Focusing on the narrative structure of cross-platform entertainment, this document presents our current progress and thinking on the development of LowLifes (http://www.lowlifes.tv).

2. About this presentation
• Synopsis & Concept
• Objectives & Process
• Writer vs Producer Workflow
• Creating suspense across platforms
• More opportunities?
• Narrative calls-to-action &
“double impact”
• Immediate next steps…

3. LowlifeS’ synopsis
• Larry Hayes is San Francisco
homicide detective with a drug
addiction.
• He has a dead informant, an ex-
wife fighting for custody of
their daughter and a private eye
hired to dig the dirt on him.

4. High Concept
One story, three
perspectives.
Told over three
platforms: novella,
web series, blog.
dETECTIVE
LARRY HAYES EX-WiFE
(JEN HAYES)
PRIVATE EYE
(LAUREN ORTEGA)

5. objectives
• Possible to consume each media
independently of any other
• Enhanced satisfaction with each
additional media consumption
• Micro-budget
• Freemium distribution model
• Creative Commons licensing to allow
audience collaboration
• Simple, commercial, transmedia story
(not experimental)

6. Aim: Whole is greater than sum of parts
Movie Game Book Media Franchise
Whole is less than the sum of the parts:
dissatisfying conclusion to consuming all media
Movie Game Book Transmedia
Whole is more satisfying than the sum of the parts:
euphoria of collecting and connecting the pieces

7. Project development

8. Writer & producer workflow

9. Making progress…

10. Reading the source material
• Experience as reader
– Exciting?
– Suspenseful?
– Character likable? Believable? Arc? Etc
• Seek opportunities as producer
– Opportunity to increase payoffs?
– Engagement?
– Revenue opportunities?
– Calls-to-action?
– Meeting objectives?
– Watch for “gotchas”

11. Finding opportunities in source
material

12. Online “active graphic” crime scene hides clue
that creates suspense
(reader will know more than character)

13. Ar marker at end of chapter reveals
clue that creates suspense

14. Each character is hero of their own media

15. Double impact!

16. Test against Henry Jenkin’s
7-core concepts (my rephrasing)
• Spread vs drill
(spreadability vs drillability)
• Continuity vs parallel worlds
(Continuity vs multiplicity)
• Physical spaces & merchandise
(immersion vs extractability)
• Worldbuilding
• Episodic
(seriality)
• Point of view
(subjectivity)
• Performance

17. Next steps

18. Immediate next steps
• Website & graphics make-over
• Some further web experiments
• Source music (www.audiodraft.com)
• Search for business relationships

19. To be continued…
Robert Pratten
twitter.com/zenfilms
www.zenfilms.com
www.lowlifes.tv