Thursday, October 18, 2012

Transmedia and the Evolution of Storytelling


Still of Bela Lugosi in Dracula

A few days ago I came across a podcast by Hollywood 2.0 called The Future of Storytelling.  The topic was “Transmedia.”  I’d never heard that term before.  Initially the word made me think of Transylvania and blood-sucking vampires.  From there my mind connected thought to the awful trend of producing brain cell-killing films that numb the senses and suck life out of an audience (funny how both relate very closely).  And so, naturally, my first gut feeling was not a positive one.  Still, I was curious.  After learning more, I can now recall seeing it around.  But you don’t know what to look for until you learn there is something worth looking for.

Amanda Lin Cost, writer for PBS.org describes Transmedia as a tool for telling stories across multiple platforms. The same story will share elements of its core across outlets like movies, apps, and gaming.  Different yet distinct parts of, say, a film are designed to engage fans on a more dynamic level. All points of the process purpose unique story contributions to stand on their own.  An application of the methodology might include producing a video game of the story, creating Webisodes of character spin offs, or generating a comic book of unanswered questions directed by fans.  Transmedia has the power to extend a film’s deep back-story and characters beyond traditional, singular exhibitions. 

Innovent’s CEO, Antonio Kaplan says their operations of this practice began before the process even had a name. He says the experience for customers is like looking through a “three-sided prism.”  Amanda Lin Cost describes the method as “breaking down the fourth wall,” and Henry Jenkins of Fast Company says Transmedia “allows gifted storytellers to expand their canvas and share more of their vision with their most dedicated fans.”  Transmedia Marketing CafĂ© compares what marketing was, and presently is, to what marketing could become through Transmedia as the difference between, “interruption to integration, from “sponsor” to “story contributor” and from a disconnected purchase path to instant commerce.” It’s important to note that Transmedia isn’t applicable to all films and forms of entertainment, but, in many cases, its relevancy is obvious. However, as the clichĂ© goes, it’s hard to describe the taste of salt to someone who’s never had salt before.  For many, a salt-less meal is quite simply, bland.  Without Transmedia, some audiences could be deprived the pleasure of a savory viewing experience.  Translating a story into various forms of media has the power to fill that common dissatisfaction.

Collaborative Transmedia Storytelling

Summer Anderson is a up-and-coming graduate of Full Sail University's Entertainment Business Master's Program.  Her 10 years of multimedia experience provides a foundation to examine the interrelation between all forms of media while looking through the lens, specifically, of cinema.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!


Recently I’ve come across some interesting developments in the industry.  For one, Stacey Parks of Film Specific noted from her travels around Europe that many investors say they are having a hard time finding the ‘right’ projects to invest in. Her report further indicates that, “there’s more money than we know what to do with floating around out there looking to finance ‘Hollywood Independents.’  Quite a differing perspective from the myth that funds are scarce and thinly spread across the ever-increasing numbers of “in development” films.    The problem lies not with funds availability, but in successfully securing them.  The apparent problem I’ve, and many others have observed, is that filmmakers do not treat their projects as a business nor do they conduct themselves in a business-like manner.  I’ve said this in previous posts: your film is a product that needs to be positioned as an object to monetize.  The investors and financiers you are looking for have money, but they do not cater to panhandlers looking for a handout.  I want to apologize for my bluntness, but I won’t.  There is really no excuse for not finding money to “get the job done.”

Even without investors and bank lending (which is next to impossible, given the historically low or non-existent return on investment), indie filmmakers have plenty of options for generating their own funds: IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and other Crowd Funding platforms.  This is no big secret.  All it takes is a seriously positioned campaign worth paying attention to.  With passion and determination, this can be achieved by anyone.  Even still, there are always new options in development.  Let’s say you create a teaser to use as advertisement on Vimeo.  Well now Vimeo has the option of using something call the Tip Jar.  Here viewers can show their appreciation and support for a video by contributing tips towards whatever objective the filmmaker has. I see this as another useful tool in campaigning for feature length financing.  And after the film is completed, Vimeo now, as Kyle Rupprecht of MovieMaker.com writes,  “enable(s) aspiring moviemakers to earn money from the films and videos they share on Vimeo.” through another new feature called Pay-to-View.  This is on Vimeo.


“Hear ye, Hear ye! 
The courts are now closed to griping!”