More transmedia series reviews and some good articles

Put up a couple more transmedia story maps (home.comcast.net/~DOCWHO2000/moreinfo.html )– Harper's Globe (HG) and The Methos Chronicles (TMC)

Two very different and interesting sources. HG was touted as being a fully social TV show and in reading over some of the articles written for the show, lots of buzz words – but the most notable was what CBS pushed as a "new" experience. I did like they provided a FAQ - http://www.harpersglobe.com/faq/ - this is something I think many transmedia stories need. Both for current access and to help preserve link to all parts of the transmedia experience for future access.

TMC was created in 2001 – when Flash Animation was a very "new" thing and a way to "film" an online series cheaply (meaning some of the scenes in TMC could not have been filmed or done cheaply and yet with Flash animation…). As such, some of the audio/animation is a bit rough and only exists on YouTube and fan sites. Another example of how transmedia narratives may be losing pieces of the story. TMC was released in 2001… this is 2009 – only eight years…..

HOWEVER – something interesting about TMC – they only made 8 episodes officially – then fans took over and made a handful of additional episodes (some better made than the official :P - as Henry Jenkins and others have mentioned – this is one aspect of what Transmedia offers (as both a blessing and a curse) – the blurring of lines between the author and the reader/user (user generated content fanfic is another example)

I could not find if the creators of TMC every acknowledged the additional series, but it does show how fully some fans were drawn in and how the story continued.

HG illustrates more fully another of the "principles" of transmedia – drillability and extension of a narrative's universe. By exploring the paper archives, reading the "sanctioned" wiki (similar to what exists with the LG15 and KateModern and their Breenverse) and seeing the web series, a person can go from the general story in the TV show to a deeper understanding of the backstory and certain characters.

It is nice that you can, technically, watch the TV show without ever seeing HG material and still have a full story. This also works toward what has been called world building or overdesign – an adaptational type of transmedia source as opposed to an extensional source.

A couple of other interesting things I stumbled on –

www.tvweek.com/news/2009/02/column_old_new_media_linking_h.php - interesting article - the opening sentence is very telling, especially as shifts are occurring in entertainment

" Can programming producers survive on revenues derived from Web distribution alone? The overwhelming evidence seems to say no."

And as you see the developing transmedia landscape – this does seem to lean towards web distribution being only one avenue and part of larger projects… but who knows… the media landscape is changing…

efficientcreativity.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/transmedia-storytelling.pdf

This is a research paper I stumbled on and it has a number of good points including a review of Henery Jenkins's transmedia/convergence culture ideas and examines some current transmedia sources and looks at the following questions - The Entertainment Revolution: Does Transmedia Storytelling Really Enhance the Audience Experience?

It also has a number of the current vocab words that pop up in these discussions (things like a mothership program/story, rabbit holes/trailheads and others) – and a very nice citation list – which means Oi! More reading hehe

An interesting quote from the paper ties back into what the first article I listed touches on

" Once completed, this study can be used by entertainment companies to help decide the best use of their funding and which means of convergence will be the most effective to their transmedia storytelling."

Again funding rears it's necessary evil head.

This of course is more and more important from a revenue standpoint. I think for the audience, multiple sources have always worked to change and deliver the story in new and deeper ways. But, as a style of thinking? As a model for revenue generation? And as a nuts and bolts, brass tacks cost analysis – is there a trade off between the expense of moving across multiple platforms and the viewership generated.

This of course provokes the next thought – should that matter? Shouldn't the story drive if it is a transmedia delivery or not? Well, one would think, yet it seems the rush to social tv shows and multiple sources and generating revenue may be driven by the oohhh ahhh factor and how we access media, NOT by the story…

Is that what a writer/storyteller wants?

-----------

PS – this closing thought from the research paper has me wondering, how are transmedia narratives tracked and measured?

"In order to conclude if these new matters of transmedia storytelling, in the forms of ARGs and social shows, are effective in creating a larger fan base for the television offering the website traffic before, during, and after television broadcasts must be measured…."

web series issues - excerpt from discussion

Interesting discussion going on through the Craig Endler (SyFy) Twitter account http://twitter.com/Syfy about web distribution, feasibility and similar issues - one of the many spokes to the wheel that is the changing face of entertainment

here are some of the tweets (from Dec. 20) the most recent one on top (so read from the bottom of list to top)

# Which is why I like to push for putting as much of our content online as possible, within reason. I.e. #Caprica is on syfy.com right now :) about 11 hours ago from web

#

I missed a tweet that said, the Internet can actually HELP (i.e. be additive) to regular TV viewing, piracy aside. So that's a GOOD thing. about 11 hours ago from web


#

More people are watching more TV than ever before. HOORAY! Just like any industry undergoing changes, we'll sort it out eventually. about 11 hours ago from web

#

@michaelk42 LOL, @doctorow and I have talked MANY times about this issue! Piracy aside, the Internet is actually GOOD for TV viewing. about 11 hours ago from web in reply to michaelk42

#

iTunes sales and online ads add only a (small) fraction of $$$ to the pot, not enough to make Web distribution viable in and of itself about 11 hours ago from web


#

The problem is, there is no way for CRAIG CO to both distribute CRAIG's SHOW internationally via the Web & recoup its costs...not yet anyway about 11 hours ago from web


#

business model needs to be developed to accommodate the ease of distribution online. Which will probably take a while. about 11 hours ago from web


#

It's a business model that's a legacy from a time when international distribution wasn't even possible. Now that it is, a new.... about 11 hours ago from web


#

Now, extend that out to all the other territories out there, and you understand why the rights issues are so prominent. about 11 hours ago from web


#

Sci Fi UK payes for the UK rights so they don't want Syfy in the US to stream CRAIG'S SHOW in their territory. They want to show it. about 11 hours ago from web


#

the US rights to CRAIG's SHOW to Syfy for $500k. Now they need another $1.5 million. So they sell it to Sci Fi UK for $150k, etc. about 11 hours ago from web

#

...networks in different territories. For instance, CRAIG CO. makes CRAIG's SHOW. It costs $2 million per episode. CRAIG CO. might sell... about 11 hours ago from web


#

hundres of thousands. Some cost SEVERAL million dollars PER EPISODE. To offsets those costs, the rights holder sell them to different... about 11 hours ago from web


#

Here's a quick 101 on TV economics that might help. First, TV shows are VERY expensive. We all know that. Even an inexpensive show costs... about 11 hours ago from web


#

Syfy is not the rights holder to the shows we air, we're basically the "U.S. rights renter". The underlying rights holder controls the rest. about 11 hours ago from web


#

See next RT @ixalion I think the point is that they are asking for it, people try to acquire it, and Syfy says "no". :| about 11 hours ago from web


#

The should get it from the people who have the online rights to it in their country. They should not use that as an excuse to illegally DL about 12 hours ago from web about 12 hours ago from web

Streamy Awards

This is cool - you can create a little icon to promote any show you want - www.streamys.org/submit/promote/

and go nominate your favorite series - www.streamys.org/submit/

Like this group too

more good social media and transmedia diagrams

www.flickr.com/groups/1150773@N21/

Social Media Counter

ok so seeing if this works.....

Online TV - where is it going

So - taking a look at what being a Comcast subscriber gets me through its new Xfinity online TV service.

So, as more and more content moves to online - will we see "web series" continue and a further dichotomy develop between the difference (remember public access cable channels ala "Wayne's World" hehe - in a sense they were to TV what some of the web series pioneers are to TV shows.....

Will this mean an even further split between the big money deals and sponsors and branded shows and those done by the "average" joe???

Will web series become more a name for a certain structure rather than the method of delivery (for now web series are those that are originally streamed and shown via the Web - in future will web series mean more of a short format and so on????

But then I think transmedia/cross(multi) platform series are already working to redefine structure (do I just have a video component or are there supporting social network and other media/story outlets

I think, while of course content is key, production value is too. I can not list all of the movies, shows, books, stories that have been "hits" yet seem to be light in the content area and visa versa... so, for now, I think packaging is still important and that might be where advertisers are able to find a niche, you need money to make a really full blown event and to nab "celebrity" - I also think that while people will have to pay for content, free content is still sellable and attractive and to be "free" you need... ad support....

For now, I think it is actually more beneficial for online advertising... I can skip commercials if I record, or get the DvD and have no ads, but right now, when I am online on a site and they put that mandatory ad in there, I can not get around it. And everytime I rewatch that item online, I gotta go through the ad....

Has anyone done a study about how many ads are viewed online vs through the traditional channels???

The things one never likes to think about

www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/14/cyberwarfare_talks/

Interesting - I did not know about this....

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/leaked-acta-internet-provisions-three-strikes-and-

Real time web and moving entertainment to the web - athought

First - interesting article - can we really be ready for real time web? i find not enough time now and getting in trouble at work as it is... hmmmmm and will ethics, privacy and responsibility be able to stay afloat in this transformation???

www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/10/cashmore.realtime.web/index.html

Along with that - I had this odd thought as i continue to wind through web series and transmedia ideas - you look at how many watch a movie, or a TV show 9the big ones get millions of viewers - I think I read the last obama speech drew 40 million...) and that's mainly US tracking numbers...

Then you look at web series - the big ones get a few million and most get less.... if we truly had the same number of people viewing TV shows and movies online viewing, could the infrastructure and the web servers and all really HANDLE that much traffic? Are we ready to make this big push to entertainment through the Web???? If DVDs go bye (suncoast and FYE are closing and even Netflix and all are having troubles...) where is this stored? Do we have Hulu and such for the future? I like watching a lot of British shows and catching up on shows from the 60s - 80s... are these online some place? And will they really be available for viewing when i want like a DvD?

Hmmmmm with this push to transmedia story-telling and more "traditional" mediums having web components... are things in place to let us experience, or are we about to do the funnel theory (lot coming in at top, but then slows as we have to pass through a very small hole...)

EDIT - found this - hmm seems to fit right in..... another thing to consider - this goes with the studies about people leaving a site after 15 seconds if not loaded - mashable.com/2009/12/11/online-video-buffering/

math geek jokes

thanks Sam ; )

http://sciencetraveler.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/math.jpg

Steampunk stuff is sooo cool

Geek cookies hehe

www.boingboing.net/2009/12/09/science-themed-cooki.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29

Shifts in story-telling (following animatione examples) and a possible way to organize said story

As I've mentioned in a couple other entries, it is wonderful how everything these days is moving to transmedia/cross platform/digital etc. story-telling. But there is a fear that this sort of narrative can easily become too "big", too complex, lost and forgotten or distorted as it relies much more on the listener/user being more involved and able to spend real-time and large chunks of time to cull through the story. Especially multiple times as new facets might come out in one source causing the user to need/want to revisit the story from another source.

Of course writers and marketing people love this, who wouldn't... people not just visiting your story once, but multiple times and finding new things each time. Yet sometimes, this can be a hindrance for those who want the basic, quick, straight-forward narrative.

Sometimes I wonder if this move to transmedia/cross platform story-telling is a fad or a shift in how story is told (it has happened many times throughout history).

Makes me think about animated movies and the last 50 years. We started with the basics and then perfected the cell animation/hand drawn-painted ala Disney. Then came computers, Pixar, Shrek and other digital and now it is almost the norm (and of course 3-D is making a come back). Is this the fate of other forms of story-telling in a change from how the story is displayed is coming? Instead of one medium, multiple sources will now be involved?

Along with this, is the idea of, how are these additional sources, especially certain digital sources, preserved? I am working on the transmedia story map for Harper's Globe – part of the CBS show Harper's Island universe/story. I found the following comment from a fan on the HG website official forum – I think it is a harbinger of what certain story-telling must be aware of and plan for.

http://www.harpersglobe.com/discussion_posts/list/2/17384/1 - "•
Mikus
— Sep 30, 2009 - I know that nobody will probably read this since the site is basically dead and Im not sure if anyone other then me still comes on it anymore but.... I just wanted to say thanks to the admin, moderators, users and to EQAL and CBS for the creation of Harpersglobe.com and Harpers Island in general. It was a lot of fun on here a few months prior to what it has turned into now. It was always really active, we had tons of users, the webseries was great, the randomness and interesting conversations always made me laugh and even though we had problems here and there, power struggles, spoiler issues, and unecessary drama, we still always got through it with the help of the users advocating for each other and themselves and of course the mods. I must say I miss it all, I would always make an effort to try and go on multiple times a day, I would continuasly participate in conversations and submit my theories. Harper's Island was a great show and its unfortunate that it met its end along side its internet counterpart despite the effort we put into trying to advocate to keep it up. and so even though it was decided that the site would be up indefinately... I still just wanna say rest in peace Harpers Globe, I really hope that some miracle occurs and you come back to life but unfortunately it doesnt look like thats happening. Thanks again to everyone for making this site what it was and making Harpers Island so much more interesting and entertaining. I will never forget the fun I had here and I hope to see you guys in future EQAL experiences like Level26.com which Im hoping will also come back to life soon, especially when book 2 comes out in 2010. Bye everyone!
~Mikus
----------------

What happens if CBS decides not to support the website any longer? Who owns all of that content? Is it a case of the CBS TV episodes and webisodes will be available on DVD and certain elements from the rest of the transmedia sources will be, "gone"?

Something I do like, is the FAQ Harper's Globe put out there – http://www.harpersglobe.com/faq/

Also neat is the wiki - http://wiki.harpersglobe.com/index.php/Main_Page

The creators created a self contained social network and then keeping all elements within that "space" including FAQ's on how to experience all elements and providing an "official" wiki and other elements to provide a) more give and take between creator and user and b) based on the privacy policies established, the owners of the social space can now archive and use all of the comments and anything else people did on that site – that really gives a better edge in creating archives and recording the entire "universe"

Wikis have always been a collaborative/collective medium of communication with the focus on writing. Harper's Globe illustrates this possible collaboration between the storyteller and the listener (KateModern and LonelyGirl sources did this as well, although not as sure if the creators helped with the wiki).

It also brings up another possible way to contain some of the can of worms transmedia story-telling can open - fan-generated content – an interesting concept – one to be explored later…. But if a fan creates story and a wiki entry, can the owners of the show get any fringe benefits from that addition to the universe...

if the creators set up the policy that when a person registers for the experience, they forfeit any ownership of content and comments made on the social network… then can the writer archive, repackage and develop story based on those social network/social media interactions/events…

hmmmmmmmmmmm


oh as an addddddition - http://techdirt.com/articles/20091207/2310207240.shtml

A funny video about digital writers

This is funny and something to consider all ye writers ;) Awww to be this fan-adored hehehe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=tRueQ1Q6NGA

Very nice writer's guide for going digital

Lots here - not worked through it all yet - need to add this and a few others to the list of resources

http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/writersguide

Cross-Media/Transmedia - it's all relative

Found an interesting article and web site overall - http://www.universecreation101.com/tag/cross-media-transmedia-multi-platform-film-tv-game-comi/

I liked many of the points brought up - plus this site offers a lot on transmedia/crossmedia/multi-platform/insert your favorite buzz word here

Also - a festival DIYDays was mentioned - more interesting

as a side note - thi site popped up by exploring the other site - www.hum.dmu.ac.uk/transliteracy/

And two last resources - http://www.starlightrunner.com/ this is by starlight runner and Jeff Gomez (some big names in transmedia - well if big names matter ;)

and http://narrativedesign.org/ - which i've mentioned before - but wanted to get into a more current list also - the NDE is part of http://narrativedesigners.net/

Practicing what I "preach"

Ok - I have conned, um convinced, um, sweet talked, dazzled, snookered, snozzled, bamboozled, um... asked... one of the people I write with to help me make one of our web serials into a transmedia experience - and she said yes, I have to bribe/talk to the second writer and bring her on board, but this will be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This project will now making me look at Transmedia from the next level as a creator of a story and how to weave the tale - we have a story (Copper Rock - a supernatural western set in the 1880s of southern AZ) and we want to tell the story through more than just publishing chapters on the web..... so let the games begin.

PS - any ideas on what other forms of media/story/fun you would like to see? What are the possibilities??????????? and do we make these stories more extensional or adaptational? I think, we are going for both... :P

This is going to be a real hoot-n-nanny!!!!!!!

Another interesting side effect of the push to transmedia

Will we have trouble telling real from fake.... hmm I think my job as educator will be even more important if the story telling moves even more into transmedia - hmmm

www.jawbone.tv/featured/2-featured/325-attack-of-the-hoax-10-strategic-tips-for-modern-hoaxsters.html

This sounds cool - any team need a South NJ person :P

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/04/darpa.balloon.challenge/index.html

Like this person's work

Ok I referenced a specific image this person made a few blog entries ago - here is the general link and I will use more of his stuff - it is great

www.flickr.com/photos/garyhayes/

Another idea about the transmedia maps and rating them

Ohhhhh as I think about this more - a map could be a cool thing and could tie in the Transmedia Necessity Rating.

I work with maps through my job and studies (science, tech and GIS) as such, the idea of a map is a cool concept. It visually represents spatial relationships. And spatial thinking is more than geography - it is a new way of thinking and relating things. It is about patterns and links and connections and organizing and managing and ooo I am getting shivers ;)

Map can tell you location, direction, but they also tell stories. That is why merging transmedia and the concept of a map fits.

But what is cool - you could have a concept map setup, but with the different sources... their spatial relationships would tell the user how NECESSARY they are to the overall narrative as well as each other (a spatial representation of my transmedia necessity rating) - OMG this could be so cool - if a user could start with the general map and then use it to find the different pieces - can you see the potential?

The writer could make a suggested map as well a documenting all of the official, touched by the creator, sources. Then users could make maps (like a twitter list) and people could follow those maps. The maps could be used to help record what a user has seen and done and what still might be out there. Plus - the map could be made in a technology that would survive even if the other pieces go away - then the creator can still either really control, or fans can go gaga and create their own ways to explore. Plus - I write on maps and note which places I liekd and all and ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is so cool - I can so see it in my head.

Now here is the BIG UMBRELLA - these maps are not made by one transmedia story - no, a company like facebook makes them so then all stories can be accessed and saved, kinda like what I am doing with my web site and others do - which is a

CATALOG

Something that helps archive the experiences - I mean some points on the maps might be simply a picture and text record of a flash mob event, but it can be noted, followed and the relationship to the story chronicled.

Ideally the creator or someone can create the initial map and archive in real time as everything unfolds - then at least this is an archived record for those who come late, or if sources are taken away (for instance, in the LG15 universe, there was an "official" website and side story, then there was a falling out between the two parties and suddenly that story was gone and unofficial :P

Ok - again lot more to think about - but this is cool - now to see if this has been done - off to research.

A Transmedia story Map Idea - has this been done???

Oh also - this is an interesting concept - need to look at it more - anyone know more about this???? maybe this could be used to make a Transmedia story map that is transmedia in nature - hahaha - narrativedesign.org/2007/04/story-maps-and-the-sandbox/

Seriously - what if you have a system that tracks what the user does and makes a map for them so they know where they have been and where they need to go.... ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh wait that could be a good idea - has someone done it already?

I mean not as anal as a checklist of things to visit and see (although I like checklists myself), but what about a tour guide vacation idea of what should be done if you want to "experience" the geographic location - plus that could help the user who does not have lot of time but comes and go -

ok i log on and look i've visited this site and this site and talked to this person and this person - kinda like Facebook - BUT ONLY IN THAT UNIVERSE - you could have a page/transmedia story map for EACH STORY - ohhhhhhhh I like this - has anyone done this????

Transmedia Story Maps

Ok - someone commented and emailed me about some thoughts on transmedia and thinking long into the future about making the story accessible.... Some big productions weather time (the Matrix) and some have vanished.... (a nice blog on The Matrix - geektheory.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/the-matrix-10-years-later/ has a vague mention of the author - "mapping" the transmedia experience)

there is so much to think about on this subject - lots of wheeeee fun

I am working on organizing my thoughts - but - one possible way to archive, at least, the story basics and experience, is to use the concept of a wiki and other guidebook sources that have existed for MYST and many ARG games, this is basically to create a guide to the "game" (story) - since games are a major transmedia source, it follows to use an idea from that world (as the first to venture into full transmedia expereiences are thoe who are gamers or more open to that type of story narrative.

Story Maps and guides in general is not a new idea - but jut something that maybe needs to be considered and developed when thinking about preserving the story and helping more people access a transmedia/multi-platform narrative.

So, while the struggle will still be to preserve the entire experience, perhaps by making a Transmedia Story Map for the user who misses the first run of a series, or was not there to take part in the flash mob event, or social media experience as the writers and actors move on and no longer respond to the twitter accounts (I mean ok, think about this writer, you are gung ho to reply to fans as the character - but what about a year from now, three years, 5 years????), or maybe the web series has disappeared or like I am still trying to find the website Hymn of One from the kate modern transmedia story..... perhaps this will be a way to at least on one level archive and preserve the story - what can I say - I read stories created (written) hundreds of years ago - what about today's stories???????

I have started creating some overviews on my web site and calling them More Info Pages - I am changing the name to Transmedia Story Maps - I like that more :P and a few series have that concept (check out The Matrix for instance also - I am till focused mainly on the web series aspect, but these maps could be formatted and expanded to include the whole universe... but now comes the next rub.... these maps are more non-fiction in writing style and setup and some writers might not want to write in that voice....

And there is another sticky point with a transmedia map - there are spoilers galore - so how do you write a map, but not give away the story experience????? There could be two types - one is a very basic follow this and then this and then this....

The other would be more like those books published on series and for games and all and do contain spoilers YETTTTTTTTTTTTTT those spoilers, ironically, are the story and thus they could be a way to archive the story when other things go missing... hmmmmmm

so, may I suggest transmedia authors, as you develop projects, either plan to write this non-fiction piece, or find someone who will and start documenting and archiving now... then in 5 years it'll be YOUR series that still exists and is not regulated to illegal sites, backwaters or maybe totally gone forever....

Oh yeah, I know, there is the whole copyright can of worms - i'm still thinking about that....

Ok - there are more thoughts on this subject - some technically in nature and some more idyllic thought rambling and to use my own word, crankswirling

Oh and I found this diagram - gotta track it down - but I love it regarding transmedia and a good way to begin to think about how to organize, storytell and then preserve story

www.flickr.com/photos/garyhayes/3251571301/in/photostream

Hinge Points and Butterfly effects

I've written a bit here and there in my blog about the concept I call hinge points (search around the blog for that if you wanna know more)

But something has developed over the last month - ok three somethings and well, they almost seem to have suddenly come to the place where they are... well they have the potential to be a hinge point, like I am riding the cusp of a wave and can ether go one way or the other - with some very different results...

It is weird, I never expected these things to build to the potential of a hinge point and again they may, like a wave, suddenly die out and you are sitting on your surf board going "What the Hoo - where did it go?" But then sometimes, sometimes you catch that wave and hang ten alllllll the way to shore and have an awesome ride to always remember......

But now I must collect my ideas on something and try to overcome my huge self doubt and low esteem as well as prepare for baking madness this weekend - 60+ hours of baking to make, hmm i think we are only doing about 45 plates this year, small number.... :P I am sure odd tweets and blogs will result - wait until about 4am on Sunday morning hehehehe

PS- no idea why I chose the wave analogy today - I am still all giddy about an email I got so I am a little goofy - I have only surfed once and that was not the best experience, I ended up scaring the person I was surfing with as I was on a long board and he said if you fall, hang on to it o it does not bash you. so I fell and wrapped my arms and legs around it and rode it into shore that way. he thought I was drowning hahahaha

Ok - this is.... unique and novel :P

who wants to come do this for my tree?

news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10406025-54.html?tag=mncol;title

hahaha google does everything ;)

news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10406568-265.html?tag=mncol;title

Ok this just sounds coooolllllll

news.cnet.com/8301-17912_3-10406692-72.html?tag=mncol;title

A Transmedia prediction - sign me up :P

This is a nice blog article and one prediction is of much interest to me - a self-published transmedia author -well - SIGN ME UP - I wanna do that!!!!!!!!!!! seriously - anyone else interested? This would be such a cool way to write and tell a story - honestly - if anyone is interested.... give me a ping - I'll play!!! to be involved in a story that lives and breathes in multiple forms :)

Power to the written/spoken/digital/video/no limits to the imagination WORD!!!!

chapmanchapman.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/predictions-for-2010/

Nice post about blogging - give it a read

www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/30/commentary.klau.blogging/index.html

Transmedia pitfalls revisited - ephemeral media

As I work through some of the questions I have about transmedia storytelling – I stumbled on a couple of articles that feature a great look at a couple of concepts regarding the format of story that is not traditional in nature.

Article 1 - mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2009/02/16/10am-carnaby-street-kate-modern-and-ephemeralisation-online-drama - 10am Carnaby Street: Kate Modern and the Ephemeralisation of Online Drama

Article 2 - atec4346.pbworks.com/KateModern – student wiki entry on KateModern

One of the questions I posed earlier was, how well does the transmedia (multi-platform) method of storytelling weather time?

A story told through a movie or weekly TV series can often be accessed by buying/renting the DVD/streaming it/etc.. All you need is the series and the discs. Stories/Shows told many years before are still available to me through a simple rental or purchase.

Web series, however, may not be as accessible. Simple series (meaning not transmedia in nature) are already disappearing (some still exist illegally but only as a bad quality video portion and not the supporting web page, many not at all). With transmedia, it is not just the need to preserve the main show or series, but all of the other sources. And that begs the question of how are some of these sources even archived properly? I have played a bit with the Internet WayBack machine and those4 web sites, especially ones with multimedia components, never preserve properly or completely.

Which bring up something to be considered when making or when reading/watching/participating in a transmedia story, is all of the original story still accessible… and is it accessible in a way the writer/creator imagined it would be?

Article two does a nice job of briefly comparing traditional narrative with the ways in which the show KateModern uses non-traditional narrative.

Article one defines a neat concept based on how ephemeral a story element is and article two compares traditional narrative to a "new" type. The author of the first article, Elizabeth Evans, uses the term Ephemeral Media – (from www.ephemeralmedia.co.uk – "What does ephemeral mean? In the context of the workshop it connotes short-form media (i.e. texts that are no more than a few minutes long) but also media which are fleeting in the way they circulate, or that are often overlooked within mainstream academic study."

check these for more info - filmstudiesforfree.blogspot.com/2009/10/lastingly-good-work-on-ephemeral-media.html and also here digitalconsultant.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/ephemeral-media-workshop-23-24-june/

There is an upside to this sort of media event as some of it can be captured, stored and visited later and a person can enhance their experience by becoming part of the story. Yet, there is a downside as mentioned in the final few sentences of the article - something that should be thought about.

"The drama of Kate Modern became as ephemeral as real life as its makers sought to encapsulate the real-time communicative capabilities of the internet within their video series. Despite being able to watch the series at any time, it is constantly made clear that if you weren’t watching at a particular moment, you have missed the ‘true’ experience of Kate Modern. "

This then follows – was that story narrative/transmedia experience adaptational and ephemeral in nature (meaning not necessary to the overall story) or was it extensional (meaning it was a part of the story and the full narrative of the story is lost to anyone missing that experience)?

I think it is fine for a story-teller to use both forms of transmedia storytelling. BUT the creator should consider if an element is crucial to the final story he/she wishes to tell. If it is, then a more permanent form or source needs to be established.

Maybe make as part of the story a future researcher, say like what docwho2100 is doing, creates a website that archives certain social media/networking/transmedia sources and also reviews the narrative and sets out some of the events that were missed and what they did for the story – ok just joking but hey, I work for peanuts and cocktails :P although are media people wise in letting fans set up fan wikis (like the one for the LG15 and KateModern world) and doing most of the work for them... for free???? Although who controls and archives fan wikis????

Or along with the DVD comes a disc with the complete website and social network archived and available for viewing - of course that opens up a WHOLE other can of worms - legally - can someone archive the social network and responses or again is that story played out on Twitter, facebook, bebo, etc... lost (meaning only the character's profiles and posts are allowed to be saved... and oooo who gets money rights and hey was not this what the writer' and actor's unions were striking over and Oi! I am getting a headache.......

does the creator have to migrate their entire episode everytime a network folds (HELLO all those series that had huge following on MySpace - are you converting to Facebook??? And what is next after that????)

The larger question though, is how much of the media coming out today through this medium will be available in 10 years, 20, 30????? And will it hurt the story if it is not available?

and PS - somehow I want to make a reference or link to Rocky Horror and it is the ultimate transmedia experience and is still around many years after the original broadcast and yet... not sure that works here :P

A great three part series and intro to transmedia

Stumbled across this site - www.joedigitalblog.com/ - I am liking the articles and a specific series. It is, IMO, a great overview and really raises a few ideas and starts to link certain ideas.

part 1 part 2 part 3

I was especially giddy over part three as they mention something I believe in and have talked about for years (although I never used the definition of transmedia until earlier this year).

I'll probably be talking about this article here and there as I go... but for now...

Here is a small quote from part 3. - "Transmedia storytelling will reshape the educational system. When (I’m telling you one of these days they will) project based teaching/learning becomes commonplace in the educational system, Transmedia storytelling will be used to help students master difficult subjects. Additionally, as language in the global classroom evolves, teaching/learning will rely on advanced rich media like interactive video and storytelling."


And here was my comment in response

OMG - I teach at the high school and college level - I am a science and tech teacher and I am constantly talking about how transmedia fits into a couple of educational concepts teachers and the like have been talking about for years - you mention PBL (and i use wikis, blog and more in my classes) well also - universal design for learning - the idea of reaching learners using multiple methods!!! I've taken this standpoint about the similarity and you are the first I've read, so far that made this connection - yay!

I think you missed some hurdles in your discussion - hurdles and questions I am just starting to talk about in my blogs and musings, but I bet you will catch those in another entry (I am still working my way through your site).

Thank again for the 3 part and I am definitely listing them as a good read for anyone just getting to the transmedia world (and I say it like that as mot of my students, co workers, friends have no idea what transmedia means, yet they go, ohhhhhh that Lost web site, or that web series or that facebook page or.... :P

Transmedia story telling - possible landminds and boogietraps?

Ok - As I create my More Info pages and use the transmedia necessity rating I am developing, I am starting to ask some questions that have me a little worried about certain aspects of transmedia story-telling.

I am finishing up my page on the Series/story - "Valemont" (check my page here for more info).

It is a great example of a transmedia (they call it multi-platform) story. Here is a little excerpt from an article - http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/09/28/mtvs-valemont-a-transmedia-experience-murder-mystery-style/

"It (the ARG website) began as a simple ‘missing student’ story at Valemont with various characters starting a discussion on Twitter, along with a police investigator conducting interviews on the series characters,” Friedman added. “Then, when the student’s body was found, the case was called a homicide and the victim’s next of kin was sought. Intrepid fans dug up clues buried online and presented them to the investigator… which is where the series actually begins, with the student’s sister asked to identify the body. On top of this, through the VU site, Twitter and FB, we have encouraged fans to apply for enrollment at Valemont — acceptance letters went out last week. What the show will offer fans is a chance to have a ‘replicate experience’ to our main character, Sophie, as she enrolls at Valemont in search of the truth behind her brother’s presumed murder.”

Ok - so a very cool story (I love supernatural and girl heroines :P ) and wow look at all it uses - TV (MTV at that), web shows, a mock web site with ARG puzzles and clues, and social media and real time interaction galore - twitter, facebook, blogs, the mobile phone content and tie ins and............. and that last is where I begin to worry and also where the story may lose/gain people.

Some forms of transmedia require archiving or somehow allowing access to the entire story for those who enter the story at different times and different points of entry. I did not follow Valemont from the start - I just now am catching it.... am I missing some of the core story content? Or is it just experience lost? It is awesome with any story when core content and experience intermingle but scary when the prospect of losing content exists.

There are definite pieces of the "real-time" experience lost in the transmedia platform, an example is Professor Blunt's blogs found on the ValemontU web site. During the initial broadcast, they were rolled out each week and it was easy to read the blog, view the current, linked episode and make the story connections. however, not, as you go through the archive, you either read all the blogs at once, see all the episodes, or try to bounce back and forth, but how do you know which blog entry goes with which episode?

I think, if a writer creates a transmedia story, they may need to plan and consider a roadmap, a guidebook, and an archive. If you wanna use twitter cool - but is it going to ruin the story?

I am just now renting movies and TV shows on Netflix from the 1970s - I can watch those now and get the story. With a transmedia experience, will the same be true? I have done some research on Homicide: second shift - those web sites no longer exist and finding the webisodes and that whole story is not easy - so a large piece of story is gone....

The Doctor Who Tardisodes are another example, of course they are not as integral to the story as the Valemont or Homicide: Second Shift transmedia, but, they are lost to many as they are not on the DVD and are hard to find online and then again, I, the user, have to know enough to know which Tardisode to watch before which episode and so on......

Add to this, general web series content and transmedia content.... WHO IS ARCHIVING THIS and how will it be made available to the user in the future? how do you preserve a Facebook page?

And ok, so, the creator steps back and says, it is a real-time thing and just for enhancing the experience... alright, then make sure when telling the story, not to link too much core content to the sources... but then this makes all transmedia stories adaptational more than extensional (see my transmedia page for more on thoe two words) ....

HMMMMMM

More thoughts on this later - and are others talking about the real time transmedia experiences vs archiving and how to experience transmedia down the road without getting lost??????

Phew and a goal for 11/30

This is the longest, short week ever

been so busy doing work that not been able to work on my web series site or writing much : / although just started up tales from Copper Rock and excited about that - plus working on some Nikki and Nora stuff and working on my Yuletide story gift for my Yuletide person

I ended up blushing big time last night in class - while teaching my Physical Science students, i ended up blundering into some double meanings. We are doing the atmosphere and I am talking about how precipitation happens and the mechanisms behind how air changes temperature and this leads to certain things and well i used getting wet, saturated, dry lips and a few other thigns in rapid succession and everyone started laughing who was at the review. Here we are talking about air lifting up over a mountain and well... I had to face the board a few minutes as they were right my face was ablaze, at least if it helps them get the math down.... Oi! I need someone to help keep me straight

Off to work on GIS projects and if anyone has web series leads or transmedia examples - send them my way - I wanna put a lot up this weekend - I wanna hit 225 by Sunday and have 6 good transmedia/LGBT (the two categories I am focused on, with a spice of sci fi thrown in) more info pages done - think I can do it?

Transmedia page kinda coming together

Ok - slowly working to put more resources and info together as well as refine my definition of my Transmedia Necessity rating and transmedia in general - also started colelcting resources - if you know of a good one - send it my way

home.comcast.net/~DOCWHO2000/moreinfopages/transmedia.html

Is this for real????

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/11/peruvian-gang-allegedly-killed-for-human-fat-for-cosmetics/1

Another draft/stab at - my transmedia rating

OK - this is the latest definition I am using - ideas and comments??

TRANSMEDIA NECESSITY RATING

I have devised this system to use, for now, until I find something that works along the same way. Basically I am looking at a web series that is part of a transmedia narrative/story and trying to determine how it ties into the overall universe. Now this rating looks ONLY from the perspective of the web series. I am NOT rating the entire transmedia experience and trying to judge that.... that is a whole other complex Gordian Knot.

This rating simply (haha, right, simple) looks at a web series and examines how its own story is affected by the other transmedia sources. Essentially, when someone views the web series, how much of the other transmedia sources do they need to have experienced to understand the web series.

A rating of 1 means the web series can be viewed completely independently of any other transmedia source and none of the story or universe is lost. This means whether you view the other sources or not, the story the web series tells is not enhanced or detracted from or by the other transmedia and conversely, the other sources can be viewed without ever seeing the web series. This is more of a world-building or overdesign type of transmedia. This also ties into the real-time interactive forms of transmedia that are done when a series is first released and are more promotional in nature. Thus the web series and other sources add enrichment in terms of understanding and experiencing entire story but the necessity to having ALL transmedia source information is low. As Henry Jenkins mentions (henryjenkins.org/2009/09/the_aesthetics_of_transmedia_i.html )- the transmedia is used more to adapt a current story then to have a deeper meaning of transmedia storytelling. So this is rating falls more as Transmedia Adaptation Story-telling.

A rating of 5 means the web series is very much a part of the larger narrative, almost more like it is a chapter from a book and if you do not read all of the chapters, you will not finish the book and thus the story. So the web series tells once piece of the narrative and thus goes beyond what is presented in the other sources, conversely, the other sources go beyond the web series and the omission of those sources means the web series can not be fully understood. This is much more of a serial or connected transmedia story. So the necessity of needing to see the web series and all transmedia elements to understand and have the complete story is high. So this rating falls more as Transmedia Extension Story-telling.

Most transmedia web series fall somewhere in between. The web series can be viewed as a separate story, yet elements from other sources pop up in the web series and visa versa. This means to understand the entire narrative, you need all the sources, and once you have all the sources, you can rewatch the web series and see new elements. HOWEVER, you can still have a complete story and understand much of the universe just from one source (the web series). There are some good examples in www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=5264.

Most transmedia web series fall somewhere in between. The web series can be viewed as a separate story, yet elements from other sources pop up in the web series and visa versa. This means to understand the entire narrative, you need all the sources, and once you have all the sources, you can rewatch the web series and see new elements. HOWEVER, you can still have a complete story and understand much of the universe just from one source (the web series). There are some good examples in www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=5264. And I leave you with an excerpt from his blog article.

---------

from - www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=5264

This strategy differentiates the new transmedia storytelling from your typical franchise. In most film franchises, the same characters play out their fixed roles in different movies, or comic books, or TV shows. You need not consume all to understand one. But Henry envisages the possibility of creating a whole that is greater than its parts, a vast narrative experience that doesn’t end when the book’s last page is turned or the theatre lights come up. His idea seems to be echoed in Will Wright’s suggestion:

It’s a fractal deployment of intellectual property. Instead of picking one format, you’re designing for one mega-platform. . . . We’ve been talking about this kind of synergy for years, but it’s finally happening.

Stimulating as this prospect is, it remains rare. The Matrix is perhaps the best example, but Henry suggests that it’s also an extreme instance: “For the casual consumer, The Matrix asked too much. For the hard-core fan, it provided too little” (p. 126). More common is a Genette-style transposition, in which the core text—usually the movie—is given offshoots and roundabouts that lead back to it. As I understand it, the Star Wars novels operate under the injunction that although they can take a story situation as the basis for a new plot, in the end that plot has to leave the films’ story arc unchanged. Similarly, websites with puzzles, games, clues, and other supplementary material tend to be subordinate to the film, planting hints and foreshadowings (The Blair Witch Project, Memento). Alternatively, the A. I. website provided a largely independent story world that impinged on the movie’s action only slightly.

The “immersive” ancillaries seem on the whole designed less to complete or complicate the film than to cement loyalty to the property, and even recruit fans to participate in marketing. It’s enhanced synergy, upgraded brand loyalty.

Wow a mention on another site ;)

My one post was listed at this site - http://www.idfa.nl/industry/training-education/idfacademy/resources/websites.aspx

There are some other neat links on that site - and thank you whomever it was that put my site on there - I am working on collecting ALL of my transmedia links and resources in one spot - I'll post that link tonight or tomorrow as soon as I update the transmedia page :P

Thanks again and let me know people if there is stuff to add and I should read!!!!

Some transmedia questions to think about

I continue to work through all the wonderful references, discussions and content regarding transmedia storytelling. One of the questions/concerns/hmmm what happens if... that I have (and I know others do too) is with the construction of a transmedia universe - what happens if people can not get to certain sources? especially with digital...

I am trying to collect references to all resources in one place, review, list, and rate web series (just going from a web series angle as this is a huge task in and of itself) - but I am looking at web series that are part of a transmedia story. And ok, some of the series I stumble across, many of the sources have been lost or are no longer available - so what happens to the story? One example is the Tardisodes that were created for the second season of the new Doctor Who - they still do exist (cough, cough) but not 100% legally and not easy to find. So has part of the story been lost (that specific example I have more to say at my site so I argue, no the story is not too shattered, but)...

Another example - using Twitter - well are you or someone going to archive the tweets? Or will any story developed there be lost to someone who finds the story six months or more later.... and what about web sites going down, or changing owners, or... what if I do not have enough money to purchase the animatrix but can watch the Matrix moviest on cable or such.... If i do not have a mobile phone with Internet and App capability - is that story lost to me (does this make a story then elitist or stratified in some aspect)??? Does this divide transmedia experiences into TWO categories - one that is a preserved story and one that is more an event or interactive story but is a ONE SHOT type of deal???

And for those creating transmedia experiences, I am curious how you tackle those issues? Are there plans in place for somehow preserving the entire story? Are you going more for the EVENT and real time interaction and thus that is lost later - or do you want the preserved story and the audience's ability to access ALL part of a story...

I know, I ask too many questions (I am often called Curious George for a reason). And please if these are being discussed and asked other places, let me know, I would love to go and read and find my answers ;)

MOre thoughts on transmedia - I am getting this - yee-haw!!

Ok - been having some discussions over at another forum - check here for the full discussion - but I wanna paste a couple of my replies because I like what is developing, sure others may have gotten this, but I am getting there myself and that means the lightbulbs are coming on and I am having fun and really enjoying the discussions to get there - even if I am a rookie, greenback wet behind the ears looking like a simpleton tee ball league trying to swing a bat with the major leagures - who cares, I am exploring so there

But ok - the discussion is at www.webseriesnetwork.com/forum/topics/transmedia-storytelling

and two sources to read that prompted my replies: http://henryjenkins.org/2009/09/the_aesthetics_of_transmedia_i.html (all three parts especially part 3) and http://transmedia-storytelling.tumblr.com/ - the nov 13 post

And here are some words of mine : )


Thank you for that link as well - between those two - I think the discussion on world-building (overdesign) and episodic/serial narrative discussed by Mr. Jenkins are two avenues where transmedia connects very well with the technology culture we live in today (which makes transmedia of today very different from the historic transmedia mentioned in the blog discussion).

Combine this with your discussion on how viewers (such as me) want to be more involved in the story/world/and media and that is what makes transmedia so great : ) That is why so many like social networks and the technology culture that has developed over the last few years.

I am a teacher and transmedia offers something else - it allows a story to be told in different methods that will reach out to a greater audience - in teaching, we call it universal design for learning - you offer different points in the classroom lesson for students to access, some prefer to read, some to watch, some to hear, some to do. If you teach one style, you only reach one type of learner in an optimum way. If you design a lesson with multiple ways to get to the content, your audience is larger - I would hazard a guess that translates right into the media world too.

So it seems there are multiple roads to why to use transmedia (an ironic twist as that is what transmedia is about) - but do you wish to offer the world-building/over design element? Do you wish to build a serial connection and follow those seeds in more detail? Do you wish to reach viewers/consumers/users through multiple avenues and multiple forms of design/learning?

Yes? No? :o)

Trying to elucidate myself ;P

Well that blog entry title sounds almost oddly naughty:P

But, anyhoos, joined a conversation here - http://www.webseriesnetwork.com/forum/topics/transmedia-storytelling to try and better work through ideas about transmedia story-telling

Yet again the united states is going to lose...

Check out this article on china/US and the race for Green technology

www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2009-11-17-chinasolar17_CV_N.htm

wanna see if any of these should be attended

mashable.com/2009/11/16/mashable-events-nov16/

Transmedia Exploration Continued - TRANSMEDIA NECESSITY RATING

Ok - as I redirect my focus on my Web series website - I am focusing on a few categories - and Transmedia/Derivative web series is one category. As I set up the structure for my More Info pages, I am working on an idea I want to include - the TRANSMEDIA NECESSITY RATING

Ok - so not sure the name is the best :P and I am trying to find out if anyone has already done this in a very structured manner so I can use. I am very willing to use other terminology and systems - but I think this concept is important - and again, not seeing it around.

Ok so what is it I am trying to do? Basically a transmedia/derivative web series is one that is part of a bigger storytelling universe. Meaning the full story is not told in the web series, but using multiple mediums (see my blog on trying to define this as well as some other resources here).

Well when you delve into this topic, you find everyone has a slightly different view of what transmedia really is... I am still working on that... but... back to the rating...

If you look, some transmedia sources have really spread the story across the different mediums and you really do need ALL sources to understand the full story. That is a tightly woven story and, IMO, effectively using the concept of Transmedia. This however has the result that you need to experience ALL pieces and media to understand the story.

Conversely, some sources are very loosely linked, and while they expand the universe and story, they are very independent, and some might argue, NOT a true transmedia experience (which is a separate post I am working on and will revisit - what does a good and a bad transmedia world look like : ) - But to relate to web series, could a web series could be viewed as a stand alone and not suffer or lose any of the overall story to be told if the viewer has not, or does not, experience any of the other transmedia?

So this is an attempt to rate how integral the web series is to the overall story universe.

As I have set it up, for now, the rating is done from the perspective of how stand alone are the web series episodes. A rating of 1 means there is not much of a link to the rest of the universe and the web series can be viewed without needing other sources (some might argue it is almot more a derivative or sequel, etc. and not a true transmedia experience) and that one does not need to view the web series to understand the other sources. 5 means the web series is tied very tightly to other transmedia sources and that part of the web series will not be fully understood without the other sources and that a viewer needs to interact with the other sources to fully understand the web series.

With that said - for transmedia/derivative web series, I am trying to rate the use of transmedia, list all sources for the universe and also list them in chronological order as released as well as if there is a preferred viewing order.

Because that then is the other thing people struggle with - if there are multiple mediums (transmedia) - is there a preferred viewing order? Should a person be able to pick up any media source and enter the story fully, or is it not until the very END of the journey that a person could understand everything....

See where I am going with this? The Rating opens up a few other can of worms regarding transmedia.

So please, comment and let me know what you think, if others have done this, and so on........

Oh and anyone interested in helping with this fun venture - please give me a holler docwho2100@gmail.com

Love the one "quote" in this article

www.webseriesnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/web-series-network-interview-2 Nice article - check out the web series and I too agree with this quote from Daryen Strauss -

"RM: For the Top Journalists, Network and Studio Execs reading this, what would you say to them?

DS: Web content creators are very creative, maybe because they've had to be to get the project produced, so I'm just waiting to see "web series" become a household word."

Clicker.com - a wonderful list and I am still making mine anyhoos

well - this site http://www.clicker.com is new and has a lot to go to index everything, but it pretty much lists all the goodness that is out there and in a flashy web format.

It does both web series and television content.

So does that mean I am stopping? Heck no, not completely, I'll just kinda collect other resources and such as I do find this a fun project and I am learning a lot and diving into things other than just making a list. So i'll not really list the series anymore as it seems moot since Clicker is, but at least I'll collect still references and articles and keep talking about the ideas and web series.

The world is all about information overload and merging of mediums.

Hmm the push to Web Tv grows stronger

www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2009-11-13-1Awebtv13_CV_N.htm

GOOGLE WAVE

I just got an invite to google wave - OMG this totally makes Friday the 13th much better and over riding the blech of my tree - OH wow - NOW TO EXPLORE - and figure out who to bring into the wave!!!!!!!

This is not a nice storm

well it seems this stupid storm has decided to blow my tree down in my front yard - it is still storming so I will wait for the light of day - but mannnnnnnn I am so spazzing - i can not believe this- TRIPLE MAJOR HOT SAUCE POOK :o(

What is Transmedia and What is a Transmedia (Deriviative) Web Series

What is Transmedia and What is a Transmedia (Deriviative) Web Series

(I updated this and other thoughts since original post - check here for newer things - home.comcast.net/~docwho2000/moreinfopages/transmedia.html - 11/19/09)

OK - I typed in transmedia definition and was blown away by what is out there. Transmedia as a concept has been around for a long, long time, yet it is only in the last few years that it is exploding and working its way through the assorted layers of society. It is an awesome thing and a bad thing, yes I am invoking both sides of the coin/fence and trying to have my cake and eat it too. I love any medium that enriches a story; that brings it to more people and brings out a larger set of toys to play with.

Some like to read, some like to listen, some like to see. But, that is the bad too... if I have to see, and read and listen to EVERYTHING to really get a feel for the story and universe it is playing with, well, am I going to miss something? Am I going to lose a part of the story and never be able to understand what is going on? I'm not a gamer (ok well I am kinda but, to play devil's advocate), so if I do not play the game, will I not understand the movie? As you build a universe with transmedia, there is not only the possibility of scooping up new eyes and ears, you run the risk of losing eyes and ears too.


Plus, let's be honest, time sprinkled with interest is the one commodity that truly governs everything (even overrides money believe it or not - although money comes a close second in the transmedia race). If I have to spend too much time on trying to find every piece of this story, will I lose interest and give up completely?

So much to think about and so many wonderful discussions. But, for now, I am keeping my focus on web series as that is what I am collecting : )

So a transmedia/derivative web series is in essence a piece of a bigger pie. Now what the piece looks like, that is where the discussion comes in and the fun really begins.

So - that said, IMO, at least looking at things now and how the whole culture and society is changing and flowing regarding communication (another pet project of mine is social media and technology and the impact on collaboration :P - but regarding communication - I think transmedia is a major concept that is here to stay and a lot of projects in the web series world you see will be linked to a bigger pie more and more. In the short term the economy and the "flash" of social networking will drive transmedia projects, meaning the big guns will hold the most sway over producing much of the transmedia web series. But this will trickle down to even the "everyman" level of web series as social collaborative tools and accessible technology facilitates the building of transmedia.

Of course the real question is: how well did the person(s) use the medium/method of transmedia to make a story, because when it all boils down to the nitty-gritty, it's about the story dude, it's about the story...........

docwho2100 last updated Nov. 12, 2009

PS - to answer the essential question behind this blurb - What is a transmedia web series? Which by the way, when typed into Google with quotes returned no results... I am going with this general definition from Henry Jenkins pulled from: http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html

"Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story..... .... Ideally, each individual episode must be accessible on its own terms even as it makes a unique contribution to the narrative system as a whole. Game designer Neil Young coined the term, "additive comprehension," to refer to the ways that each new texts adds a new piece of information which forces us to revise our understanding of the fiction as a whole."

So a transmedia web series is a web series that offers new and unique information while contributing to the larger narrative which has been created/delivered using other methods of information delivery (aka a simple sequel to a movie is not transmedia as both original and sequel were delivered as movies. But a sequel to a movie delivered as a game or web series is transmedia).

PSS - I love the Henry Jenkins article I just pulled from for my definition - in #10 he mentions fanfiction as a form of transmedia, which I write, so YAY - hehe go Fanfic :P

I leave you with this thought-provoking quote from http://www.postadvertising.com/post/2009/03/27/Transmedia-Storytelling.aspx :oP

"Transmedia storytelling is one of those monikers that runs the risk of being added to a Bullshit Bingo card some time very soon. On the other hand it could just be the saviour of brand communications. "

-------------
Here are a few things I found. Feel free to add, please, to the discussion.

blogs.middlebury.edu/mediacp/2009/06/17/22-storytelling-or-marketing/ - very short but a good start

http://henryjenkins.org/2009/09/the_aesthetics_of_transmedia_i.html (all three parts especially part 3) - Great article Henry Jenkins - make sure to track down all of hi stuff on transmedia - also check out

www.henryjenkins.org/2009/08/transmedia_storytelling_and_en.html - a nice list and class outline - I wanna take this class!!!!!

http://transmedia-storytelling.tumblr.com/

www.eguiders.com/video/heroes-creator-tim-kring-on-transmedia-storytelling - video interview with Tim Kring

www.viddler.com/explore/HollywoodEastTV/videos/50/ - another video on the basics

www.psfk.com/2009/03/understanding-transmedia-psfk-talks-to-starlight-runner.html - nice article highlighting examples

www.hollywoodeasttv.com/profiles/blogs/the-series-what-is-transmedia - a video from The Series: about transmedia

The entry on transmedia storytelling at Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmedia_storytelling - has a great discussion and brings up the concept of hypersocialbility (encouraging participation through social media and interaction) and multimodality (moving between multiple modes of interaction).

And like this image and the site - seizethemedia.com/what-is-transmedia/

Web Series Definition

Ok - as I work on my web series mega list - I am collecting ideas and learning more and so I have a page that has these - I'll post the blurbs I write here too...

So here was my first and I am still tweaking it - but the essential question to be answered is - what is the definition of a web series

------------------------

Here are a few definitions and ideas regarding, "What is a web series?"

Well Wikipedia lists the definition as:

" A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode (the term webisode has been largely deprecated)." [ from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_series ]

A really good resource is found at blog.ajchristian.org/2009/10/09/what-is-a-web-series/ by Aymar Jean Christian.

In fact I will use a lot of what he discusses as the basis for the web site. I am quoting this bit from his awesome post - take a look at his whole site.

"Nomenclature: People call web series (singular and plural) different things. Web series appears to be the dominant term at this point. I’ve read web serials used, particularly by the Times’ Virginia Heffernan, and while I quite like this term, and I think I’m losing on that. Webisodes is often used. I believe this term started early because the videos were not really conceived as part of overarching narratives (especially if you think of transmedia extensions). I’m not sure if this term will persist. I also like web shows, which seems perfectly logical. Variations on several words have been used: online, content, programs, original, scripted, video, web (online scripted content, original web programs, etc.)" [from blog.ajchristian.org/2009/10/09/what-is-a-web-series/]

Also from his article the following:

"Under scripted content, I would again divide it into original and transmedia/derivative. This isn’t so much a distinction in story/narrative, so much as business model, but it’s an important one. I do think there’s a difference between content that extends a mainstream brand, i.e. transmedia extensions... (the countless network-produced shows to build on TV properties like Heroes...)" [from blog.ajchristian.org/2009/10/09/what-is-a-web-series/]

Also check out - blog.ajchristian.org/2009/10/13/web-series-and-branded-entertainment/ - regarding branded entertainment.

And as a thought - IMDb only just this year (March 2009) added Web Series as a category - news.tubefilter.tv/2009/03/19/imdb-to-add-web-series-category-so-whats-a-web-series/

Then there is the concept of Internet Television and the fact early webisodes were very different from what people think of today. More on both of those concepts in other rambles.

by docwho2100 - last updated Nov 3, 2009

Research for a work project

Neat video - a little outdated by then education is always behind hehehe

http://www.schooltube.com/video/38503/Web20-in-the-Classroom

Need to play this loud

So if you're having an icky day, week, whatever... join me in singing 9or in my case just shouting) this out real loud... :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmlZLvgMG6E

Web Series "Book" Club

OK - so would anyone be interested in starting a Web Series "Book" Club with me? Basically, just like a book club, we pick a web series and view it, then virtually meet (either in a chat or setup a board/group or both) and discuss the series??? I think it would be cool and fun and I love to discuss entertainment stuff... so anyone interested? Comment here or email me at my docwho2100 gmail account!

Come on, let's have some fun and good discussion!!!!!!

Must be the holiday season

Yet another breaking news story today about a person gunning down people - yes, this holidat season brings the duel edge of joy and family and hope as well as sorrow, depression, stress, economic woes, isolation and despair... and why not take a few people with you... tis the season to share? right?

:-( I think the world needs a hug - why not go into your place of employment with open arms and hug everyone instead of blowing them away? You might be surprised at the results....

An Internet Myth busted

check this out :P

mashable.com/2009/11/05/social-networking-isolation/

I have reached 100 - wow

made it to 100 on the mega list - home.comcast.net/~docwho2000/index.html

finally costume pics

Ok so - here they are - for better or worse

:P

home.comcast.net/~docwho2000/halloweenpics.html

Tech and it's relation to the brain

but this is kinda spooky

www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/03/digital.diary.brain.mind/index.html

The cloud----- hehe

Cool article - what is cloud computing and how will it affect you - www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/04/cloud.computing.hunt/index.html

sunshine cleaning - a nice movie

Ok so i am finding sunshine cleaning to be funny : )

Amy Adams tying a flannel shirt around her face is hysterical

A forgotten version of being a detective

OK - researching my web series project and using the Internet Wayback machine - I found the Homicide Life on the Street from like 1997 and they have this very nice overview from the perspective of a detective of what it is like to follow a case (it is excerpts from a book that was written linked to the Homicide TV show) - kinda interesting - is this one version of what it is like to be Nikki and Nora ; )

I have so got to use the word aquarium in a story somewhere (and no I never watched Homicide so....)

You may have to register to find it but - web.archive.org/web/20000423111305/www.nbc.com/homicide/case.html

Christopher Walken Reads Poker Face

HAHA and on BBC no less - very funny

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy5JwYOlgvY

Genre - how do you classify TV/Movies/etc...

Ok - I am working on trying to come up with a good definition of genres and how to apply them - this is not as easy as you think - unless a call everything just a comedy or drama (and then what about those dramedies and then great already issues :P

So - what sources and definitions do you have for genres? And would anyone be willing to look at a few web series and tell me how they would classify them?

Thanks peeps!

how many licks does it take to get to the center of a web series - the world may never know

Ok - found this article www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=awardcentral&jump=emmys09&articleid=VR1118004432&cs=1 and looking just at this quote - "For example, more than 100,000 submissions came in for the first Streamy Awards, creating a huge task for organizers to sort and select nominees and winners, notes Brady Brim-DeForest, co-founder of the awards and the Web TV news site Tubefilter."

100,000??? OMG I've got a long way to go in putting together this list ;P

Afterworld and other web series stuff

Just found web series Afterlife - ok I will get lost in this one for hours and hours - www.afterworld.tv/ and up to 55 web series - a long road to go :)

but so much to discover - whew

happy Birthday Internet

We've come a long way!!!!

http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/10/first-internet-message-sent-40-years-ago-today.html

I battle my own windmills

Wellllll I have been reading, researching and finding there is no basic mega list of web series - soooooooo I have decided to descend into madness and start a Mega list

dw2100's Web Series Mega List - home.comcast.net/~docwho2000/index.html

Of course As I take this journey to answer the question - how many web series are there - I find I am going up against a LARGE set of data... lots of research and review and whewwww - but I am already enjoying the research and web coding and writing about this topic - so I welcome the madness and the thought of the little engine that could - one web series at a time!!!!

PS - anyone wanna join me on this mad journey?????

Found a cool webseries site

This looks really neat and working on a collection of webseries

www.epiguide.com/forums/index.php

Does anyone know if there is a site that lists all the web series and includes links to reviews or basic summaries of the web series?

Write in Defying Gravity and others

HEY - you can write in a show for people's choice - let's try to get DG a huge showing
www.peopleschoice.com/pca/nominations/vote.jsp?pollId=300024
also write it in under the drama category!!!! www.peopleschoice.com/pca/nominations/vote.jsp?pollId=300015

Two great resources

This is a great class - edweb.sdsu.edu/Courses/EDTEC470/fa09/activities/pln/index.htm


and this is a great idea creativecommons.org/choose/

OK more on the small films article I posted

Ok to elaborate on the article I posted a few ago and my dream job

I love web series (and movies) - like 3Way (and Ladycops) and Gemini Division and Angel of Death and I could keep going (I manage the Mahalo web series page and trying to list them there - there are 1000s - I have a long way to go to listing them all - hmm need to find a wiki that catalogs web series and such)

But you miss the theater atmo for most of these as you watch on the web or get the DVD (for the small films) - so if I had money and was not concerned with making loads of money, I would love to have a small theater that showcased and mixed web series and small movies with a theater atmo. I mean to have themes and events and all sorts of things and to inspire local community in filmmaking and just - damn I would love to run/manage work one of these places - sigh.... if only wishes could come true....

PS - again would not be about money just being in the environment...

PSS - there are so many small production firms - just found this one - www.marloproductions.com/Welcome.html

ah well

2012 mania keeps growing

hehe - yeah I should not laugh but this is turning into as big a deal as the Prince 1999 and millennium hullabaloo and the Y2K bug (remember that doom)

dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/10/22/nasa-http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=10684940debunks-2012.html

Hmmm this sounds interesting

Found this article - I like the concept and also there is a mention about a firm that allows groups to purchase a movie for a screening - what a cool way to do a fundraiser or other thing and nice to know there are ways for small film makers to make it

www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/media/13independent.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

What a week

So - I had one of the greatest experiences of my life - I participated in a blog show - the archive is here - www.blogtalkradio.com/allaine/2009/10/23/Nikki-and-Nora

I got to be one of the readers (I read Liz Vassey) - and the highlight was Nancylee Myatt actually called in!!! Yup she was listening and called in and interacted with us - it was soooo awesome - she is so awesome - do catch some of her stuff if you can.

I sounded like a dork, but I hope I did alright in representing Ms. Vassey

I also finished up a lot of projects so starting to get into a good routine and schedule. This is good because it means consistency and more of a steady road for me.

I got my hair cut, it is short but it's good - and trying to get things organized, plus finding more things are fun (work still up and down but eh)

Been watching Dexter (almost through season 1), finished Exes and Ohs season 1, bloodties season 2 and assorted movies - wheeee - lots of great stuff.

Defying Gravity - just watched the last episode currently filmed - I keep hoping there will be more, but ah well - such is the life of many shows and on to stories and fanfic.

But yes, feeling a bit freer and as my sister said, sounding a lot happier than I have in a while! Yay

Some multimedia help

some nice links

news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10379898-2.html?tag=mncol

This is a very good read

I highly recommedn everyone take a look at this and think about just how much privacy is shrinking and how the world is changing and what you should be thinking about if you do anything social media wise

www.pcworld.com/article/174138/social_search_from_google_and_bing_my_8_big_concerns.html

This sucks - it's not easy being a celebrity

Another piece of freedom is taken away and once again the barriers between fans and those they follow is established - when we try to bring the world together - contracts and law divides it

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10377583-2.html?tag=mncol;title

Is this the major shift in Hollywood?

what do you think?

news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10378654-261.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Social Media - when will it really be different?

What do you think - will boss's listen?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10377642-264.html?tag=mncol;title

ok i might drive one of these

hehe - fuel efficient and futuristic

news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10377679-54.html?tag=mncol;title

A couple of interesting things

is this going to be a cool new social networking tool or a way stalkers and others can more easily get your info? www.strings.com/

and

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/19/DDE51A6E59.DTL

This is sad and funny people fall for stuff liek this but yet another reason to party in 2012

Wow it is getting close

It seems this little program that could keeps growing

www.afterellen.com/blwe/10-16-09?page=0%2C7

www.3waytv.tv/2009/10/15/%E2%80%9Cnikki-nora%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Cladycops%E2%80%9D-nancylee-myatt-christina-cox-and-liz-vassey-answer-your-questions/#more-456

where's the proof

YAY for the judge - content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2009/10/babies-gay-marriage-proposition-8-bible/1

Are we truly shifting in a fundemental way

what do you think? overreaction or true shift in how society is structured??

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8305731.stm

The geek road trip

Ok adding this to the ghost tour road trip and other road trips i want to do...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8171983.stm

the geek road trip ;)

Another site with info about upcoming fun

Wheeee - getting more excited

from www.tellofilms.com/members/action/blogcomment/?blog_id=43

Hey Nikki & Nora Fans!

On Thursday, October 22nd, 2009, there will be a a highly unique show at the special starting time of 9 PM EST:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/allaine/20 09/10/23/Nikki-and-Nora

Nikki & Nora's Nancylee Myatt, Christina Cox, and Liz Vassey Answer Your Questions

On this show three people will talk - creator/writer Nancylee Myatt and stars Christina Cox and Liz Vassey. It's going to be an unusual show in more ways than one. Not only will it be the first time I've interviewed actual celebrities for my show instead of fan authors, not only will the show run longer than sixty minutes, but it will also be the first time where every single question will have been asked prior to airing. Due to scheduling conflicts that prevent all three of the guests from appearing in person, the entire interview has been conducted via email, and their answers will be read over the air by longtime N&N fans Silk, Inspectorboxer, and Docwho2100. Those questions are from the fans themselves. And to top it all off, my guests have expressed a willingness to answer questions about other projects. That means television programs like CSI, Blood Ties, Defying Gravity, and South of Nowhere are all on the table. So be sure to tune in - there's no telling what you might find out about your favorite pairing.

This show is special, not just because of the successful television actresses who will be appearing, not just because their answers will be given by proxies, but also because of that title. "Answer Your Questions." My guests and I are actively asking the fans to supply the questions for this show. I've already let the members of certain communities (primarily femslash communities devoted to the various television programs referenced above) know in an unofficial capacity that they have until midnight EST on Friday, October 16th, 2009 to submit a question for your favorite star - or even all three of them. Well, now I'm telling everyone. This is your golden chance to ask Liz, Christina, and/or Nancylee one question. They'll be answering up to 20 questions apiece. So more questions is better. More questions from different people is better. And more people tuning in is definitely better.

So remember - midnight EST on October 16th is the deadline for question submissions. 9-11 PM EST on October 22nd is when the show will air. You can always download prior episodes at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/allain e, including my N&N discussion on October 1st with Silk.