"The masterminds behind new web comedy Dirty Work know that viewers’ increasingly short attention spans lead them to check their phones, monitor their e-mail and cruise Facebook while watching shows — in fact, they’re counting on it.
“The last few years, whenever we consume any media on our televisions, on our computers, wherever it is, they’re always kind of competing,” Elan Lee, chief creative officer of Fourth Wall Studios, which created Dirty Work, told Wired. “A lot of the concept behind [this] came from the central concept of, ‘Hey, what if we could get all of those devices and all of those platforms to come together to tell one story and cooperate with each other instead of competing for your attention?’”
In some ways, Dirty Work, which quietly premiered online last week and will continue soon with two more episodes, is a lot like many TV shows. It revolves around funny twenty-somethings finding their way in the world, only in this case they clean up bloody crime scenes in the middle of the night.
But it’s not a standard sitcom: Viewers watch Dirty Work on Fourth Wall’s proprietary Rides.tv website and, if they opt in, receive text messages, phone calls, e-mails and additional videos while they’re tuned in. It’s essentially a program trying to find an audience of young people by telling a story about young people using tools they’re already playing with...."
"Ottawa, Canada and L.A.-based youth digital brand builder Fuel and its partner McDonald’s Europe have announced the official launch of their free kids’ virtual world Happy Studio, an online media experience based on the fun of Happy Meals.
The site, which already has 1.8 million registered users since a beta version launched in August 2011, and can also be accessed through mobile devices, includes interactive and educational games and fun activities featuring many licensed characters from McDonald’s Happy Meals and a range of entertainment IPs (Tom and Jerry, Tin Tin, Puss N Boots)...."
Veteran transmedia producer Jackie Turnure (Fourth Wall Studios) joins J.C. and Steve in this jam-packed episode. Their discussion spans her past Alternate Reality Game projects for LOST, Flash Forward, Salt and more, and leads up to an in-depth conversation about Fourth Wall Studios’ just-released project, Dirty Work and their new transmedia platform, RIDES. Jackie talks about what makes Dirty Work different, and the unique challenges that a transmedia entertainment studio faces.
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A long long time ago, in a console generation with no online passes or day one DLC, we were introduced to Halo. A franchise that made a lot of headway in only 10 years or so; with 6 games (not counting PC ports and the recent remake), several novels, comics, board games, and even a canceled movie project under it’s belt. Halo fans have a lot to be proud of. This year we’ll see Halo return in a big way with a brand new developer and trilogy in the works. What 343 Industries does with Halo is yet to be seen, for now let’s look back at the last official Halo title, and Bungie’s last contribution to the series, Halo Reach.
For starters Halo Reach isn’t the game adaptation of the novel The Fall of Reach, which is a damn shame because that book had a much better story to tell. One that actually works as a prequel to the original trilogy, and uses Master Chief. Instead we are introduced to an all new cast of characters, Noble Team; who aren’t relevant to the Halo Universe at all.
The Colbert Report: Flying Completely Under Your Radar.
I’ve been thinking about this for months, years in fact, watching The Colbert Report. Launched on October 17, 2005, satirist Stephen Colbert’s portrayal of Stephen Colbert, right-wing pundit (an homage to Bill O’Reilly), and know-it-all Wikipedia editing expert, is so seamless that the ‘performance’ of his faux character is almost forgotten. Search him online (forget Wikipedia today folks!) and it is virtually impossible to find interviews with the ‘real’ Colbert. Think back to his appearance at the White House Correspondents Dinner 2006, billed as a Special Edition of The Colbert Report, where he delivered a masterpiece parody of the George Bush era and what he termed the “No Fact Zone.” Now, with his ongoing shaming of the Federal Election Committee (FEC) and the absurdities or criminalities of Super PACs in the US electoral process, he’s done a flurry of interviews this past week, again in character, with George Stephanopoulosand Ted Koppel. In each of these interviews, the extremism of his character is marked by some absurd proposal or claim that foregrounds the artifice of his performance. Watch his exchange with Stephanopoulos here:
Now if you’ve never thought about The Colbert Report as a transmedia ARG, pause for a moment. What Colbert has done is promote a fictional character with a subversive agenda across multiple platforms: the TV show, multiple websites (www.colbertnation.com, www.nofactzone.net/, http://www.indecisionforever.com/). What he’s doing definitely stretches the model of the ARG (hey! wait! Is there a single model?). But it’s definitely transmedia & cross-platform and he’s had complete buy-in from his audience: he’s led an activist rally in the 2010 March to Keep Fear Alive (see its companion website,http://colbertrally.com/), and successfully solicited who knows how much $ through the contributions to his Super PAC that, as he repeatedly points out, he will not have to report on legally for an undetermined period of time. Yet this performance is only now being commented on widely as a performance: ABC news just today ran an article on Who is the Real Stephen Colbert?
Colbert’s control of his performance and the media’s responses to him has been absolute and to get a sense of how he has created a storyworld in which his character exists as unchallenged, watch his September 2011 interview with Al Gore, who does the unthinkable on live TV by commenting on ‘your character.’ Colbert is clearly aghast and in character, crushes Gore with "finger quotes." Or watch Colbert’s interview with Frank Luntz October 2011 on how to set up his Super PAC focus group and sell the message that Corporations are People Too. Here, Colbert slips into his highly racist Chinese character, Ching Chong Ding Dong, and says: “I’m not responsible for anything my character says.” This moment is genius as it reveals the strategy underlying Colbert’s parodic persona. That he is now raising serious debate in the US as to the validity of Super PACs, generating numerous articles and news reports is an indirect homage to the persuasiveness of his performance over time.
Colbert’s application and appearance before the FEC was a fascinating moment in his ongoing ‘alternate reality performance.’ One, for Colbert, he was surprisingly monosyllabic and undemonstrative, whereas outside the hearing, he was emphatically the satiric pundit. That moment in the hearing however, raised the question of who exactly speaking before the Commission. As, if it was the character, then the legality & authority of the FEC were being mocked & challenged - technically a dicey move - yet watch him immediately after speaking outside to the press. Colbert played that moment ambiguously because he had to, but he also didn’t commit or reveal himself as the real Stephen Colbert.
And, given the specifics of the ruling as to what Viacom and Colbert’s Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, could and could not do, Colbert has neatly circumvented the restrictions on broadcasting outside of his show or network by allowing the net to do the job for him as his Super PAC negative campaign ads can be watched on multiple sites, including YouTube, and as embedded content in multiple news reports (Take that! SOPA!). If you haven't seen them, catch the latest Super PAC commercials here: Mitt the Ripper and Vote for Herman Cain
Colbert has used his comedic position to introduce new words to the lexicon, ‘truthiness,’ ‘anchor baby,’ and now it’s starting to look like his relentless and inventive challenge to the Super PAC might actually galvanize change. If he’s successful, I can’t wait to see what he tackles next.
You can read the Federal Election Committee's Advisory Opinion from June 30, 2011 here:
“In filing his initial request for an advisory opinion, Colbert sought to take advantage of an exemption traditionally used to allow media outlets to report and comment on campaigns and endorse candidates without having their work considered “in-kind” political contributions, triggering filing and disclosure requirements with the Federal Election Commission. The request came down to one essential issue: whether Viacom can legally donate production costs, airtime and use of Colbert's staff to create ads for the so-called super PAC, to be played both on "The Colbert Report" and as paid advertisements other networks and shows. The commission said no, ruling that once ads created using Viacom resources were broadcast on other networks, Viacom would have to report them as political contributions.”
I’m assuming you’re all over this by now as this new web series & video trailer have been getting tons of global buzz in the last few days. But if you don’t know about it, you should.
Inspired by a real video of 1500+ prisoners in the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines dancing en masse to Michael Jackson’s Thriller (49+ million views), Prison Dancer is a 12 part interactive video series that will launch in March 2012. The trailer launched on YouTube six days ago, is now over 50,000 views, and has been picked up as viral video of the week byFox News, “hot” on Trendhunter, and featured on Australian TV. Part of its appeal seems to be what co-writer and director Carmen De Jesus describes “as one of the first post-Dr. Horrible “made for web” musical web-series.” You know from the trailer that this is going to be a funny, campy, no-holds-barred production that will play up the romance and the drama in a way that reminds me already of John Waters’ musical homage to the 50s delinquent teen movie, Cry Baby (watch that one for an early singing Johnny Depp!).
Now, one genius aspect of this production is its in-built global reach. Produced in Toronto, it taps audiences across national boundaries. One of the series’ stars is Mikey Bustos, a superstar in Canada and the Philippines who Americans might know better as“that guy who did the Filipino accent tutorial on the Internet.
Producer Ana Serrano took a moment to answer a few questions and now I’m totally intrigued!:
SO: Prison Dancer is described as an interactive web series - that could mean interactive video where web videos have some kind of interactive interface to play with content flow or it might also include interactive participatory strategies for crowdsourced, fan-generated content - without giving too much away, are you playing with the latter idea? It would seem to be a genius project for that.
AS: We are playing with both ideas. One of the key interactive tools we are using is Youtube’s annotation tool. This allows folks to turn Youtube videos into clickable assets. For Prison Dancer, most of our episodes have interactive branches from them. However, these branches either provide more backstory to the characters or allow our audiences to engage with experiences they can then use to claim as their own and share back with the community. Think karaokified musical.
SO: As you say in your Toronto Star interview, this is “a perfect property for online because it was inspired by a web video,” the phenomenally popular Filipino prisoners’ YouTube version of Thriller. It was originally written as a play for stage and you give a little detail as to the long term vision, three seasons & maybe a Broadway Show, and Prison Dancer seems to have real substance as a cross-platform project. Is there a possibility of transmedia story extensions as well? It looks like this will be a story with multiple characters and easily multiple storylines, given the setting. Oz meets Glee but pitched WAY happier than OZ. And with three seasons in mind, that would seem to give you some scope for a really amazing transmedia story.
AS: yes, I think the possibilities for extending character storylines well beyond the web series and stage play are enormous. The original dancing inmates already have virtual lives. It’s not far off to see either the “real prisoners” or characters inspired by them to be hooked on their Internet notoriety and hence want to continue building a rapport with an audience rabid for their dances. So yes, part of what we are playing with is who these characters are and how they may actually be interfacing with the Web audience as individuals.
SO: Another really fabulous aspect of Prison Dancer, with what little is known so far, is that the project already has a trans-global audience, especially with the story being set in a Filipino prison and being a Canadian production. Have you and the writers given any thought as to writing for specific regional audiences? Or, if you write for a global audience, do you feel there are any specific considerations to keep in mind? Or do you just make the best damn web series you can and see what happens?
AS: We have very specific audiences in mind — Filipinos both at home and abroad; LGBT; and Glee/musical lovers (which arguable could be seen as slightly mainstream these days...so call it young women.) So we are writing and creating experiences with those audiences in mind only. Our thought is if we can satisfy this niche yet globally distributed sets of people we have the possibility of crossing over.
SO: Have you thought about the fact that both this current project and the CFC's interactive feature film are set in prisons? Is there a wacky backbone of interest or theme(s) running through these projects for you?
AS: LMAO have not even crossed my mind! But one of our themes is really about this idea of second chances. It’s a slightly subtle take to the classic underdog story. We’re creating a story not just about underdogs, or “losers” but about people who “lost their way” (as the first song “Point of View” says) and then finds it again by changing their “point of view” of what’s worth living for. (listen to the song to get the gist though you’ll here more of the lyrics in episode 1.) Which when I talk about it like this is also similar to the themes we explored in Late Fragment. So perhaps I am attracted to redemptive tales.
So props to Prison Dancer and to the launch of Ana’s independent production company, Prison Dancer Inc, co-founded with Carmen De Jesus and Romeo Candido (who penned writer of the lyrics and music and is co-writer of the book with De Jesus). I love it when smart people do smart work.
Mikey Bustos gives a peep inside the production here:
And if you haven’t seen the original viral Prisoners of Cebu Thriller it’s here:
Green Knights Entertainment Launches Transmedia Company to Transform Broadcast Model
Green Knights Entertainment (http://www.greenknightsentertainment.com) announces the launch of a new transmedia company that is transforming the broadcast model into a conversation model surrounding bad online date experiences, products and services for singles. Entrepreneur, producer, director, author, social media innovator and dating advisor, Jennifer Kelton has built a unique business model that monetizes brands on multi-platforms through voting, product placement, video ads, banner ads, user-generated ads, social games, blogs, exclusive post-show follow-up episodes and TV Shows.
Recognizing Internet and Mobile Video are the fastest growing media and advertising channels, CEO and Founder Jennifer Kelton announces the launch of a new transmedia company, Green Knights Entertainment, built to create conversations around bad online dates. With women launching startups at nearly three times the national average in the US, Kelton is a visionary entrepreneur who is gearing up for this business wave. Based on this female startup trend, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts more than half of the new small business jobs created by 2018 will be from women-owned firms.
Based on a track record of building consumer entertainment and fashion brands, Green Knights Entertainment is the next step for Jennifer Kelton’s startups. Through community sharing and cross-platform entertainment content, the big picture goal is to have the healing power of laughter change the way the 96 million singles in the US support each other both online and offline.
Kelton explains the focus of this new entertainment company, “We’re creating total engagement experiences with storytelling.” Green Knights Entertainment’s transmedia family includes established entertainment brands with shows and products that include:
1. BadOnlineDates.com – a web entertainment property with a 3-year history.
2. Bad Dates iPhone/iPad app – a virtual bad date wingman app to provide instant support.
3. Bad Date TV – a 2-year webisode series with “Bad Date Ben” and “Bad Date Betty.”
4. Dating in Disguise – the new Dating Game meets Let’s Make a Deal in this TV Show.
An early leader in online video content, Kelton created Bad Date TV, featuring bad date characters such as "Bad Date Ben" and "Bad Date Betty." The 2-year old webisode series provides hilarious and inspiring lessons to help instill better etiquette and dating skills among too many singles who seem to have forgotten (or never learned) them. Kelton shares, “People want to be entertained, vent, commiserate and even compete about bad date experiences.”
Due to technical difficulties, we've been delayed in sharing with you the videos from our April Transmedia Hollywood 2 conference, jointly sponsored by the cinema schools at USC and UCLA, and hosted this year at UCLA. We hope to be back next April at USC with a whole new line up of speakers and topics, which we are just now starting to plan. In the meantime, check out some of these sessions, which should give the ever expanding Transmedia community plenty to chew on this summer. As for myself, I'm flying down to Rio, even as we speak.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Denise Mann, Associate Professor, Producers Program, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
"Summary: A successful transmedia project doesn't require a big budget or a large team. It just requires patience and foresight.
Cross-posted from The Future of Film blog at TribecaFilm.com, where leading filmmakers and experts within the film industry share their thoughts on film, technology and the future of media. Click here to follow commentary on the changing media environment on Tribeca's Future of Film blog.
Transmedia projects have multiple points of entry that follow multiple storylines across several platforms. This kind of attention to detail can be overwhelming to a small team, and let's face it, most transmedia projects function on micro budgets. Asking your audience to jump down the rabbit-hole with you requires finesse, timing, and above all energy. With so many moving parts it can be a daunting task to keep a project from becoming completely overwhelming.
In the spring of 2010 I joined a transmedia project already underway, called Zenith. Focused around a film (which was not set to release for months), our small team was tasked with designing and building a campaign that would invite our audience to engage with the film's central themes and incorporate them into their own stories. This is how we did it.
Zenith is a science fiction thriller, which takes place in two separate time periods: the present day and the year 2044. The film alternates between the realities of the two main characters: Ed Crowley, a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and his son Jack, a drug-dealing ex-neurosurgeon. Ed predicts a future where a hidden society controls the minds and actions of the population. Ed's future - Jack's present - has become a bleak reality where people are permanently numb, yet pay dealers like Jack for pain from expired prescriptions. Jack is pulled into his father's quest for the truth behind this genetic experiment when he is presented with the first in a series of ten VHS tapes that Ed has left behind.
Zenith's director, Vladan Nikolic, first conceived the concept of multiple entry points for a project years before the advent of Facebook and Twitter. It wasn't until production got underway in 2008 that Internet technology had reached a point to where it could lend itself to an engaging multimedia experience. The term "transmedia storytelling" was the latest buzzword in the film community and its definition closely matched that of the filmmaker's vision of a new form of storytelling.
The transmedia project was multi-tiered. The first tier, an outreach campaign, was developed to connect with bloggers in the gaming, film, science fiction and conspiracy theory communities. The initial goal of the campaign was to get people talking about the conspiracy theory portion of the project, called Stop Zenith. With a tag line of "What is Zenith?" the outreach garnered mixed reactions, some bloggers were afraid they had been accosted by a group of conspiracy theorists while others embraced the deception with the understanding that this was all part of a much larger project. Partnerships with other websites were also developed, like that between Zenith and Above Top Secret (ATS), a conspiracy website with a multi-million member fan base. These partnerships were instrumental to attracting a larger, more engaged audience. They also showed our team that to keep the conspiracy plot moving, we had to think fast and build out our story lines with intelligence...."