transmedia living lab, madrid
DESCRIPTION
Keynote presentation to the Transmedia Living Lab, Madrid sponsored by Telefonica. The presentation introduces a methodology for participatory storytelling and illustrates with examples from my work aTRANSCRIPT
Keynote to Transmedia Living Lab
Madrid, Spain May 28th 2012
Robert Pratten CEO & Founder, Transmedia Storyteller Ltd
@robpratten
Robert Pratten CEO & Founder, Transmedia Storyteller Ltd
Transmedia Storyteller Ltd “We power remarkable experiences”
Transmedia Storyteller Ltd “We power remarkable experiences”
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away”
What I believe…
• Experience is king • Emotion => immersion (not more content!) • The Internet kills mediocrity • Need to generate word-of-mouth • Need to empower advocates • Leverage “new media” depth to gain “old
media” reach • Marketing is integral to the experience
Content released over 15 day period
Game accessed via blogs – used real and custom websites to set challenges
http://a-cops-wife-life.blogspot.com/
http://ortegapi.posterous.com/
Metrics
• Marketing budget = $0
• Production budget = $500
• Total Net Kindle Revenue (2011) = $1748
• Total shipments on Kindle Jan 1st to Dec 31st 2011 = 972 (retail price at Amazon.com $2.94)
• Number of people connecting to Lauren Ortega on email = 83 = 9% of total sales
• Video views of Episode 1 (Jan 1st to Dec 31st 2011) = 4727
Sales vs Social Media (Lowlifes)
Nb: “video views” used as simple proxy for trend of social media activity. Wasn’t the sole activity also included email, Twitter, Facebook etc.
Sales vs Social Media (Lowlifes)
Tipping point
Empower advocates
“Big on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn”
Learning objectives
• Teach ethics and economics
• Simulation of real-life scenario
• Self-guided problem solving
• Collaborative working
• New media comprehension
Engagement INTERACTION • Personalized replies to incoming emails & Tweets from fictional characters ETHICAL DECISIONS • “The Whistleblower”
• Employee who contacts the students claiming that the payload was over weight
• “The Extortionist” • Dept. Environment agent that proposes a pay-off for him to write a more
favorable report.
GAME-STYLE REWARDS • Rewards based on involvement:
– “I like what you’re doing, I’ve recommend a bonus increase at the next pay review board”
– “You’re asking great questions, you can have use of the company seats behind the catcher…”
Lowlifes 2.0
Lowlifes 2.0… whodunit • Characters:
– reveal intrigue, clues, histories
– have moods: sympathetic towards you or not
– real-world time availability (coffee break, sleeping)
– surprises – reversals & follow-ups
• Personalized experience – via character behavior and…
– help mode on or off
– feedback on progress (e.g. “60% complete)
– personalized calls-to-action/reminders based on position in story
• Out-of-world communication from author integrated with in-world communications from characters
• Measurable – how deep people play
– time to respond
– A/B testing to improve results
• No cookies, plug-ins, apps or registration forms: played on email, Twitter and SMS
• Entirely scripted, no AI and no coding
101 Ways to Die
• CLARION SECURITY is looking for people like YOU. Text JOIN to (310) 853-5617
• Q1: You can only save one person: do you save the young
woman or the old man? Reply YOUNG WOMAN or OLD MAN
• Q2: You're hiding in gang territory. You get one opportunity to shoot the gang leader - you have 50:50 chance of success. Reply TAKE SHOT or WAIT
“Psychometric profile”
SHOOT WAIT
OLD Guardian Perfectionist
YOUNG Status Seeker Elitist Q1
Q2
Storytelling with Conducttr
Narrative Gaming
Social Networking
Participation, Conversation
Rewards Levels Collaboration Competition
Characters Plot Events Things
Conducttr – Under the Hood
Control Layer
Content Layer
Real World
Conducttr: Pervasive Entertainment Platform
Broadcast & reply emails, Tweets, SMS Publish blog posts, videos, images, Facebook updates
Events – when “stuff” should happen Actions – personalization of experience
Audience
Under The Hood - Audience
Individual
Audience
Community
Audience is viewed as: • individual (just you) • community (everyone) • group (segments of everyone)
Individual Everyone Groups
Engagement Goal: delight each individual with personalized, surprising, evolving content
community-driven story evolution
Control Layer
Content Layer call to action
action
personalization
Real World community action
Individual
Audience call to action
Community
Conducttr
What’s holding us back? • Knowledge & Communication
– How to write cross-platform participatory stories
– Processes
– Common language
– Documentation
• Presentation & Discovery – Labeling: What is it?
• Tools – Replay-ability
– Progress tracking
– Signposting: Story-so-far, help system
– Rewards
Welcome to our Worlds
Invite the world into your World
Trailer or Website
Description
Date & time information
The platforms the World lives on
In the cloud In your palm
www.conducttr.com
Connected experience
Audience
Your Story/Experience Native cross-platform experience written without code to run from the cloud on social networks (and on other sites such as tablet apps, social games, consoles, forums etc. via Conducttr API with coding)
XP, Progress & Achievements
Our transmedia storytelling mobile app is your portal Benefits & Features • A faster, cheaper way to launch transmedia projects
– no cost of custom-app development – immediately available when scripted with Conducttr – allows audience to manage their own data
• Discovery – available to a growing community that wants transmedia stories
• Retention & Engagement – show audience its progress through the story – reward audience with points and badges – leaderboards – forum
Approach
Transmedia development
Is the business model to generate revenue from sit-back/mono-
media? (e.g. book, movie, console game, music etc.)
Is this a franchise of multiple mono-media?
yes
Start to develop the story for piece you’re most
familiar with
Develop the sit-back media
Is the first piece 30-70% complete?
Develop the other pieces of the franchise
All pieces 30-70% complete?
Is this 30-90% complete?
Develop the experience (includes participation &
social media)
Experience complete?
yes
yes
yes no
Complete mono-media elements
end
start
story experience
yes
no
yes
Author Methodology
3. Design 4. Implementation 2. Definition (Goal Setting)
• Synopsis • Engagement • Interaction
• User phases • User journey • Quests
• Production pipeline • Preparation • Conducttr • Play test • Go live
1. Business Planning
• Audience • Story • Experience • Platforms • Business model • Execution
Participatory Transmedia Storytelling
Story development
Definition
2.1Synopsis 2.2. Engagement 2.3. Interaction 2.4. Operations
2.1.1 Story 2.2.1 Experience
2.2.1 Purpose 2.2.2 Participation 2.2.3 Personalization 2.2.4 Pacing 2.2.5 Characters
2.3.1 Platforms 2.3.2 Media (Assets)
2.4.1 Management 2.4.2 Metrics
Audience participation opportunities
What will the audience do? How will they be engaged?
Companion Actor
Outsider Observer
THINK
FEEL
DO
Moral dilemmas, meaningful choices
Role-play, provide building blocks
Reflection, consideration Exploring, discovering
“Social TV” activity
Companion Actor
Outsider Observer
THINK
FEEL
DO
Twitter & Facebook activity discusses the show, tweets with the cast etc
Second-screen content usually provides b-roll or extra content, comics, games
Massive unrealized potential for audience to act in the storyworld
Example
Work in Progress…
Project Structure
Transmedia Producer (Robert Pratten)
Psychophol
(Cassi)
Wastelander
(Berta)
Tarot Cards
(Tara)
Web Series
(Robert)
Graphic Design & Branding
(BTL Brands)
Feature Script (Simon Cluett)
Producer (Jonathan Sothcott)
Participation = ability of audience to change or contribute to the story-experience Gaming = audience has goal, use of puzzles, game mechanics (trophies, levels, leader boards etc.)
Story = importance of narrative, depth of world & degree of authorial control Real-world = extent to which story-experience pervades real locations & times, real people & events
Story (strength, depth & authorial
control)
Gaming (goals, puzzles, challenges, trophies)
Participation (contribute, change, co-create)
Real-world
(pervasive, built around fact)
Mask of the Red Death Online
Feature Film
Psychophol experience
Wastelander experience
Web series
Tarot Cards
Real World
Event: Festival Screening
Mobile app
DVD release
Story
Gaming Participation
Real-world
WORKFLOW: Mask of the Red Death
Synopsis Short story Transmedia Strategy
Funding Approved
Write Feature Script
Write Psychophol
Story
Psychophol Experience
Defined
Wastelander Experience
Defined
Create Card
Mechanics
Create Card Story
Write Webseries
Director’s Vision
Storyworld Wiki (Bible)
Experience Story writing Documents
Key
Information flow
Participation for MskRD
Companion Actor
Outsider Observer
THINK
FEEL
DO
Wastelander experience
Psychophol experience
Tarot Cards
Web Series
Psychophol Quests
Q1. Intro
Q2. LOVE TWEETS
Q3. REPORT EMAILS PROSPERO
Q4. SCAPEGOAT EMAIL
Q5. FWD EMAIL TO PROSPERO
Q6. YES! HELP JAMES
Q7. TWITTER GAME
Q8. WEBSTER GETS DOCUMENTS
Q9. AMBUSHED!
Q10. – CONTINUE HELPING WEBSTER
Q11. ACCEPT BRIBE AND BECOME SPY
Mask of the Red Death
www.psychophol.com