Another PTTP presentation – forgive us tapping the same resource repeatedly, but it was chock full of goodness, and I would have blogged it three weeks ago if this blog had been launched then.
Most of you who are already interested in these things will know Lance Weiler as a key proponent of transmedia storytelling. He was director of the Blair-Witchy The Last Broadcast (1998) and Head Trauma (2006), and is now organiser of the touring conference DIY Days (like a North American PTTP) and the brains behind online resource The Workbook Project.
This excellent 30 minute presentation covers Lance’s ideas about “story architecture” – how to structure and develop transmedia interactive stories.
I wish I could find a link to his slides, but it doesn’t seem like he publishes them. Although they’re inserted into the video here, their detail is lost. UPDATE: Found them via a tweet from @sarn – have embedded player above so you can read them while listening to the video.
One of the most creative uses of YouTube Annotations has been for one of the uncoolest clients in London: the Metropolitan Police. Choose A Different Ending was part of their Drop The Weapons anti knife crime campaign.
Like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, it’s a second person narrative – you see through the protagonist’s eyes and choose between two knife-related options at the end of each chapter: the first ends with TAKE THE KNIFE / DON’T TAKE THE KNIFE.
While a 2nd person POV can limit a hypernarrative story’s ability to engage players emotionally, it’s perfect for this. It’s positioned somewhere between a public service video and a first person shooter (a first person stabber?).
But whereas an FPS engages young men by letting them experiment with mass murder in a virtual moral vacuum, this game manages to keep you playing until you make all the most sensible, responsible choices. It becomes a puzzle – tempting you to see how much you can get away with, and then constantly running you into different unexpected ways that carrying a knife will get you in trouble. And the reward for being a good boy? Music videos
Have a play – let me know what you think about its strengths & shortcomings.
It was pubished in July 2009, and created by short film director Simon Ellis, Mad Cow Films and Jeremy Tribe & Prabs Wignarajajat, creatives at AMV BBDO.
From the mainstream… A couple of examples of big media companies promoting major properties with transmedia games:
221B is a two-player Facebook-based game to promote Guy Ritchie’s new Sherlock Holmes film – apparently devised for Warner Brothers by AKQA. The game immerses you and your playing partner (one as Holmes and one as Watson) into the world of Sherlock Holmes and takes you through the events leading up to the first scene of the new film. I’ll be starting tomorrow, as soon as my Dr Watson is ready… CC
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To publicise the release of Stephen King’s new doorstop novel, Under The Dome, Hodder & Stoughton have organised a treasure hunt, asking for people to volunteer as Hiders, Seekers and Writers – with prizes for each. Hodder have broken the book’s 336,114 words (!) into 5196 pieces. Hiders are required to hide the pieces, online and offline; Seekers are then given clues to find them. Writers are asked to “take inspiration from the theme of Under The Dome and enter our creative writing competition.”
Nice idea? Exciting? Engaging? Well, the competition closed on November 7th (two days ago) and the first prize was a night in a 4 star hotel (ooh) on November 8th (yesterday) in London (where most of the players already live).
But so far there’s no sign of who’s won on either their Twitter (last update Nov 6th) or their website, which hasn’t changed and still invites participation in the competition. Sloppy.
Events, Festivals, Conferences and Meetups we’re attending or watching in the next couple of weeks:
SubtleMob
London, Thurs 12th Nov – Bristol, Fri 13th Nov – Liverpool, Sat 14th
‘as if it were the last time’ invites you to take part in a secret event this November. You’ve seen the people freeze in train stations and the mass pillow fights, well this will be a more subtle experience… If you register to take part in this event you’ll be invited to download an MP3 and turn up at a secret location to listen to the track at a specified time. When you put on the headphones you’ll find yourself immersed in the cinema of everyday life. As the soundtrack swells people in the crowd around you will begin to re-enact the England of today.
OPEN09
Preston, Lancashire, UK, Monday & Tuesday November 16-17th 2009
“OPEN 09 breaks with the normal conference model and creates a new participatory experience to explore, inform and create change in the Digital and Creative sectors. Sessions will include open discussions alongside world class speakers, workshops and networking events. OPEN 09 is for designers, developers, musicians, artists, photographers, journalists and gamers – in fact it’s for anyone working in the creative industries – so whether you’re a coder, strategist, information architect fashion designer, user experience professional or gallery curator, you’ll feel at home at OPEN 09.”
Just after the Power To The Pixel forum a couple of weeks ago, I searched for and followed all the people who had tweeted about it using the hashtag #pttp09.
It’s incomplete, of course – it was just gathered via hashtag, and there were many more people at the Forum than the 80+ on this list. However, it’s a good starting point if you want to find UK Twitterers who are interested in interactive filmmaking, transmedia stories and ARGs.
Please let me know if you are not on the list and would like to be, or if there’s anybody else you think I should add.
