remixable - posts tagged 'storytelling'

Transmedia Talk 40: Snow Town

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:56:07 GMT

Transmedia Talk 37: Robot Heart Stories at DIY Days LA

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:46:42 GMT

Download | Subscribe with RSS |Subscribe with iTunes

Janine Saunders, creative producer of Robot Heart Stories, talks with us about how Robot Heart Stories used transmedia strategies to engage underprivileged elementary students in collaborative learning.

Hosts:
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller
Haley Moore

(and Host Emeritus Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media)

About the Project

In Robot Heart Stories, two groups of students – one in Montreal (French speaking) and the other in LA (English speaking) – used their developing knowledge of math, science, history, geography and creative writing to get a stranded robot back to her home planet. The robot’s ten-day journey from Montreal to LA culminated in its arrival at DIY Days LA, where we sat down with Janine.

About Our Guest:

Janine Saunders is a creative producer who has worked on Collapsus, Pandemic 1.0, and produced the Workbook Project’s RADAR series. Working with Workbook Project founder Lance Weiler, she was the producer of Robot Heart Stories.

Transmedia Talk 33: ARGFest Special with JC Hutchins

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 03:04:35 GMT

Welcome to Transmedia Talk, a podcast covering all things Story. Transmedia Talk is co-hosted by Nick Braccia, Dee Cook, and Haley Moore and looks to shed light on the topic of transmedia storytelling with commentary, interviews and tips on how storytelling is moving into the 21st century. Download | Subscribe with RSS |Subscribe with iTunes Author and transmedia creator J.C. Hutchins joins us as we recap ARGFest-o-Con 2011. Hosts: Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media Haley Moore (and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller) Special Guests: J.C. Hutchins, author of Seventh Son and Personal Effects: Dark Art, and keynote speaker at ARGFest. From This Episode: ARGfest Keynote 2011: “Getting To Good” from J.C. Hutchins on Vimeo. JC’s podcast novel Seventh Son, and his transmedia novel Personal Effects: Dark Art with Jordan Weisman. We usually don’t link guests’ twitter feeds, but we’re linking JC’s here since we talked about it quite a bit on the show. The Darkest Puzzle, and Andrea Phillips’ response Awkward Hug’s game The Wisconsin Hustle opened ARGFest for attendees at the opening night cocktail party. JC’s and Violet Blue’s unboxing videos of a handmade scent kit, released earlier this year for Campfire’s experience for Game of Thrones. Our episode featuring Steve Coulson, about the Game of Thrones campaign the Maester’s Path. JC wrote animated videos for Smith and Tinker’s game Nanovor Video games from JC’s rundown include Mass Effect, Dragon Age, God of War, Uncharted, Heavy Rain, and Fable. Rob Jagnow of Lazy 8 Studios, who contributed to the Potato Sack ARG for Portal 2, is in pre-launch for his game Extrasolar Balance of Powers, an extended story from many of the creators of Perplex City, has been funded on Kickstarter. Zombies, Run! by Six to Start and Naomi Alderman, has now raised $50k of its $12k goal, with over a week left open on its campaign. The steampunk comic, theater and film experience Clockwork Watch, created by Yomi Ayeni, is still accepting backers on IndieGoGo. DIY DAYS LA will be held on the UCLA campus on October 28. Tickets are free. Story World Conference will be held in San Diego October 31-November 2.

Transmedia Talk 32: GoBZRK and the Future of Publishing

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:43:36 GMT

CONNECTED with Tiffany Shlain

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:47:26 GMT

We caught up with Tiffany Shlain as she prepares to release her newest feature, CONNECTED “An Autoblogography about Love, Death and Technology.” A DIY pioneer, Tiffany is always at the forefront of utilizing interesting and innovative ways to reach and engage audiences. Starting next week CONNECTED makes its way to screens nation wide after a successful festival run.

What made you decide to make the film CONNECTED?

Fifteen years ago, I founded The Webby Awards because I was fascinated by how the Internet was connecting people all over the world in new and unexpected ways. And being so interested in the ways things are connected, I it always struck me how so many of the conversations about the problems of our day were discussed as separate challenges. Whether the environment, women’s rights, poverty or social justice, it became more apparent to me that that when you perceive everything as connected, it radically shapes your perspective. The concept of interdependence has been around since the dawn of humanity, but the relatively recent component of the internet has added this new layer that connects us in a fresh way, almost giving the world a new type of central nervous system.

I am a filmmaker and so decided to craft a film that would tell the story of being connected in the 21^st century. I asked my father, Leonard Shlain, to be a co-writer on the project. My dad was a surgeon, but also a pioneer in writing about connections between science, consciousness, the human brain, art and civilization. His best-selling books included The Alphabet Versus the Goddess; Sex, Time, and Power; and Art & Physics. He was an incredible visionary, had a wonderful knowledge of history and I felt he would make an enormous contribution to the film. Just as we began production on CONNECTED, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. I quickly discovered that here I was writing about all these interrelationships and the one great connection I had overlooked was the emotional connection. That’s when I began the difficult process of rewriting the film to include my personal story of connection interwoven into the the bigger story of connection throughout history and where I think we are heading.

The subtitle of CONNECTED is “An Autoblogography about Love, Death and Technology.” What does the word “autoblogography” mean?

“Autoblogography” is a word we made up in order to convey that the film is autobiographical, but also has to do with technology. It also conveys the humor which is a major thread in the movie.

Is there a connection between CONNECTED and your last film THE TRIBE?

In my earlier film, THE TRIBE, I explored American Jewish identity through the history of the Barbie Doll. I know, it sounds absurd. After all, what can the most successful doll on the planet show about being Jewish in American today? It turns out that Barbie was invented in 1959 by an American Jewish businesswoman named Ruth Handler. A Jewish woman created the ultimate shiksa. With THE TRIBE, I wove together archival footage, graphics, animation, humor, and even slam poetry that took audiences on a ride through the complex history of both Barbie and the Jewish people. By revealing all these unique connections, THE TRIBE explored the question of what it means to be an American Jew in the 21st century. CONNECTED employs much of the same collage visual style but explores what it means to be a human in 21st century.

Do you believe there are positives and negatives to technology?

My father loved quoting Sophocles, “Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.” So, from the beginning of time, every new technology and advancement brought with them a complex mix of positive and negative repercussions as well as unintended consequences. CONNECTED addresses the potential of these new 21^st century technologies, the importance of harnessing their powers, but also covers the ramifications when these new technologies take over and even overwhelm our personal lives.

I’ve started practicing what I call “technology Shabbats” with my family. Every Friday at sundown, our whole family disconnects until Saturday night. No cell phones, no internet, no television, no Ipads. No multi-tasking. We disconnect completely. Or maybe I should say we connect completely – with ourselves and each other.

I am learning that turning off technology is just as powerful as turning it on and that our society needs both. Technology can be so enticing and overwhelming, but we also need to remember how important it is to be fully present with the people you love and also be alone and quiet. The potential of technology globally and personally is exponential, but we need to know where the off switch is and when to shut it down.

So what is the ultimate goal of your film?

The goal of CONNECTED is to launch a global conversation about what it means to be connected in the 21st century. I hope that the film will be the catalyst for this global conversation. In an effort to expand the power of the film, we’ve created a robust website, facebook page where we constantly add new articles about this topic and have created an educator’s kit including conversation cards, a film guide a curriculum for educators.

In the film you say, “For centuries we have declared our independence, perhaps it’s time we finally declare our interdependence.” What does it mean to declare our interdependence?

It’s time to shift perspective. In many ways we as a species are mirroring the way we each develop as a human on this earth. We come into the world completely dependent on our mother’s and parents. As we grow up, we evolve into independent adults, live on our own and get our own jobs and provide for our own families. But this independence then brings us to a new realization of how we are connected with family, friends and community. I think we, as a species are evolving to the point where we are entering this understanding of our interdependence. Who knows if all these tools we are creating for collaborating in new ways through the internet are leading us to this understanding, or the understanding is driving us to create these tools. Technology is just an extension of ourselves. It is not separate. Regardless of what’s propelling it, these living and thinking interdependently will actually change our consciousness and help make real transformation in the world around us.

So you are optimistic about our future?

When I do Q&A’s after screening CONNECTED, I am frequently asked, “What makes you so optimistic?” I respond by saying that I believe in humans and humanity and in our innate ability to change for the better. Look at the end of slavery and apartheid, the women’s rights and civil rights movements, and other political and social transformative movements in the last few hundred years, and you can see how we are indeed evolving. There are two things that make me optimistic. We as humans are curious and we have a deep desire to connect. These two things will make us move us forward to a better place.

You are also spearheading a new project called “Let it Ripple.” What is this and how does this connect to CONNECTED?

The ‘Let it Ripple’ project will pick up where CONNECTED leaves off. We are creating a series of six short films, all tied together by the general theme of connectedness. The first film is A Declaration of Interdependence. My husband, Ken Goldberg, co-writer Sawyer Steele, and I wrote A Declaration of Interdependence, which is based on the American Declaration of Independence. Our new declaration was then posted online on July 4^th and tweeted out via YouTube and we invited people from all over the world to submit video of themselves reading the declaration in their native language from their cell phone, laptop, whatever was handy. We also asked graphic designers and artists to interpret the words creatively and submit artwork. The submissions are blowing me away. It’s interdependence in action. The film will be made up entirely of these submissions, tied together by our animator, Stefan Nadelman, with music by one of my favorite sound artists Moby.

A Declaration of Interdependence will premiere on Interdependence Day which is September 12^th at a special event near Ground Zero in New York. Every time we get an entry, I get chills watching the videos. It is thrilling to see people from all over the world declare their interdependence. We are going to edit it all down into an inspiring 3 minute movie that will be posted on the web and we are going to provide this film for free and allow different organizations and non-profits to use the film by putting their own call to action at the end. We are open-sourcing the creation of the film and hope to open source how it is used.

By sharing these messages of connectedness and interdependence, I believe there will be a positive ripple effect; sparks that help turn what we’re talking about into action. It’s all about connection.

http://connectedthefilm.com/

CONNECTED opens in theaters in major cities beginning in mid-September.

*All dates below start one week runs

SF: Sept 16th SF Landmark Embarcadero
Berkeley Sept 16 Shattuck 10
Marin: Sept 16 Sequoia Theater
Santa Cruz: Sept 23 Nickelodeon
Portland: Sept 23rd Regal Fox Tower 10
LA: Sept 30 premieres at The Pacific Arclight Theater Hollywood
Seattle: Oct 7th Landmark Varsity 3
NYC: Oct 14th Angelika Theater
Denver: Oct 28th Landmark Chez Artiste

Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of The Webby Awards and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. Tiffany’s films and work have received over 40 awards and distinctions. A celebrated thinker, she delivered the commencement address at University of California at Berkeley and is a Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute. www.tiffanyshlain.com

Transmedia Talk 31: Evan Jones, Suspending Disbelief in Interactive Stories

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:06:43 GMT

If it doesn’t spread it’s dead – part 2

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:09:47 GMT

In part two of the series Henry Jenkins and WorkBook Project founder Lance Weiler sit down for a conversation about participatory culture and how “if it doesn’t spread it’s dead.”

Transmedia Talk 30: 2011 Half Year in Review with Michael Andersen

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:03:25 GMT

Welcome to Transmedia Talk, a podcast covering all things Story. Transmedia Talk is co-hosted by Nick Braccia, Dee Cook, and Haley Moore and looks to shed light on the topic of transmedia storytelling with commentary, interviews and tips on how storytelling is moving into the 21st century. Download | Subscribe with RSS |Subscribe with iTunes Michael Andersen, managing editor of ARGNet, joins us to take a look back at the first half of 2011 in the Alternate Reality Game world. Hosts: Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media Haley Moore (and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller) Special Guest: Michael Andersen from ARGN From This Episode: Andersen’s article 2011 Year in Review: Puzzling Through Half a Year Wired.com’s Decode games and puzzles section. Transmedia Talk host Dee Cook is an associate editor at ARGN. Ian Bogost’s Cow Clicker ARG The Awl’s Rick Paulas recounts the conclusion of the Jejune Institute game. 5 Wits in Boston produced the interactive experience Tomb, which is now closed. They currently offer two interactive experiences, 20,000 Leagues and Espionage. The city-wide experience Accomplice in NYC, Hollywood, and London. The free-roaming San Francisco experience Message from Z. The QR code driven game Time Trip LA. The Jejune Institute spinoff Elsewhere Philatelic Society. The Toynbee Plaques in Philadelphia. Kcymaerxthaere, historical markers from another world. Pittsburgh’s mysterious protractors Aram Bartholl’s wall-embedded USB project Dead Drops. Haley Moore’s writeup and Lazy 8 Studios’ Gamasutra article on the Portal 2 Potato Sack ARG. Note: Ten indie game studios released games in the Potato Sack. The Game of Thrones extended campaign The Maester’s Path. The Crash of the Elysium, Punchdrunk’s Doctor Who experience for children. 42 Entertainment’s game Test Subjects Needed for 5 Gum. Area/Code’s 2007 ARG ‘Primacy’ for the CBS drama Numb3rs centered around a casual puzzle game Chain Factor, which was later developed into the popular iPhone app Drop 7. Earlier this year, Area/Code was acquired and became Zynga New York. Patrick Carman’s extended book project Dark Eden launched its App today. The Australian tv drama SLiDE The Thomas Dolby game A Map of The Floating City

If it doesn’t spread it’s dead

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:01:45 GMT

Henry Jenkins and WorkBook Project founder Lance Weiler sit down for a conversation about participatory culture and how “if it doesn’t spread it’s dead.”

NEW BREED – A Conversation on Transmedia – Part 1 from The Sabi Company on Vimeo.

The 9th Dot

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:31:57 GMT

The following is a guest post by Kim Lessing.

Just about five years ago, Glen Trotiner, a filmmaker who’s had every job from p.a. to producer, and his buddy, Jeff Hephner, a television actor, were in bar in the East Village drunk talking about two of their favorite subjects: conspiracy theories, and fixing the world’s problems.

Somehow, that night, the two discussions became linked and a story that needed to be told began to unfold:

It began with one of their favorite conspiracy theories. Just before he died, in 1943, the 87 year-old reclusive inventor, Nikola Tesla, who had given the world alternating current, radio, radar, and x-rays, claimed to have invented a device that could produce energy from a free and unlimited source, and distribute it without wires or cables.

The device was never publicly demonstrated.

The conspiracy theory claims the device was removed from the inventor’s lab by Government Agents on the night the inventor died, and has been suppressed by the authorities for all these years.

Their story would begin almost seventy years later as two roommates, Jeff, a conspiracy theorist, and Sam, a debunker, go out in search of the one remaining surviving witness to the events of the night of Tesla’s death.

Just as the premise for The 9th Dot was hatching, Jake Wasserman, an ambitious and talented high school student, came to work for Glen as a production assistant. Jake is one of those kids born with a camera in his hands. Glen recognized his potential and immediately took Jake under his wing.

With Jake’s input on the script, The 9th Dot began to take shape (the title comes from the nine dot puzzle, developed by Disney, that tests for thinking outside the box).

The search for an actor to play Sam ended during a difficult film shoot in Maine. Ariel Shafir, who was coincidently, (or not so coincidently) playing conspiracy theorist in that very movie, read an early draft of the 9th Dot and came aboard to play Sam.

It seemed then that the project was ready for take off. Unfortunately shooting was put on hold when Glen went off to Romania to work on the movie Blood Creek.

Luckily, right after Glen returned, he learned Titan-TV, was looking for web content that could be launched into episodic material. Titian, read and loved the script and suggested it be conceived as a web-blog. Each episode would be a short segment of the investigation. The audience would be participating in real time, blogging along with Sam.

Just as the scripts were finished, however, Titan-TV stopped making original content. A disappointing blow, but like any good story, it didn’t end there.

The gang went ahead with shooting. They shot at locations all over New York City, including the New Yorker Hotel, where Tesla had died, Bryant Park, where Samuel Morse had once first shown the world the dots and dashes of Morse code at the very first New York Worlds Fair, and The Engineers Club, where Tesla had once belonged.

Soon, Jake took on the daunting task on editing, and furthered his role as a valuable collaborator. He singlehandedly created a unique look for the episodes, alternating between the handheld investigative footage with carefully crafted animations.

The finished product looks and feels like nothing ever done before; a true demonstration to the powerful content that can be created when passion meets craft.

CBS interactive saw the first three episodes and offered to pick up the series.

But then CBS Interactive was folded into CNET, so the series lacked an outlet once again.

At that point it became clear that if the project would never meet it’s full potential waiting around for the networks.

Five years after the bar stool meeting, the show is finally ready to launch, on August 1st, on it’s very own homegrown website (www.the9thdot.com).

A preview of the investigation is already up on the site, ready to watch. Self-made and self-promoted, it’s been a labor of love for all concerned and its birth is testament to power of interactive story telling in every sense of the world.

In the same way the character Jeff distrusts corporations, the 9th Dot’s creative team Glen, Jake, Jeff and Ariel want The 9th Dot and its followers to speak for themselves,

The cost of energy is still a global problem. The price of gas is still too high. And Tesla’s invention is still missing. There is much to be considered, and discussed and there is problem solving to be done. The 9th Dot is the place to listen and be heard. Above all else, we want to hear from you.

www.the9thdot.com

http://twitter.com/#!/the9thdot

http://www.arch-entertainment.com

Transmedia Talk 29: Lost Zombies

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:51:32 GMT

The Power of User Generated Content

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:12:28 GMT

At SXSW I watched Nick Poole (founder of the infamous 4chan) introduce his new project Canvas. This isn’t as edgy as his previous meme factory. Canvas provides basic tools for users to post and alter pictures. Think of it like a message board where users have conversations through constantly evolving images. A long thread starting with a picture of Dos Equis’s “The Most Interesting Man in the World” can end randomly with him as Rebecca Black and the caption: “It’s not always Friday. But when it is…Saturday comes next.”

The success of Canvas hinges on growing a community of people excited to create remixes. With just viewers, there won’t be user generated content to entertain visitors. So, Nick makes sure the collaborative process is fun/easy and doesn’t focus on attracting professional quality design work. Without high standards more lurkers will become contributors.

Now more than ever, everyone from artists to storytellers should learn how to hone the power of UGC to build their internet presence. Facebook is the second most popular site in the world-Twitter, Youtube, Yelp, Fanfiction.net, and many other successful destinations wouldn’t exist without non-professionals.

Here are some different ways to get people to create user generated content:

View more presentations from Peter Katz.

What is your experience with user generated content?

Transmedia Talk 28 – Game of Thrones and the Maester’s Path

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:19:45 GMT

RADAR NYC 6.9.11

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:10:40 GMT

LOOK

My Potholes

What do you do when there’s a pothole in your street? Try avoiding it? Call the city to fill it in? Effective ideas, though they aren’t especially imaginative. With the help of Claudia Ficca and Davide Luciano, a couple of Montreal-based artists, these folks in several US and Canadian cities turned their potholes into works of art—at least temporarily. But the photos on My Potholes capture a number of whimsical moments created from minor nuisances. Watch as they turn common road hazards into swimming pools, donut fryers, gardens, rabbit holes, and more.

Check it out HERE

LISTEN

Noveller – Alone Star

NOVELLER “ALONE STAR” from Matt Kleiner on Vimeo.

Noveller, a.k.a. Sarah Lipstate (RADAR ep 28 – Before I Die) has just released this gorgeous black and white video on her website for her song “Alone Star” off her new album Glacial Glow. Directed by Matt Kleiner, this video chronicles several days in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne. It’s some powerful stuff when paired with the musical storytelling of this Brooklyn-based guitar goddess. Contrasting the busy city with vast desert, it creates a truly surreal scene.

Check out Sarah’s website HERE

READ

Ben McCool Interview

Writer Ben McCool (RADAR ep 41 – Memoir) has a new comic series coming out this September, but in the meantime you can check out a preview of it as well as an interview with USA Today. Titled “Pigs,” the comic takes a gritty look at the Cold War, which if you can believe it, ended two decades ago this year. So now it’s far back enough in our collective subconscious that we can take another look at the whole terrifying era of mutually assured destruction, secret agents and the Cuban Missile Crisis and see that things weren’t quite as black-and-white as we all thought at the time.

Read the article HERE.

Magic and Bubbles

Poetry Brothel, House of Illusions NYC

Our friends at the Poetry Brothel (RADAR ep 20) are bringing it back this weekend, with a magical twist. The “whores” will be teaming up with a master magician for some old school, Houdini-esque illusions.

Sunday, June 12th, 8pm-1am
The Back Room
102 Norfolk Street
New York, NY
$5-$15
EVENT INFO

Newmindspace Bubble Battle NYC 2011

The folks at Newmindspace (RADAR ep 10) want to make New York a more bubbly, effervescent place for its residents. Join hundreds of other bubble battlers with your own bubble-making supplies, and let the air fill with soapy, prismatic orbs (and yes I was trying to avoid saying “bubble” again).

Location TBA
Saturday, June 18th 2010 @ 6:00pm
Rain or shine. Free and all ages!
New York, NY
EVENT INFO

Second Avenue Sagas

New Yorkers, be honest, how often do you find yourself silently (or not so silently) cursing the MTA for all the service changes and fare increases? Second Avenue Sagas hopes to answer some of the questions as to why all these annoyances happen. What started as a blog chronicling the progress of the long-delayed Second Avenue Subway, is now a blog covering all forms of New York City transit, offering opinions, insight, progress reports, and ideas to make transit better, as well as listing all the weekend service changes every Friday. It’s a great place for New Yorkers to get informed and involved with the city’s decisions on transportation.

Second Avenue Sagas

Transmedia Talk 26 – Dave Szulborski Memorial Show

Wed, 25 May 2011 12:19:40 GMT

RADAR NYC 5.12.11 – feat. Lori Nix

Fri, 13 May 2011 04:26:18 GMT

This week, we return to our contributor-curated series of blog posts with Lori Nix (RADAR ep 33 – Unnatural History). She found us a nice mix of beautiful works of art and some quirky, off the wall stuff–sort of like her own work.

WATCH

Cravendale Cats

That’s it, I’m officially jealous of the British. After outdoing us in music and comedy for years, they now roll out this oddly addicting TV spot for milk—which is undoubtedly a result of years of its creators spending too much time on the Internet. Because—and I’ve mentioned this before—the equation goes: cats + doing weird things = roughly 85% of Internet content. Also, note the strange milk cartons they use over there (hey, at least it doesn’t come in bags like in Canada).

Find more on this clever campaign HERE.

LISTEN

Bodies of Water: Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink

The music from this extremely talented LA-based collective has this rolling, lively Spaghetti Western-esque epicness to it that hooked me pretty much immediately, sort of like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros without all the gimmickry. Ennio Morricone would be proud. But don’t get me wrong, there’s still enough theatrics and choral pieces to make this record the very definition of grand. Listen to it while walking down the street makes your life an instant musical. Just don’t blame me if people stare at you when you start singing along.

You can buy the album HERE
Bodies of Water’s website

READ

Hi-Fructose Magazine

Despite new media’s repeated attempts to kill off the magazine once and for all (blogger’s note: hi there, sorry about that!), Hi-Fructose Magazine may be all the proof needed to show that there will always be a place for a beautifully-made, high quality, full color quarterly. Hi-Fructose aims to profile and discuss alternative artists, while at the same time dissecting what “alternative” means, bending genres and shattering norms in the process. Whatever you want to call it, there’s really some stunning work on display here.

You can pick up a copy at most bookstores, or check out their web presence HERE

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities

It may still be a ways off, but Otherworldly at the Museum of Arts and Design should definitely be worth the wait. Lori Nix and other diorama artists will be showcasing their different creations, extremely detailed microcosms of worlds that are both realistic and surreal—glimpses of our world both as it is and as it could be.

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities
June 7 – September 18
Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
$15 Admission
EVENT INFO

New York Mag (and comments)

When Lori told me she liked to liked to read New York Magazine online to laugh at the comments following the articles, I wasn’t quite sure what she meant. But I didn’t have to look far to find out—the comments section is a nice concentrated cross-section of the Internet as a whole. You’ll find cynical, snarky millennials, sarcastic storytellers, political pundits who insert their opinions of Bush and/or Obama into every conversation, and trolls of course, because trolls simply are and always will be—they are as deeply ingrained into comment threads as the Pope is into Catholicism. It’s worth a laugh on any day you could use a bit of a confidence boost.

RADAR NYC 5.5.11

Thu, 05 May 2011 22:23:09 GMT

Image via Dr. Sketchy’s

WATCH

Welcome to Pine Point

I’ll be honest; it’s difficult for me to describe this without just suggesting you watch it for yourself, and it’s even more difficult to classify this as “watch.” From the National Film Board of Canada, this project tells the story of Pine Point, a planned mining community in central Canada, the people who lived there, and its eventual demise—being completely razed and taken off the map. It’s told through interactive bits, archival footage, pieces of animation, and recorded interviews with the former residents, and it all combines with some lovely music from The Besnard Lakes (one of my personal favorite Canadian bands) for a truly engaging experience that tells more than a straight up documentary ever could.

Check it out HERE

LISTEN

Washed Out – Eyes Be Closed

Ernest Greene, better known by his recording name Washed Out (RADAR season 3) will be following up last year’s excellent EP with his just-announced debut LP, Within and Without (complete with NSFW-ish cover art), due out July 12. But if you can’t wait that long, you can download the first single off the album right now. Eyes Be Closed sounds like a dreamy, trippy journey through a beautiful desert, or perhaps flying through the clouds. Either way, it’d be cool to listen to on the subway just as your train bursts above ground, the sunlight hitting your face.

You can get the mp3 straight from Sub Pop HERE

READ

How the Social Web Reflected on bin Laden’s Death

By the time President Obama came on to announce the death of Osama bin Laden, it was already old news for a lot of wired people—myself included—who probably found out on Facebook or Twitter, and had about an hour to divulge their two cents on the matter. And it really showed how much the world has changed in the past 10 years. It was fascinating to watch the news unfold over the Internet, through mediums such as social media and imageboards, while major news sites struggled to keep up. Mashable has an interesting article on the role of social media in bin Laden’s death, complete with several fascinating infographics that reveal a lot about the world in 2011.

Read the article HERE.

Cake on the Bowery, Murder in Victorian England

Let Us Make Cake

Shantell Martin (RADAR ep 26 – Hidden Oras) will be joining about a dozen other visual artists will be using the façade of the New Museum as a canvas for their collaborative projection installation, Let Us Make Cake, part of Flash:Light, a night time, site-specific series of temporary art installations that re-imagine public space. Other events are planned at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and on Mulberry Street, so it should be quite a night.

Saturday, May 7 · 8:00 pm
The New Museum
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
Free
EVENT INFO

Dr. Sketchy’s Does Jack the Ripper

Not even one of England’s creepiest and bloodiest legends is safe from the imaginations of the good people at Dr. Sketchy’s Anti Art School (RADAR ep 8). Though really, in hindsight it seems like the perfect backdrop for the grisly tale of murders that scared the petticoats off of Victorian England.

Sunday, May 8 · 4:00pm – 7:00pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY
$12-$15
EVENT INFO

FOLLOW

FreedomLab

FreedomLab Future Studies is an Amsterdam-based think tank and research lab committed to finding creative solutions to issues in technology, business, and society. The site also features a blog offering thoughts on subjects such as social media, storytelling, and intelligent green energy, while also emphasizing the growing influence of non-Western societies, such as Brazil and Africa, on the world stage. This is definitely a site to watch if you want to get ahead of the curve in the 21st Century.

FreedomLab’s website
@freedomlab on Twitter

Seven Things I Learned from the Portal 2 ARG

Thu, 05 May 2011 22:01:09 GMT

So, Portal 2 is out. You may have heard.

You may have also heard there was an ARG associated with it – or maybe you didn’t. While the game received some media attention right before the launch of Portal 2, it slid past ARG communities without making much of a wave.

The Portal 2 ARG project was a collaboration between several indie studios and Valve. Most of the game was rolled out through hidden content in 13 indie games sold together as “The Potato Sack” on Steam. Playing those games led you to hidden levels and messages from the Portal’s antagonist GLaDOS, and ended up being the key to getting Portal 2 several hours ahead of its official release time.

This game tried a lot of things that are outside the normal scope of ARGs, and I feel like there are valuable design lessons to be learned here.

1) Partnerships are Awesome

Because the ARG was created as a partnership between a large group of video game designers, they were able to deliver the game as a series of easter eggs in video game that were already fully developed and polished. That’s something indie ARG creators wish they could do, but very rarely can.

The additional content inside the games was polished, and the sort of content you could only get from putting quality designers on the project. The GLaDOS levels in Rush and Toki Tori were designed to have the same feel as Portal – they challenged you to be creative with the game’s existing teleportation mechanics. I felt like I was getting a little taste of Portal 2 as I was playing them.

After the game came to its conclusion, we learned that these indie designers were principally involved in designing the entire experience. They created everything from tweets to puzzles to youtube videos and music. The total budget? $100.

The ARG was a labor of indie love designed by Portal fans, who were given free reign to work with the Portal characters and access to Valve resources. I wish I had known this from the beginning because it would have made a big difference in my second point:

2) Don’t Build Your Pay Wall Too High

The primary content for the ARG was distributed through the Potato Sack – 13 indie games that sold in a package on Steam for $38.72. For someone with very limited entertainment cash, that is quite a lot of money.

However, about four days before the release of Portal 2, a little birdie let me know who was responsible for the ARG, and my attitude toward the pay wall shifted completely. Over the course of the next 3 days, I bought Cogs, Rush, Toki Tori, and The Wonderful End of the World for a grand total of $15.

The pre-sale for Portal 2 was priced at $45, so the Potato Sack cost almost as much as the game it was promoting. By contrast, $15 felt like a pretty natural stopping point. (This is pretty comparable to other experiences behind pay walls – the print version of Cathy’s Book retails for $17.95.) That $15 was doled out in four purchases of $5 or less. The option to buy the games individually was the only reason I didn’t just smack into the pay wall face first.

The only thing I can conclude here is:

3) Screw the Curtain

If there’s something cool about the way your project was established, there is no reason to keep it a secret. Valve partnering with indie game designers to create a Portal ARG is cool, and worth supporting. The desire to keep coy and quiet about the history behind this ARG may have kept it from ubiquity.

There’s also a fundamental sales pitch difference. The idea of paying $39 to be advertised to is ridiculous, but it’s reasonable to spend that money to support an indie ARG team.

4) Countdowns Can be Compelling

As the endgame approached for the ARG, a page with a countdown timer was revealed. When that timer ran out, it led to another countdown timer. It sounds like a parody of ARG design, but it worked – and very well – because player interaction drove changes in the final countdown.

Participants had to play the games in the Potato Sack, and earn the secret challenge badges in them, to release Portal 2 ahead of the release time given on Steam. The countdown was a measure of player progress and a call to action, which made it far more interesting than a countdown alone could be. This was another area where the video game roots of the ARG really made for something great.

It didn’t hurt that it was counting down to a much-anticipated event, either.

5) Exclusivity is a Design Flaw

I’m not going to lie. Several times, especially near the end of the game, I was earned my potato badges by replicating cheat videos on YouTube. The extra levels in each of the games were more than challenging; they were hard – and as the clock ticked down, I realized I didn’t have time to beat them by my wits alone.

The previous Portal 2 extended reality campaign, which released last year with the free release of Portal, also had this issue. I had no idea that the extra content in Portal was extra, because I was playing the game for the first time. The content was also a challenge to get to, and in many later levels required a lot of experimentation and gaming skill. It seemed as though the experience was designed to reward veteran players who had mastered the game years ago. That seemed odd, considering the point of giving Portal away was to bring in new players.

This may be a fundamental philosophical difference between video game design and pervasive fiction design. As a storyteller, I seek to create intimacy with the audience. Making players struggle to reach content is one way to make an interaction seem meaningful and personal, but it is far from the only way.

More importantly, it is a bad way to do things if you want to make an experience that will engage a lot of people. To experience the Potato Sack ARG in its entirety, you not only had to buy all of the games, but master them and beat their most challenging levels. That’s quite a lot of work to get to the meat of an experience.

We usually design ARG experiences with late rabbitholes, and mechanisms that allow trailblazers to unlock content for everyone. If you treat every new player as though you expect them to be a trailblazer, only the trailblazers actually play the game. That’s not such a terrible thing if your goal is to create buzz – but when you want people to cross a pay wall, things get a little different.

6) We Can Still Pull Players “Behind the Scenes”

Several players who had been active on the game’s wiki were “kidnapped” during the course of the game. At first, I wondered if Valve had planted fake players – an unpopular but unfortunately common practice.

As it turns out, those players were brought behind the scenes and invited to Portal 2’s launch party as a reward for being active in the ARG. This is something Dave Szulborski did in Chasing the Wish, and it adds a nice layer of audience collaboration to the mix.

7) April Fool’s is a Bad Launch Date

The Portal 2 ARG launched on April 1, which might be aptly called “International Online Fiction Day.” The internet is flooded with interactive and pervasive fiction pieces on April Fool’s, most of which don’t go any deeper than a few web pages and only last one day, as our yearly ritual prescribes. This game got lost in the static, especially after it picked up the name “Potato Fools Day” – which implied that the game was a joke.

BONUS: Music Keeps the Experience Alive

This one is more of a protip than a serious lesson. The popularity of Portal spread in part thanks to Jonathan Coulton and his catchy end credits tune. “Still Alive” has become such a gaming anthem that children’s choirs are performing it, and Portal 2 is continuing that tradition two key songs for the new game. The ARG creators took cues from that, and (along with several remakes of Still Alive) released some original music for with experience.

Audiosurf featured a techno track built on quotes from Portal, called The Device Has Been Modified. 1… 2… 3.. KICK IT included a chill out track called Searching. Emergence. Discovery., and The Wonderful End of the World contains a melodious folk song by Dejobaan Games developer Dan Brainerd called “Hole in the Ground.” This song, with it’s haunting lyrics (“I took up a job that was all absentee”), was stuck in my head for nearly two weeks after Portal 2 launched.

Even though I jumped into the game fairly late, the music cemented my connection with the game and made it memorable. This is something I might be trying for myself in the future.

Tech/Stories:An Interview With Henrik Werdelin

Tue, 03 May 2011 08:16:54 GMT

At SXSW I attended the Scandinavia Tech Summit, a panel covering technology and media. Henrik Werdelin (@werdelin) was one panelist who stood out with his unique understanding of tech startups.

As disruptive technology is forcing the entertainment industry to either evolve or die, more creators should talk to smart people like Henrik.

Below is our interview.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Henrik Werdelin. I am the managing partner at Prehype. We are a group of product developers who bridge the world between entrepreneurship and corporations by spinning new digital startups out of big companies and then selling them back to them. My background has always been around experience design and innovation; from running the product development for MTV International over startups like Joost and Hotpotato to working in venture capital.

What were your highlights from SXSW?
One big moment was the when I experienced first hand the power of social promotion as I stood next to Gary Vaynerchuk when he announced the location of his yearly SXSW wine flashmob. It was incredible to see a room filling from 5 people to over 300 in under 20 minutes. It made me think about how much impact our new social tools have. Normally when we do products and get e.g. 10.000 signups, we feel its only a marginal win. However, seeing 300 people poring into a room within such a short time was quite humbling.

Based on your background in experience design and innovation, how would you tell a transmedia story?
I know it might sound like a bad answer, but I think it very much depends on what the story is. New media are just tools that you can use to tell stories in a new – and often more engaging way. I feel too many media companies try to add new media components to their storytelling just to add those tools – and not because they add value to the story. They also often forget to fully understand how a users daily flow is – and then mold their use of technology around peoples behavior – instead of assuming that they can move people across different new mediums.

Who do feel are the most innovative storytellers and what can creators learn from them?
I think good storytellers – are good storytellers. Most of the more innovative ones uses new technology too add impact to their narrative. That can be from clever use of social media to establish suspense (like the blairwitch project), to simple game shows that adds user participation via sms (think American Idol), over CNN’s way to include their viewers via iReporter and finally people who use digital tools to tell a story. (like the guys who did http://pleaserobme.com/). However, clearly the game developers have managed to engage users in self-made storytelling and that is where I think we will see the most innovation come from.

Favorite books and blogs?
- The Singularity is Near
- Hellohenrik.com
- Influences
- The Paradox of Choice
- A mind of its own

How would you make social games more social?
Move more of the gameplay outside the web and into real life.

Can film studios learn anything from startups?
I think everyone can learn from startups. A few lessons;
- Its hard to judge your own ideas in a board room. Therefore, find methods where you can produce components cheap enough to test it against real users and then build on it if it turns out to be successful.
- Identify if your incentive structure is aligned with your objectives. E.g. if you dont think your teams take enough risk, you probably have a structure where only playing it safe is compensated
- Think less – do more…

Will Netflix keep winning in an increasingly competitive market?
Yes. By being restrictive in their deal structures – studios have up to now prevented a healthy industry of innovative distribution partners

What are going to be the next major trends in the entertainment industry?
Gaming seems to be one of those industries that keep taking market share from the traditional entertainment industry. I think we will see more innovation from the game world. The last sprint was social gaming – but I think this form of entertainment that engage users will see more growth. Finally I think the user generated trend will continue also. As the barrier to entry into the entertainment industry goes down you will see a raise of independent overnight sensations.

RADAR NYC 4.28.11

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:20:31 GMT

WATCH

Eliza Skinner – The Oscar Party

The Oscar Party – watch more funny videos

Eliza Skinner (RADAR ep 2 – I Eat Pandas) returns to the world of Internet videos with this short about a couple going through an angry breakup just as their friends arrive for an Oscars party. Hijinks ensue, guests are weirded out, and movie puns are thrown around—and for some reason movie puns are so much funnier when shouted in a fit of rage. Movie nerds will either cringe or chortle. Or both. Either way, Eliza is quite hilarious as a pissed off ex-girlfriend.

LISTEN

Morningbell – Lovefool

Before I watched this video, I thought the title was just a coincidence—surely they weren’t covering that classic 90s radio mainstay? But that’s exactly what Morningbell (RADAR ep 33 – Unnatural History) did. And they did it gloriously. They stayed true to the original while giving it a bit of their own odd flair. And the breakfast-tastic video definitely ups the weirdness factor. You know, for those of you who like your 90s nostalgia with a side of scrambled eggs.

Download the mp3 for free HERE
Morningbell’s website
Morningbell’s MySpace

READ

Sophie Blackall – The Crows of Pearblossom

Sophie Blackall has to be one of our busiest contributors. When she’s not creating beautiful blog posts about her father’s adventures or the Missed Connections of complete strangers, she’s creating amazing illustrations for children’s books. Her latest work is the illustrations for The Crows of Pearblossom, a short story originally written in 1944 by the legendary British author Aldous Huxley. Her vivid artwork gives a modern and whimsical flair to the classic tale.

You can buy the book HERE.

The Digitour & SLAM Theatre

The Digitour feat. The Gregory Brothers

Have you ever wanted to see Internet memes live on stage? As it turns out, the Gregory Brothers (RADAR ep 27 – Auto Tune the News) are among the many YouTube musicians performing as part of the DigiTour—and they’re playing New York on May 1. Go see the show, and then spend the rest of May with musical current events stuck in your head.

Sunday, May 1 · 7:00 pm
Gramercy Theatre
127 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
$18
EVENT INFO

Slam Theatre week 1

SLAM Theatre (RADAR ep 6) is back this spring with another round of their fast-paced playwright and actor competition. It will be going on for the next four weeks, but Sunday is the first round of eliminations for this series, and you don’t want to miss the beginning.

Sunday April 24 · 7:00 – 12:00 am
Sunday, May 1 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
The Tank NYC
354 West 45th Street
New York, NY
$5 suggested donation
EVENT INFO

@LukeGWilliams

Luke Williams is a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business who specializes in disruptive innovation—a constant stream of unexpected changes and challenges to the old status quo. And in this world where “recession” is the word on everyone’s mind, new, disruptive ideas are more important than ever. While his blog (and book), DISRUPT may have been written with businesses in mind, the ideas he gives in his posts are surprisingly applicable to anyone.

DISRUPT blog
Luke Williams on Twitter

Find Out How To Monetize Transmedia Storytelling And ARG On Hollywood 2.0!

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:19:40 GMT

My co-host Rich Silverman (Emmy-winner writer) and I (producer/neurocinema innovator) will tell you how…Welcome to Hollywood 2.0, a new podcast that covers innovation in the entertainment industry.

Subscribe to Hollywood 2.0. Follow Rich and Peter.

RADAR NYC 4.14.11 – feat. Molly Crabapple

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:06:09 GMT

At this year’s DIY Days, I had the pleasure of getting to see Molly Crabapple (RADAR ep 8) speak about how she created Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School and turned it into a global affair with branches of amazing models and artists all over the world. And while she was speaking, I asked myself “why haven’t we gotten her to curate a blog yet? She’d have some amazing stuff.” And she did.

WATCH

Serge Gainsbourg – Poinconneur des Lilas

In this classic clip, legendary French musician Serge Gainsbourg disguises himself as a ticket puncher (“poinconneur”) in the Paris Metro and sings a song about the monotony of the job. It sounds boring, but the song is quite catchy and builds up a rather frantic pace, and the unexpectedly morbid lyrics (at least, for those of us who speak French!) keep it interesting. Definitely something to think about as you ride the subway to work!

LISTEN

Dave van Ronk – “Luang Prabang”

When I first heard this song, my first impression was that of a very dark folk song, or an Irish rebellion chant. It’s actually, of course, American and much more recent—a Vietnam protest song, though the tune is based off of an old English folk song about coal miners. Here, Dave Van Ronk challenges the idea that going to war and sacrificing yourself makes you a “hero”—what good does that actually accomplish? Is it really worth it?

You can find the song on Van Ronk’s album Going Back to Brooklyn, HERE.

READ

Kiki de Montparnasse: The Graphic Biography

You probably recognize the above image, based off the famous photograph by artist Man Ray, though odds are you don’t know much about the model of said photo. Alice Prin, a.k.a. Kiki de Montparnasse, was truly a liberated woman of the 20s: born into poverty but quickly rose up as a muse for many artists, as well as an artist in her own right. Now you can read her story in graphic novel form—because words alone wouldn’t do such an artistic figure justice.

You can find the book on SelfMadeHero

PEN World Voices Festival

Beginning April 25 and continuing for a week, the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature returns for its seventh year. The festival will feature speakers, panels and films, and will discuss the role of literature and writing, and where it all fits into today’s ultra-connected world of social media, WikiLeaks and revolutions in the Middle East. Be sure to see Molly Crabapple’s live painting installation in the plaza of The Standard hotel—she’ll be working on it every day of the festival.

April 25-May 1
The Standard Hotel
848 Washington Street
New York, New York 10014
EVENT INFO

Coilhouse, Biorequiem, and Gala Darling

Coilhouse is part blog, part published magazine, and devoted to the expression of love for alternative culture. Expect to see everything ranging from short films, fashion, photography and art—anything that’s forward thinking yet still has a vintage style.

Zoetica Ebb is one of the co-founders of Coilhouse, and has her own site too, where she posts blogs, art and photos of her own, all done in a very distinctive and beautiful style. You can also buy some of her work as well.

“Hello! I’m Gala” is what greets visitors to the blog of Gala Darling, a bright and sunny corner of the web that celebrates femininity and promotes “radical self-love.” I found it impossible not to feel awesome after reading a few entries—and I’m a guy, not even the target audience.

Documentary + Game = Independent Transmedia Project called “THE GREAT WORK”

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:05:02 GMT

“The Greak Work” is a documentary by two Swedish filmmakers, Oskar Östergren & Fredrik Oskarsson (details at the end) about 30-year-old Christer Böke from Malmö, Sweden. He has taken one year off from his well-paid job as an IT-salesman to become a full-time Alchemist. The film concerns mankind’s eternal ambition of wealth and immortality and one mans dedicated struggle to solve “The secret of all secrets”. This struggle is known at The Great Work.

What’s particularly interesting about this project is that the filmmakers have teamed up with an independent game designer, Niflas, to create a game to complement the movie.

The Great Work will be screened on SVT (Swedish Television) as a 58 minute version, winter 2011. So don’t forget you heard about it here first!

Here’s the movie trailer…

About the Documentary

The documentary follows Christer from the day he leaves the city to the first day back at work the next year. During this year he moves to the island of Gotland on the Swedish countryside where he builds a laboratory in his dead grandfather’s garage, he lives three months in France to study the language and exchange ideas with French alchemists. Christer gets contacted by a strange international organisation called Ars regia that says “-We have been watching you…”. He keeps a blogg and start writing a book. He has a big argument with his best buddy and fellow alchemist since 15 year (they later reunite). He uses his “detective skills”, makes lots of experiments and gets closer and closer to his interpretation of the “recipes” of how to make The Philosophers Stone.

The Idea for The Game

Rob: How did the idea for a game come about?

Early in the process, we discussed that it would have been nice to make a game for the film because the topic of alchemy itself invites such thoughts. We had spent hours with our friend and the main character Christer Böke where we tried to solve “word puzzles” in old alchemical manuscripts and quotes that could lead you to the right subject which the great alchemist Fulcanelli was talking about.

At the same time I read an article about “Nifflas” and his game, Saira. We thought that a collaboration with him would be exciting and he lived in the same town and we had some common friends.

Together, we concluded that the game should stand on its own but our main goal was off course to use it as advertising for the documentary film. We had never really heard about a collaboration between a documentary and a indie-gamemaker. We have a strong interest in games and its form of narrative, and we thought the theme of alchemy would be suitable for Nifflas as a game developer. And, after our first meeting we felt that it could work out very well!

When we contacted Nicklas the first time he was skeptical about cooperating with us. He had expected the documentary would be about a major political topic and could not see the similarities with his own narrative, often based on a specific mystery and a character-driven portrait. Once we met everything fell into place and our collaboration has been great.

Nifflas never had any problems understanding our characters who defied science in search of “the philosopher’s stone”. Many of our financiers from the world of television and film were very doubtful about whether the story was real and at the same time are provoked by a person who claims to believe that he will be able to solve this amazing riddle. People think our documentary character must be a crazy guy or else we’re trying to fool them with a mocumentary. In the game world, however, these kinds of stories are not so strange and Nifflas could directly relate to our character and never doubt our way of telling his story.

Game Trailer

The Relationship Between the Documentary & Game

Rob: How would you describe the relationship between the documentary and the game – in terms of story, marketing, possible revenue model?

Our main story in the game is very similar to the film’s alchemical elements, that through the characters and manuscripts find different things that will lead you to new discoveries that will then guide you through the story of the great goal of making the Philosopher’s Stone.

All these characters are people from the alchemical history or allude to contemporary alchemists from the documentary and their aliases used on various internet forums. For example, you will meet our main character (Christer) who in the game is called “Spintheros”. Google that name and you will find a number of posts and articles written on various forums of our man Christer Böke.

From the beginning, we had much bigger ambitions for the game. We tried to make a budget so that Nifflas could work full time for a long time. We were sitting with Nifflas and Christer and brainstormed ideas that later turned out to be too advanced for an average gamer to understand. We had some intense discussions with Christer about this. He knows so incredibly much about the subject and couldn’t really see why some things were too advanced. For example we had a long discussion about whether people know the Periodic Table and all the latin names and planet/gods related to these.

Together with that and a much smaller budget we developed a simpler and much shorter game. We found 50% of 30 000 skr (4500 dollar) to pay Nifflas to program our idea. We got this money from Filmarc (www.filmarc.net) and he started to develop environments and how the puzzles could be adapted in the game. Then we discussed the characters and which different material we would use in the game. Material like Stibnit, Galen etc. It was very important that this material was familiar to alchemists. when people play the game they should know that this is not just some random stuff – it’s the real thing. You will get a very good idea how to start your own alchemical experiments by playing the game if you want…and some grand secrets too.

Marketing & Business Model

Already at the first meeting we decided that the game would be free and marketed freely from both our site www.grtwrk.com and Nifflas website. We were aware of Nifflas position among indie gamers and wanted them to recognize his style. To access the gamer audience, we have made a menu in the beginning of the the game that includes the trailer for the film, we will also add a direct link to the film that allows players to download the movie via the game. This could get us in some trouble with the Swedish Televison but I think they will understand our idea when we release it – they tend not to like it when you put stuff from the film on internet before you have screened it on TV. (www.studioparallell.com who made the menu for both the movie and game ensured that they’re the same style).

Last but not least, we will use open-source code so people can make their own puzzles and characters – perhaps based from the discussions in the film or from discussion that will come after you seen the movie. Alchemists always debate “the true matter”.

We have also discussed posting the script ahead of the movie release. The script contains the high-end solutions based on Christers hardcore alchemy puzzle. Some of the puzzles in this game will certainly also be discussed on alchemy forums and then it will be interesting to see if you are able to influence the game. For example, if it should be Stibnit or any other topic and then the player can change this can do their own version of the game.

We see the game as an interesting model to distribute the film in larger circuits because we think some relevant audiences might otherwise never discover our film. Even after several days, Nifflas’ game trailer 10 000 hits on youtube. All these people also visited our website to learn about the film. Similarly, Nifflas will get people who never played his game to visit his site and maybe even play more of his game. It’s a great cross-collateralization of audiences.

Partnering with a game is also a way to get the film’s story to survive and develop. Our main character and our film will hopefully create a movement on the internet which questions the scientific truths and interests people to go deeper into the subject. It is obvious that Christer has become very well-educated when he read and researched about alchemy. And, imagine if you in a playful way, can get people to understand that learning can be presented in different ways than through ordinary books or teachers that is rarely questioned. So we hope this cooperation will both promote our film and the game as entertainment but also educate and raise ideas that can live on after the premiere of the movie, and become more than a DVD and a game on your PC.

We must look at how the gaming industry markets itself. The film industry is hopelessly behind and the music industry has begun to learn with Spotify, itunes, etc.. To survive as a documentary filmmaker, we need to think outside the box to survive. This may be one way?

Additional Marketing?

In order to spread among gamers we focus on blogs and forums. To get them to see the film, we understand that we need to make it as easy as we can for them to download the movie as well. We hope to find a solution to this by uploading the movie on iTunes or similar channels and then place a link to this page in the game. We also run a facebook group and website and through these we hope to communicate with our audience. Then we will try to get som material published in traditional media like newspapers and say, culturalnews on TV. But, above all, we hope that the movie and the game spread itself through short clips on youtube, blogs, forums, Twitter, etc.

Example Puzzle & Initial Game Meeting Video

Mineral Stibnit + Mars (Iron) + owen – regulus of antimon + Caput mortuum

Give the Regulus av antimon to character ”Newton” – he will then give you a glove, that you can climb with.

Give Caput Mortuum to ”Spintheros” – and he will give you the second glove and now you can climb the roofs.

This video is from one of the first meeting together with Nifflas and our main character Chriter. They discuss ideas about the developing of the game (it’s in Swedish, naturally!).

Timescales

We hope that both the film and the game is fully completed in June but we still have not decided whether we will be releasing the game a bit earlier.
We will soon have a meeting and try to find a good strategy for this. Anyway, the documentary has been scheduled for a television premiere in October in Sweden.

We would also like to show the movie at some film festivals abroad and try to do a screening in which the visitors before and after have the opportunity to test the game at the cinema. One could also imagine an exclusive screening where our main character performs a simple experiment with the audience. We try to think that we should give the people who come to watch the movie something beyond the expected.

About The Filmmakers: Oskar Östergren & Fredrik Oskarsson (oskar&oskarsson)

Oskar Östergren (born 1976) and Fredrik Oskarsson (born 1979), both born and raised in Swedish Lapland. We are educated at ”Nordens Documentary Film School, Biskops-Arnö” (2002-2004) and, since 2003, we run the film production company oskar&oskarsson based in Umeå, specialising in documentaries. Our productions have been co-produced with SVT Dokumentär and Film i Västerbotten and besides directing and producing films we teach documentary film making at The Academy of Fine Arts in Umeå and work as photographers and editors for other productions and TV-shows. Our last SVT Co-production “The Police and Lapland” has been seen by more than one million viewers on SVT.

Contact: +46 70-555 13 17 (Oskar) or +46 70-640 23 67 (Fredrik); Email: oskar at oskarochoskarsson.se or fredrik at oskarochoskarsson.se

Web: www.oskarochoskarsson.se

Transmedia Talk 25 – Mark Harris

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:54:34 GMT

My Favorite App at SXSW

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:23:41 GMT

There are many apps on your smart phone. How many do you really use? Me: Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Huffington Post, Lastfm, and Google maps. My 100 other ones collect dust because they don’t solve a problem or are a bad imitation. At SXSW I discovered an unique app called iTouru: remember listening to an audio tour at a museum, now imagine if the entire world had an audio tour. These stories could provide new perspectives for a city. Below is my interview with Andrew Dever, Founder & CEO of iTour. You can follow him @andrewdever.

What is iTouru?

iTourU is a new iPhone App that lets anyone create, discover and share what we call ‘Pocket Tours’, which have ’stops’ that are tagged to a map and include audio, text and photos about that location.

These Pocket Tours can be about absolutely anything, making iTourU a platform for creativity and real world adventure.

How did you come up with the idea?

The idea came to me when a friend sent me a satirical tour she had made about a renaissance exhibition. She’d recorded it in mp3 and sent it to friends on Facebook. It was pretty popular, and I thought it would be cool to make it possible for anyone to easily create personal niche tours and share them from their phone. It was simply irresistible to me that with audio you could actually see and touch the world around you (rather than watch a video or read about it on your device).

So that’s what we did: built a platform for creativity and real world adventure.

Who did you make this for?

Good question. In the long-term we believe anyone could use it. You just have to be interested in the world around you. It’s like YouTube but instead of video it’s location based audio (and other multi-media). So it’s not limited to traditional “audio tours” of museums. Your Pocket Tours can be about anything!

At the moment we’re really trying to find creative, inspiring and insightful ‘publishers’ and help them create and share amazing Pocket Tours. We’re learning new ways it could be used everyday!

What has been your favorite tours so far?

My personal favorite is the “Keep Austin Weird” tour by Howie Richey. We’ve also been working with quite a few publishers in San Francisco and there’s so many good tours about to be released!

Which cities have the most traction?

We’re only a baby now – we launched at SxSW and spent the week before that in Austin. There’s over 30 tours available there and counting! Over the next six months we’ll be seeding content in many of the best cities around the world.

What’s your advice to someone making a tour?

You’re only limited by your own imagination. Be adventurous, find locations that mean something to you and share your creativity, insight and inspiration!

Do you think storytellers will create a narrative around locations?

Absolutely. It’s like watching a movie in true 3D!

What’s your long term vision for iTouru?

Simple. We want to truly reinvent how people tour the world and build things that make the real world more inspiring, insightful and adventurous.

We have some BIG ideas around how to do that, stay tuned!

You can follow us @itourukombi, visit our blog and download our iPhone App here!

Transmedia Talk 24 – Him, Her and Them

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:31:46 GMT

RADAR NYC 4.7.11

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:51:39 GMT

Artwork via Bambi Killers

WATCH

Making the Geeky Bar Top

RM100: Geeky Bar Top from ReadyMade Magazine on Vimeo.

Oh this is wonderful. This little video from ReadyMade Magazine shows how they made a gorgeous bar top from some wood, paint, glass, and a ton of old keyboard keys, holding true to the DIY aesthetic while making something surprisingly beautiful from recycled material. You may also recognize Shantell Martin (RADAR ep 26 – Hidden Oras) near the end, modeling with the finished table (always a part of something cool; she shot the video as well!) And I have to say, I’m digging the soundtrack to the video as well – “Wild Palms” by Night Gallery.

More info HERE

LISTEN

Reading Rainbow – “Cover the Sky”

Philadelphia’s Reading Rainbow (RADAR ep 38 – Weathervane) has a lovely new single coming out on a limited edition 7” record. But in this age of try-before-you-buy, you can listen to it right now through your Internet tubes! Such modern technology magic, but the song itself will take you back to a 60s beach party, full of hazy guitars, catchy riffs and dreamy vocal harmonies. Adding to the retro feel, the 400 copies will released with “juke box” labels. You may want to go ahead and preorder before it’s officially released next week.

Listen to “Cover the Sky” HERE.
Reading Rainbow on MySpace
Reading Rainbow’s website

READ

An Absolutely Phony Guide on How to Write More Good

“World War” should be used only for conflicts involving countries on at least three continents. For large-scale battles against clones, killer tomatoes, or a fifty-foot woman, use “attack” instead.
The Bureau Chiefs, on proper usage

This is perfect for the Twitter-addicted grammar snob who loves irony. Designed to help readers “embrace, not resist, the lowering of standards for the written word,” this book is written by the people behind the Fake AP Stylebook on Twitter, and presented as, well, a fake AP Stylebook, with a healthy dose of snark. And every aspiring writer could use more snark.

You can find the book HERE
Fake AP Stylebook on Twitter

Bambi Killers and F5 Fest

Happy F5 April 15 – 16 2011 by Hi-Sim from F5 on Vimeo.

Bambi Killers Benefit for Japan & Brooklyn Show

It looks like Bambi Killers (RADAR ep 12) are back in New York, and they have not one, but two shows this weekend! The first show, in Manhattan, is a benefit for the recent tragic disaster in Japan, with all proceeds going to help those affected by it. The show the following night is in Brooklyn.

Benefit for Japan
Friday, April 8 · 9:30pm
The Delancey
168 Delancey Street
New York, NY
$5
EVENT INFO

Brooklyn Show
Saturday, April 9 · 11:00pm
I Made An Art Gallery
53 Richard Street
Brooklyn, NY
EVENT INFO

F5 Fest

The following week, look for contributors Shantell Martin, Eclectic Method, and Kid Koala at F5 Fest, a nonprofit festival that seeks to unite people and inspire change through art, design and entertainment. Expect to see films, speakers, and lots of partying.

Friday-Saturday, April 15-16 · 3:00 pm
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
$280-$480
EVENT INFO

Drawn from my Father’s Adventures

“Drawn from my Father’s Adventures” is the newest blog from artist Sophie Blackall, which she now maintains in addition to her Missed Connections (RADAR ep 16) blog. Inspired by the many stories from her father’s eventful and well-traveled life. Each post consists of a story from his point of view, and a picture by Sophie that captures the story in an image. It’s still fairly new, so there aren’t many posts yet, but the stories already posted range from gas mask drills in World War II Britain to the ordeals of getting a Chinese visa in the 60s. I, for one, can’t wait to see what adventure is posted next.

Drawn from my Father’s Adventues

Transmedia Talk 23 – Marc D’Agostino on the_source

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:56:27 GMT

Transmedia Talk 22: SXSW Super Special

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:58:57 GMT

Welcome to Transmedia Talk, a podcast covering all things Story. Transmedia Talk is co-hosted by Nick Braccia, Dee Cook, and Haley Moore and looks to shed light on the topic of transmedia storytelling with commentary, interviews and tips on how storytelling is moving into the 21st century. Download | Subscribe with iTunes Hosts: Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media Haley Moore (and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller) SXSW Super Special Dee Cook and Haley Moore recap the transmedia presence at SXSW Interactive 2011. From This Episode: The PGA’s Transmedia Producer credit. Fourth Wall Studios’ recent influx of money. SXSW Panel: Help Save SXSW from Marketer Douchebaggery SXSW Panel: Fireside Chat: Tim O’Reilly Interviewed by Jason Calacanis Hitler rants about SXSW. The Transmedia Artists Guild held an introductory panel at SXSW. SXSW Panel: Fan to Fanatic: True Blood’s Marketing Hook SXSW Panel: The Future of Storytelling: DEXTER Fans Play Killer SXSW Panel: Having Fun Yet? 10 Usability Heuristics For Games SXSW Talk: Project 314: Putting The ‘Game’ Back Into ARGs with Adrian Hon SXSW Talk: Hoax or Transmedia? The Ethics of Pervasive Fiction with Andrea Phillips SXSW Panel: Social Media Is Science Fiction with Maureen McHugh and Molly Crabapple SXSW Panel: Can Transmedia Save the Entertainment Industry? Flynn Lives, 42 Entertainment’s ARG for Tron:Legacy. SXSW Panel: New Worlds: Creating Online Sci-fi and Fantasy Experiences in which Felicia Day explains why she rolls her eyes at the term transmedia. The #AntiTransmedia movement. Steve Peters, Geoff May, and Brooke Thompson weigh in on the word “transmedia” in the days since SXSW. Stitch Media’s diagram of possible transmedia definitions. Frank Rose’s book The Art of Immersion Transmedia NYC Meetup The Game of Thrones food carts in New York City and Los Angeles Nick Braccia recommends the Kindle version of A Game of Thrones. Petite Lap Giraffes

RADAR NYC 3.31.11 feat. Stephanie Berger and Nicholas Adamski

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:22:21 GMT

This week, we let Stephanie Berger and Nicholas Adamski, founders of the Poetry Brothel (RADAR ep 20) curate our blog and give us an insight into what interests them at the moment. What follows is a series of performers who, like the Poetry Brothel, go beyond the traditional boundaries of their fields of work and create something truly unique.

WATCH

Salvador Dali on “What’s My Line?”

Start your day with a bowl of surreal. I’ve been on a bit of a Salvador Dali kick lately, and this clip just further proves his awesomeness. Watch as he utterly stumps all of these 50s game show contestants, as he quite honestly answers each of their questions with a laconic “yes.” After a while, the contestants get flustered and the announcer can’t hold in his laughter. The best part though, comes around the end when you can pinpoint the exact moment one woman has an epiphany. Listen for her “oh!” around 8:30.

LISTEN

Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring

The second album from the British indie folk band Noah and the Whale serves as a soundtrack to the breakup between lead singer Charlie Fink and his girlfriend, though really, the themes explored here could apply to any breakup. As a result, the progression of songs has a theatrical feel, as if it could have been played in its entirety in a theatre (and the gorgeous string sections, which come out most prominently in the two instrumental pieces, certainly help). Then there’s the choral piece, “Love of an Orchestra,” which plays up the theatrics even further. The album tells a complete story, full of highs and lows, and should serve as a great, optimistic soundtrack to this year’s first days of spring.

Noah and the Whale on Myspace
You can buy the album HERE

READ

Karen Abbott – American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee

In this biography, Karen Abbott tells the story of burlesque performer, actress and writer Gypsy Rose Lee against the backdrop of the Great Depression. But rather than a dry, historical take or a romanticized tale, Abbott presents Lee as a woman pursuing the American Dream, at a time when it was most difficult to do so. She clearly did her research, giving portraits of the glamorous public life and the turbulent private life of a legendary entertainer.

You can buy the book HERE

Sleep No More

I’ve been hearing so much about this lately. “Sleep No More” is a production by the British theater company Punchdrunk which combines Shakespeare and Hitchcock into an immersive theatre-noir experience. Taking place in the old McKittrick Hotel in Chelsea, audience members wander through the building as the story unfolds before them. With the world of theater constantly changing, this is definitely a leap forward in creative storytelling. Side note: you may want to snatch up tickets while you can; they seem to be going pretty quick.

Ongoing through May 7
The McKittrick Hotel
530 West 27th Street
New York, New York 10001
EVENT INFO

The Poetry Brothel

And what better time than now to follow the Poetry Brothel itself? Their next event, Cabaret Voltaire, is coming up this weekend and, similar to the aforementioned “Sleep No More,” gives the audience a chance to be more than spectators, but to interact and become part of the performance itself.

Poetry Brothel’s website
Poetry Brothel on Twitter

RADAR NYC 3.24.11

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:28:07 GMT

Artwork by Cynthia Von Buhler via Dr. Sketchy’s

WATCH

Parts + Labor

Parts + Labor from Sean O'Malley on Vimeo.

Parts + Labor is a cute short film made by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Sean O’Malley and starring Barak Hardley and Tipper Newton. In it, a girl on a budget tries to get her motorbike fixed and strikes up a conversation with the mechanic. What follows is a simple yet extremely well made and funny short about a short but sweet connection between two people. It’s nice to see a comedy short that feels natural and doesn’t rely so much on awkwardness as similar films tend to do. If you’ve been having a nasty day so far, this should quickly turn it around.

LISTEN

Javelin – Canyon Candy

Electro/hip-hop duo Javelin (RADAR ep 27 – Auto-Tune the News) just wrapped up their latest 10” entitled Canyon Candy, which will be out later this spring. Their next project will be a film to go along with it—a surreal, epic western, shot in Brooklyn of all places (but if the final product is anything like the preview video, it should be quite amazing). They’ll be shooting it this April, and you can actually help out—they launched a Kickstarter campaign, and as of today they’re quite close to reaching their $9500 goal. Maybe your pledge will be the one that accomplishes that feat? Either way, there’s also something cool in it for you—a $25 pledge gets you the full album on a sheriff’s badge Playbutton.

Javelin on MySpace
Javelin’s website

READ

Thought Catalog

Thought Catalog is exactly what it sounds like: a catalog of thoughts. It’s a regularly-updated site where writers from all walks of life, from bloggers to published journalists, publish short opinion pieces on various subjects, ranging from Facebook to the New York City Subway to house parties. The reflections are more cultural than political, and clever without being pretentious, and the pieces are packaged together on a clean, well-designed site that doesn’t inundate the reader with ads. Take a look; odds are you’ll find something that interests you on the first page.

Thought Catalog
Thought Catalog on Twitter

Springtime Events in New York City

Now that the snow’s all thawed and everyone’s back from SXSW, spring has finally arrived in New York! And that can only mean one thing: funny, sexy pillow fights?

Dr. Sketchy’s Tribute to Cynthia Von Buhler

Dr. Sketchy’s (RADAR ep 8) is back, and what better way to celebrate spring than showing off your art skills? This Sunday’s show features doing a tribute to artist Cynthia Von Buhler.

Sunday, March 27 · 4:00pm – 6:45pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY
$12 advance, $15 at door
EVENT INFO

G.L.O.C. Launch Party

When Glennis McMurray (RADAR ep 2 – I Eat Pandas) curated for us a while back, we mentioned her new project G.L.O.C. (Gorgeous Ladies of Comedy). Now that the website TheGLOC.net has launched, it’s time for a party! Expect to see some hilarious comedy from some of the funniest women out there, as well as some other surprises.

Thursday, March 31 · 6:00pm – 8:00pm
92Y Tribeca
200 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
$6
EVENT INFO

Newmindspace Pillow Fight NYC 2011

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Newmindspace (RADAR ep 10), but they’ve returned with a new website and big plans for the 4th annual Pillow Fight Day! Bring your own feather-free pillow and meet at Union Square for the pillow battle of a lifetime.

Saturday, April 2 · 3:00 pm
Union Square
E. 14th St. & Broadway
New York, NY
EVENT INFO

Regretsy

You know, when I used to think of Etsy, I always thought of cute things, like polka dotted dresses and hipster-ish girls selling scarves and ribbons and such. So I was not prepared for what lurking horrors awaited me on Regretsy. And by “lurking horrors” I mean things like “vegan” soap made with human breast milk, ball-exposing man thongs, and actual dead mice dried up (mummified?) and made into craft… things. I’m actually not sure what the mouse things are, except terrifying, and a constant reminder of one’s own mortality—which can be yours for $12.00! Regretsy does us all the service of digging deep into the bizarre, frightening, and occasionally depressing world of the very worst stuff people try to hawk on Etsy, and blogs it to the world with a healthy dose of snark.

Regretsy (occasionally NSFW)

Transmedia Talk at SXSW 2011 – Roundtable Discussion on Pervasive Entertainment

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:17:58 GMT

Transmedia Talk at SXSW 2011 – Interview with Brian David Johnson, Intel Futurist

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:30:28 GMT

RADAR NYC 2.24.11

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:11:01 GMT

Image by Dean Haspiel

WATCH

Dean Haspiel – The Angel

Dean Haspiel’s “THE ANGEL” from Daniel J. Kramer on Vimeo.

Yeah, I don’t know about you guys, but my recently single self spent Valentine’s Day at an event called “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” a night of speed dating to the soundtrack of the Smiths. But as upbeat and happy-go-lucky as that sounds, for some people Valentine’s Day can be kind of tragic. But luckily, for those people (and anyone else who appreciates amazing artwork and a good story), Dean Haspiel (RADAR ep 1 – Next Door Neighbor) created “The Angel,” an impressive motion comic with a soundtrack by Moby. Rather than a voiceover, the story is told by typography slowly revealed over time, which creates quite a powerful experience and a wholly satisfying story.

LA Times Article on Haspiel’s motion comic HERE

LISTEN

Floating Action – Desert Etiquette LP

Floating Action (RADAR ep 38 – Weathervane) is the recording name of Seth Kauffman, a singer-songwriter based in Black Mountain, North Carolina. This week he released his third album, Desert Etiquette, and it’s mesmerizing. It’s really hard to believe it’s the work of just one guy. This album sounds like a mix of classic rock, folk, a bit of reggae, and a few other genres thrown in for good measure, all blended together expertly through production that manages to sound both crisp and warm. It’s available on the website of label Park the Van, as well as on iTunes.

Floating Action on MySpace

READ

Mike Birbiglia – Sleepwalk With Me

Sleep disorders are Serious Business and nothing to laugh about—except when sleepwalking causes a guy to leap through and shatter a La Quinta Inn window and run across the parking lot, relatively unscathed. This is one of the many stories in the new book by comedian Mike Birbiglia, a frequent contributor at NYC’s The Moth and NPR’s This American Life, who manages to turn his many odd misfortunes into hilarious stories. So one could say that either the stuff that happens to him is funnier than most people’s problems, or he’s just a really good storyteller. I say both.

The book is available HERE

Choose Your Own Weekend Adventure

Once again, there’s a lot going on in the worlds of our contributors. Fortunately for you, you’re totally invited to join them in their adventures.

URDB World Record Appreciation Society #21: Blackjack!

Do you like watching people do odd things on stage, not for money, but for glory? The Universal Records Database (RADAR ep 4) is on a mission to capture that glory, under the mantra that everyone is the world’s best at something. This Thursday, 10 people will make their attempts to set their own records, and you can be there to witness them make history.

Thursday, February 24 · 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Littlefield
622 Degraw Street (between 3rd and 4th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY
Advance tickets $5
EVENT INFO

Story Pirates Main Stage Show

It’s amazing just how creative kids can be. They don’t hold anything back. On Saturday, you can see their creative minds in action at the Story Pirates (RADAR ep 30) Main Stage show, where the Pirates will act out stories written by elementary students. I mean, where else could you see a stage show about Tickle Monsters?

Saturday, February 26 · 2:00 pm
The Drama Book Shop
250 West 40th St. (between 7th and 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10018
$15
EVENT INFO

Dr. Sketchy’s Tribute to Transmetropolitan

Any time is a good time for people to get together and draw sexy pictures; that’s why Dr. Sketchy’s (RADAR ep 8) has become so successful. But this time it’s in support of a new art book inspired by Transmetropolitan, of which Dr. Sketchy’s founder Molly Crabapple is a contributor.

Sunday, February 27 · 4:00pm – 7:00pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY
$12 advance, $15 at door
EVENT INFO

NastyCute

If there are two things that the Internet is all about, it’s gross-out humor and pictures of adorable animals. Surely these things couldn’t be any more different, right? I mean, there’s no way you could possibly combine—oh wait, Eliza Skinner just did. We covered Glennis McMurray, the other half of I Eat Pandas (RADAR ep 2) a couple weeks ago, and now it’s Eliza’s turn. She’s made a blog of translating the thoughts of all those cute animals for us, and their thoughts are…surprisingly vulgar. It’s a surprisingly genius concept I’m surprised no one’s thought of before. And best of all, it’s updated every day, for your recommended daily dose of cuteness + vulgarity.

NastyCute website
Eliza Skinner’s other blog

Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 19

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 03:02:36 GMT

Welcome to Transmedia Talk, a new podcast covering all things Story. Transmedia Talk is co-hosted by Nick Braccia, Dee Cook, and Haley Moore and looks to shed light on the topic of transmedia storytelling with commentary, interviews and tips on how storytelling is moving into the 21st century. Download | Subscribe with iTunes Running Time: 1:15:03 Hosts: Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker Haley Moore and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller Special Guest: Mike Monello, Executive Creative Director of Campfire. Campfire’s Mike Monello joins us for a discussion of transmedia approaches in the music world. From This Episode: (0:02:47) 12 laptops synchronize to play The Flaming Lips’ Two Blobs F**cking (0:12:00) The Brady Bunch’s cover of “American Pie” (0:13:35) Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, a manga retelling of the Robert Johnson legend by Akira Hiramoto (0:16:10) Madonna’s book, Sex, her documentary, Truth or Dare, and the story of her music video that was banned from MTV, “Justify My Love”. (0:24:10) The Kiss Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (0:24:52) Kiss: Psycho Circus the 1997 comic by Image Comics and Todd McFalane. (0:25:43) The Kiss Kasket. (0:25:51) Garth Brooks covers Kiss’s ‘Hard Luck Women.’ (0:27:20) American Idiot on Broadway (0:27:48) Year Zero The alternate reality campaign for Nine Inch Nails’ album of the same name. (0:32:18) Year Zero is currently being produced as a series for HBO. (0:35:50) A quick link dump of the things we mentioned in this minute: Rhapsody, Grooveshark, Die Antwoord, The Twilight Singers, Sub Pop Records, eMusic, Janelle Monae The Archandroid. (0:39:27) Kevin Smith’s Red State. (0:46:00) Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork (0:52:33) The controversy over Bob Dylan going electric (1:00:45) An opening for a fictional childrens’ show created by fans of MS Paint Adventures’ latest story, “Homestuck”. More fan videos http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=homestuck”>here. (1:03:18) Jay-Z’s transmedia campaign, Decode. (1:05:15) Beyond music: Pop stars in the transmedia age from The Guardian (1:06:01) The E! series Married to Rock

Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 18

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:40:51 GMT

RADAR NYC 2.3.11

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:07:19 GMT

Photo by mikehedge.com

WATCH

Olek and the Charging Bull on Wall Street

OLEK AND THE CHARGING BULL ON WALL STREET from olek on Vimeo.

Olek seems to be some sort of knitting goddess. You worship her now! Just kidding. But in all honesty, how can you take your eyes away from the sheer eccentricity that is wrapping a monument in crochet work. That’s some crazy stuff. It’s great to see that the New Yorkers that were stumbling around Wall St. in the wee hours weren’t afraid to approach this woman on a mission. Seeing this makes me want to pick up some needles and knit one, pearl two. Whatever that means. I’m sure this will inspire some sort of knitting craze. Pity if it doesn’t.

Olek’s website

LISTEN

Noveller Podcast on WNYC

Sarah Lipstate, a.k.a. Noveller (RADAR ep 28 – Before I Die) came in for a live session and interview on WNYC this past Monday, Jan 31. If you weren’t lucky enough to listen then, her appearance is now available as a podcast you can listen to right now. In the interview, she discusses the rising prominence of female guitarists, the background of her recording name, and the various pieces of gear she uses for her music. She also plays two beautifully sweeping and ambient songs, which should definitely add some much-needed warmth to a cold winter’s day.

Listen to the podcast HERE
Noveller’s website
Noveller’s MySpace

READ

Pandemic 1.0: Interviews with Lance Weiler

This year, there was a Pandemic at Sundance Festival. Workbook Project founder Lance Weiler unleased Pandemic 1.0, a transmedia experience involving various aspects both online and offline, where players could work to stop a global pandemic that plays out like an apocalyptic supervirus. Centered around a short film and an upcoming feature, Hope is Missing, the project told a story through a variety of mediums, including Twitter, and various story objects planted throughout Park City. In the two interviews, Weiler discusses the project, what he hopes to accomplish from it, and the research and development involved in Pandemic 1.0 and Hope is Missing.

Wall Street Journal interview HERE
Sundance interview HERE

How I Learned to Start a Pandemic from Turnstyle Video on Vimeo.

Choose Your Own Valentine’s Adventure

It seems like our contributors are in the mood for love this Valentine’s Day. And whether you’re a happy couple or forever alone, there’s no reason to stay in this year.

Dr. Sketchy’s Does Valentines Day

If your idea of Valentine’s love is cabaret performance art mixed with your own artistic expression, Dr. Sketchy’s (RADAR ep 8) has a special Valentine’s installment of their Anti-Art School.

Sunday, Feb 13 · 4:00 – 7:00 pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
$10 advance, $15 at door
EVENT INFO

The Poetry Brothel: Milonga

For those of you with a more poetic idea of love, but still have a taste for the cabaret, the Poetry Brothel (RADAR ep 20) presents Milonga, a Valentine’s edition of their inventive poetry readings.

Sunday, Feb 13 · 8:00 pm – 1:00 am
The Back Room
102 Norfolk St.
New York, NY 10002
$5 – $15
EVENT INFO

Missed Connections: A Love in Transit Party

And for those whose idea of romance involves falling for a beautiful stranger on the subway, Sophie Blackall (RADAR ep 16 – Missed Connections) invites you to find your Missed Connection at the New York Transit Museum.

Monday Feb 14 · 6:00 – 8:00 pm
New York Transit Museum
130 Livingston St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Free
EVENT INFO

@factory_25

Factory25 dredges up the very best and the most interesting of the art/music news and plugs it into their twitter feed. This Brooklyn based film and music label is on top of the the happenings in the ever eccentric and changing industry of expression. Their linked articles are from acclaimed sources, and it is so convenient having them just show up on your feed. Factory25 does all the searching for you. It is a true service for us all.

Factory25’s website
@factory_25 on Twitter

Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 17

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:41:18 GMT

download

Or Subscribe with iTunes

NB: If you’d like to give us feedback, recommend yourself as a guest or suggest topics to cover – please email us attalk@workbookproject.com or Tweet away with the hashtag #tmediatalk.

Hosts:
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media
Haley Moore

(and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller)

Running Time: 1:11:27

Special Guest:
Lorie Marsh from Lost in Sunshine.

We speak with Lorie Marsh, producer of the Lost in Sunshine story world, who talks about indie films, funding, and experiments in the transmedia realm.

Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 15

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:56:04 GMT

Welcome to Transmedia Talk a new podcast covering all things story. Transmedia Talk is co-hosted by Nick Braccia and Robert Pratten and looks to shed light on the topic of transmedia storytelling with commentary, interviews and tips on how storytelling is moving into the 21st century. download Or Subscribe iTunes NB: If you’d like to give us feedback, recommend yourself as a guest or suggest topics to cover – please email us at talk@workbookproject.com or Tweet away with the hashtag #tmediatalk Regular Hosts and Contributors Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker Robert Pratten from TransmediaStoryteller.com Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media Haley Moore Special Guest Andrea Phillips This show talks about Andrea’s work on a range of ARG and transmedia projects and discusses staffing for participation, developing narrative that allows for participation, editorial control & ethics/responsibilities of producers. Projects mentioned include: Cloudmakers for the movie AI Perplex City 2012 Routes - including the game Ginger Dawn! And of course I managed to get in another plug for Lowlifes

Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 14

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 04:19:38 GMT

Welcome to Transmedia Talk a new podcast covering all things story. Transmedia Talk is co-hosted by Nick Braccia and Robert Pratten and looks to shed light on the topic of transmedia storytelling with commentary, interviews and tips on how storytelling is moving into the 21st century. download Or Subscribe iTunes NB: If you’d like to give us feedback, recommend yourself as a guest or suggest topics to cover – please email us at talk@workbookproject.com or Tweet away with the hashtag #tmediatalk Hosts.. and Guests for this week Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker Robert Pratten from TransmediaStoryteller.com Dee Cook from Dogtail Media Haley Moore The panelists discuss their early & current experiences with developing and executing transmedia projects. Good discussion about the thrill of interactivity and designing ARGs. Running Time 00:00 Introductions 00:40 Getting started in transmedia (Rob’s story) 04:40 The Lowlifes transmedia project : Objectives & narrative design 16:40 Developing the interactive game for Lowlifes 29:00 Haley Moore discusses The Sketchbook Project 41:00 Dee Cook discusses her work with DogTail Media 44:45 The market for ARGs in 2011 46:00 Changing nature of ARG and developing for different audience segments

remixable - posts tagged 'storytelling'

Transmedia Talk 40: Snow Town

Transmedia Talk 37: Robot Heart Stories at DIY Days LA

Transmedia Talk 33: ARGFest Special with JC Hutchins

Transmedia Talk 32: GoBZRK and the Future of Publishing

CONNECTED with Tiffany Shlain

Transmedia Talk 31: Evan Jones, Suspending Disbelief in Interactive Stories

If it doesn’t spread it’s dead – part 2

Transmedia Talk 30: 2011 Half Year in Review with Michael Andersen

If it doesn’t spread it’s dead

The 9th Dot

Transmedia Talk 29: Lost Zombies

The Power of User Generated Content

Transmedia Talk 28 – Game of Thrones and the Maester’s Path

RADAR NYC 6.9.11

My Potholes

Noveller – Alone Star

Ben McCool Interview

Magic and Bubbles

Poetry Brothel, House of Illusions NYC

Sunday, June 12th, 8pm-1am The Back Room 102 Norfolk Street New York, NY $5-$15 EVENT INFO

Newmindspace Bubble Battle NYC 2011

Location TBA Saturday, June 18th 2010 @ 6:00pm Rain or shine. Free and all ages! New York, NY EVENT INFO

Second Avenue Sagas

Transmedia Talk 26 – Dave Szulborski Memorial Show

RADAR NYC 5.12.11 – feat. Lori Nix

Cravendale Cats

Bodies of Water: Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink

Hi-Fructose Magazine

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities June 7 – September 18 Museum of Arts and Design 2 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019 $15 Admission EVENT INFO

New York Mag (and comments)

RADAR NYC 5.5.11

Welcome to Pine Point

Washed Out – Eyes Be Closed

How the Social Web Reflected on bin Laden’s Death

Cake on the Bowery, Murder in Victorian England

Let Us Make Cake

Saturday, May 7 · 8:00 pm The New Museum 235 Bowery New York, NY 10002 Free EVENT INFO

Dr. Sketchy’s Does Jack the Ripper

Sunday, May 8 · 4:00pm – 7:00pm The Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery New York, NY $12-$15 EVENT INFO FOLLOW

FreedomLab

Seven Things I Learned from the Portal 2 ARG

1) Partnerships are Awesome

2) Don’t Build Your Pay Wall Too High

3) Screw the Curtain

4) Countdowns Can be Compelling

5) Exclusivity is a Design Flaw

6) We Can Still Pull Players “Behind the Scenes”

7) April Fool’s is a Bad Launch Date

BONUS: Music Keeps the Experience Alive

Tech/Stories:An Interview With Henrik Werdelin

RADAR NYC 4.28.11

Eliza Skinner – The Oscar Party

Morningbell – Lovefool

Sophie Blackall – The Crows of Pearblossom

The Digitour & SLAM Theatre

The Digitour feat. The Gregory Brothers

Sunday, May 1 · 7:00 pm Gramercy Theatre 127 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 $18 EVENT INFO

Slam Theatre week 1

Sunday April 24 · 7:00 – 12:00 am Sunday, May 1 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm The Tank NYC 354 West 45th Street New York, NY $5 suggested donation EVENT INFO

@LukeGWilliams

Find Out How To Monetize Transmedia Storytelling And ARG On Hollywood 2.0!

RADAR NYC 4.14.11 – feat. Molly Crabapple

Serge Gainsbourg – Poinconneur des Lilas

Dave van Ronk – “Luang Prabang”

Kiki de Montparnasse: The Graphic Biography

PEN World Voices Festival

April 25-May 1 The Standard Hotel 848 Washington Street New York, New York 10014 EVENT INFO

Coilhouse, Biorequiem, and Gala Darling

Documentary + Game = Independent Transmedia Project called “THE GREAT WORK”

Transmedia Talk 25 – Mark Harris

My Favorite App at SXSW

Transmedia Talk 24 – Him, Her and Them

RADAR NYC 4.7.11

Making the Geeky Bar Top

Reading Rainbow – “Cover the Sky”

An Absolutely Phony Guide on How to Write More Good

Bambi Killers and F5 Fest

Bambi Killers Benefit for Japan & Brooklyn Show

Sunday, June 12th, 8pm-1am
The Back Room
102 Norfolk Street
New York, NY
$5-$15
EVENT INFO

Location TBA
Saturday, June 18th 2010 @ 6:00pm
Rain or shine. Free and all ages!
New York, NY
EVENT INFO

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities
June 7 – September 18
Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
$15 Admission
EVENT INFO

Saturday, May 7 · 8:00 pm
The New Museum
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
Free
EVENT INFO

Sunday, May 8 · 4:00pm – 7:00pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY
$12-$15
EVENT INFO

FOLLOW

Sunday, May 1 · 7:00 pm
Gramercy Theatre
127 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
$18
EVENT INFO

Sunday April 24 · 7:00 – 12:00 am
Sunday, May 1 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
The Tank NYC
354 West 45th Street
New York, NY
$5 suggested donation
EVENT INFO

April 25-May 1
The Standard Hotel
848 Washington Street
New York, New York 10014
EVENT INFO

Benefit for Japan
Friday, April 8 · 9:30pm
The Delancey
168 Delancey Street
New York, NY
$5
EVENT INFO

Brooklyn Show
Saturday, April 9 · 11:00pm
I Made An Art Gallery
53 Richard Street
Brooklyn, NY
EVENT INFO

Friday-Saturday, April 15-16 · 3:00 pm
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
$280-$480
EVENT INFO

Ongoing through May 7
The McKittrick Hotel
530 West 27th Street
New York, New York 10001
EVENT INFO

Sunday, March 27 · 4:00pm – 6:45pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY
$12 advance, $15 at door
EVENT INFO

Thursday, March 31 · 6:00pm – 8:00pm
92Y Tribeca
200 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
$6
EVENT INFO

Saturday, April 2 · 3:00 pm
Union Square
E. 14th St. & Broadway
New York, NY
EVENT INFO

Thursday, February 24 · 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Littlefield
622 Degraw Street (between 3rd and 4th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY
Advance tickets $5
EVENT INFO

Saturday, February 26 · 2:00 pm
The Drama Book Shop
250 West 40th St. (between 7th and 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10018
$15
EVENT INFO

Sunday, February 27 · 4:00pm – 7:00pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY
$12 advance, $15 at door
EVENT INFO

Sunday, Feb 13 · 4:00 – 7:00 pm
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
$10 advance, $15 at door
EVENT INFO

Sunday, Feb 13 · 8:00 pm – 1:00 am
The Back Room
102 Norfolk St.
New York, NY 10002
$5 – $15
EVENT INFO

Monday Feb 14 · 6:00 – 8:00 pm
New York Transit Museum
130 Livingston St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Free
EVENT INFO