tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-158316202024-03-16T09:08:22.086+02:00SupercalifragilisticexpialidociousMusings from a developer of different kinds of formats. Note - this blog is many a time a kind of notebook for me to remember things I've come into touch with or reflections and ideas that I've had during development projects. If you can find use for the writings here, I'm well happy. By Simon Staffans.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-14696065237815563302012-09-03T23:42:00.001+03:002012-09-04T00:10:54.658+03:00New blog - update your bookmarks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Po-oKhn7jA/UEUcsolUFsI/AAAAAAAAAVM/QaHiUlbEGRc/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-09-04+at+12.09.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Po-oKhn7jA/UEUcsolUFsI/AAAAAAAAAVM/QaHiUlbEGRc/s400/Screen+shot+2012-09-04+at+12.09.35+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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... please find my new blog - to quite an extent much as the old blog :) - over here <a href="http://simonstaffans.com/">http://simonstaffans.com/</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-65101498698788373752012-08-17T15:16:00.001+03:002012-08-17T15:16:54.556+03:00Time to create transmedia<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PRku5v92JM0/UC414a_uFAI/AAAAAAAAAUs/nbMnTNJUIWs/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-17+at+3.10.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PRku5v92JM0/UC414a_uFAI/AAAAAAAAAUs/nbMnTNJUIWs/s400/Screen+shot+2012-08-17+at+3.10.37+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="SV">On Wednesday the research company Latitude
released a pretty interesting study called <a href="http://latd.com/2012/08/15/what-audiences-want-study-uncovers-possible-futures-for-storytelling/">The
Future Of Storytelling</a>. I highly recommend it as essential reading, and I’m
thoroughly looking forward to the second and last instalment in the study
series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">There are a lot of good points in the study,
and in my mind they all clearly point to one thing. ”Transmedia” might have
been a buzzword for a while. It probably still is, in the minds of many. But
the term is of infinitely lesser importance; of greater importane is the fact
that the audience – anyone we wish to target with our content – is already
inherently geared towards transmedia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">For us as content creators it can only mean
one thing. Kicking and screaming, or willingly and eagerly, we will move into
the world of content transcending media platforms, or story worlds and
neverending narratives, of co-creation with users and co-distribution with others,
of using technology to weave stories to evoke feelings and induce experiences.
There is no turning back, and we do ourselves a severe disservice if we do not
acknowledge this with open eyes and strive to make the very best we can of this
fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">At the same time, my
”old-media-developer-and-producer”-character raises its head and highlights the
fact that while all of this is very nice, someone also need to pay for
everything. Just developing the mythologies and / or story worlds needed comes
with a cost. As does producing for different platforms, as does distributing
content to different platforms. Will we just end up doing a helluva lot more
work and paying a helluva lot more money for the same return? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">I may be naive and I may be overoptimistic,
but I am convinced that financially viable models will appear, more and more
frequently. Crowdfunding is one way to go, working with sponsors another. My
firm belief is that – just as with Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and other ventures no
one had envisaged five years ago – we will see new financing models come to the
fore that will make us all go ”oh, ok! Yeah, that’ll work! How come I didn’t
think about that?!?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">In the meantime what we can all do is create.
Create, create, create, and then create some more. Create magical worlds and
stunning characters, create enchanting narrative arcs and riveting interactive
possibilities. Create more and better (and why not <a href="http://youtu.be/gAjR4_CbPpQ">harder, faster and stronger</a> while we’re
at it </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="SV"> ). Exciting times indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-21237519082628164482012-08-08T15:43:00.000+03:002012-08-08T15:43:04.011+03:00Transmedia - the ketchup effect<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://turnstylenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/avengers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://turnstylenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/avengers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One pretty neat transmedia franchise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Transmedia, as we all know, <a href="http://books.google.fi/books?id=raDNu1lThHQC&redir_esc=y" target="_blank">originated some 20 years ago</a>. As a practice it has existed way longer, depending on how you define
it, with the Bible being quoted as one of the first instances of transmedia in
practice.</div>
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<span lang="SV">For several years a lot of talented people around the world
have been working on transmedia projects, producing transmedia projects,
promoting transmedia practices and lobbying for transmedia as a way of
thinking, creatively as well as financially and from a marketing perspective.
Right now, I have the feeling that the long-awaited ”ketchup-effect” has finally
arrived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">I hear of a new exciting transmedia project
almost every other day, ranging in scope from the fairly small, like the ARG <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/mindhut/2012/08/07/transmedia-tuesday-the-miracle-mile-paradox">”Miracle
Mile Paradox”</a> to the fairly big, like the <a href="http://turnstylenews.com/2012/08/07/what-tv-show-will-joss-whedon-make-for-marvel-transmedia-alert/">Avengers-rumours
about interconnected tv-series and films</a>, from the areas of <a href="http://ny-hearts.com/">theatre</a> to the areas of <a href="http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2012/07/hawken-devs-unveil-transmedia-marketing-strategy/">gaming</a>
– transmedia, world building, narrative superstructures and mythologies are all
of a sudden found everywhere. Simply brilliant to witness. And I think I can
see one shift happening already, one that only six months ago seemed like an
impossibility, but now not only looks probably but even quite inevitable – the lessening
of the importance of the term ”transmedia”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">There are quite a few people tired of the
term, which has become readily apparent in discussions over the past couple of
years. I know myself that I hesitate to use the term in certain discussions; at
the Pixel Lab, for instance, there was no problem using the term, but talking
to possible sponsors or buyers I prefer to explain the actual setup of the
transmedia project rather than branding it ”transmedia” from the outset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">But now I believe the shift is happening. ”Transmedia”
is rapidly becoming a term as common as ”television” or ”media”, and is
starting to represent the notion of ”something more than just a movie, a book
or a tv-series” in the minds of people. The fact that this ”something more” can
be just about anything in scope and size is of lesser importance. And it
is increasingly being taken for granted; just as the mantra has been that the
audience wants to access their media anywhere, anytime, now they want to access
the continuation of their stories, anywhere and anytime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">It’s a bit like going to a concert. Everyone
knows that the band goes off stage, the crowd shouts for a bit and then it’s
time for the encore. The same thing is happening with the audience with regards
to media now, except they don’t have to shout – when the book or the movie is
finished, it’s time to explore the encores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">Exciting times we’re living in, especially for the ones creating those encores! </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-63993853213881759082012-07-04T17:00:00.004+03:002012-07-05T13:04:39.053+03:00Pixel Lab 2012 half-time report<span style="background-color: white;">I’m currently attending the 2012 edition of </span><a href="http://powertothepixel.com/events-and-training/pttp-events/pixel-lab-2012" style="background-color: white;">the
Pixel Lab</a><span style="background-color: white;">, one of the foremost professional workshops / seminars in the
field of multiplatform / transmedia in the world, IMO. 36 producers are
attending from all over Europe (and some from even further away), backed up by
a host of tutors, experts and Power to the Pixel people.</span><br />
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<span lang="SV">The days are long and totally jam-packed with
information, inspiration and great discussions. As I reflected over breakfast
just now; it’s very rare and extremely nice to be able to sit down with anyone
in attendance and NOT have to go through the initial 10-15 minutes of trying to
explain exactly what it is you do. These are all professionals, and whereas
some might come from the ad sector, some from film, some from gaming and some
from distribution or television, the mere fact that they have applied for the
Pixel Lab means that they have an urge to explore the future of multiplatform
and transmedia to a greater degree. This in itself makes for good connections,
no matter whom you talk to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3BN8viY1X94/T_RJ9nSJ-3I/AAAAAAAAAUM/pE51NJg7XIY/s1600/12070001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3BN8viY1X94/T_RJ9nSJ-3I/AAAAAAAAAUM/pE51NJg7XIY/s320/12070001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a nice venue, Resort Schwielowsee</td></tr>
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<span lang="SV">Now, there are things I can’t write about, as
we’re working on actual projects as well in out group work (must add that <a href="http://www.mseancoleman.co.uk/">Sean Coleman</a> is a very good mentor
for hte group. Also slightly addicted to post-it notes) and I am under
obligation not to share the details of these. But many things can be written
about, such as the presentations of experts and tutors. I’m slightly pressed
for time right now, so will just briefly mention the people we’ve had the
pleasure of learning from up until now. A more in-depth studie will be
available later in the week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">If you’re so inclined, I’m Storyfying each day
of the Lab – here’s <a href="http://storify.com/simon_staffans/the-pixel-lab-2012-day-one">Day One</a>
and <a href="http://storify.com/simon_staffans/the-pixel-lab-2012-day-2">Day
Two</a> – with tweets, links, quotes etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zhfY3DKvrA/T_RKdH2YvgI/AAAAAAAAAUc/PURxN8LVEfg/s1600/12070010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zhfY3DKvrA/T_RKdH2YvgI/AAAAAAAAAUc/PURxN8LVEfg/s320/12070010.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/lanceweiler">Lance
Weiler</a>, enigmatic as ever, kicked things off on Monday with a great
introduction to what the week basically will be about. In the talk – Igniting
the Imagination of many – he pointed out the theory of information foraging as
something for producers and storyteller to study, something I completely agree
with. Another key point was the need to prototype a lot of stuff fairly
quickly, fail fast and learn fast and not be afraid to try things out. I can
relate – coming from a television background I feel my projects often swell out
into too large things that are unnecessary cumbersome to produce and get
financed.</span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/cutbait">Adam
Sigel</a> on the other hand talked about strategy development, again something
that makes perfect sense – designing a plan of action, in order to achieve a
particular goal. He touched on many other good points – the need to develop
user personas in order to understand them better, the need to explore the
themes of your story as they are the ones that will carry over to different
platforms, rather than your characters, and so on. A lot of good stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/stephenstokes">Stephen
Stokes</a> from Manning Gottlieb OMD spoke about the changing brand landscape,
where brands increasingly are re-appraising values, becoming more authentic and
generous, recognising the need to earn attention; they essentially need to DO
more and adopt modern storytelling techniques. Key is also to focus on actually
understanding the audience; for instance, ”always leaving them wanting more”
just doesn’t cut it anymore. This was the first time I’d heard Stephen, and I’d
say that he gave a very good impression, talking about a facet of the
development processes and the industry that other speakers merely touched on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">On Tuesday morning <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/nmfbernardo">Nuno Bernardo</a> took to the stage
to talk about business models for transmedia and/or multiplatform. Nuno is a
great example to follow when it comes to simply getting your content out there,
building an audience and getting things commissioned and financed. One way that
seems to work pretty nicely is getting R&D funding in to do, not a story
world, but Specs. To produce, not a pilot but a Prototype. To do, not
distribution but Dissemination, and so on. The major bonus is that you will
have an IP of sorts at the end of the process, and probably an audience and a
community to use as leverage in negotiations with broadcasters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/paultylerdk">Paul
Tyler</a>, another new acquaintance for me and a good presenter to boot, came
in from Handling Ideas in Denmark to talk about gaining insights about the
audience, starting off with the very true assertion that content developers are
more focused on delivering content to platforms rather than users. He also
pointed out that the most important action a content creator can take is to ask
the right questions. This in order to understand existing needs and provide a
solution. His take on brainstorming was also quite neat, called Reversed
brainstorming; think evil, how can you make the experience worse. Then take the
suggestions and turn the around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/TPC_Tom">Tom
Putzki</a> started Wednesday off with a sessions on the games industry. It’s a
pretty big one for sure, worth billions and billions… 40 billion € worldwide to
be more precise (which I was under the impression was a bit more, but perhaps
not). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eBqo0MPNVUg/T_RKNDFP-cI/AAAAAAAAAUU/LihR8md3BxE/s1600/12070031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eBqo0MPNVUg/T_RKNDFP-cI/AAAAAAAAAUU/LihR8md3BxE/s320/12070031.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Bardo_AB">Martin
Ericsson</a> from Bardo talked about gaming from another angle, that of a Live
Action Roleplayer. ”Games are not fun because they are games, they are fun
because they are well designed”. He also pointed out that we can look at a lot
of different sources to find inspiration regarding transmedia projects we
develop; if you want to learn about sharing and social networks, look at for
instance Dragon Age II on FB. If you want to learn about the process of
leveling up, look at computer-based roleplaying games, and so on. Interesting
talk!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">Finally I'd just like to say that even though I'm attending without a project of my own, it's immensely interesting to listen to experts like Inga von Staden, Lance Weiler and others evaluate the projects on the table. Very interesting stuff. I’ll update with a more thorough write-up as
soon as I get the chance. Until then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-66338368766107822872012-06-21T13:10:00.005+03:002012-06-21T13:14:55.191+03:00Brands and transmedia<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Os1zLRdZVmM/T-LyEB0OesI/AAAAAAAAAUA/4RnJssCV4SY/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-21+at+1.02.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Os1zLRdZVmM/T-LyEB0OesI/AAAAAAAAAUA/4RnJssCV4SY/s400/Screen+shot+2012-06-21+at+1.02.03+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I was interviewed by Stefania from Italian
magazine Subvertising last week. It was <a href="http://subvertising.it/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/Subvertising52-Giugno2012.pdf" target="_blank">an interesting interview</a>, that really
made me think through my stance on brands and transmedia – <b>the how, the why,
and the why nots.</b></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">One point I feel the need to elaborate a
little bit on is how I think <b>brands and companies easily can benefit from
applying transmedia storytelling methods</b> for their products as well as for
their brands and companies. Stefanie asked me if I saw a likeness between
transmedia on the one hand and brand engagement on the other hand. My answer
was:</span></div>
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<span lang="SV">Certainly. That’s why I believe that brands
can have so much use of transmedia </span><span style="background-color: white;">storytelling methods; there is no need to go
all out and throw iPad apps paired </span><span style="background-color: white;">with graphic novels at people in order to market
a cookie brand, but the cookie </span><span style="background-color: white;">brand could make enormous use of the way
transmedia projects are developed </span><span style="background-color: white;">– building the story world the brand wants to
exist in, planning narrative superstructures that fit the image of the brand
and its products, developing entry </span><span style="background-color: white;">points for the audience, things to collaborate
on and share as well as a reason to </span><span style="background-color: white;">do so and the tools to do so, and to share
their creations with their friends… all </span><span style="background-color: white;">in all, transmedia storytelling has a lot to
offer brands.</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="SV">To clarify the brief answer above, here are
<b>five points I believe matter for brands and companies</b> when thinking about
applying transmedia storytelling methods to their marketing and image building:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><b>1. Building and strengthening foundations</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">One core trait of transmedia storytelling is
the art of creating more. The art of either finding out a lot of background
stuff that is not readily apparent, or creating new background stuff if needs
be. A good example is the case of Avatar, where the team from Starlightrunner
spent a lot of time interviewing all the creators, from James Cameron onwards,
about life on Pandora, linguistics, flora and fauna etc. With this as a tome, a
bible to refer to, creating new additional material becomes easier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">Looking at a brand, the same principles apply,
whether you’re a 100 year old Fortune 500 company or a startup fresh out of Y
Combinator. By researching the background of the company, the key people from
its’ history and the key current people there, milestones in the history,
accidents and events and successes, dreams and hopes and thrills and
bellyaches, the foundation (or ”story world” as it would be called in a
transmedia setting) becomes that much stronger and can therefore support an
increasingly greater number of stories, campaigns and intiatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">The likeness of the story tunnel is a good
one, told by Jeff Gomez; if your story is a tunnel leading from point A to
point B, the walls of the tunnel are the story world. Whereever there are
inconsistencies or something missing from the story world, cracks appear in the
walls, spoiling the experience of your story. The solution is to build your
story world, your foundations, solid enough not to let anything unwanted to
shine through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><b>2. Finding new entry points and new routes of
communication</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">When that foundation, that story world, is in
place, there will be a deep well to turn to. This is a well filled with
possibilities; dip your creative bucket in, haul it up and examine all the
possible story lines, entry points and interactive elements you’ve just
unearthed. Choose the ones that will fit your purposes the best this time and
pour the remaining ones back into the well; they’ll be there the next time you
need new inspirational material.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">Examples are difficult to tell, as there will
be at least as many different possibilities / story worlds, as there are
companies. But, for instance, imagine a 70 year old brand, unearthing in the
process of working on the foundation, that the grandson of the company’s
co-founder has a charity running in Latin America. This would one way of
engaging customers in a way that connects logically with the brand and achieves
a lot of goodwill. Or perhaps there is an amateur theatre company working out
of the brand’s original headquarters, where a co-operation would be natural, or
just about anything else you can think of. New entry points for the audience
and the customers, new routes of communication to the audience, to the
customers (and routes that do not feel like ”advertising”, but as natural parts
of the company / brand).</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>3. Get closer to the audience / consumers</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Now, this is what I would like to do as a
brand; identify my target audience and become a natural part of their everyday
life. Granted, this is easier said than done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">On our transmedia panel at <a href="http://www.crossvideodays.com/" target="_blank">Cross Video Days</a>
last week, one of the topics we talked about was the subject of approaching and
building an audience. Starting from scratch is always an uphill struggle,
unless you have some form of inroad; great, well known creative talent, big
marketing budget etc. Another way is to approach an already existing community;
a Facebook group, a discussion forum, a club or an organization of some kind,
that correlates with your project and your content. Finding these can be hard,
and approaching them can be even harder; just dropping a link or do a ”hey!
Look at what we’ve done!” smacks of shameless self promotion and is likely to
achieve derision rather than appreciation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">But, having developed the project and the
content according to transmedia storytelling principles, you have a greater
chance of finding inroads into the community that will feel logical and
compelling. This is helped by the fact that researching such communities and
becoming a natural part of them should be one of the top priorities of your
project during the development phase. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>4. Creating spokespersons within the company</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">At times, I have had a hard time explaining
exactly what my company does. I guess the same goes for a lot of other people,
more so for the ones working in bigger companies. Many also struggle to find
any reason to communicate about the company they work for themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">By utilizing transmedia storytelling methods
in the context of a company, or a brand for that matter in cases when these
two are not synonomous, anyone working in that company or with that brand will
have a number of avenues to go down when it comes to acting as advocates for
the company they’re representing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">A good slogan or a good tagline is good, yes.
But often it doesn’t tell very much about the company or the brand. What passes
for ”About” pages on the web sites of many companies also make for pretty
unimpressive reading. The gems that are unearthed when applying transmedia
storytelling methods on the other hand, are stories. Stories that reflect the
desired image of the company, stories that are coherent and sync with each
other – stories that any employee can relate onwards, thereby strengthening the
power and image of the company or brand. Furthermore, such stories will help
employees arrive at the same view point when it comes to looking at the
company. The question of ”Who do I work for and what do we do?” becomes easier
to answer if you can relate to the number of stories that form the mythology of
the company or the brand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>5. Planning for the long haul<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Many ad campaigns or brand awareness-raising
campaigns have a beginning, a middle and an end. Some have a second campaign
planned to build on the first one. Some might be connected to some other form
of IP (movies, TV series, book etc) and thereby gain a form of longevity. Many,
however, have not and are not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">When applying transmedia storytelling methods
in the context of a company or a brand, this should be one of the great
advantages. By researching thoroughly, creating more, laying the foundation,
build the mythology and document it in a tome or bible, not only is it possible
to achieve the things mentioned in the points above, it is also possible to
create longer-lasting campaigns that follow each other in a logical way, each
offering new unique insights and inroads to the brand. By creating a story arch
that spans over several instances – with an added flexibility to adapt
according to feedback and input from the audience – it is possible to discard
the one-offs and create meaningful, long running stories that support the
desired image of the brand (one case could be made for the way the Avengers
brand has been handled, see Jeff Gomez’ case study <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/05/25/avengers-planned-pantheon/">here</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><i>This post became way longer than I had
anticipated, sorry for that. If there are any comments anyone would like to
add, please feel free to do so. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-50973055908704148632012-06-18T21:18:00.003+03:002012-06-18T21:18:49.992+03:00Interview in SubvertisingThe people over at Italian advertisement/Subvertising were kind enough to interview me a bit, talking about brands and transmedia and great campaigns. Klick the picture below to get to the pdf of the magazine!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://subvertising.it/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/Subvertising52-Giugno2012.pdf" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tToFrc8Ir-Q/T99woADFpWI/AAAAAAAAAT0/wjTv8Dn4BtY/s400/Screen+shot+2012-06-18+at+9.08.37+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-66994420193655497832012-06-14T00:03:00.002+03:002012-06-14T00:05:03.532+03:00Cross Video Days Wrapup<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qVtl0uthsoc/T9kAHrleAGI/AAAAAAAAATo/naq952rBM9g/s1600/12060038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qVtl0uthsoc/T9kAHrleAGI/AAAAAAAAATo/naq952rBM9g/s400/12060038.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">First of all I should say – as you do with
substitute football players given 10-15 minutes of playing time at the end of a
game – ”he featured too short a time to be properly rated”. As I flew in
Tuesday afternoon and out again directly after our ”How to create successful
transmedia projects”-session on Wednesday morning, I saw a lot less of the
conference than I ideally would have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">That said, my impression was of a well-run
conference with good speakers, interesting topics and a very easy-going feeling
to it all. Even the buyers who were present were quite relaxed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">The only sessions I managed to take part of
fully were the one I was on myself and the showcase of ten transmedia projects
on Tuesday evening. I was quite intrigued by the varying shapes transmedia is
taking nowadays, from the early-stage interactive television project ”Jurors”
by Italian G-Com to the ambitious ”209 Days” by The Workshop Production from Australia. My personal favourites
were probably the documentary venture about Philip K Dick and the interesting project "Generation Tahrir", both of
which, in my mind, had captured the essence of transmedia storytelling;
creating more, thinking multiplatform and engaging the audience on a number of levels.
You can judge for yourselves, as all the participating projects <a href="http://crossvideodays.com/2012-projects.html" target="_blank">are featured on the Cross Video Days website</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Our session was the second one on Wednesday,
following an interesting presentation from Eurodata, which put transmedia
and cross media into perspective by looking at cross mediated tv shows of the
past few months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">To evaluate our panel is a bit hard as I was
on it myself, but I think we all in all managed quite well to cover a lot of
ground regarding transmedia storytelling and it’s principles and challenges.
The session was live streamed and should be up on the Cross Video Days website
as well. We – me, <a href="http://twitter.com/robpratten" target="_blank">Rob Pratten</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ianginn" target="_blank">Ian Ginn</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/revolvermedia" target="_blank">Raymond Van Der Kaaij</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/francetele" target="_blank">Boris Razo</a>n, moderated by
<a href="http://twitter.com/laurentg" target="_blank">Laurent Guerin</a>– touched on everything from great examples of successful transmedia
projects <i>(my point being that you need to clearly define what the criteria for
success will be for any given project, so that funders and producers and
distributors and sponsors are all on the same page when it comes to evaluating
the success or lack thereof when it comes to a transmedia project)</i> to
production challenges, the art of creating a buzz and mistakes we’ve made
ourselves in transmedia <i>(from ”creating too much content” to ”not budget
properly for community management” to ”underestimating the audience and trying
to keep up after the fact”).</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">All in all, it was a great experience. As our
panel talked about and as the pitched projects clearly showed, there is no
shortcut when it comes to creating great transmedia projects. You just have to
keep on keeping on, get better all the time, gather a trusted bunch of
collaborators with the necessary skill sets and go do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-26839536809856679672012-06-07T12:50:00.001+03:002012-06-07T12:50:19.933+03:00Transmedia and response<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://coolglobalbiz.typepad.com/.a/6a01116837a6c2970c0148c7b6d9c0970c-500wi" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://coolglobalbiz.typepad.com/.a/6a01116837a6c2970c0148c7b6d9c0970c-500wi" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A brief post to highlight
what I feel is an important thing to take into consideration in transmedia
projects.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For once I’ve found the
time to read something a little bit longer than blog posts and tweets, so I’ve
been reading up on communication, on pitching, and am thoroughly waiting for
Andrea’s book on producing transmedia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I felt the need to share
one sentence that I found in one of the books I’m delving into, as I feel it
resonates pretty intensely with a couple of projects I’m working on at the
moment. The quote comes from Richard Bandler and John Grinder, who co-created
an effective definition of communication: <b>"The meaning of communication
lies in the response it gets."</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Too often, especially if
caught up in production/distribution, do I find myself occupied with developing
what is going to be put out there next, too busy with planning next moves and
new updates and next series and further installments. Too seldom to I take the
time to actually analyze responses, ask further questions, show interest and
engagement back, interacting with and involving the audience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My point is that this is
crucial. And it needs to be the creative(s), the director(s), the producer(s)
who are doing this. It’s not enough to hire someone to be “community manager”
and be the voice of the production or the project or the brand. The people
creating more content need to be in touch with the responses, analyze these,
draw the right conclusions and amend coming content in accordance with the
results of the conclusions. This, whether they like it or not. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I for one will do better
from now on!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-49084779927525902262012-05-29T09:30:00.003+03:002012-05-29T09:31:13.859+03:00Transmedia tools – Conducttr Mobile and Weavr<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been a while – a year or more – since I
last wrote something about possible tools to use for transmedia storytelling.
In the meanwhile, so many new opportunities, products and tools have come up.
What prompted me to write this post was two tools that are out there now and
that represent quite different spectras of the transmedia field; both could be
very useful for a given project, and I’d love to try them both out within the
scope of a project. Basically, everything and anything that makes it easier for
me to get my stories to the desired audience in a logical and engaging and
compelling and immersive way, I’m all for it, and these two services might just
fit the bill.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AH3bPklU4gs/T8RsmfFFP8I/AAAAAAAAATY/N7kDbncNV8M/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-29+at+9.33.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AH3bPklU4gs/T8RsmfFFP8I/AAAAAAAAATY/N7kDbncNV8M/s200/Screen+shot+2012-05-29+at+9.33.14+AM.png" width="165" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First there is <a href="http://conducttr.com/" target="_blank">Conducttr Mobile</a>, launched at
the Transmedia Living Lab in Madrid the other day by Rob Pratten. Now,
Conducttr has been around for a while as a tool for automating the telling of a
narrative over several platforms – online, text messages and so on. This seems
like the very logical next step, to take it out from the laptop or tablet and
into the world of mobile.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV" style="font-family: inherit;">A three-part ecosystem, where the audience
takes part of a mobile app which lets them take part of different ”Worlds”,
each belonging to a separate story or story world, the designers of the
narrative get a ”cloud-based network intelligence” and the developers get an
API to play around with. All in all I think it’s a service that would be
interesting to explore; many times costs, time and an inability to code oneself
put stumbling blocks in the way when trying to create the experience truest to
one’s own vision. Conducttr Mobile just might be the solution to many of those
occurences. I hope to be able to get back with a review at some point; just
need to find a proper project to use it in!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.weavrs.com/media/images/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="53" src="http://www.weavrs.com/media/images/logo.png" width="200" /></span></a><span lang="SV" style="font-family: inherit;">The second service I thought I’d mention is
one called <a href="http://www.weavrs.com/find/" target="_blank">Weavrs</a>. If Conducttr Mobile is about a controlled experience in the
hand of any and all consumers, Weavr is about setting things in motion and
letting go. It’s described as a ”character / animation / curatorship platform”,
where anyone can create a Weavr, which forms from the social web, blog,
comment, check in and chat. It can be given a Twitter account and interact with
the rest of the world. A number of Weavrs can be set up to act in the virtual
world; by being given some intial interests, Weavrs learn from their social web
and learn new emotions, growing to reflect the world around them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="SV">Sounds spacey? Yes it does. But I think that’s
why I like it; the idea of creating a story (perhaps distributing part of it
via Conducttr Mobile </span><span lang="SV">J</span><span lang="SV"> ) and creating the characters – one or more – as Weavrs with carefully
selected initial interests and characteristics, and then letting them lead
their own lives in the virtual world… now that’s interesting. Who knows what
new stories or story archs might arise from their interaction with each other
and with real people?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="SV">One of several add-ons currently being
produced is called MiniMonoMyth, something that is describes as ”</span><span lang="SV" style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #444444;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #444444;">dynamically
generated narratives. Resulting in unique timelines of digital experiences;
stories woven from the fabric of the web into the daily lives of your Weavrs.”
Again, this is a service I would really like to try out; can it actually
deliver the experience I’m hoping it can? Looking forward to finding out.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, these are two examples, and I’m sure
there are quite a few others. Let me know in the comments what I’ve missed! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-9306962016802406342012-05-25T16:03:00.002+03:002012-05-25T18:55:39.365+03:00Nordic Game and Nordic Transmedia Meetup<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YBfXmio3pn4/T7-CLknOgmI/AAAAAAAAATE/R7bbmi1w68E/s1600/12050052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YBfXmio3pn4/T7-CLknOgmI/AAAAAAAAATE/R7bbmi1w68E/s320/12050052.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yves Bordeleau from Cyanide and Asta Wellejus from Die Asta <br />Experience talking about the upcoming Game of Thrones game.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s Friday mid-day and the transmedia track
at the game conference <a href="http://nordicgame.com/">Nordic Game</a> has
about half a day left; right now I’m listening to a presentation of the game
version of Game of Thrones (pictured above, sorry about the quality :).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, Nordic Game is a game conference. 1600
people, most of them coders, gamers and other industry people; lots of game
showcases and a lot of talks on how to create and co-create and finance and
market games and game content.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the transmedia track, talks have been
slightly different. The <a href="http://stranger.no/?p=1070">Nordic Transmedia
Meetup day</a> on Wednesday 23rd drew a crowd of 70+ producers from the Nordic
countries. The theme was financing, with some sidetracks into unconference
territory as well. Some key take-aways, especially from investor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Richard">Doug Richards</a>, was the
importance of actually understand what need your project or product is
addressing. It’s basically always useful to do a NABC (Needs/Approach/Benefits/Competition)
analysis of any given project. Another
take away from Doug’s feedback to people pitching their projects to him was
that one should never reveal too much about one’s company or product,
especially when talking to potential investors. If no one knows your metrics
and what you’re worth, you could be worth anything!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the open discussions many different issues
were treated by the participants; from the art of collaborating with music in a
transmedia setting via how to create a framework engine for the pre-production
of transmedia projects to an idea of a Kickstarter-like online service for
selling content. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Pitchford">Randy Pitchford</a> from
Gearbox in the US – they’ve made games like Borderlands and Halo spin-offs –
talked about how to manage the image of a company. He stressed the importance
of letting the employed invest in the company, to encourage them to think about
image and profit. There is, he observed, a need to really invest in the people
at the company as well; as you spend a lot of time on yourselves, this
investment permeates the image of the company.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.deusexmachinatio.com/">Andrea
Phillips</a> gave a great presentation on ”Why Games need Transmedia”, highlighting
the fact that games are about experiencing flow. By breaking up the frame of a
game, it is possible to let the story flow over to other media. This would
also, she argued, be the most natural thing. When a player sits at his or her
computer or console he or she wants to game, not watch cut-scenes for minutes.
There is also a real and tangible need to know the Context and the Backstory,
in order to be able to create and develop it all into a coherent whole.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tWxTJozBcjI/T7-CsKDP7WI/AAAAAAAAATM/qZT_MxR9h9A/s1600/12050049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tWxTJozBcjI/T7-CsKDP7WI/AAAAAAAAATM/qZT_MxR9h9A/s320/12050049.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@jonatchoo on designing - "Don't Expect Anything Original from an Echo"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jonatchoo">Jonathan
Jacques-Belletête</a> from Square Enix / Eidos talked about designing, issues
and solutions that can be applied to a number of other areas aside of game
development. Key take away would be the advice to use Originality mixed with
Familiarity when designing just about anything – originality will make the
brain log your content in more ways with more new connections, so that it can
be retrieved easier, while familiarity will add a feeling of comfort, security
and even nostalgia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all the Nordic Game conference and the Nordic
Transmedia Meetup was and is a success, in getting people from different industries
get together and discuss the issues and opportunities gaming and transmedia can
offer across the board. My only regret is that I've not yet been able to clone myself to attend more presentations, talk to more people and network even more. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next step in the Nordic Transmedia saga will hopefully be a Nordic Transmedia
Finland meetup in Oulu at the </span><a href="http://www.nordiskpanorama.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Nordic
Panorama festival</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in September. Details will be posted later!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-4213659767432183102012-05-15T11:37:00.003+03:002012-05-15T11:42:27.100+03:00Transmedia and the Audience<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theafricatrilogy.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/audience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://theafricatrilogy.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/audience.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Audience. Your task? To get them to turn around, pay attention and invest in your content!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In <a href="http://muchtoolong.blogspot.com/2012/02/five-pillars-of-transmedia.html" target="_blank">a post in February</a> I talked about what I
saw as the ”Five pillars of transmedia”, the different types of people that
need to work together to successfully develop, produce and launch a transmedia
project. There was a sixth pillar as well, which was the Audience. This is what
I wrote back then:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="SV" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">All of this |the five
pillars written about earlier in the post] leads to one thing; <b>the need
to create a transmedia experience that will engage, excite, enable and enrich
an audience</b>. This, while all the people representing the five pillars above
need to communicate fully and thoroughly with each other, communication which
may or may not include the use of translators and glossaries to assist with the
understanding.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="SV" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">What it all boils down to is that<b> everyone must strive
to understand everyone else and open one's eyes to the possibilities and
challenges that will arise</b>.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span lang="SV" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Or, rather, open one
eye to possibilities and challenges, as the other eye needs to stay constantly
fixed on the audience, ready to adapt, respond, re-develop and communicate.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span lang="SV" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The audience is <b>the
foundation that all these pillars need to be grounded o</b>n, else we’ll just
have a heap of rabble in the end. More on them in another post.</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I’ve been having a number of discussions
lately on this subject, transmedia and the audience. Here then, <b>a brief post
looking at some of the issues</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Experiences from an earlier life</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I have a solid background in traditional media,
newspapers, tv and a lot of radio. I still think I could do a three hour radio
show without breaking a sweat (although my music selection might be a bit
dated). When doing radio, the target audience becomes extremely important. I
used to close my eyes and imagine the persons I was addressing my next speak
to; listening to it afterwards, the voice changes, the wording changes, the
whole persona changes – which is something that cuts through the static and
reaches people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">The same goes for transmedia project, only
here it’s not enough just to close your eyes and imagine an audience. Having
done that, you need to research that audience, find out what they do, what they
like, how they behave, how they connect, how they share, how they play and who
they really are. This is, in parts, gruelsome work, especially in the
beginning. But the more data you have, the more knowledge you have, the more
you have to build on for future projects, and the more knowledge you have about
what knowledge is actually necessary to focus on. <b>Whatever you do, don’t ignore
the need to target your audience.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>The inactive audience</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">This is a mistake I still do, when I get too
caught up in the whirlwind of creativity. Fact is that the major part of your
project’s audience, be it on TV or online or wherever, will choose not to be
interactive. So, when planning and developing and producing anything, you need
to make sure this large part of the audience are offered a full experience even
without interactivity. That is, you need to make a great show or a great
project, that simply becomes EVEN GREATER if someone chooses to interact with
it. I’ve seen quite a few pitches go haywire on this point, as the show might
be good, but no one on the creative team could answer the question ”what do the
people who don’t have an iPad do then?”. <b>Think of everyone in the audience.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>The active audience</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">That said, you will (hopefully) have an eager
crowd participating and being active and interactive. In which way this happens
is of course dependent on your project and what you have developed. One thing I’ve learned (and heard in
discussions with a number of other creators) is that you can never create too
for too much interaction. If you’re aiming for an ARG or for interaction with
characters or for exploration of the greater narrative, the audience – if your
content is compelling and engaging enough – will always be quicker than you
anticipated. As you’d ideally like to have an audience hungry for more, you
need to create more in order to not have a sated (or even worse, frustrated)
audience at some point. This in turn takes its toll on resources and manpower;
one solution is to design for audience co-creation in a more open environment,
but this needs to be incorporated from the very beginning of the development
process. Or the project will be limited in scope and time, which ultimately
will make it more of a one-off. Choices, choices… but as a rule, <b>use transmedia
storytelling methods to always create more than you think you have to. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Harnessing in the long run</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">In the same vein, think about what to actually
do with your audience. Be they silent spectators or active participants, they
have still invested either time or effort or both in what you have created.
Providing the experience was a positive one you’ll have a more or less devoted
audience to engage with. Many projects, for practical, financial or other
reasons, think of their project in the scope of what is at hand, nothing more. I’d
argue that it pays off to think a bit further, from the outset. Yes, it is harder
to think of your project as a two- or three-step rocket. Yes, it is very much
difficult enough to create ONE good project and get it financed and produced.
But at the same time, not doing so will mean you’ll have to play catch-up at
the point when you HAVE an audience, and that audience is clamoring for more. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Also, think about what else you’d like to use your audience for; perhaps you’d
like to do research on a very specific target group? Perhaps you’d like to
engage them in a charity or get exposure for a start-up or something else? If
this is something you want to do, you need to plan for it from the beginning,
so that it in some way sits naturally in the narrative and the story world;
having the main character support UNICEF at some point will make it possible
for you to champion UNICEF’s cause to your audience, for instance. <b>Bottom line,
think ahead</b> (there are always painkillers for the inevitable headaches).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Respect without groveling</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Finally, I think this is a point well worth
remembering. The audience deserves our respect. This would in my book involve
not hoaxing them, not stepping outside given ramifications, not exploiting
them, not treating them like commodity. ”Do unto others” is a phrase that comes
to mind. That said, there is no need to grovel; you have created something, of
which you have all the right in the world to be proud. If someone else starts
giving you a hard time over it, just give them a friendly reminder that they
can go do something else with their time. <b>Haters gonna hate, no matter what;
don’t let it get to you.</b> Sensible and constructive critizism on the other hand,
THAT is something you should let get to you </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="SV">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="SV"><b>Good resources</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="SV">I’ll finish by stating, as a disclaimer, that
the views above are from my limited point of view. There are many others with insights greater than mine, who
discuss the importance of the audience, who explore the interaction with
audiences in their work and who are great people to keep tabs on in this
regard. <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceWeiler" target="_blank">Lance Weiler</a> comes naturally to mind, as do <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/nmfbernardo" target="_blank">Nuno Bernardo</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/GaryPHayes" target="_blank">Gary P Hayes</a>. I will post a follow-up with more
resources later on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-54066157602274001002012-05-09T09:50:00.000+03:002012-05-09T12:00:10.579+03:00Closed or open participation in transmedia?We hosted our bi-monthly <a href="http://mediacity.fi/index.php?p=1" target="_blank">MindClub</a> in Vasa,
Finland, the other day, and had the great pleasure of welcoming<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/christydena" target="_blank"> Christy Dena</a> as
our main speaker. Something in particular stuck to my mind from the chat with
Christy and other participants afterwards, and that’s what this brief post is
about.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">See, transmedia is many times (and in my
opinion most often should be) <b>inclusive of the audience</b> and <b>encouraging
audience participation</b> in one way or another (just googling ”audience
participation in transmedia” yields 80k+ hits, for instance). But then,
opinions start to differ, especially regarding the level and the way and the
openness of the participation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Now, <b>any participation must, naturally, make
sense within the scope of the project and as a part of the story world</b>. If this
is a given, however, we come to the question of the nature of the
participation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3daals3Xy1qjbnqfo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3daals3Xy1qjbnqfo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty Work, on the Rides engine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Will it be <b>a closed participation</b>, where the
audience is given a set number of choices or alternatives to play around with,
a participation that is 100% in the hands of the creators? The bonus is of
course that the audience will experience more or less exactly what the creators
have intended, the story arch will continue as planned and there will be no
deviations, no trouble ahead, and the next instalment that follows will
continue along a logical path and not confuse any member of the audience. The
drawback is that it might be less engaging, as people do not invest anything of
themselves in the content, and that the creators miss out on a potential huge
mass of creativity by not encouraging the audience to create anything within
the ramifications of the story world. The very interesting <a href="http://rides.tv/watch/dirtywork/" target="_blank">Rides engine</a> by 4th Wall Studios
could be considered to fall into this category.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Will it be <b>a closed participation which gives
the appearance of an open participation?</b> This is most commonly referred to as
”sandboxes” or perhaps Jeff Gomez’ ”Swiss Cheese Model”, where certain ares,
places or gaps in the narrative and/or the story world have been set aside for
the audience to create stuff themselves. The bonus is a more engaged audience,
a creative output within the context of the story world and the narrative
superstructure and possibilities to spread the ”gospel” of the story world through
eager audience members sharing their creations with their friends, becoming evangelists
in the process. The drawback is an added need to create more in order to
accommodate these sandboxes or cheese holes; they need to have logical places
in the narrative superstructure. Another drawback is an added need for more
manpower in order to moderate contributions and creations – a need that, with
time, can be handed out to credible and realiable members of the audience, but
in the beginning probably must be in the hands of the production team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Or, will it be <b>an open participation that also
gives the appearance of an open participation?</b> This then would go somewhere in
the direction of the <a href="http://sharedstoryworlds.com/" target="_blank">Shared Storyworlds</a> propagated for by Scott Walker, for
instance. I.e., the story world is created, a narrative superstructure is in
place, and the audience is given more or less free reins within these
parameters, to create, collaborate, share and design. Bonuses include a vastly
increased mass of creativity around the content, the possibilities for new and
unexpected (and brilliant) stories and facets to emerge and basically work
power for free. Drawbacks include the need to be able to let go of the control
of the content; either you don’t control it, and it’s open participation, or
you try to control it, and it’s not. Can’t have it both ways. Moderation might
still be implemented though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Now, there is no way to say which of these is
the right choice. Many I’ve spoken to would never go along with a totally open
participation, which I understand perfectly. If I would propagate for any one
model, it would be for <b>an overarching strategy, planned for the very beginning,
which gradually opens up the story more and more for participants.</b> What starts
off as a series of novels that no one can influence grows into an online
experience with sandboxes for people to create their own characters and their
own villages/cities/areas, which evolves into a shared story world where
stories are told from all corners, within the parameters of the story world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I’d join! </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><br />
<span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span><br />
<span lang="SV" style="font-family: inherit;">UPDATE: Rob Pratten of Transmedia Storyteller and Conducttr <a href="http://www.tstoryteller.com/audience-participation-with-linear-tv" target="_blank">wrote a post</a> on his/their view of participation. This "layered participation", blending the ones defined above by offering one content "as is" to be consumed, while opening up the surrounding story world for participants to explore and add to, is definitely a very good way to go if it fits the context of the content on offer (and I'd imagine it'd do that for almost any kind of content, from fiction to documentaries and onwards). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Layered participation could be seen as a well working blend of the types of participation outlined above, all according to the wants of the creators, the needs of the audience and the context of the content. </span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-68305958144742627242012-05-03T17:19:00.001+03:002012-05-05T11:34:13.540+03:00Five transmedia projects – May 2012 edition<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It feels a bit like that good ol’ ketchup
effect, when you squeeze and squeeze and mutter and squeeze some more and then,
with a mighty <i>BRRFPRPRRRTTT</i> you’ve got half the content of the bottle all over
your plate. It’s a bit like the transmedia scene right now, where people have
been chipping away at projects left and right and now releasing them. It’s a
great feeling and something I’ve been waiting for for quite some time; we’re
rapidly moving in the direction where everyone can look beyond the ”oh it’s a
new transmedia project!” effect and instead focus on the content, the context
and the delivery.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Below is a list of five projects I’ll be
keeping an eye on this month, as they all look inspiring in their own way.
These are all quite subjective, from my point of view, naturally:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/downloads/posters/TheDarkKnightRises_TeaserPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/downloads/posters/TheDarkKnightRises_TeaserPoster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/" target="_blank">Dark Knight Rises</a>. Well, it has something to
live up to, as ”Why So Serious?” still functions as a kind of a blueprint of
what can be done with transmedia when looking to raise awareness and market an
upcoming blockbuster. Still, this one seems not to be willing to loom in the
shadow of aforementioned ancestor, but is instead developing legs of its’ own
quite rapidly. Let’s see when all those graffitis around the world have been
decoded… </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.trylife.tv/" target="_blank">Try Life.</a> This is an interactive drama that I
find interesting; granted, so far it’s ”just” a ”choose the storyline”
drama, but it’s well produced and the creators are promising ”a lot more to
come”. The series itself is in the educational vein, helping teenagers to
tackle consequences of sex, drugs and violence, under the british National
Curriculum. As an example of how to use new storytelling techniques for
something else than pure entertainment and marketing, it’s looking quite neat.
Also, 100k+ likes on Facebook must mean someone’s interested!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.t3.com/news/alt-minds-transmedia-interactive-paranormal-thriller-announced" target="_blank">Alt-Minds</a> is Orange’s new venture and is
branded ”The Very First Total Fiction”. The teaser trailer is looking slick,
and I had a chat with Stephane Adamiak from Orange at MIPCube; they’re drawing
on some good experiences of earlier projects and are going to have Alt-Minds
play out as a paranormal thriller on social media, apps and web TV. Will be
interesting to follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="http://rides.tv/dirty-work/" target="_blank">Rides: Dirty Works</a>. So, here it is, finally –
the follow up to teaser ”Home: A Ghost Story”, the first series that shows what
you can do with 4th Wall Studios’ Rides-engine. It’s a well written script and
good actors; overall a good story. And yes, the Rides solutions do give that
bit extra to the experience, once you get used to it – even if you just
experience it online. I thought I detected some glitch in the logic of the
script when taking part of some of the extra content, but that might’ve been
just me. Looking forward to the next episode!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.longcoats.org/" target="_blank">Endworlds</a> popped up on my radar a couple of
months ago; it’s initially a three-part online publication with strong online
presence, live treasure hunts around the globe and a lot of FB and Twitter followers.
I think it looks like an innovative way of telling stories, meshing marketing
with user contribution with storytelling with good strategies, and will be
following how it evolves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">All in all, exciting times. Looking forward to see what other new projects will see the light of day!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-49902081435827690422012-04-29T13:04:00.002+03:002012-04-30T08:30:38.220+03:00Trust in Transmedia<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hfTcO0O370/T50SIPumDoI/AAAAAAAAASo/TcIuGr5m_ZI/s1600/trust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hfTcO0O370/T50SIPumDoI/AAAAAAAAASo/TcIuGr5m_ZI/s400/trust.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>See what I did here? :)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I’ve read a couple of articles over the past
few days that has got me thinking <i>(in part because it looks like we’re getting
the go-ahead on a couple of projects that I’ve been itching to dig into for
some time now, and this subject will be very much amongst the ones on top of
the ”solve-this”-list).<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I think we all agree that simply aiming for
Likes and followers and views gets us nowhere as far as telling stories go.
It’s what we do with these Likers and followers and viewers that matter. And in
that context, trust is a major factor
(there’s a good post up from February touching on the subject <a href="http://edelman.ca/2012/02/02/trust-in-2012-4-implications-for-social-media/" target="_blank">here</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="SV">So, how can I as a creator achieve the level
of trust that will <b>not only make people want to watch and take part of my new
content, but also advocate the content onwards to their friends and
acquaintances?</b> And as, for instance, participation and co-creation – User
Contributed Content – implies that people have a great deal of trust in me as a
creator and provider to a) offer them the experience they assume that they will
get and b) take care of whatever it is that they have created, in the best way
possible, that trust needs to be earned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">If we look at the word itself, it does give
some hints of how to achieve this. Trust is defined as the f</span>irm belief
in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Looking at those words, there are some routes we can look at. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First off “<b>Reliability</b>”. The audience should look at our
project, then look at us and go “yeah, I can rely on those to provide me with
what they promise”. This is either down to us as creators and the reputation
we’ve built for ourselves, or the quality of the brand we’re working with, be
it the IP or the backing production company or something else that people feel
they can rely on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Secondly, “<b>Truth</b>”. This is so very important, to not be
seen lying or withholding the truth from the audience. This is not to say that
ALL of the truths need to be spoken about or revealed, but we need to be able
to explain WHY we’re not revealing those truths and have a good reason to back
the decision up. And not, never, hoax. Not if we want the audience’s trust.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thirdly, “<b>Ability</b>”. This has a lot to do with how we
present our content, our project. A well executed trailer or pre-ARG or support
from respected people in the industry or in the target group the project aims
to reach can help. It’s the belief that what’s promised will be delivered, and
that, if anything, it won’t stumble on the people involved not having the
required skill sets to complete what they’ve set out to do. A good reputation
doesn’t hurt either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fourthly, “<b>Strength</b>”. The audience of today could care
less about which studio is producing which movie. But the audience is also
increasingly savvy when it comes to media consumption, savvy enough to realize
that when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you’re a
small company without any backers, content- or funding-wise, don’t promise the
world to the audience. Be honest; refer to “Truth” above. On the other hand, if
you are backed by HBO, use that to your advantage! People want to invest in
winners, and the stronger the partners of a project, the more likely it’ll end
up on the winner’s side in the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, trust. Hard to get, easy to lose. Build on your reliability, your truth, your ability and your strength. And when you've gained someone's trust, be sure to take every precaution to not betray that trust in any way. Best of luck to
everyone <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>. </div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-9772155932329864272012-04-23T11:53:00.002+03:002012-04-23T11:53:48.692+03:00Transmedia – does anyone care?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvMYDU0sLZg/T5UYiw80rxI/AAAAAAAAARU/R2ZcjfkgU9M/s1600/philosoraptor-meme-generator-so-if-there-s-no-transmedia-does-that-mean-i-m-out-of-a-job-50b441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvMYDU0sLZg/T5UYiw80rxI/AAAAAAAAARU/R2ZcjfkgU9M/s320/philosoraptor-meme-generator-so-if-there-s-no-transmedia-does-that-mean-i-m-out-of-a-job-50b441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve had a blog post sitting on my computer,
half-written, for quite some time. The essence of the post was that there are
only about 200 people around the world that actually care if your project is a
”true transmedia project” or not, the 6.999.999.800 others either don’t care or
will never hear of your stuff.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Brian Clark beat me to it though, and in a
much more profound and challenging way, in his follow up to last years
debate-post over on Facebook; this time, the title is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/brian-clark/transmedia-is-a-lie/10150841850433993" target="_blank">”Transmedia is a lie”</a>,
and it, and the comments, are well worth a read.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I feel the need to write something here on the
subject as well; I, contrary to Brian (I think?) still believe there is a use
for the term ”transmedia”. Granted,
there has not been a definite definition over the past 12 months, and granted,
there has been a severe dilution of the term (if I could get 10 cents for every
new ”transmedia producer” I met at MIPTV this year, that was a ”cross media
producer” only 6 months earlier, I’d have…. about 50 cents). As a term for
working together with other professionals in the field, it has therefore
probably outlived it’s purpose – much better to take a longer route and explain
the concept thoroughly, including platforms, interaction, plot (if applicable)
and so on. Other professionals will see where they can slot in quite easily,
while not being confused by differing definitions of the ”transmedia” term.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Also for pitching purposes the term has become
next to redundant; what you’re selling is the story. Everything else only
serves to confuse. This goes for upwards of 75% of the commissioners, producers
and buyers I pitch to. This in turn is quite healthy for you, even though it
means harder work: you need to a) make the story good enough to stand on it’s
own legs and be sellable, while b) you need to have the transmediated parts
lined up so you can answer any questions about them should they arise and
preferrably c) have a next-to fool-proof financing plan for these ”extra”
parts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Now, the discussion over at Brian’s note is
quite existential at times. It’s a ”what is this and why do we do it and really
there is no such thing as transmedia and NO YOU SHUT UP and….”. I.e., it’s all
great fun, and something of a necessity. I believe people will float in and out
of the term ”transmedia”, while still continuing to create and tell stories
interconnected over multiple platforms, under different headings. Nothing wrong
with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I will, however, continue to use the term
transmedia. For this I have two reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">It keeps my mind straight when
developing and producing content. I have my own definition of what transmedia
should be and what I aspire to, and keeping this in mind really helps me
brainstorm, create and refine content.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">For anyone entering into this
which perhaps is transmedia and perhaps isn’t transmedia, it can be a confusing
world. I’d like people to come into it the way I did – with a solid background
in storytelling and media, then getting your mind blown away by extremely
inspiring people and projects, then gradually starting to pick up on nuances
and relevant discussions, implementing the methods into my own work,
experiencing what works and what doesn’t, stretch my mind and my imagination
and get better at coming up with engaging and doable stuff. This is something I
would not have done without a term – ”transmedia” – to hang everything on, to
keep my mind focused. Only by embracing a term can we truly understand the
critizism of it (wow, that sounded profound :P)</span></blockquote>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Rant over. Now off to evaluate some transmedia
projects….</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-28999827750057385822012-04-20T14:40:00.001+03:002012-04-20T14:40:23.919+03:00MIPTV Wrap Up SessionSo I was on the wrap up panel at MIPTV 2012 - thanks ReedMIDEM and James for having me. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience with some quite brilliant people in the sofa and chairs beside me.<br />
<br />
The video is up here:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EHeI4dsOXKg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-88859422496905990152012-04-19T22:56:00.002+03:002012-04-20T06:40:39.209+03:00Transmedia and audience segmentsI was discussing a transmedia project I’d been
advising a bit on with my wife today, when she – in the quite brilliant way she
has of hitting the nail on the head – pointed out that transmedia, should the
mythology and story world allow for it, <b>could be a brilliant tool for reaching
not just one target audience, but a number of target audiences</b> in a way that
engages them on their own while still keeping them loosely knit together
through the common narrative superstructure.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
A simplistic example:<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Targeting the 65+ segment,</b> television,
magazines, books or radio or less complex web based offerings might be the best
way to get through, with a storyline that engages them the most. Will try not
to be prejudiced, but probably something along the not-too-fast-paced but drama
based might do the trick?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Targeting the 35+ segment</b>, i.e. the children
of the aforementioned segment, a more quick-paced drama, played out on
mobile/tablets, television or VOD and online, based in the same world as the
drama for the 65+ is based in, perhaps even overlapping, so that the
generations have something to talk about and compare when they meet? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>And targeting 15+,</b> the grandchildren of the
65+ segment, a youth drama, perhaps mostly on YouTube, perhaps character-driven
to a large extent; could end up a television series as well. But yes, this also
based in the same story world as the two above; also overlapping and crashing
into the other storylines from time to time. Much like real life!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">This would take a bit more planning and a bit
more funding than just the one tv-series would do, of course. <b>We are
essentially looking at producing three productions, connected to each other.</b>
But the end result could be pretty neat indeed. I'd love to try to give such a thing a go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"> * * *<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>The Avatar<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I got an idea yesterday and I’d be mighty glad
if someone told me if this exists already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">See, I’d like to be able to place myself as an
Avatar on different places on the web. On my own home page or blog, on blog
articles where I’ve been interviewed or where I have contributed etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>I’d want this Avatar to be a bit sentient.</b> The
Avatar is displayed on the page I put it on and people can talk to it and ask
questions about how I look at things and
what my opinion is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">The key thing here would be to<b> have the Avatar
constantly crawl the net to find if the real me has written, commented, blogged or been interview about anything on any
given subject </b>since the last time. These comments or opinions or facts are then
added by the Avatar to its repertoar of answers, complementing or erasing already existing opinions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">So, anyone want to build this with me? Hit me
up </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span><br />
<span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.myprogear.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/avatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.myprogear.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/avatar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not this kind of Avatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-37834566027447414792012-04-16T19:53:00.004+03:002012-04-16T19:54:24.075+03:00Getting funding for transmedia – a commentA brief post on funding and transmedia; I read
<a href="http://storify.com/jennlevine/project-funding-business-immersion-at-storycodeorg?awesm=sfy.co_n1e" target="_blank">the Storify of the latest StoryCode event</a> with great interest, as I – along
with most other practicioners in this field – am constantly on the lookout for
new ways to get the funding in to create and produce and distribute what I want
to create and produce and distribute.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.futurelab.net/sites/default/files/upload/startup-curve.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://www.futurelab.net/sites/default/files/upload/startup-curve.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great graph from Futurelab, "Trough of Sorrow". <br />
Applies to transmedia projects as well as startups, I'd say.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">The event had some good advice and some good
links to follow up. A couple of things were missing though, if I look at it
from my angle. The following couple of things need, in my book, to be taken
into consideration if you want to raise funding for a transmedia project:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="SV"><b>Split it up.</b></span> Take a good look at your content
and what platforms you intend to distribute it on. Is part of it good enough to
make a television fiction series or a television documentary, the revenues from
this alone might pay for the rest of the transmedia venture (depending on
scope, naturally), and also open up for roll-out of the full transmedia
experience in global territories. If you can hook into a current trend with the
part of your project you’ve designed to work as a graphic novel, you might get
either a publishing deal or rack up some revenue through e-books. Bottom line;
look at the parts of your transmedia project from a revenue perspective; add
them all together, and you might just achieve your goal.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="SV"><b>What new knowledge can be gained from your
project?</b> Yes, you have a great story and a well crafted mythology and narrative
superstructure. Yes, you have tapped into an existing community relating to
your content and you are quite confident of actually having an audience. But
you still lack a bit of $$ to actually create what you plan to create. Now,
look at what new knowledge there is to be learned from what you are about to
do. Will you know more about a certain segment of the population? Will you
understand more about how call-to-actions work? Will you develop the way social
media is integrated into a campaign or a story? This knowledge can be turned
into funds, if packaged the right way and sold to the right buyer – a brand, a
service, a research institution (who might even offer to put a researcher on
your team to do the dirty work) a governmental institution… </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">There are probably as many ways to get the
full funding as there are transmedia projects. My advice would be to be
creative, not only when it comes to your content, but also with regards to your
funding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-73692366859096459272012-04-16T15:45:00.002+03:002012-04-16T15:46:51.041+03:00Transmedia and fiction in televisionI read <a href="http://www.lostremote.com/2012/04/11/inside-look-at-hbos-social-tv-strategy-for-game-of-thrones/" target="_blank">an interesting article</a> on the success
story of Game of Thrones a couple of days ago, over at Lost Remote. GoT has
been one of the transmedia marketing success stories I’ve pointed to in talks
and articles over the past year, what with their ”Smells of Westeros” and ”Food
of Westeros” campaigns. I was very happy to see that HBO were rewarded with an
audience for the first episode of the second season that was 73% up on the
first episode of the first season.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lostremote.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/gamethrones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.lostremote.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/gamethrones.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Now, the social media buzz around GoT is
indeed remarkable. HBO are evidently doing all they can to maintain and grow
this buzz, and it would seem it is paying off handsomely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">In the article I read, no one was speaking
about ”transmedia” per say. Still, the principles of transmedia storytelling are what made all the social buzz possible. George R.R. Martin has created an
enormously rich story world, he already has a great number of story archs up in
the air and the mythology and the narrative superstructure are both firmly in
place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">This is what I would recommend anyone thinking
of transmedia and television, in a drama/fiction setting, to take note of and
even replicate. Making a mythology as rich as that of GoT might seem excessive,
but look at the possibilities it generates for entry points, character
interaction, fan art and fan fiction and so on! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">If you’re working on a fantasy story, build it
all as eloquently as GoT, or at least strive to. If your fiction is more of the
contemporary kind, make your own jigsaw puzzle out of facts from the world
around you, glueing the pieces together with just the right amount of fiction
from yourself and your creative brain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Above all, plan for the audience to join in.
The HBO example in the article above is getting there. I do believe there are
new routes to explore and new ways to implement, to tie the audience even
tighter to your content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-43604450117092007232012-04-07T23:27:00.001+03:002012-04-08T00:07:02.016+03:00MIPTV 2012 – thoughts and comments<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, MIPTV 2012 is done and dusted, along with
MIPFormats and the inaugural MIPCube. The days – and the nights – flew by at a
breathtaking pace, so now I find myself in Antibes with my family for what I
definitely feel is a well-earned vacation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">With the events of the past few days still
somewhat fresh in my head, I thought it prompt to write up a short recap of
some things I saw as important. Mind you, I was in the MIPFormats Pitch final
and had, as a consequence, quite a number of meetings, so I missed out on a lot
of interesting stuff. On the other hand, business is business, and I’d rather
have it than not, so… Still, here are some things I thought worth taking note
of:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;">The TV industry is moving in the
right direction.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">With this I mean that amongst the clutter of
animated cuddly bears and 14-hour long drama series with serious bearded men
from the Middle East, there is a growing number of people in the TV industry
who get that there is a real need for everyone to take note of where the
audience is heading and make plans for how to be there to welcome them when the
major part of them arrive. Granted, the ways of doing so vary wildly, from Lisa
Hsia and her Master Chef-transmedia-extension to companies geared solely towards
connected TV-sets, and everything in between. Still, I was positively surprised
to see TV people talking to tech people and actually discussing issues and
challenges, not just mmm-ing and aahh-ing along.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>The brands are in the mix</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Alongside the tv industry are the brands.
These have in several cases shown a readiness to go beyond their previous
limits when it comes to offering true and engaging stories, and to some extent
even build it all into something touching on transmedia storytelling principles.
Still, many simply do not have a clue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">As transmedia can help in so many ways, it
just feels a bit silly not to utilize it to get deeper audience engagement,
more serious interactive possibilities and a firmer story world, or mythology,
to build further story archs on and offer logical and immersive entry points
into. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>Milking the ”transmedia” buzzword
for all it’s worth</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">There were a lot of transmedia creators and
producers in Cannes last week. Some actually are, while others are more of the
kind that like to jump on any buzzword that might buy them a free lunch or
three. All in all, I can’t help but observe that the term itself is becoming
pretty diluted. Add to this the fact that everyone who actually knows something
about transmedia seem to find it impossible to talk about transmedia without
starting with ”aaaand, so, my view of transmedis is…” followed by a description
that differs less than 2% from the description of the previous speaker. For the
first time in my life, I’ve actually felt a yearning for a definite definition
of ”transmedia”, if only to be able to get rid of all these definitions hopping
about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>TV going social… controlling the
uncontrollable</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Many people, many companies and many apps on
exhibit (especially at MIPCube) were about taking the TV experience into a
social direction. For the most time though, this was about pointing people to
the Facebook page and to the correct hashtag to use if tweeting about the
program. Still, less than one third of new shows commissioned actually launch
an FB page as well, which is just appalling statistics. I.e., what people in
the biz are trying to do is control the uncontrollable, harness that which
can’t be harnessed, basically using tactics in a social space that never should
be used in a social pace. Here, I have a brilliant idea; hopefully you’ll see
something more of it sooner than later.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TthBQ33zKls/T4Ci2Rxnb9I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/MWxNc_ORAl8/s1600/samzero7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TthBQ33zKls/T4Ci2Rxnb9I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/MWxNc_ORAl8/s200/samzero7.jpg" width="112" /></a><b><span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="SV" style="text-indent: -18pt;">You never know who you’ll run into
on La Croisette</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">This year; Jean Reno, Miss World, some people
from Jersey Shore, and at the Nokia cocktail party at C Beach, to my total
delight, Sam from Zero 7. Excellent!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">All in all a very giving six days. I’ll end
here, but I reserve the right to add on to this post as soon as I’m not on a
sketchy wifi on the Cote d’Azur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com101tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-11703824517461752562012-03-29T13:05:00.002+03:002012-03-29T13:06:10.827+03:00The Transmedia Translator<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G2WTEN2UCKU/T3QzvTsdlNI/AAAAAAAAAQg/M5NYyFWfz3Y/s1600/Question-Mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G2WTEN2UCKU/T3QzvTsdlNI/AAAAAAAAAQg/M5NYyFWfz3Y/s200/Question-Mark.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A brief post from Helsinki Airport, as I’m off
for six days of the craziness that is MIPCube, MIPFormats and MIPTV. As I look
at the people and companies congregating on the Cote d’Azur, I’m once again
struck by how difficult many of these will have when it comes to not only
talking to each other, but actually understanding each other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I’m not talking about a language barrier
either, but rather a barrier that arises from context. This is all perfectly
natural, as tv producers will talk another language than for instance 2nd
screen app providers, in much the same way as someone working in publishing
would have a hard time grasping the fine details of a corn farmers professional
life and vice versa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">The difference there is that the publisher and
the farmer seldom would have anything to do with each other. In a transmedia
world, everyone have to collaborate with each other, to a certain degree at
least. And just as the farmer would have needed a person who understands both
farming and publishing in order to explain publishing to him, and understand
which questions he is asking and why he is asking them, in the same way
transmedia projects need someone who understands it all, at least up to a
certain level, and is able to facilitate discussions and collaborations by
greasing the wheels of conversation and information exchange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">Christy Dena touches upon this issue in her
post <a href="http://meanland.com.au/blog/post/do-you-go-both-ways/" target="_blank">”Do You Go Both Ways”</a>. People want to excel in one area and leave the rest
to others (some practicioners apart, who enjoy leaping over the boundaries).
And, precisely because of this, I feel the Transmedia Producer end title, or
Transmedia Director or whatever, should be accompanies by one more – Transmedia
Translator, responsible for getting everyone to talk to each other and
UNDERSTAND each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-20117314763907796012012-03-27T00:21:00.002+03:002012-03-27T07:51:23.985+03:00Five transmedia projects to follow - spring 2012I’ll be heading to the frenzy that is MIPTV
(and MIPCube and MIPFormats) in a couple of days, so whatever reports there
will be will probably be centered around those events. MIPCube in particular is
looking tasty, with some people present there who are doing some really
interesting stuff. If you feel like it, <b>you are more than welcome to keep your
fingers crossed on Saturday</b> – I’m up against four others in the final of the <a href="http://miptv.reedmidem.com/ebrochures/press/120322-MIPFORMATS_FINALISTS-ENG.php">MIPFormats
Pitch Competition</a> with our cross media game show ”Which One Out”.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">In the meanwhile I thought I’d write a brief
post to <b>highlight five transmedia projects that I believe might rock 2012 quite
splendidly</b>, in slightly different ways. I will admit I’m into some of these
because I’m invested in one way or another, but on the other hand I would not
invest unless I saw something interesting in them. In no particular order, and
<b>without snubbing any other projects out there that I’m either ignorant of or
have simply forgotten due to mushy-brain-syndrome</b>; here are five projects you
might do well to put in your bookmarks:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><a href="http://www.clockworkwatch.com/">Clockwork
Watch</a> is a steampunk adventure</b> crossing over </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">two graphic novels, interactive promenade theatre, live action role-play,
online adventures, an interactive book and a feature film, all over the course
of three years. The first novel – “The Arrival” – is out any minute now and
looking good. Yomi and the Clockwork crew are doing an impressive and dedicated
job of bringing this to life, steaming and billowing. Definitely one to keep an
eye on – participate in the live event in London in May if you get the chance! And yes, for full disclosure, I backed this on
IndieGoGo.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWB3fCGJ7O8/T3DduQSB1tI/AAAAAAAAAQY/z0fnTjDDvYk/s1600/karada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWB3fCGJ7O8/T3DduQSB1tI/AAAAAAAAAQY/z0fnTjDDvYk/s320/karada.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><a href="http://www.thekarada.com/">The Karada</a>
is a project by some really creative people</b>, James Martin, Tom Liljeholm and
Carrie Cuthforth-Young, amongst others. ”</span><span lang="SV" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #333333;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #333333;">A young woman struggles to
save the multiverse as realities collapse around her.” as the tagline reads. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I really like the tone of the project, and spanning
over televison and graphic novels and live interaction, it promises to be great
fun. Development phase one was reportedly wrapped up just some days ago, and it
all <a href="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/383561_300533286679576_177447375654835_732716_214856450_n.jpg">looks
pretty fab</a>. Keep an eye out for this one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/balanceofpowers/balance-of-powers">Balance
of Powers</a> is a project I backed on Kickstarter the second I laid eyes on
it. <b>The people behind it virtually guarantee it must be something good,</b> as
Andrea Phillips, Adrian Hon, David Varela and Naomi Alderman are all involved
and have been for some time. An alternate history tale set in the Cold War,
Balance of Powers will be </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">a free-to-read online episodic story with lots of special content for
subscribers, where you receive letters from the characters, take part in live
story events online, and even get newspapers from the world through the post!
Looking forward to seeing this one run!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://transmediala.net/2012/03/support-the-miracle-mile-paradox-transmedia-la-first-arg/">Miracle
Mile Paradox</a> is brought to you, me and everyone else through the Transmedia
LA meetup group and April Arrglington. An ARG, playable live IRL and online
later this year. Help the hero, Rex, to solve a paradox and save the world from
evildoers. Pretty straightforward, pretty interesting… but that which struck me
was a sentence on the first page: ”</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #444444;"><b>…we are doing this in hopes to be educational for the local and global
Transmedia community</b>. We plan to document the progress of the project in
our main site and have the free game up and running and available to all
this summer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #444444;">Yup, it’s
only by doing you learn, and if there is one sphere that could use more
teaching material, it’s transmedia. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><a href="http://wedreamofnothing.com/">We
Dream Of Nothing</a> – full disclosure; I’m consulting on this project – comes
at it from a slightly other angle. As Paul Burke, the main creator behind the
project, writes: ”</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">We Dream of Nothing is an original,
science fiction fantasy story that connects two characters at opposite ends of
the universe. The story is hidden inside the female lead’s dream research
website. <b>From there the Audience can explore the story through 28 episodes –
combinations of video, comics, audio, collaboration, data swapping</b>, and, well…
all sorts of other fun things to see and do.”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">I can tell you, it’s shaping up to be pretty darn interesting, and well worth to
keep informed about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">There are, of course, a lot of other projects
as well. For instance; from the
humongous and commercial side, I’m very curious on what the teams behind <a href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html">Game of Thrones</a>, <a href="http://thecapitol.pn/">Hunger Games</a> and <a href="http://blog.ted.com/ted2023/" target="_blank">Prometheus</a> might cook up for us, while I am quite convinced there will be a number of other transmedia projects I've never heard about that will blow me off my feet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="SV"><br /></span><br />
<span lang="SV">A honorable mention too, to Andrea Phillips' project <a href="http://www.deusexmachinatio.com/blog/2012/3/19/a-new-blog-series-making-felicity.html" target="_blank">Felicity</a>, something that was an abandoned 20.000 word novel but now is re-emerging as a transmedia project. Generously enough, Andrea has decided to share development process and decisions in a series of blog posts. For me as a developer, this is simply great. Thanks!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">To sum it all up, there are plenty of things
to look ahead to and get excited about. And the more successful transmedia
there is, the easier everyone else has when it comes to getting new transmedia
projects commissioned. Here's to creating more and better!</span></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-38545340541358638502012-03-26T23:12:00.001+03:002012-03-26T23:12:42.868+03:00The Most Interesting Transmedia Man In The World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TL9CWhcUSp0/T3DNmPkt_TI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/JJbRx8I1G7Q/s1600/interestingtransmedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TL9CWhcUSp0/T3DNmPkt_TI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/JJbRx8I1G7Q/s640/interestingtransmedia.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
<br />Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-17833775695835833202012-03-19T15:20:00.001+02:002012-04-24T15:57:55.933+03:00Ten Transmedia People - Spring 2012 EditionTransmedia is a fascinating genre, as the
imagination to quite an extent is the limit of how far you can go, how far you
want to reach <i>(well, imagination… and funds… and deadlines… and manpower… and other annoying variables)</i>.<br />
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<span lang="SV">This in turn means that <b>new examples of
transmedia rise to the surface all the time.</b> Reactions and comments, analysis
and case studies abound, from a great number of creative and intelligent
people. Next to creating, developing and producing myself – i.e. learning by
doing – <b>this is where I find I learn the most about transmedia; from brilliant
people all around the world. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">For anyone starting out in transmedia, I
thought I’d compile a small list. Here are ten people you could do worse than
following on Twitter, on blogs and anywhere you can find them, to be inspired
and awed and kept abreast on what transmedia is and where it’s heading. <b>These
ten people don't necessarily overlap that much and would therefore be a good combined
starting point for anyone looking to learn more about transmedia.</b> The
descriptions are purely from my own point of view, so I hope no one is
offended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">In no particular order, here they are, ten transmedia people, spring 2012 edition :) :<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--D_F5kOelFA/T2cvyKlNkUI/AAAAAAAAAP8/AIDmC00cTfU/s1600/10transmediappl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--D_F5kOelFA/T2cvyKlNkUI/AAAAAAAAAP8/AIDmC00cTfU/s400/10transmediappl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/christydena">Christy
Dena</a> should be a household name for anyone in transmedia. Her transmedia
PhD gives her quite a lot of cred in the area, cred that she manages very well.
You can have the fortune of catching one of her talks at some point, you can
get up-to-date stuff on Twitter, or read <a href="http://meanland.com.au/blog/post/do-you-go-both-ways/">one of her
insightsful posts</a> somewhere. She’s also working on some interesting stuff,
so you should definitely keep tabs on her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/gmdclark">Brian
Clark</a> is a bit of an enigma, and offers a slightly different point of view
on what transmedia is and what transmedia could and should be. We agree quite a
lot when it comes to transmedia and finances, and you should definitely read a)
his series over at Henry Jenkins’ blog on financing transmedia and b) this
thread on Facebook; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&note_id=10150246236508993">”Reclaiming
Transmedia Storyteller.</a>” (not to mention his new one - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/brian-clark/transmedia-is-a-lie/10150841850433993" target="_blank">"Transmedia is a lie"</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/lksriv">Lina
Srivastava</a> is for me the person personifying Transmedia Activism. She’s
worked with a host of companies, projects and people, from UNESCO to ”18 Days
in Egypt”. To keep tabs on that which not necessarily touches on Hollywood,
fiction, ARGs and so on, but rather social change through transmedia, Lina is
the person I turn to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Jeff_Gomez">Jeff
Gomez</a> can, like no one else, enthuse a whole room full of people with the
possibilities transmedia storytelling can offer you. If you have the chance to
hear him talk, I’d very much suggest you do that. Not only that, but his
company Starlightrunner Entertainment is also one to keep your eyes on if
you’re starting out in this field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/simonpulman">Simon
Pulman</a> has a great analytical mind, which he puts to very good use for the
transmedia community over at <a href="http://transmythology.com/">Transmythology</a>.
He is good at keeping up-to-date on major and minor industry currents,
especially in the US, and mirror them against the transmedia movement to see
what implications they might have. Essential reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jdcarter">James
Carter</a> hails from the theatre world of New York, but brings this highly
interesting world in touch with the world of transmedia <a href="http://onemuse.com/">over at his blog</a>. Many interesting posts,
especially for someone like me – I know television, I know web, I know print, I
know mobile, I know radio… I do not, however, know theatre. As another platform
for transmedia, I think I would have to know that area as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/robpratten">Rob
Pratten</a> has recently moved back to London to continue working on their
flagship transmedia storytelling engine-of-sorts, <a href="http://www.tstoryteller.com/">Conducttr</a>. Not only do they have a
highly interesting product, Rob also frequently shares his slides and talks on
everything transmedia, most with the – for me very important – sound financial
foundation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/andrhia">Andrea
Phillips</a> is a constant source of inspiration; she’s been involved in a lot
of transmedia projects, and she’s obviously quite successful at it as well. The
inspiration comes from her posts over at <a href="http://www.deusexmachinatio.com/">Deus Ex Machinatio</a>, written from a
”been there and done that” POV, and in the near future from her upcoming book
on developing and producing transmedia. She also holds good talks, so if you
have the chance, go see her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/scott_walker">Scott
Walker</a> for me epitomes crowdsourcing content, building storyworld together
with the audience, respecting your audience and communicate all these
principles to practicioners in the field. He writes good stuff over at <a href="http://metascott.com/">MetaScott</a>, founded the site ”Shared Story
Worlds”, co-founded Transmedia LA etc and so on. He’s also amazing at
connecting people with each other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/aprilarrg">April
Arrglington</a> hosts the blog <a href="http://www.thearrglingtonjump.com/">”The
Arrglington Jump”,</a> and quite correctly describes herself as ”a Transmedia
enthusiast” on her Twitter page. She is quite probably one of the most energetic persons in the transmedia
field when it comes to informing, reaching out and communicating. She’s also
very much involved in the Transmedia LA meetup, so if you want to get info
about transmedia, April would be one to keep tabs on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="SV">There are, naturally, qute a few other people
you would do well in following in one way or another – <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mikemonello" target="_blank">Mike Monello</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/TEDxTransmedia" target="_blank">Nicoletta Iacobacci</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/KHenthuZiasm" target="_blank">Karine Halpern</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/tomliljeholm" target="_blank">Tom Liljeholm</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/poburke" target="_blank">Paul Burke</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/vpisteve" target="_blank">Steve Peters</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/sparrowhall" target="_blank">Sparrow Hall</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/floerianthebard" target="_blank">Lucas J.W. Johnson</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ianginn" target="_blank">Ian Ginn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jaybushman" target="_blank">Jay Bushman</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceWeiler" target="_blank">Lance Weiler</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jimbabb" target="_blank">Jim Babb</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/sioflynn" target="_blank">Siobhan O'Flynn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/GaryPHayes" target="_blank">Gary P Hayes</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Nedra" target="_blank">Nedra Weinreich</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/nickdemartino" target="_blank">Nick DeMartino</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/kulturvulturz" target="_blank">Carrie Cuthforth-Young</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/storycentral" target="_blank">Alison Norrington</a> … they, and many others I've now forgotten to mention, all contribute a lot to
the transmedia community. Look around, find the ones that talk to you the best,
and start your search from there. Best of luck </span><span lang="SV" style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="SV">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com281tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15831620.post-27625745836239474192012-03-14T17:51:00.001+02:002012-03-14T17:51:07.725+02:00Planning for success in transmedia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A short post on a matter I feel is not taken
into consideration enough when drawing up a transmedia project (a failure I’ve
been guilty of as well); the challenge to not only dream of success, but
actually also plan for it and execute said plans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">When a transmedia project is devised, the
plans often stretch as far as a successful rollout and perhaps the distribution
of a full season (or episodes or [insert proper term here]). There have,
hopefully, been thoughts about continuing the project for more episodes or
seasons. There might even have been thoughts on how to use transmedia methods
to span the gap between seasons and episodes. What seldom is thought, however,
of is how to actually cope with success. Dreaming of success is all good and
well, but harnessing success is hard work. Here are three points I feel are
valid to take into consideration:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Longevity</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">If people like your content, they will want
more of it. This could mean not only one season but several, perhaps even many.
Your storyline and storyarch will come under scrutiny, your story world should
be able to withstand this added toll on its resources and you yourself should
be prepared to buckle up and stay in the game for the long run. This could also
mean that the value of your content rises considerably, which in turn means
added pressure on your legal resources (due to more collaborations, more
distribution and production deals, more revenue to consider, more business
propositions to address). As success does not turn into money immediately, a
contingency plan needs to be made for this aspect as well; line up possible
partners well ahead of time, so you don’t have to climb into bed with the first
suitor who turns up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Great numbers<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">If people like your content, you could
possibly have a lot of people suddenly liking your content. This in turn means
that you will need to plan for devoting time and resources to community
management and social media presence, for answering emails and tweets and for
keeping everything coherent and logically connected. A great number of people engaged will also
solve your riddles and ARGs quicker, which might result in added pressure on
your development team (or you yourself, if you are that development team). This
then not to mention the stress a really great number of people will put on your
technical resources – servers, connections and so on. Plan for small numbers,
but have a contingency plan in hand if the numbers suddenly turn big.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.transmedialab.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Mad-Men.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://www.transmedialab.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Mad-Men.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mad Men - a great example of unharnessed fan engagement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b>Open up for audience participation<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="SV">If your content is a storming success people
will want to engage more in it. This is
where you should be able to offer up sandboxes to create in, or whole vistas if
you’re so inclined; invite fan fiction if that suits the bill or why not
encourage your audience to create own fan-based social media characters á la
Mad Men, if that’s what they fancy (or just about anything else you can think
of that fits your project). Or simply add a PayPal button to let them show how
much they care by contributing. The point: if people want to engage and create
since they like your content so much, you really really should let them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511368249566166130noreply@blogger.com0