The Papercut Arcade: CYOW 4 Promo Video Transcript: Host: Jon Dawes Video Transcript: Christopher Slater, 2021 Text and Audio Transcript: Jon Dawes and Kay Slater, 2021 For more information: https://thepapercutarcade.ca/2021/choose-your-own-way-4-blackout/ The video is 6 minutes long in spoken English. Closed captions are available. Content considerations: The police are mentioned as a story path option in an option, and some PG13 language is used in one project (and is written in the visual description below. INTRODUCTION: 0:00 [ The grey and red thumbprint and papercut icon appears alongside The Papercut Arcade in white text on a black screen. ] [ ♫ Ominous piano music ♫ ] 00:00:07 ( Keyboard clicking sounds ) [ In black typewriter style text on a white bar, the words: "Choose Your Own Way - Blackout 4/X", below that in white typewriter text on a black background, the words: "CYOW 4: Blackout #cyow4 #cyow2021 Jam Events: April 1st through 30th 2021, Salon Event: May 22nd, 2021" ] 00:00:08 - 0:19 [ Below the previous text, a white cursor bar moves from left to right as characters appear one at a time in white type writer text, spelling out the words: "The spark. You have an idea. You can't wait to get started." ] 00:00:23 - 0:32 [ Below the previous text, the white cursor bar continues as characters appear one at a time in red type writer text, spelling the words: "And then you black out." ] 00:00:32 - 0:39 [ The cursor bar blinks a few times on a new line, then the screen fades to black. ] [ ♫ Slow, simple and suspenseful piano music ♫ ] WELCOME: 00:00:43 [ The screen fades in on black and white video of a middle-aged man in black-rimmed glasses speaking. The camera is shooting him slightly from below and a couple of paintings hung on the wall are mostly off-camera or are obscured by the speaker. To the right and behind the speaker, there is a horse sculpture the edge of a white curtain peeks in from off-camera. ] Jon Dawes: Hello! My name is Jon Dawes and I'm here to invite you to participate in another artistic event hosted by The Papercut Arcade. [ Cut to a black title screen where the white title text fades in. The text reads: "CYOW 4 Blackout" ] Jon: This one is called "CYOW 4: Blackout" and it's taking place over the next month. [ The text fades out, and we cut back to the speaker. ] Jon: Let me explain what this all means. [ Cut to a black title screen where the white title text fades in. The text reads: "Choose Your Own Way CYOW" The text fades out, and we cut back to the speaker. ] Jon: First of all, "CYOW" stands for "Choose Your Own Way" and refers to a kind of story in which the direction of the plot is chosen by the reader. In paper book form, it would go something like this: [ Cut to video of two a person's hands in front of a white background. The hands are holding an American one-dollar bill. The hands flip the bill to show the back facing of it. ] Jon: "You see a hundred dollar bill lying on the sidewalk. If you pick it up and keep it, go to page 75. [ Cut to a single right hand holding the bill in the middle between its first two fingers. Another hand reaches down from off the top of the screen to take the bill. As the hand from above gets closer to the bill, the hand holding it pulls away. White text with black outline fades in over the video as the video fades to white. The text reads: "If you keep it, Go to page 75" ] Jon: If you pick it up and take it to the police, go to page 86. [ Cut to the hand holding the bill again, as the other hand from above reaches down to take the bill. As the bill exchanges hands, white text with black outline fades onto the screen. The text reads, "If you take it to the police, Go to page 86". The hand from above disappears to the top of the screen, taking the bill with it. The original hand retracts off the bottom of the screen. The text fades out. ] Jon: If you ignore it and keep walking, go to page 50." [ Cut to a video of a well cleared dirt path through a forested area. Bushes line the path, and large trees can be seen behind them and in the background. A woman in a beige hat and jacket and wearing white pants skips away from the camera down the path. White text with black outline fades in as the video fades to white. The text reads, "If you ignore it, Go to page 50" Then the text fades away. Fade back to the black and white video of the speaker. ] CYOW, THE HISTORY AND PROJECTS Jon: Turning to the listed page would take the reader to the next part of *their* story, where they would find more branches in the plot until they reach one of multiple endings. Book form isn't the only way to tell such a story, though, and we encourage our artists to use any medium they like. The main thing is that the person experiencing the artwork gets to make choices that can take them in different directions. [ Cut to a colour photograph of various people, some sitting at folding plastic tables, some standing. The photo pans and zooms in on three laptops that rest on the central table. Then it returns back to the speaker (Jon). ] Jon: So, that's "CYOW". The reason we're calling it "CYOW 4" is that this is the fourth time we've done this kind of event. From its inception, there have always been people who brought digital stories to this event, but last year, because of pandemic restrictions, we presented all of our stories digitally and we will be doing the same this year. [ Cut to a screenshot of a page from website of The Papercut Arcade. Specifically the page for CYOW 3, the previous event of the series. It contains links to itch.io and Discord and each of the members of the collective who participated in the event. The screenshot zooms in. Cut to a screenshot of the itch.io page that show about a dozen of the different projects from CYOW 3. There is a title, image, and brief description for each entry. The screenshot pans to the right. ] Jon: This doesn't mean that you can't make a physical CYOW art piece; it just means that we will need to find a way to present it digitally for the salon in May. No problem! We are experienced at this. [ Visual description follows of quick cuts showing non-digital projects from previous years: ] 00:02:17 - Cut to a photo of someone in a green cardigan over a black t-shirt with a purple and white octopus logo on it. The photo is cropped so that their head is not visible. They are standing in front of a table on which rest an ipad, an iphone, and a charger device. They are holding a booklet made of blue paper, with many of the pages marked with blue tabs. The photo zooms in on the booklet. 00:02:18 - Cut to a photo of a paper craft transit map up on a white wall. It is made of pink, yellow and white paper. At each station of the line, a number and an icon is marked and there is a pocket with paper tickets available. The photo pans down to reveal a stool on which rests more of the tickets, a few pencils, a sheet of paper, and a folded paper standee. 00:02:20 - Cut to a photo. It is shot over the right shoulder of a person wearing a black and white top with a bare arm. Their head is also not visible. They are standing in front of a mug of tea in the background. They are reading a white paper booklet that has a small cartoon image and a bunch of text printed on it. The text is too small to read at the distance of the shot. The photo zooms in on the booklet. 00:02:23 - Cut back to the speaker and fades to black. 00:02:26 - White text fades in. Text reads: "Blackout CYOW 4 Theme". The text then fades out. ] 2021 THEME: BLACKOUT Jon: Finally, "Blackout" is the theme. We have always had a keyword to spark the minds of our artists for these events, with previous themes being "Apocalypse", "Home", and "Hungry". [ Visual description of quick cuts as text "Apocalypse", "Home", and "Hungry" are read ] 00:02:37 - Cut to a red screen. White text fades in. The text reads: "Apocalypse CYOW 3: 2020". The text fades out. 00:0:40 - Cut to a beige linen pattern screen. White text fades in. The text reads: "Home CYOW 2: 2019 (Winter)". The text fades out. 00:02:43 - Cut to a green screen. White text fades in. The text reads: "Hungry CYHOW 1: 2019 (Spring)". The text fades out. [ Cut to a black screen, then fade in to the speaker. ] Jon: The word "blackout" usually puts me in mind of one of two types of event. [ Cut to a colour video of a man in a big beige trench-coat and grey felt hat, under the coat he wears a grey jacket and white shirt with a grey and blue diagonally-striped tie. He is standing at a bar. In the out-of-focus background, there's a man in a black suit at a table, part of a fireplace can be seen as well as a large painting over it, and a wood cabinet next to it. The man is holding a pencil in his hand which rests on the bar on top of an open but blank notebook. Next to the notebook rests a lighter and cigarette case, and next to those a tumbler with a finger of brown liquid in it. The man has a pensive look on his face as he rubs the pencil in his hand. The camera angle changes slightly as the man in the background (who is now in focus) takes a drink and we can see that there is a blonde woman wearing long black gloves at the table with him and and there is a bottle of brown liquid on the table between them. We can also now see there is a fancy clock on top of the fireplace mantle. ] Jon: The first is memory loss, either from drinking too much or a blow to the head, both of which were common states in mystery and detective fiction in the 19th and 20th centuries. The protagonist comes to, doesn't remember what happened, and has to figure it out. [ Fade to black. ] [ Visual description of 2 videos that play while the speaker describes another kind of blackout: ] 00:03:04 - Cut to a video of a long white painted corridor. There are circular lights affixed at intervals down the hallway's left wall, casting a soft slightly yellow-white light. Standing in the hallway is a young man in a white shirt and black pants, and slightly behind him and to his right is a young woman in a brown vest over a white shirt and black pants. On the right hand wall of the hallway are brown wooden doors and white speakers are interspersed down the hall. Far down the hall there is a blueish light as if it leads to an area that has more natural light. The lights start to flicker then one by one they all go out and everything is black, including the natural light at the end of the hallway. 00:03:10 - Up close an incandescent bulb comes on. You can see the glowing filament inside of the glass bulb. The bulb shuts off, leaving the soft orange glow of the filament as it cools down. It fades. Then the bulb comes on again. Then off. Orange filament fades to black. ] Jon: The second type of blackout is when the lights go out, usually in a large area. This kind of thing happens a lot in horror and suspense fiction. Both meanings can be a starting point for a lot of dramatic possibilities, but you don't need to feel limited to them. Because it is a concatenation of the two words, "black" and "out", you can run with whatever narrative the combination of those two words inspires. [ Cut back to the speaker. ] EVENT DATES: Jon: OK. Let's talk dates. [ Visual description of text emphasizing 2 upcoming dates: ] 00:03:31 - Cut to a black title screen with white text. The text reads: "April 30th, 2021 - Midnight Submission Deadline". The text fades out. 00:03:37 - Another title screen with white text fades in. The text reads: "May 22nd, 2021 - 7pm PST Presentation Salon and Exhibition Online". The text fades out. [ Fade back to the speaker. ] The two big important dates for this event are the submission deadline, which is midnight on April 30th, and the online salon exhibit, which will start at 7 PM on May 22nd. In both cases, we are talking Pacific Time. In addition to these, we will of course be hosting a variety of workshops to help our artists get into the creative process and get their projects ready for submission. [ Cut to a black and white photo of a man wearing glasses, wearing an open spotted shirt and a cap, holding a donut over a Tupperware container as he bites into it while keeping his eyes closed. White text over the top of the photo reads: "Chris Slater". The white text fades. Cut to a video of a screen-share of the Discord Server for The Papercut Arcade. The focus is on the channel: #cyow-blackout. The user scrolls down the text in the channel to show various things users have typed and shared. Then it scrolls back to the top. ] Jon: Chris Slater will be hosting a Live Creating Session every Wednesday in April from 6 to 8 PM on The Papercut Arcade's Discord channel. This will be a place to work on your own projects and chat with other creators while you work through your ideas. [ Fade to a black and white photo of a smiling person with shaved side of their head and a doubly pierced nose. They are wearing a rain jacket with draw strings. Out-of-focus in the background are two paintings hung on a white wall. White text with black outline fades in then fades out. The text reads: "Kay Slater". ] Jon: Kay Slater will be running three special workshops on April Sundays, between 11 AM and 12:30 PM on Google Meet: APRIL 4th WORKSHOP: [ Cut to a black title screen with white text. The text reads: "April 4th - 11 AM PST Introduction to CYOW (Hosted on Google Meet)". The text fades ] Jon: The first, on April 4th, will be an introduction to Choose Your Own Way, with some history of the medium, including our collective's past projects, and time for Q&A. [ Visual description of past projects shared at CYOW events: In the upper left portion of the screen, new white text appears: "2020 Project by Maurice Grela and Vivay Li". 00:04:28 - Cut to the itch.io screen that shows the CYOW 3 entry, the game titled "Out with a Squeak". It has an illustration of a mouse in medieval garb and wearing a large backpack with papers, leaves, and a plant in it. It cuts to a screen showing a sepia-toned map screen from the game. 00:04:34 - Cut to black screen. White text in the top left portion reads: "2020 Project by Toren Atkinson". The text fades. 00:04:38 - Cut to a video of a screenshare of someone playing the project, "Ya Got Stabbed". That text is in red hand-written lettering at the top of the game screen. Below it in white text and black outline, the text: "A Post Apocalyptic Interactive Fiction Game". At the bottom of the screen in black text: "by Toren Atkinson". The centre of the game screen is dominated by a hand-drawn illustration in red ink of a figure holding their side and leaning on a frame of a building that is in much disrepair. At the very top of the game screen in blue game text: "Click here when you're ready to get stabbed". 00:04:40 - The mouse cursor clicks on the blue text. The screen changes to an illustration in brown and green pencils on a white background of a wasteland scavenger riding a large lizard that has a long forked tongue. Below the illustration in white text: "Well hey there, little lady, looks like ya got stabbed!". Below that, in blue text, three options: "Don't call me little lady, old man.", "It was you!", and "...nnnngggghhh...". 00:04:42 - The mouse cursor hovers over then clicks "It was you!". The screen cuts to white text at the top of the black screen: "Oh, was it now? You saw me do this to ya?" Below that, in blue text, the options: "Ya stabbed me from behind you dirty bastard!", and "Show me your hands". The mouse cursor moves then clicks on the first option. ] APRIL 11th WORKSHOP: [Cut to a black title screen with white text. The text reads: "April 11th - 11 AM PST Introduction to TWINE (Host on Google Meet)". The text fades.] Jon: On April 11th, the workshop will be about a specific tool called Twine that is used by many video game developers to plot out their branching storylines and which many of our artists have found to make creating a digital CYOW piece very simple. [ Visual description of Twine screenshots. 00:04:50 - Cut to a screen of the website: twinery.org. It looks like a cork-board with various slips of paper pinned to it. Title text on the most dominant slip reads: "Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories." In the top right corner is a yellow slip that has links to different versions of the twine software for Windows, macOS, and Linux as well as a link to use the software online. 00:04:53 - Cut to a screen shot of the software in use, showing various passages already created and linked up in a sort of map of boxes and arrows. The screenshot zooms in. ] APRIL 25th WORKSHOP [ Cut to a black title screen with white text. The text reads: "April 25th - 11 AM PST Getting Ready to Share (Hosted on Google Meet)". The text fades out and then cuts back to the speaker.] Jon: The last one, on April 25th will be all about getting your project ready for submission, including creating an artists statement, maximizing the accessibility of your work, and creating content warnings. That's all the information I have to impart about CYOW 4: Blackout. I hope you feel inspired to create your own project and send us on our own way through your story! [ Fade to black, then The Papercut Arcade logo fades in again. The logo and text fades out. ] [ A block of white text fades in. The text reads: "You ARE Good Enough! The Papercut Arcade defines *artist as a person who practices any of the various creative arts, such as a sculptor, photographer, painter, novelist, poet, or filmmaker. The keyword is practice; therefore, if you make art of produce work with the intent of partipating in a Papercut Arcade challenge or exhibition, you ARE an artist." ] [ Cut to white text: "https://thepapercutarcade.ca" ] [ Cut to The Papercut Arcade logo. ] [ Cut to black. ]