The Hungarian Tolkien Society organises a 12 day long summer camp each summer for 120-140 persons to be immersed in of the mythical stories of J. R. R. Tolkien.
The program is very story heavy, and the plots are based on Tolkien’s work. The participants play an active role in the unfolding of the story events as members of 4 to 8 teams – similar to a Live Action Role Play.
In 2013 I was the Narrative Director of the camp, and provided creative leadership, vision to a story from the First Age of Middle Earth.
Key features
As the Narrative Team – consisting of 9 members – we chose a setting, found a story fitting the camp concepts, and created immersive scenes, provided backgound stories for the player-groups, and wrote background lore.
The story is after a big battle (Nírnaeth Arnoediad, Battle of Unnumbered Tears), where several small groups, elves and humans from different nations, find shelter in a hidden valley from the powers of Morgoth. There they have to deal with their past traumas and find their way to the future – or lose themselves forever.
My tasks
- Narrative lead position over 9 members
- Created narrative vision based on Tolkien’s work
- Defined story arch and dramaturgy
- Defined interaction points
- Developed a script for the 10 day long camp, split it into actionable daily scripts for the actors and organisers
- Defined improvisative scenes with possible interactions
- Wrote and directed sceens for pre-scripted events
- Wrote background lore briefs
- Provided information to the other organisers through written documentation and presentations
During the camp:
- During daily checkins maintained the integrity of the story through adopting to emerging situations
- Prepared new events and scenes
- Provided support for the organisers
Tools I used
- Google Drive
Ágnes Fábián 