How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Transmedia...

1. transmedia
storytelling
How I Stopped Worrying and
Learned to Love the Transmedia...
by Benjamin Hoguet
@benhoguet

2. 1

3. the need to
define transmedia
is strong

4. A global
definition
by
Henry Jenkins

5. A visual
definition
by
Robert Pratten

6. an institutional
definition
needed for :
!
• status recognition
• grants allocation
• lobbying efforts
• «reassurance»
‘’ A Transmedia Narrative project or franchise
must consist of three (or more)
narrative storylines existing within the
same fictional universe on any of the
following platforms: Film, Television, Short
Film, Broadband, Publishing, Comics,
Animation, Mobile, Special Venues, DVD/
Blu-ray/CD-ROM, Narrative Commercial and
Marketing rollouts, and other technologies
that may or may not currently exist. These
narrative extensions are NOT the same
as repurposing material from one
platform to be cut or repurposed to different
platforms. ‘’

7. an institutional
definition
needed for :
!
• status recognition
• grants allocation
• lobbying efforts
• reassurance
To be eligible to the CNC
new media fund, a
project must:
!
• be an original concept with
content (linear or interactive)
specifically produced for new media
!
• be destined to several media,
including cinema and/or
television and must offer specific
narrative developments on
each media
!
•create a universe and include an
interactive and/or
participatory dimension
!
• be conceived and written in French

8. but who really
gives a f***?

9. focus on a good story...
give it all the forms
it needs and deserves...
make it engaging and immersive...
it’ll be good transmedia.

10. 2

11. a craft rooted in
our cultural DNA

12. the non-interactive entertainment
of the 20th century
is the exception, not the norm

13. Before non-interactive forms of
entertainment came along all
entertainment was interactive:
theatre, music, sport – the performers
and audience were there together,
and even a respectfully silent
audience exerted a powerful shaping
presence on the unfolding of
whatever drama they were there for.
!
We didn’t need a special
word for interactivity in the
same way that we don’t
(yet) need a special word for
people with only one head.
- Douglas Adams
in «How to Stop Worrying and
Learn to Love the Internet» (1999)

14. new worlds
to conquer
digital or not...

15. new formats
enriching and transcending
traditional media
(not replacing them)

16. new formats
webdocumentaries
recurring features:
• multiple-choices interfaces
• multimedia content
• non-linear narrative structure
main challenges:
• going non-linear without sacrificing
narration
• keeping a balance between interactivity
and author’s intention
• making the interaction the story
frequent mistakes:
• encyclopedic documentary
• narrative maze
• non-contributing interactivity
• ergonomical nightmare
Hollow (Elaine McMillion) | Interactive documentary
Gaza Sderot (ARTE) | Webdocumentary | Documentary

17. new formats
serious games
recurring features:
• serious intentions combined with
playful mechanisms
• «classic gaming» features : levels, rules,
rewards...
main challenges:
• not letting the information delivery ruin
the gaming experience
• not letting the gaming experience hinder
the information delivery
• being really fun and challenging to play
frequent mistakes:
• overly simplistic game design
• confusion between gaming and
gamification
• forgetting to tell a story
Type:RIder (ARTE) | Mobile & social game | Interactive installation
SPENT | Serious game

18. new formats
fictional universes
recurring features:
• TV or cinema-centered
• long-lasting experiences
• special content for hardcore fans
• strong ties with marketing campaigns
main challenges:
• preserving some distinction between
transmedia and marketing
• spending more time for the 1% of
hardcore fans than for the other 99%
• keeping the whole experience coherent
frequent mistakes:
• lack of resources for developments
other than the main medium
• some parts of the experience don’t
stand alone
Defiance (SyFy) | TV Show | MMORPG
The Spiral (ARTE) | TV Show | ARG

19. new formats
alternate reality games
recurring features:
• thin line between reality and fiction
• players embodying fictional characters,
much as in role playing
• results of the ARG shaping the
unfolding of the transmedia experience
main challenges:
• dealing with the logistics
• keeping the player’s community coherent
and interactive
• drawing links with the rest of the
experience
frequent mistakes:
• lack of social features
• forgetting rewards for a very
demanding activity
Alt-Minds (ARTE) | Mobile game | ARG | Webseries
Why So Serious | ARG

20. new formats
participative experiences
recurring features:
• offering users to co-create the project
• content also available for non-contributors
• UGC or contributions shaping the
whole transmedia experience
main challenges:
• editorialization of contributions or UGC
• incentives for participation
• legal status of UGC content
frequent mistakes:
• lack of recognition or rewards for
participants
• unclear impact of participation on the
project
Une Contre-Histoire des Internets (ARTE)
Life in a Day (National Geographic & YouTube) | Feature film

21. new formats
digital publishing
recurring features:
• offering users to co-create the project
• content available for non-participants
• UGC or participation shaping the whole
transmedia experience
main challenges:
• editorialization of participations or UGC
• incentives for participation
• legal status of UGC content
frequent mistakes:
• lack of recognition or rewards for
participants
• unclear impact of participation on the
project
MediaEntity | Comics | e-Book | ARG | Role playing | Webseries
Cathy’s Book | Publishing | ARG

22. new formats
and much much more...
• gamedocs
• mobile apps
• e-publishing
• social games
• second screen apps
• long-form articles
• interactive webseries
• role-playing on social
networks
• tweetterature
• and whatever we’ll do
with Google glasses...
Fort McMoney (ARTE/ONF) | Gamedoc | Documentary
Snow Fall (New York Times) | Long-form interactive article

23. never bend your
story to fit
a predetermined
choice of media

24. 3

25. the (not so) new
rules of storytelling

26. your transmedia experience should be:
immersive
interactive
sharable
coherent
expandable

27. 4

28. why bother
with transmedia?

29. obvious returns not so obvious ones...
• you’ll learn (hopefully) to
delegate and work
collaboratively
!
• you’ll learn new skills (design,
coding, game design,
storytelling softwares...)
!
• if necessary, you’ll be able to
make concessions on one
medium to preserve creative
freedom on another
(OK, don’t hit me...)
• you’ll reach multiple target
audiences on their media of
choice
!
•you’ll build a stronger
community around your project
!
• you’ll create a narrative
universe you can then expand
!
• you’ll get new funding and
grant opportunities
!
• you’ll get an innovative edge
and a pioneer status

30. obvious complications not so obvious ones...
• you’ll have to deal with more
complicated group dynamics
!
• you’ll faced an unclear and
unspecific set of laws and
regulations
!
• you’ll have to reconfigure your
brain because transmedia
storytelling will f*** up your
creative process and patterns
• you’ll most certainly have to
coproduce some aspects of the
experience
!
• you’ll have to implement more
sophisticated project
management techniques
!
• you’ll have to find new skills
such as story architects,
experience designers...
!
• you’ll be part of an emerging
and competitive market so
demand might run low
sometimes

31. to optimize returns and minimize complications:
keep calm and
collaborate
• By co-producing and co-creating,
you’ll build a
growing ecosystem of gifted
professionals
• You’ll soon develop many
new skills you never had the
patience or time or
resources to learn
• But still, don’t go
overboard and ask everyone
you meet to join your
project

32. 5

33. production and
distribution,
transmedia-style.

34. key players
Broadcasters / Media
ARTE (France)
France Televisions (France)
NFB / ONF (Canada)
National Geographic (US)
HBO (US)
...
Producers
Starlight Runner (US)
Mirada Studios (US)
MediaStorm (US)
Upian (France)
Lexis Numerique (France)
Submarine (NL)
...
New media funds & grants
CNC (France)
SCAM, SACD, SACEM (France)
Regional funds (France)
Lagardère Foundation (France)
Europe Creative (EU)
Doha Film Institute (Qatar)
Tribeca New Media Fund (US)
...

35. «classic» funding «new» funding
•Get some media involved
•Apply for funding and grants
•Find private funders (maybe)
•Look for the widest distribution
•Enter some festivals
•Build a community
•Get involved with your audience
•Launch a crowdfunding campaign
or pre-sales
•Be grateful and send some rewards
both are not mutually exclusive!

36. DIY distribution
What for ?
•Take full creative control
•Stay independent
•Generate (possibly) more revenue
How?
•Use existing distribution solutions
(iTunes, Vodeo, Vimeo, Kindle Direct Publishing...)
•Create your own (VHX, custom code)
Careful...
•Build an audience first
•Consider the higher risk/reward ratio
•Run your numbers
•Get a plan B

37. Festivals & events
Elsewhere:
SXSW (Austin, US)
Power to Pixel (London, UK)
Sheffield DocFest (UK)
IDFA DocLab (Amsterdam, NL)
Tribeca Storyscapes (NYC, US)
Sundance New Frontier (Utah, US)
...
In France:
Sunny Side of the Doc (La Rochelle)
Cross Video Days (Paris)
Web Program Festival (La Rochelle)
FIGRA (Le Touquet)
Visa pour l’Image (Perpignan)
FIPA (Biarritz)
...

38. 6

39. your very own
transmedia
toolbox!

40. Non-linear writing tools
Twine
Open-source
Non-linear storytelling
Interactive scenario
Instant publishing
And also:
Scrivener
Celtx
Scapple...

41. Interactive storytelling tools
Djehouti
To create without code any kind of
interactive experiences
(webdoc, interactive videos, mobile apps,
websites...)
To create storyworlds
with complex social and
mobile interactions
To create geolocated
interactive experiences
And also:
Klynt, Zeega... (interactive experiences)
Shorthand... (long-form articles)
ThingLink, Stipple... (interactive photos)
Popcorn, Korsakow... (interactive videos)
Timeline JS, TikiToki... (timelines)
Infogr.am, Piktochart... (infographics)

42. News sources & influencers
In France:
The Rabbit Hole (transmedia)
Webdocu.fr (webdoc)
Le Blog Documentaire (doc & webdoc)
The Pixel Hunt (serious game)
Transmedia Lab (transmedia)
Bigger Than Fiction (transmedia)
UK/US:
HenryJenkins.org (transmedia)
Transmedia SF (transmedia)
tStoryteller (storytelling)
Starlight Runner (transmedia)
Andrea Philips (transmedia)
Digital Rocking Chair (curated)
Pervasive Entertainement (curated)
and many more I forget...

43. Transmedia communities
Storycode
Recurring events and workshops
dedicated to the future of storytelling
in NYC, Paris, Boston, Washington, SF...
And also:
Regional communities
(Transmedia SF, LA...)
Transmedia Coalition
Transmedia Meetups
Workshops and hackathon
(Tribeca Hacks, PBS POV Hackathon...)

44. thank you!
more on @benhoguet
and benhoguet.com