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December 14 2011
Transmedia Talk 38: Storyworld Conference 2011
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
Lucas J.W. Johnson joins the Transmedia Talk crew for a review of StoryWorld Conference 2011.
Hosts:
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media
Haley Moore
Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller
Special Guests:
Lucas JW Johnson of Silverstring Media joins us for a recap of the first Storyworld Conference held in San Francisco this Halloween.
From This Episode:
ZoeTrap, an ARG created specifically for StoryWorld Conference
Dr. Henry Jenkins’ Confessions of an Aca-Fan
Intel’s Inside Experience
Carrie Cutforth-Young’s article on Canadian transmedia funding
December 12 2011
Transmedia Talk 37: Robot Heart Stories at DIY Days LA
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
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.
October 24 2011
COWORKING SPACE AT 3RD WARD
New York-based creative professionals take note! Odds are, you’re familiar with 3rd Ward, the massive workspace in Bushwick full of all sorts of resources, supplies and classes for any creative project that interests you, from woodworking to filmmaking. And if not I just told you the gist of it, so there you go.
But aside from being a great place to learn, create, and promote all sorts of great DIY projects, their newest edition now also makes it a great place to work. Dubbed a “coworking space,” it’s a modern, bright, airy office designed for collaborating as well as solo work, full of shared desks, personal workstations, conference rooms, plenty of brand new iMacs, free wifi and printing, and of course, free coffee. All of it’s designed for any smart creative freelancer, startup or telecommuter who wants to have a place to get their work done while networking with other like-minded people. You can even meet clients and have business mail delivered there.
At the heart of all of this, though, is collaboration. The nice thing about 3rd Ward is that it provides the perfect environment for creativity: step inside and you’re surrounded by people in all sorts of different crafts from all sorts of different backgrounds, and everyone has ideas flowing. A graphic designer may not realize they can get inspiration from a welder until it happens, and these sorts of things happen all the time at 3rd Ward.
And of course, we wouldn’t recommend anything unless we’ve seen and experienced it ourselves; 3rd Ward has given Workbook Project a space to shoot at least one RADAR episode, and we also partnered with them for Inside Design as well.
Learn more about the new coworking space HERE.
June 19 2011
The Power of User Generated Content
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:
What is your experience with user generated content?
June 01 2011
Transmedia Talk 27: Socks, Incorporated
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
Jim Babb of Awkward Hug joins us to talk about his new game Socks, Incorporated.
Hosts:
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media
Haley Moore
(and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller)
Special Guest:
Jim Babb from Awkward Hug
From This Episode:
Babb and Tanner Ringerud’s 2009 project Must Love Robots.
Socks, Incorporated on Kickstarter.
Last week’s podcast, Transmedia Talk 26: Dave Szulborski Memorial Show
Email Babb at jim GNAT awkwardhug.com.
May 25 2011
Transmedia Talk 26 – Dave Szulborski Memorial Show
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
Mike Monello, Brian Clark, Michelle Senderhauf, and longtime ARG player Roxanne (Enaxor) join us to honor the life and games of indie ARG creator Dave Szulborski.
Hosts:
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media
Haley Moore
(and Host Emeritus Robert Pratten from Transmedia Storyteller)
Special Guests:
Mike Monello, Founder and CEO of Campfire
Brian Clark, CEO of GMD Studios
Michelle Senderhauf of Dog Tale Media
Roxanne, also known as Enaxor
From This Episode:
Dave Szulborski’s personal site with his biography, game descriptions and puzzles.
Dave Szulborski’s book This is Not a Game
Varin’s guide to Chasing the Wish
Dee’s guide to Dread House
EA’s game Majestic
Art of the Heist cube word search puzzle, aka The Evil Cube
The Strange Creatures video from Monster Hunter Club, currently at over 4,700,000 views on YouTube.
Cryptid Love, a video from Monster Hunter Club.
Dave’s character stringsends at Top Secret Dance Off
April 26 2011
Find Out How To Monetize Transmedia Storytelling And ARG On Hollywood 2.0!
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.
March 23 2011
The Revolution will be Streamed Live… from an iPhone
Reporters from the major news stations have been blocked from covering a violent protest in a foreign land, but this doesn’t mean an international audience can’t watch the chaos ensue. Rioters armed with the newest smart phones are streaming these events live to the Internet. And this time, CNN is trying to catch up. This is the future of journalism.
Right now, the process of streaming live video via mobile devices is far from perfect: it’s slow, unreliable, and tends to have low picture quality. Once the technology improves, however, endless channels of this footage can reach the masses. Like a TV director, viewers will be able to switch between multiple perspectives from different mobile broadcasts covering one event. Instead of the bulky camcorders of the past, small lightweight Androids and iPhones will be able to stream this content in real time.
Potentially, people will be able to rely more on civilians to deliver news, and less on professional journalists. Image quality from phones are improving, and eventually these bystanders will shoot live video in high definition. Also, TV networks have a limited budget for expensive camcorders and professional crew. On the other hand, hundreds of bystanders equipped with phones typically have the ability to cover more ground. When something newsworthy happens in public, anyone carrying a cell is there before the press.
In addition, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can create communities around the streaming content. Viewers will be able to comment about what’s happening around the world at any moment. This audience can rely on popular web personalities who will act as curators and commentators for the live news. Each unique perspective will attract their own niche audience that CNN or Fox News may ignore.
Eventually, the hunger for instant, live news will not be served by big news corporations with costly equipment and star reporters- but by millions of ordinary people with the newest smart phones. And with this technology, who knows? The next Anderson Cooper just might be you.
March 22 2011
Transmedia Talk at SXSW 2011 – Roundtable Discussion on Pervasive Entertainment
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.
In this special edition from SXSW 2011, Robert Pratten hosts a roundtable discussion with transmedia practitioners from different disciplines.
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
Robert Pratten from TransmediaStoryteller.com
Haley Moore
Dee Cook from Dog Tale Media
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Special Guests
Adrian Hon, Co-Founder and Chief Creative at Six to Start
Marcus Romer, Artistic Director of Pilot Theatre in the UK
Rachel Clarke, Head of Engagement Intelligence at Momentum London
January 13 2011
Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 15
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.
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
Routes - including the game Ginger Dawn!
And of course I managed to get in another plug for Lowlifes 
January 08 2011
Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 14
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.
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
November 04 2010
Transmedia Talk Podcast – Episode 9
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.
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
Nick Braccia from Culture Hacker
Robert Pratten from TransmediaStoryteller.com
Guests
Mathew Toner of Zeros2Heroes tells us about AreYouWake.tv
Haley Moore tells us about Haunted Majora’s Mask
Timing
0:50 AreYouWake
27:45 Haunted Majora’s Mask based on the Nintendo game Legend of Zelda for the N64
October 26 2010
Pt1: Investigating the Possibilities of Transmedia; Collapsus, a Case Study
This blog post focuses on the intersection of transmedia and learning. Presented in 4 segments, we will look at how transmedia is revolutionizing media creation and presentation. As modes of human communication continue to change, so too does the concept of audience, and the projects envisioned and produced. Through a case study on Collapsus, an Energy Risk Conspiracy project, I will expose components necessary for building a successful transmedia project, along with the capabilities and influence accessible through employing such processes. Gain access to exclusive storyboards and scripts, behind the scene details, and interactive interviews as WorkBook Project delves deeper into the process of transmedia.
I. What does it mean to experience a Transmedia Project?
Almost a year ago (November, 2009) Alison Norrington, for Wired News, posed the question: “The value of a good story remains; the question is will you prefer to read, listen, watch, or do?” (Wired UK: Transmedia Tales and the Future of Storytelling)
Since this publishing, how has the relationship between media and consumers changed? As the print to screen revolution continues, so too does the process, and production, of the content delivered. At the time of Norrington’s writing, transmedia had been introduced to many, but had yet to conquer the attention of general audiences.
Now a growing buzzword, transmedia can be defined as an approach to content delivery that weaves various storylines across multiple platforms intending to further immerse their audience within a specific media experience. (Seize The Media: What is Transmedia?)
This process transforms the viewer into somewhat of information “detective.” Transmedia projects have the potential to develop a relationship of trust between consumer, content provider, and the product delivered. Because the concept of transmedia is grounded on utilizing multiple outlets to distribute a variety of information, content producers need to immediately develop credibility to ensure a project’s success. Interest is the participant’s motivation, learning digitally no longer a passive role. A well-anchored vision can instill reliable participant relations.
Exposing accurate information through a multitude of well-designed media platforms give players/viewers the tools to build their own infrastructure of knowledge around a communal topic. To ensure a fluid audience while working with multiple media endeavors, pioneers in the field like Lance Weiler, plan “for multiple platforms from the start. They design fictional universes that are consistent however the audience engages.” (Wired: What is Transmedia) This leads to one of the best benefits to the transmedia approach: The cliché “there’s no ‘I’ in team.” Each participant gathers a “data-bank” of unique information that is bettered by employing other participant’s results. (Henry Jenkin’s article) Community building can be fostered and encouraged.
This innovative platform has shifted the production of culture and has revolutionized the concept of storytelling. Weiler recently helped to script Collapsus, a transmedia project developed by SubmarineChannel, with the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO. Collapsus signals a new experience in transmedia storytelling. Through documentary, fiction, animation, players interact within the narrative, choose his/her own perspective, and make decisions to affect the global energy crisis.
Does the innovative production of Collapsus signal a change in consumer choice as Norrington predicted? Yes- the meme spawned around the potential energy crisis reveals that to choose transmedia is to utilize options. Check out the project at http://www.collapsus.com.
Stay tuned for Part II: Why is Collapsus an example of a transmedia project? How is this a useful tool?
Delving into the significance of employing various media outlets in transmedia projects, taking a closer look at Collapsus, the creators behind it, and the capabilities of transmedia as a tool to inspire.
Source Links:
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-11/25/transmedia-tales-and-the-future-of-storytelling?page=all
A brief education, this article breaks the surface of how technology is directly affecting writing and reading stories.
http://seizethemedia.com/what-is-transmedia/
A basic definition on transmedia accompanied by helpful info graphic. Check out the article’s home site to learn more on Chief Story Architect Lance Weiler.
http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2010/08/features/what-is-transmedia?page=all
Entertaining article that details the origin of transmedia storytelling and its progression to the mainstream market.
http://www.submarinechannel.com/articles/item/543
Submarinechannel.com is an interactive production studio based in Amsterdam. This article featured on their site details the development of the project Collapsus.
http://henryjenkins.org/2010/06/transmedia_education_the_7_pri.html
Henry Jenkins speculates on the future of transmedia education.
October 13 2010
Communicating your transmedia experience
This is a quick post but I thought this template might be useful for some people when they’re explaining their transmedia project. You’ll notice that this is focused on the experience rather than the technology: there’s no mention of platforms or business case or even audience. So there’s more that needs to be communicated to get the full picture but this is a cool way to get your point across in certain circumstances.
This is my Transmedia Radar Diagram – use it to communicate your transmedia experience to interested parties… but probably not your audience 
Note that there’s no absolute scale for the four axes, it’s their strength relative to each other. Of course, if you’re comparing projects then they need to compare across projects too.
Here’s a few examples to illustrate how you might use the radar diagram…
October 06 2010
FINDING VALUE IN OPEN SOURCE
Every minute of every day successful, talented, intelligent and often technically brilliant people give up their extremely limited free time to contribute to open source software. In August this year there were 1.2 Million code pushes to social coding site Github. Since 2008 open source operating system Linux has powered over 60% of web servers on the Internet. And, as of today open source blogging platform Wordpress host 13.9 million blogs and have a further 13.8 million active installations of their self-hosted package.
In a post on our blog last week OpenIndie announced that I am to begin work on an open source self-hosted version of our request and screening tool. While in this post we discussed some of the benefits of taking this approach we did not explore in any great detail what open source is and what it means for a project such as OpenIndie. The numbers mentioned above are incredible, people are clearly passionate about contributing to and using open source software, but why is this and why have we decided to release OpenIndie in this way?
First up, what is open source? The term open source has come to mean a number of things but at it’s heart it describes a process of production where the source materials are made publicly available. In the case of my examples and OpenIndie this means the software’s source code is publicly released. However, the term has also come to stretch across many mediums from video and music to knowledge itself with Wikipedia. However, for the purpose of this post I will be focusing entirely on the term open source as it pertains to software production.
Unlike proprietary software there is less specificity in the agenda when developing open source software. There may be many concurrent but differing ideas about the agenda of a given project. Therefore, the emphasis is upon collaboration and democracy during production. Projects differ in terms of how they are organised and the process for contribution. However, all are alike in that you or I are as welcome to contribute bug fixes, original code or ideas as the project creator(s).
As you might imagine this lack of a central impetus can often cause disagreement in terms of a given software’s road map. This is what causes project forks. When a project is forked a splinter group of developers break away with a collective vision for the project. The original project continues alongside the new fork and as a result of their different visions they serve different needs. For example Drizzle is a fork of the extremely popular open source relational database MySQL. Drizzle’s focus is upon providing a lightweight SQL database for cloud applications. I imagine this mission was born out of a frustration with MySQL’s heavier components and reputation of scaling poorly.
So, in a nutshell open source software is code that is produced in a collaborative fashion, with many agendas and distributed without cost for anyone to use. That isn’t to say that open source software can’t be used commercially. There are many models that allow for a business to turn a profit and still open source their software.
Popular Linux distribution Redhat have for many years given their product away while charging for commercial support and training. Likewise, blogging platform Wordpress are successfully making money out of open sourcing their software. Automattic the company behind Wordpress offer two options. First, Wordpress.com a hosted solution for ametuer and pro bloggers alike. Wordpress have a freemium model for this option. They offer add ons at an annual or monthly cost such as domain mapping, or advanced customisation. This option is aimed at users looking for simplicity and peace of mind that Automattic are dealing with hosting and securing their blog. For non-technical or first time bloggers this is a great solution.
Automattic’s second option is called Wordpress.org and this is their open source option. The same software that powers Wordpress.com is released free of charge on their .org website and the code is made available so that anyone can contribute. This balance of open source and commercial means that Wordpress’ future is secured by the support of a commercial entity. However, it means that those contributing to the project are still able to steer its direction and fork the project for their own needs at any time.
It is this model that OpenIndie is adopting. By releasing a self-hosted open source version of the site it means that developers can contribute to the project and the filmmaking community can steer the road map for the project. This model will allow filmmakers to take an new specially adapted version of OpenIndie and deploy it on their own hosting package. There will be no OpenIndie branding and filmmakers will be able to skin the install to look exactly like it’s part of their existing site. All data will be stored locally to the installation and filmmakers will therefore have total control over the information they collect. Additionally, filmmakers will be given the option to broadcast information back to the Openindie.org API which will make the film appear in our listings on the site and should help drive traffic to the filmmakers site.
The impetus behind open sourcing our code is as practical as it is philosophical. As a one man development team my impact is limited but with the support of other dedicated developers we can finally begin to iterate on a regular basis and grow OpenIndie into something fantastic for indie filmmakers. Our passion for open source is born out of a belief that many of the greatest pieces of software in the world have been developed in this way and that it is a genuinely exciting opportunity for both us and our users.
Finally, I want to assure current users that this does not mean that OpenIndie.com will cease to be or will be the poor relation to the open source distribution. In fact OpenIndie.com will grow as a result of the new features and updates contributed by the open source team. The service we delivered on the 1st of March 2010 will continue and will be improved upon. This decision makes OpenIndie a more flexible, adaptable and in many cases viable option for many filmmakers who want ownership of their data and want to grow a following around their own site.
I hope that this post has given you some insight into the world of open source software and how it powers some of the Internet’s incredible resources. I will leave you with this quote from the creator of open source web framework Ruby on Rails and partner at 37signals, David Heinemeier Hansson:
“My core philosophy about open source is that we should all be working on the things that we personally use and care about. Working for other people is just too hard and the quality of the work will reflect that. But if we all work on the things we care about and then share those solutions between us, the world gets richer much faster.” — DHH
September 25 2010
EVENT: OPEN VIDEO CONFERENCE
The Open Video Conference returns to NYC with a stop at FIT for two days of conference Oct 1st and 2nd and a special hack day on Oct 3rd. We caught up with Ben Moskowitz who’s pulling the event together to get a better sense of what to expect.
WorkBook Project: What is OVC and what’s new this year?
Ben Moskowitz: OVC is a two-day gathering for anyone who’s interested in the future of web video. The event draws a big and diverse crowd of businesspeople, technologists, lawyers, academics, artists and others. At one level it’s a showcase for creative and technical innovation in online video, especially some of the exciting things happening with HTML5 and open video. But we also grapple with some larger questions—with so much free content out there, how will artists get paid? Who decides what you watch? Who knows what you watch? We are very much about the top-level concerns of this emerging web video medium, the web, and the mass media system generally.
OVC is presented by the Open Video Alliance, which is a coalition of organizations and individuals building open tools, policies, and practices for web video. This is the second time we’ve produced OVC. This year’s event is bigger, featuring a small film festival and hack day. But on a deeper level, what’s new this year is that HTML5 video and open video generally are really picking up industry support, and lightbulbs are beginning to go off in people’s heads. So some of the really advanced stuff that we’ve been forecasting and building toward is becoming tangible. OVC is a great place to get a peek at some of that stuff.
WBP What’s the most pressing issue facing Open Video and why?
BM: At OVC we’re interested in all facets of web video. To have an “open” video ecosystem, we’re going to need to ensure that creativity is compensated; that the software and hardware tools for making and watching video are accessible and widely distributed; that the network for delivering video is open to all producers, big and small; and that public policy supports the ability of mass numbers of people to participate in the video conversation.
We’re discussing all of this at OVC, and it’s all important.
WBP: HTML5 what’s it mean to storytellers and what are some of the exciting things you’ve seen done with it? Any examples you can share?
BM: Mozilla is opening an HTML5 video workshop to show what’s possible when video is woven into web pages. It’s much different than simply “embedding” a video—it’s experimenting with the possibilities of connecting video to the rest of the web, and really embracing new ideas about interactivity and iterability.
There’s the popcorn.js demo floating around, which pulls live-updating data from across the web and displays it along with the video. But that’s early stage stuff. There are lots of cool concepts which show users interacting and manipulating video in real time. It’s not just about augmenting the viewing experience—it’s about creating new experiences which weren’t possible until now. Check out the Arcade Fire HTML5 music video, “The Wilderness Inside.” In fact, do a Google search for “HTML5 video demo” and you’ll see all sorts of possibilities; when you realize that creators will be able to tinker with and build upon these examples in mass experimentation, your head will spin.
Of course, all the tech demos and gadgetry are nothing unless they’re in service of a great story. One of the coolest things to see at OVC is open source developers and creatives putting their heads together to imagine how the web can advance the craft of storytelling. We will have some cool stuff to show, for sure. But I don’t want to spoil the surprise.
But beyond that, the energy at OVC is infectious. It’s a meeting of the minds and people will be pitching new ideas all weekend. We’re delighted to be working with over 15 organizations, including the visionaries at the Workbook Project.
WBP: You’re adding a hack day this year can you explain the reason and what will be taking place?
BM: The hack day is free and open to the public. We’re organizing the hack day so everyone will have a space to start executing on their ideas immediately after the conference.
It’s taking place at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program at 721 Broadway. Though it’s an open space gathering, we have some confirmed activities: a Mozilla WebMadeMovies working group; Kaltura hackathon; a working group with WITNESS on building solutions for human rights video; and a lot more. For the folks working on the fundamental mechanics of web video, we have the highly technical Foundations of Open Media Software Workshop.
But anyone with a project is welcome to come and collaborate—it’s going to be fun.
WBP: What tech do you think is exciting right now?
BM: Beyond the possibilities of HTML5 video, I’m really interested in how video on open knowledge projects like Wikipedia can improve learning, And generally speaking, the expanding universe of tools for making and sharing video—from the capture end all the way up to cloud computing resources—is really amazing to consider.
———–
If you’re interested in new forms of storytelling, technology, policy issues or just want to catch a glimpse of some innovative projects make sure to attend OVC.
Discount available for WorkBook Project community…
Register now— they’re filling up. It’s a great deal, with 60+ sessions, screenings, parties, and more. For readers of WBP use this discount code FILM20
EVENT: OPEN VIDEO CONFERENCE
The Open Video Conference returns to NYC with a stop at FIT for two days of conference Oct 1st and 2nd and a special hack day on Oct 3rd. We caught up with Ben Moskowitz who’s pulling the event together to get a better sense of what to expect.
WorkBook Project: What is OVC and what’s new this year?
Ben Moskowitz: OVC is a two-day gathering for anyone who’s interested in the future of web video. The event draws a big and diverse crowd of businesspeople, technologists, lawyers, academics, artists and others. At one level it’s a showcase for creative and technical innovation in online video, especially some of the exciting things happening with HTML5 and open video. But we also grapple with some larger questions—with so much free content out there, how will artists get paid? Who decides what you watch? Who knows what you watch? We are very much about the top-level concerns of this emerging web video medium, the web, and the mass media system generally.
OVC is presented by the Open Video Alliance, which is a coalition of organizations and individuals building open tools, policies, and practices for web video. This is the second time we’ve produced OVC. This year’s event is bigger, featuring a small film festival and hack day. But on a deeper level, what’s new this year is that HTML5 video and open video generally are really picking up industry support, and lightbulbs are beginning to go off in people’s heads. So some of the really advanced stuff that we’ve been forecasting and building toward is becoming tangible. OVC is a great place to get a peek at some of that stuff.
WBP What’s the most pressing issue facing Open Video and why?
BM: At OVC we’re interested in all facets of web video. To have an “open” video ecosystem, we’re going to need to ensure that creativity is compensated; that the software and hardware tools for making and watching video are accessible and widely distributed; that the network for delivering video is open to all producers, big and small; and that public policy supports the ability of mass numbers of people to participate in the video conversation.
We’re discussing all of this at OVC, and it’s all important.
WBP: HTML5 what’s it mean to storytellers and what are some of the exciting things you’ve seen done with it? Any examples you can share?
BM: Mozilla is opening an HTML5 video workshop to show what’s possible when video is woven into web pages. It’s much different than simply “embedding” a video—it’s experimenting with the possibilities of connecting video to the rest of the web, and really embracing new ideas about interactivity and iterability.
There’s the popcorn.js demo floating around, which pulls live-updating data from across the web and displays it along with the video. But that’s early stage stuff. There are lots of cool concepts which show users interacting and manipulating video in real time. It’s not just about augmenting the viewing experience—it’s about creating new experiences which weren’t possible until now. Check out the Arcade Fire HTML5 music video, “The Wilderness Inside.” In fact, do a Google search for “HTML5 video demo” and you’ll see all sorts of possibilities; when you realize that creators will be able to tinker with and build upon these examples in mass experimentation, your head will spin.
Of course, all the tech demos and gadgetry are nothing unless they’re in service of a great story. One of the coolest things to see at OVC is open source developers and creatives putting their heads together to imagine how the web can advance the craft of storytelling. We will have some cool stuff to show, for sure. But I don’t want to spoil the surprise.
But beyond that, the energy at OVC is infectious. It’s a meeting of the minds and people will be pitching new ideas all weekend. We’re delighted to be working with over 15 organizations, including the visionaries at the Workbook Project.
WBP: You’re adding a hack day this year can you explain the reason and what will be taking place?
BM: The hack day is free and open to the public. We’re organizing the hack day so everyone will have a space to start executing on their ideas immediately after the conference.
It’s taking place at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program at 721 Broadway. Though it’s an open space gathering, we have some confirmed activities: a Mozilla WebMadeMovies working group; Kaltura hackathon; a working group with WITNESS on building solutions for human rights video; and a lot more. For the folks working on the fundamental mechanics of web video, we have the highly technical Foundations of Open Media Software Workshop.
But anyone with a project is welcome to come and collaborate—it’s going to be fun.
WBP: What tech do you think is exciting right now?
BM: Beyond the possibilities of HTML5 video, I’m really interested in how video on open knowledge projects like Wikipedia can improve learning, And generally speaking, the expanding universe of tools for making and sharing video—from the capture end all the way up to cloud computing resources—is really amazing to consider.
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If you’re interested in new forms of storytelling, technology, policy issues or just want to catch a glimpse of some innovative projects make sure to attend OVC.
Discount available for WorkBook Project community…
Register now— they’re filling up. It’s a great deal, with 60+ sessions, screenings, parties, and more. For readers of WBP use this discount code FILM20
August 25 2010
What a Filmmaker Learned From Farmville And Other Social Games
Social games are rapidly becoming one of the most successful forms of entertainment:
Disney purchased Playdom for up to $763.2 million and Club Penguin for $700 million.
EA purchased Playfish for $400 million.
The research form Next Up for pre-IPO trading service SharesPost estimates Zynga is worth three billion dollars.
Why are they thriving (even in a recession):
Social games are accessible throughout the day over multiple platforms.
You are rewarded with digital prizes the more you play.
Players act as evangelists marketing the game all over social networks to recruit new users.
Creators of TV shows and movies can now use similar techniques to have a stronger relationship with their fans. Emerging web start ups are making that possible. Miso injects interactivity into the TV and film viewing experience by utilizing a smart phone, laptop, or tablet as a duel screen with supplemental content. SCVNGR is an user generated location based scavenger hunt for your smart phone.
SCVNGR can create challenges based on a elements from a story e.g. a player is asked trivia from True Blood and if they get the answer correct they are given a clue to find their next location in their city. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D and Dexter made SCVNGR a part of their marketing campaign by creating scavenger hunts around the San Diego Comic Con. To reach fans where they shop, scavenger hunts can be sponsored e.g. visit Best Buy and purchase a product marked with QR code to get your next clue. People can expand the experience to new locations by creating scavenger hunts revolving around fan fiction.
This keeps fans connected to a story no matter where they are located.
Players receive points and badges in Miso for checking into their favorite shows and movies like Four Square for content. Miso has a list of their highest ranking watchers; this competition keeps an audience coming back to a program to be number 1. By rewarding their engagement over time, I think this can transform casual viewers into hardcore fans.
Users on Miso can share what they are watching on Facebook and Twitter, their friends can now start following that show and converting more fans. They can also recruit them directly on Miso. This sustains and builds a fanbase.
Many games have been inspired by films/TV shows to create more compelling narratives e.g. Grand Theft Auto. Now Hollywood can learn from social games to keep fans connected to their stories.
What else can filmmakers and TV show creators learn from social games?
What a Filmmaker Learned From Farmville And Other Social Games
Social games are rapidly becoming one of the most successful forms of entertainment:
Disney purchased Playdom for up to $763.2 million and Club Penguin for $700 million.
EA purchased Playfish for $400 million.
The research form Next Up for pre-IPO trading service SharesPost estimates Zynga is worth three billion dollars.
Why are they thriving (even in a recession):
Social games are accessible throughout the day over multiple platforms.
You are rewarded with digital prizes the more you play.
Players act as evangelists marketing the game all over social networks to recruit new users.
Creators of TV shows and movies can now use similar techniques to have a stronger relationship with their fans. Emerging web start ups are making that possible. Miso injects interactivity into the TV and film viewing experience by utilizing a smart phone, laptop, or tablet as a duel screen with supplemental content. SCVNGR is an user generated location based scavenger hunt for your smart phone.
SCVNGR can create challenges based on a elements from a story e.g. a player is asked trivia from True Blood and if they get the answer correct they are given a clue to find their next location in their city. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D and Dexter made SCVNGR a part of their marketing campaign by creating scavenger hunts around the San Diego Comic Con. To reach fans where they shop, scavenger hunts can be sponsored e.g. visit Best Buy and purchase a product marked with QR code to get your next clue. People can expand the experience to new locations by creating scavenger hunts revolving around fan fiction.
This keeps fans connected to a story no matter where they are located.
Players receive points and badges in Miso for checking into their favorite shows and movies like Four Square for content. Miso has a list of their highest ranking watchers; this competition keeps an audience coming back to a program to be number 1. By rewarding their engagement over time, I think this can transform casual viewers into hardcore fans.
Users on Miso can share what they are watching on Facebook and Twitter, their friends can now start following that show and converting more fans. They can also recruit them directly on Miso. This sustains and builds a fanbase.
Many games have been inspired by films/TV shows to create more compelling narratives e.g. Grand Theft Auto. Now Hollywood can learn from social games to keep fans connected to their stories.
What else can filmmakers and TV show creators learn from social games?
August 13 2010
ARGFest’s Artifact Academy Puzzle Trail
At ARGFest 2010, Michelle Senderhauf and I ran a workshop on game artifacts – how to use them to tell a story, deliver puzzles, and reward players. We invited our workshoppers to create artifacts to continue an ARG scenario I cooked up, and lead the players to the next part of the game using physical objects.
The facts were these:
The players had been asked to help a hot brunette recover his grandfather from mysterious kidnappers who have also stolen his uncrackable safe and hidden it in an unknown location. After remotely blowing up a courier car sent to retrieve the safe, and getting the coordinates of its destination from an apparently indestructible GPS unit, the players find themselves in the woods, unearthing the safe. It’s contents may reveal a secret about the hot brunette’s grandfather that he never would have guessed, or they may raise even more questions.
We brought in the tools and materials for a little ARG propmaking jamboree, and what the ARGFesters came up with was truly remarkable. As you can see, we left the prompt wide open for participants of the workshop to create as much or as little content as they desired, and to take the story in any direction they chose.
I never expected that at the end of a frantic hour and a half of crafting, we would have a complete puzzle trail, leading players to the next “live event” in our game.
Let’s rifle through this box of treasures. What you’re about to see is written, conceived, and assembled by the workshoppers. Michelle and I just facilitated.
First, we have a postcard that looks like it was shot in the 1960’s, but the caption on the back says it’s from the 1919 Indy 500 race. Curious.
Michelle found these postcards (front and back) in an antiques store in her native Chesterton, IN, on an artifact shopping trip. Michelle gave herself a $20 budget and was able to procure a good stock of old photographs and other things to modify to tell our story.
Next, we have a compass with no directions on it. Also curious.
I found these toy compasses in the party supply aisle of my local dollar store, with the pirate hats and paper eyepatches. I think they were six to a pack. They did have a direction sticker on the bottom, which was removed for the purposes of the game.
A letter about secret government research into…time travel?
“Dear Adrian,
You were not yet born when it all started, so I do not expect you to predict what will happen should the UNRC’s predictions be incorrect. But despite the agreement I signed and the importance of the information, I feel morally obliged to tell you what our last hope is. If the speculation of our scientists – my coworkers – is correct, we will be able to change history. Time can be changed, and if it cannot then it is already too late for us. I am writing to tell you that despite my distracted behavior recently, your father loves you. Tomorrow I move to the facility constructed in the late Piedmont Park in Atlanta. There everyone is gathering to complete the Algorythm. I only hope we are correct.
God help us.
~ Stefan”
It has a mysterious glyph at the bottom – is it a map?
This letter was hand written at the workshop on some paper that I enoldenated en masse a few months ago. I bought a cheap writing pad from the dollar store and steeped it in tea and coffee at near-boiling temperature.
The scroll unrolls into a nearly unreadable map.
I drew this as a “bonus” at the end of the workshop. The “scroll” is a roll of thermal paper I saved from an old thermal fax machine. Thermal paper is cool in that it “antiques” itself when it is exposed to heat. It is also translucent, like vellum.
There’s also this strange device – is it from the future, or the past? It has a blue monocle on a reel, and a UV LED on the side.
This is cobbled together from a dollar store intrusion detector toy, a UV keychain light from an invisible ink kit, and a real antique monocle that Michelle had picked up (along with a pair of glasses) on her shopping excursion.
And here we have the easiest puzzle of the bunch. Look through the monocle, and you’ll see a US map denoting some ominous and bizarre landmarks.
However, the most interesting thing in the safe is this framed photo – is this the hot brunette’s grandfather as a younger man?
The back of the frame has scuff marks where the backing is held in place. That’s odd. It’s not like you open and close picture frames a whole lot. Or do you?
The image is a real old photo -another of Michelle’s finds. According to her, photos like this usually run a few dollars at antiques stores. The frame is from the dollar store, and was roughed up with a pair of scissors.
Oh-ho! Secrets!
There is a page with letters and holes, and clock drawn on the back of the photo – but it has no hands! However, the shape in the middle looks familiar…
This is the real back of that photo. I love it – its so pretty, and its even more gorgeous with the hand-drawn clock face on it. The letter page was done with stamps for the letters, and hand written numbers. More antiqued paper.
The compass has a notch in it – and it turns out that we can use that to line it up perfectly with the “map” on the letter. We point the compass to the arrow on the letter…
And when we line it up with a similar mark on the clock, we get a time. 6:30. Perhaps this is the time of Stefan’s meeting in Piedmont Park (two blocks from the convention.) But Stefan is a time traveler? What day are we supposed to meet him on?
At this point, we know we’re missing a piece in the puzzle. We have that piece of paper with the holes in it, but the holes don’t line up with anything on the letter, or the clock piece. Where could the missing key to this puzzle be?
Hmm….
Found it! The glue holding the two cards together separates without damaging either, and now we can see that there is a secret star chart inside.
When we stack them, we can see that some of the letters are marked with red dots. From left to right and top to bottom – J, 2, Y, 8, 0, 0, U, 1, L, 1.
I’ll leave that one little puzzle for you to solve. If anyone has spotted time travelers at Piedmont Park, please drop us a line.
The ARGFest workshop was attended by @Ancalime, @DavFlamerock, @egotist, @JimBabb, @TheBruce0, and many others, who made these awesome things. Michelle and I mostly just watched.
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