building storyworlds - lecture from 9.26.12 class

BUILDINGSTORYWORLDS

[email protected] @lanceweiler

New Media Producing Building Storyworlds: the art, craft & biz of storytelling in 21cClass 3 9.26.12

Columbia University - Fall 2012Taught by Lance Weiler Visit www.buildingstoryworlds.comReleased under a Non-Commercial ShareAlike Creative Commons License

http://www.buildingstoryworlds.com/

ASK YOURSELF

1. What is the story about?2. What does the story mean to you?3. Why does the story need to be told?4. Where is the story best told?

@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.comChart by Robert Pratten


Like a bullet hole in glass start with your core idea and let it ripple out. Leave room for the audience to test & break it.

5 WHYS Why should I pay attention?

Why should I care?

Why should I share?

Why should I take the time?

Why should I return?


Consider who you’re hoping to reach. Attempt to step into their shoes.

VALUE


Establish design filters that you return to throughout the development, production and distribution process.

What gives your storyworld

STORYAS UTILITY


How can the stories you tell be more than entertainment? Can they help people discover things, learn, or connect with others? Value is what brings people back and fuels the spreadibility .

CARE


What is it that makes someone

EMOTIONALLYINVESTED


What gets someone

FUN


Don’t forget to make it

SOCIAL & PARTICIPATORY


At the core it should be

An idea evolves & gains power with openness.


A storyworld evolves & spreads whenpeople feel connected.


Leave room in your design for

Participation &Experimentation


Emergent Narrative &Collaboration can be messy.


OPEN

SHARED

FILTERED

CORE


Much of the design makes use of collaborative layering. It helps provide guidance, improves qualityof creative submissions and gives participants a sense of accomplishment.

Collaborative Layers

The STORY LAYER


It is now possible to lay a story overtop of the real world.http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2012/01/listen-as-your-story-talks-to-the-internet/

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2012/01/listen-as-your-story-talks-to-the-internet/

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2012/01/listen-as-your-story-talks-to-the-internet/

Social Connected Personalized Pervasive


The Story Layer enables stories to become

Start by considering behavior.


Want to build immersive storytelling experiences?

How do animals search for food?


How do humans search for information?


Information foraging theoryis based on the analogy of an animal deciding what to eat, where it can be found, the best way to obtain it and how much “energy” the meal will provide.


Applying Foraging Theory to how human’s search improves discovery and the usability of various user interfaces.

“Information Theory” by Peter Pirolli & Stuart Card 1999


People following a path are constantly asking themselves 2 questions.

1. What can I expect to gain following this path?

2. What is the likely cost to reach my destination?


Chart by XCKD


Storyworlds can have linear and horizontal timelines.

Storyworlds have character and user journeys.


Don't hold tight to your characters. When constructing a storyworld the themes that drive the story are often stronger. #sw21c

From “Building Storyworlds the art, craft & biz of storytelling in 21c”http://buildingstoryworlds.com/book


http://buildingstoryworlds.com/book

Example of a series bible for Battlestar Galactica by Ronald D. Moorehttp://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Battlestar_Galactica/Battlestar_Galactica_Series_Bible.pdf

http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Battlestar_Galactica/Battlestar_Galactica_Series_Bible.pdf

http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Battlestar_Galactica/Battlestar_Galactica_Series_Bible.pdf

WHAT’S IN A STORYWORLD BIBLE

GAME-Game Types RPG, Social Games, Puzzle based, ARG, Narrative based-Collaborative / Competive -Reward / Conflicts-Win / Loose Conditions-Continuous Play?-Live or Scripted Characters-What will players do?-Why is that fun?-Replayability

CHARACTER -Motivations -Arcs-Backstory-Relationships -Notes-Dialogue -Experiences

CHARTING-Script Annotation-Flow Docs-Mindmaps-Points of Entry @lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

Materials from the storyworld of Hope is Missing (HiM)


CHARACTERS LOCATIONS

THEMES

STORY

EVENTS

MOTIF

PROPS

SETTING DIALOGUE

Elements of a storyworld use common building blocks


THEMES

PROPS

MOTIF

SETTING

The following example from Hope is Missing builds from these core elements.


During a closed beta we tested elements of the Hope is Missing (HiM) storyworld.


Find other survivors, scavenge for supplies and find shelter before night fall.

Participants step into the shoes of the protagonist by using a special mobile app.


Entry gameplay by dropping into an infected area.


Participants create their own spaces and shelters using the camera on their mobile deviceShoot in a 360 and we stitched it together on the backend to form a panoramic image.


Players navigate by moving the phone or swiping with a finger. Augmented elements lead to key story assets such as video, audio, text and a red “X” lead to another user created space.


Snap shot of the usage of the app over a limited period of time. Each marker represents a new user crated space


Over 50,000 downloads

2000+ spaces created

Data collected

- GPS data

- Make and model of handset

- OS of the handset

- Email address

- Phone number

- Amount of usage

CONTEXTUAL STORYTELLING

MEDIA SOCIAL GRAPH

STORYWORLD GATEWAY

STORY DETECTION

MOBILE APPS

BROWSER PLUGINS


@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.comChart by Mike Dicks @ BleedinEdge

MEDIA DIETWired Magazine

Consider consumption habits and entry points.


STORYWORLD1. Take time to evaluate the story you want to tell. 2. Ask yourself the hard questions – why will anyone care? Is this the best way to tell the story?

3. Let go of a single POV.

4. Consider how you can show not tell.

5. Make it easy for your audience to become collaborators.

6. Don’t let the world get in the way of the stor.y

6 TIPS FOR BUILDING A


THANK YOU

SUGGESTED READING:

Treating Story as Softwarehttp://www.slideshare.net/lanceweiler/storyas-software-weiler

The Art of Immersionhttp://www.slideshare.net/lanceweiler/buo

“Learn Do Share” – storytelling, collaboration and social innovation in 21chttp://learndoshare.net

Building Storyworlds: the art, craft & biz of storytelling in 21chttp://buildingstoryworlds.com/book

Contact:@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

http://www.slideshare.net/lanceweiler/storyas-software-weiler

http://www.slideshare.net/lanceweiler/storyas-software-weiler

http://www.slideshare.net/lanceweiler/buo

http://www.slideshare.net/lanceweiler/buo

http://learndoshare.net/

http://buildingstoryworlds.com/book