media practice- Panel Presentation. In: BFX Festival 20-25 November 2023 Hilton, Bournemouth.
- Gyori, B. and Pope, J., 2020. Two digital writing projects in secondary schools. In: NAWE 22019 8-10 November 2019 York.
- Jones, A., Gyori, B., Hargood, C., Charles, F. and Green, D., 2018. Shelley's Heart: Experiences in Designing a Multi-Reader Locative Narrative. In: Narrative and Hypertext 2018 9 July 2018 Baltimore.
- Pope, J. and Gyori, B., 2017. Digital Storytelling in the Community. In: MIX Digital 10-12 July 2017 Bath Spa University.
Reports
- Gyori, B., Purcell, W., Gyori, C., Kazakova, T. and Dain, D., 2020. Purpose-Driven Leadership for the 21st Century: Transitioning to a Purpose-First Economy Through the New Business Logic. UK: Leaders on Purpose. Available from: https://www.leadersonpurpose.com/2020-ceo-study.
Internet Publications
- Gyori, B. and Rafter, S., 2018. Shelley's Heart: Locative Learning Tool. Storyplace. Available from: http://www.shelleysheart.com/.
Others
PhD Students
- Michael Gaines. ‘God of Mischief: An investigation into the adaptation and appropriation of ‘Loki’ within narrative media.’, (In progress)
- Jayne Rowney. Spectatorship and Morbid Curiosity in Domestic Psychological Fiction: Metacognition, self-perception and self-representation in domestic noir. A practice-led project., (In progress)
- Richard Waring. “Negotiating artistic identities through sonic art co-creation between students and tutor", (In progress)
Invited Lectures
-
Storytelling Fundamentals for Documentary Films, BU's Talbot Campus, 14 Mar 2018 more
Storytelling basics for documentary filmmakers -
Storytelling Fundamentals for Documentary Films, BU's Talbot Campus, 15 Mar 2017 more
Storytelling basics for documentary filmmakers -
Storytelling Fundamentals for Documentary Films, BU's Talbot Campus, 16 Mar 2016 more
Storytelling basics for documentary filmmakers -
Documentary Storytelling Fundamentals, BU's Talbot campus, 11 Mar 2015 more
Providing an overview of storytelling fundamentals related to documentary production -
Writing Political Comedy, Bournemouth University, 04 Feb 2015 more
Political Comedy Writing Workshop
Grants
- Picturing and voicing responsible online gambling (Economic and Social Research Council, 11 Sep 2020). Completed
- Shelley's Heart Location-Aware Story (Bournemouth Borough Council, 08 Jun 2018). Awarded
- Shelley's Heart Location-Aware Story (BU QR Fund, 12 May 2018). Awarded
- Shelley's Heart Location-Aware Story (BU QR Fund, 12 May 2018). Awarded
- Shelley's Heart Location-Aware Story (TREF, 17 Jun 2017). Awarded
Internal Responsibilities
- Chair/assessor, Undergraduate research conference SURE 2022
- Features and Online 2 Level Tutor, BAMMJ
- Broadcast Journalism 2 Unit Tutor, BAMMJ
- Level 5 Tutor, BAMMJ
Public Engagement & Outreach Activities
- Celebration of Humanities talk (21 Jun 2022)
- I Am Writing Festival, Winchester (12 Jun 2022)
- Winchester Writers Festival (18 Jun 2021-20 Jun 2021)
- Shelley's Heart (31 Oct 2018)
- Gaming Group Genius (16 Jun 2018)
- Interactive Digital Storytelling Community Outreach
Conference Presentations
- NAWE Conference, Locating Shelley’s Heart, 08 Nov 2019, York
- NAWE, Two Digital Writing Projects in Secondary Schools, 08 Nov 2019, York
- MIX, Digital Storytelling in the Community, 10 Jul 2017, Bath Spa
- MIX, Gaming Group Genius: Workshop, 10 Jul 2017, Bath Spa
- English and Shared Futures, Reanimating the Romantics: Bringing Shelley’s Heart Back to Life, 05 Jul 2017, Newcastle Civic Centre
- MeCCSA Annual Conference 2017, BU Innovation Booth at MeCCSA 2017: Turn your research into resources for social change, 11 Jan 2017, Leeds University
- IFLab Code Booster, Target BACRIM, 01 Nov 2016, Leipzig, German
- AoIR (The Association of Internet Researchers), data-storytelling workshop, 05 Oct 2016, Berlin, Germany
- IFLab Design Booster, Target BACRIM, 16 Aug 2016, Malmo, Sweden
- IFLab. Story Booster, Target BACRIM workshop, 10 May 2016, Leuven, Belgium
- ICIDS (The International Conference of Interactive Digital Storytelling, Target BACRIM: Blurring Fact and Fiction to Create an Interactive Documentary Game, 01 Dec 2015, Denmark at Aalborg University’s campus in central Copenhagen
- MES (Media Education Summit), POV X 3, 20 Nov 2015, Boston, Emerson University
- Communication Media Managers Association (CMMA), 20 Nov 2014, Pasadena, CA
Honours
- Finalist, Dramatic Screenplay: Mystic Hour (Austin Film Festival, 2005)
- Semi-finalist: Variations on a Dream (Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, 2004)
- Gold Medal, Dramatic Screenplay: Variations on a Dream (Houston Worldfest, 2003)
- Nomination, Best Special Class Writing: Talk Soup (Emmy Awards, 1997)
- Best Special Class Writing: Talk Soup (Emmy Awards, 1996)
- Nomination, Best Special Class Programming: Talk Soup (Emmy Awards, 1996)
- Best Special Class Programming: Talk Soup (Emmy Awards, 1995)
- Best Special Class Writing: Talk Soup (Emmy Awards, 1995)
Memberships
- AJE, Member (2014-), http://ajeuk.org/
- MeCCSA, Member (2014-), http://www.meccsa.org.uk/
Website Links
- This is the website promoting my location-aware story experience, educational tool and practice-led research project, Shelley's Heart., https://www.shelleysheart.com/