Nick Braccia reports – I’m new to the WBP crew and wanted to kick-off my involvement with a brief and practical outline of introductory steps to help you make the transition from mono-media storyteller (in this case, film) to transmedia storyteller. In time, this evolution will help you to grow (and strengthen) your audience.
Like many contemporary transmedia story architects, I was first exposed to this expansive medium back in 2001, …

This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix – Brian Clark joins us for a discussion about filmmaking, audiences, breaking the rules and the value of going DIY. Founder of GMD studios and co-founder of indieWire, Brian has been at the forefront of the independent film scene for well over a decade. GMD studios has created digital experiments, campaigns and games that flow seamlessly between the …

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This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix – Elan Lee has been behind some of the most renowned ARGs to be produced over the last eight years. The Beast, I Love Bees, Year Zero and the Dark Knight to name a few. In our conversation Elan explains the driving force behind the design of his games and his desire to make the players feel empowered.

For …

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This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Jeff Gomez turned his childhood passion for role playing into a successful transmedia venture. His company Starlight Runner Entertainment has expanded the intellectual property of brands (Hot Wheels, Magic: The Gathering , Pirates of the Caribbean) by developing cross-platform storyworlds that engage audiences in new and interesting ways. The design and builds of these worlds have …

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In this special video podcast Christy Dena interviews workbook project founder Lance Weiler. Dena, a cross-media entertainment strategist, mentor, designer, writer and PhD researcher conducted the interview for her universe creation podcast. Here’s what Dena had to say about the interview.
Filmmaker Lance Weiler is the special guest on this first video podcast at UC101. Weiler talks about the unique ways he has experimented with extending the storyworld of his …

M dot Strange reports – This was part of a presentation called “Adventures in self distribution” I describe the journey I took with my animated feature film “We are the Strange” From my bedroom to Sundance and beyond and back to my little studio again after turning down Hollywood deals and deciding to self distribute and make my films my way.
M dot Strange: Berlin Talent Campus 08 from M dot …

Christy Dena is one of the most knowledgeable people I know working in the cross-media arena. Having studied the topic for years, she is at the forefront of a new emerging form of entertainment.  Christy has written a comprehensive essay on the topic for the Feb 2008 issue (vol 14, no 1) of Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies (which is available in hardcopy and online).  …

This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Today we are joined by Bryan Kennedy who is the founder of mobmov.org a global mobile drive-in network. With over 6,000 memebers and 170 chapters in 26 countries, Kennedy and his group of cinephiles have cobbled together an impressive grassroots distribution network. Bryan shares the background of mobmov and his plans for an international syndicate …

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The new Case Study section of the Workbook, will focus on projects in development, production and distribution. The first case study details the Head Trauma cinema ARG (alternate reality game) which not only promoted the movie’s DVD and VOD release but also became its own revenue stream.
Like everything else associated with the Workbook the Case Study section is an experiment, so if you have questions, suggestions or know of …

This past week, we concluded our latest cinema ARG experiment entitled HOPE IS MISSING. The design of HIM is covered in an article that I wrote for the current issue of filmmaker magazine. This post will focus on the results of the experiment. A more detailed case study surrounding the cinema ARG will be released later in Nov.
Layers of interactivity
HOPE IS MISSING consisted of four web films that were loaded …

This past weekend Arin Crumley of Four Eyed Monsters and myself did a panel about all things DIY called “Fast Forward – Filmmakers Seize Control.” The Vancouver International Film Festival held a special one week forum around the art and craft of filmmaking. Brian Chirls of FEM was kind of enough to man the camera – he had done a viral marketing panel earlier in the week.
Big thanks to the …

By Christy Dena –
In 1917 poet Guillaume Apollinaire gave a lecture, L’Esprit Nouveau et les Poetès, on what he described as the ‘visible and unfolded book of the future’. He wrote that creators in the future will, ‘like conductors of an orchestra of unbelievable scope,’ have at ‘their disposal the entire world, its noises and its appearances, the thought and language of man, song, dance, all the arts and all …

Today we are joined by writer and game designer Ken Eklund. Over the past 20 years Ken has been writing and designing games. His most recent game World Without Oil, was an ITVS funded ARG (alternate reality games) about a future oil shock. WWO is the first ARG designed to create a dialog about our dependency on oil and stimulate social change.

For more info on Ken Eklund click …

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Filmmakers That Think Outside the Film
By Christy Dena
In the 1940’s filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (known as “The Archers”) championed a multi-artform cinema. They created films that represented music, dance, painting, literature and photography; for they believed that ‘all art is one’. Now, with the proliferation of media platforms, the palette for filmmakers is stupendous. Not only is it impossible to encompass all artforms in a single film, but …

Our guest today is JT Petty. JT is an accomplished author, screenwriter and director. Over the last few years he has moved fluidly between films, games and novels. When it comes to film he has directed two features; Soft for Digging (sundance 2001) and Mimic 3: Sentinel (Dimension Films). In addition he has a new disturbing doc entitled Sandman (HDNET) which has been playing to rave reviews on the festival …

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A few weeks ago the HEAD TRAUMA mashup / cinema ARG had its first screening. The event was a collision of movies, music, gaming and theatrics. In a previous post I questioned the viability of traditional theatrical releases for “truly” independent films. The mashup / cinema ARG has promise and event driven theatrical experiences could in fact become an interesting model for independent distro.
- The event attracted …

Our guest today is author and journalist Heather Chaplin. Heather’s most recent book is “Smart Bomb” which covers the history of the gaming revolution. During our discussion we touch on the emergence of the independent gaming movement and how games can make social and political statements. And perhaps most interesting for filmmakers a look at the collision between filmmaking and gaming.

For more info on Heather Chaplin and her work click …

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How your favorite video games can help you make a film that is not the sux0R
By: M dot Strange

Recently I did a few lectures on animation and film making for San Jose State University students. One of the students asked a question about how video gaming had influenced the way I developed the narrative in We are the Strange. At the moment I hadn’t really thought about how video games …

I’ve heard a lot of people challenging the theatrical experience – box office numbers are down from previous years, and home theater systems are only getting better. Not to mention all the competition for viewers attention thanks to a 500+ channel universe, broadband and a shrinking amount of free time. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that people still want that communal experience that a theatrical film can provide. …

Today’s guest is M dot Strange. His newest DIY HD res animated feature, We Are The Strange, is fresh off a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. We Are The Strange is a collision of gaming, Anime and filmmaking that challenges the current convention of narrative. But just as impressive is the way that M dot Strange created a large internet following prior to any screenings with just a …

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