TRANSMEDIA: WHAT IT MEANS FOR BRANDS

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INDEX

• WhatisTransmedia? GettingtheMostOutofaGreatStory TheChannels

• TransmediaforBrands TheRestraints

• ImplementingTransmedia ThreeQuestionsBrandsMustAsk RulesoftheRoad AvoidingPitfalls

• TheCases Star Wars ABCFamily’sPretty Little Liars CrackerBarrel

• TheFutureofTransmedia

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Messaging

Theatrical

Gaming

SocialNetworks

STORY

TV

Real-WorldEvents

MobileApps

What is Transmedia?

Transmedia is loosely defined as a new storytelling method that extendselementsofaprimarystorylineacrossmultipleplatformstocreateaninteractive,multi-layeredfictiongreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Alittlewordy,butaccurate.Transmediaisnotamarketingplanorrepurposingofcontent-it’stellingastoryappropriatelyandorganicallyacrossallplatforms.

So it’s perhaps inaccurate to call it “Transmedia,” since that name impliesemphasisonthediversityofthemediacomponentsandnotonthediversifica-tionof thestoryelements,which isactuallyacrucial feature.TheProducer’s Guild of Americadefinitionunderscorestheemphasisonmultiplestorylines,andnotplatforms:

“A Transmedia Narrative project or franchise must consist of three (or more) narrative storylines existing within the same fictional universe on any of the following platforms: Film, Television, Short Film, Broadband, Publish-ing, Comics, Animation, Mobile, Special Venues, DVD/Blu-ray/CD-ROM, Narrative Commercial and Marketing rollouts, and other technologies that may or may not currently exist. These narrative extensions are NOT the same as repurposing material from one platform to be cut or repurposed to different platforms.”

TheTransmediaecosystem(asillustratedwithTheConversationPrismbyBrianSolisandJESS3theconversationprism.com)

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The history ofTransmediawill put this in a littlemore perspective.You couldsaythatTransmediahasbeenaroundaslongasstorytellingitself.Fromwhencavemenhunted,thentoldtheirstoryaroundacampfire,andthencarvedthoseimagesintoawall.Butthat’salittletoofarback.Theactualterm“Transmedia”wascoined in2003byMITMediaStudiesProfessorHenryJenkins.HeusedtheterminanarticletitledTransmediaStorytellingfor thepublicationTechnol-ogy Review.He’snowaProvostProfessorofCommunication,Journalism,andCinematicArtsattheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia–afittingcareerpathforamanthatenvisionedthefuturedynamicofstorytellinginadiverseanddigitalage.

Transmedia in the mainstream began as a response by the entertainmentindustrytodiversifyandmonetizelargeinvestmentsinbigmovieandtelevisionproperties.Forexample, launchingspecificmovie-basedcomicbooksprior tothereleasesopotentialviewershavemoreback-storyand increasedprimarynarrativeexcitementpriortorelease–likeBatman.Or,liketheLOSTtelevisionserieswithitswikis,comics,minisitesandfan-drivenonlineproperties.

Whatbothoftheseexampleshighlightistherequirementforafictionaluniverselargeanddenseenoughtosupportmultiplenarrativesinothermediums.Market-inghastypicallyplayedanancillaryroleinthegrowthofTransmediaprimarilyasasupportingpartner.Manyofthesub-narrativeentertainmentpropertiesarecreatednotonlyasstoryextensions,butalsoasadditionaladvertisingvehicles.Forexample,thecomicseriesthatbridgedthefirsttwoseasonsofHeroeswasanexclusiveNissanVersussponsorship.

Getting the Most Out of a Great StoryTransmediaisgettingmarketingattentionnowbecauseofthemultitudeofplat-formsthatexisttodayinwhichtoconsumecontent.Moredistributionchannelsmeanmoreopportunity toreachanaudience–andtodiscovernewones.Theflip side of somany channels is that you can get lost in the shuffle or evenoverextendyour reachby trying toohard.We’redefinitelyasocietyof “more,more,more.”Constantconsumption.AlittlelikeCookieMonster,wewantmorecookies–beforeweevenfinishthefirstone.

Moreforthesakeofmoreisneveragoodthing.Sohowyoutellyourstoryhasneverbeenmoreimportant.LOSTdidaverygoodjoboforganicallygrowingtheirstory,creatingthedesireformore,andturningapassiveviewingexperienceintoaphenomenon.ButcopycatssuchasThe EventonNBCfailedwhenittriedtomimictheLOSTformat.Maybetheygotmarketingconfusedwithstorytelling.

The Channels As technology advances so do the avenues for telling stories. The Internetalonehasopenedupthefloodgatesfordistribution.It’sliketheWildWestagain.Peopleareconstantlyinventingnewwaystogettheirstoryoutintotheworld.Notonlyarethestorytellerscontinuallyevolving,theaudienceistoo.Theydon’twant to sit backandwatch, theywant toparticipate. Interactive,gamingandmobileplatformshavegivenstorytellers theability todivedeeperand furtherimmerseaudiences.

Thechannelsthatcanbeusedincludejustabouteverymediumthatexistsinthemarketingcatalog.ButbecauseTransmedialendsitselfsowelltodigital,itaffordstheopportunitytoembracenewtrendsinmarketing–andmoreemergingtechnologies.Thisincludescustomgaming,socialnetworks,interactivevideo,virtualworldsandlocation-basedservices.

7 Myths of Transmedia by Henry Jenkins

Myth 1:TransmediaStorytellingreferstoanystrategyinvolvingmorethanonemediaplatform.

Myth 2:Transmediaisbasicallyanewpromotionalstrategy.

Myth 3: Transmediameansgames.

Myth 4:Transmediaisforgeeks.

Myth 5:Transmediarequiresalargebudget.

Myth 6:Everythingshouldgotransmedia.

Myth 7: Transmediais“sotenminutesago.”

Seefullarticlehere:http://www.fastcompany.com/1745746/seven-myths-about-transmedia-storytelling-debunked

SomeselectsamplesfromtheLOSTfanversethatultimatelycontributedtotheshow’slong-termsuccess.

An unofficial LOST fan site:http://www.LOST-tv.com/

Wiki–LOST Encyclopedia:http://LOSTpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

LOST fan site: http://LOST-media.com/

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Transmedia for Brands

WhatmakesTransmediapossible,andlucrativeatthisparticularmoment,isthedigitalconnectivitybetweenmedia–thecollectiveattentionthatrapidlygathersaroundtopicsandthespeedatwhichideascanbesharedwithinafangroup.Bythetimethe lastseasonofLOSTaired, therewerehundredsofwebsites,fan-fictionstoriesandlivetweet-upsdedicatedtodiscussingthecluesparsedout in thevariousnarratives.Theonlyplaceonecouldassembleacohesiveunderstandingoftheextendedstorywasinthefanuniverse(althoughonedidn’tneedtoknowallthisunderstandandenjoythemainshowstoryline).

Transmediaofferstremendousopportunityforbrandstoengageonanunprec-edented level, given theamountof passion, timeandsharing involved.Mostmarketing involvement–at leastearlyon–will relyonsponsoringextensionsoflargenon-commercial fictionaluniverses,since that iswhere thedeepest fanbasesexist.

The RestraintsThe way marketing is established right now, creating their own Transmediauniverses will be a challenge for brands. Not because of lack of resources,but because of the requirement for the depth of the fictional universe. Thiscommitmentcouldprovetobetoolong-termandbeyondthescopeofatypicalyear’splan.

Brandsthathavetakenastabatthis(thoughitwaslikelynotintentional)includeOldSpice,withtheirwell-knownandhighlypublicized“OldSpiceGuy”campaign.Also,DosEquis“MostInterestingManintheWorld.”Inbothcases,thecharac-tersareextendedintoothermedia.What’sproblematicisthatthefictionalworldsthey occupy are not large enough for true narrative, but really only formoreadvertisingmessages.So,whilethesearesuccessfulasintegratedcampaigns,theydonottranslateintoTransmedianarratives.

The Transmedia opportunity represents a tremendous degree of consumerpassionand interaction if it canbearchitected.Thenarrativeextensionsandthe ability for fans to co-create stories arewhat transformentertainment intoTransmedia engagement and participation. The current digital environmentenables thisparticipationwith tools for theaudience tocreateandshare.Forthemarketeradeptenoughtoharnessthisenergy,therewardsaresubstantialbrandloveandthatcovetedthingcalledengagement.

DigitalstorytellingisastapleofTransmediacampaigns.Thefollowingareexamplesofexcel-lenceinnarrativeinteraction.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmorehttp://www.fastcodesign.com/1664419/all-star-pixar-animator-creates-astounding-kids-book-on-ipad

AninteractiveappfortheiPadthatletspeopleexperiencethebookthewaytheychoose.

Motion Picture Insidehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jul/13/horror-social-media-inside

Anew“socialfilmexperience”directedinvitesFacebook,TwitterandYouTubeuserstoparticipateinanin-productionmovieinrealtime.

JK Rowling’s Pottermore http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/23/harry-potter-website-pottermoreAninteractivewebsitethatextendstheHarryPotterserieswithoutaddinganewbook.

MoMA Talk to Me exhibition http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1080

Adigitalcollectionofartworkthatexploresthecommunicationbetweenpeopleandthings.

TRON Graphic Novel disneydigitalbooks.go.com/tron

AninteractivewebsitethattellsastoryusingHTML5(acollaborationbetweenDisneyPublishingWorldwideandInternetExplorer9).

Old Spice: AgreatmultimediacampaignbutnotTransmedia.Thereisastrongcharacterbutnostoryarctoextend.

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Implementing Transmedia

Theprimarybenefitsof implementingaTransmediaprojectaretheattractive-nessoftheprimarystory,theintensityoftheuserexperience,thediversityofexecutionandopportunitytoreachdiverseaudiencesandtheabilitytoextendpremiercontentformuchsmallercosts.

Thedecisiontoimplementisthenbasedonthepresenceofananchorstorylineandwhetherleveragingancillarystorylinesandcontentwillattractandengagetheappropriateaudience–particularlyifthisisa“sponsoringbrand”scenario.

Three Questions Brands Must AskIftheopportunitytoengagetheprimarystoryaudienceisappropriate,brandshavethreekeyquestionsthatmustbeaddressedfortheprogramtotakeshape.

1. How cooperative is the primary Intellectual Property (IP) holder in terms of sharing licensed material?Theanswertothisquestionistypi-cally theone thatdetermineseventualsuccessor failure.Theprimary IPholdershouldbeenthusiasticaboutthesuccessofancillarycontentwithoutadebilitativeclearanceprocess.Obviously, if there isvery littleaccessoragreement about licensed material then the program will lack authentichallmarksandnotbeattractivetoafanbase.

2. How collaborative will the creative process be between the primary IP holder and the marketer? TherelationshipsvaryandthemarketerneedstounderstandthataccesstocontentdoesnotaTransmediaprojectmake.Also, since the program is based on a story, it is critical to have qualitywritingand concepting talent tomanufacturea successful extension to apopularnarrative.

3. What level of investment?OneofthevirtuesofTransmediaisthatthereisawiderangeofcontentextensionsavailable.ItcanbeaselaborateasaliveactionWebseriesorassimpleasagamingapp.Thepointistounderstandwhatisessentialtoproduceinordertogeneratethefanresponse.Brandsmuststrivetobecleverandtoleverageinnatequalitiesintheprimarynarra-tive.Thisdoesn’tnecessarilyrequirehugeproductionandmediabudgets.

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Rules of the RoadTherearesomebasicrulesoftheroadthatshouldbefollowedwhenexecutingaTransmediaproject.

1. Focus on telling a good story:Thismaysoundobvious,but it isharderthanitsounds.There’sareasontheanchorstoryispopularandiftheancil-larycontentringsholloworfalse,thefaninterestwillquicklyturnfrominter-esttodisdain.

2. Make it interactive: Digitaltoolslike“chooseyourownadventure”enginesand user-directed 360˚ video allow the user to drive the story andmakechoices,increasingengagement.

3. Give fans the reins to create:LettingfanscreatenewandoriginalcontentoutofIPmaterialisprobablythemostattractiveandengagingexperience.Itisdifficultformostlicensorstofeelcomfortablesettingtheboundariesforthistypeofinteraction.

4. Make it easily shared:Sincetheaudiencesharesapassionfortheoriginalstory,wordofmouthwillbetheprimarydriveroftheancillarycontent.Makeiteasytogetthewordout.

5. Make it easy to find relative to the anchor story:Theaudienceknowswheretofindtheanchorstory,somakesurethattheancillarycontentisrighttherewithit.EitheronthesameWebpage,insearch,orwithtags.

Avoiding PitfallsBe careful of fooling an audience.MostTransmedia projectswill behave likerealnewsarticlesorotherWebproperties.Whendoneright,theycanbehighlyattractivemysteriesfortherightfanbasetosolve.Ifdonewrong,theycanbemisleading.Evenworse,theycanappearunethical.It’simportanttorememberthisisfiction.

Transmediacampaignstapintothefeverishpassionofafanbaseandengagethem around supplementary storylines. These campaigns require time andfocusedattentionfromanaudience.Therefore,Transmediacampaignsaretypi-callymeasuredagainstthesizeofanaudience,theamountoftimespentonthematerialandtheultimateactiontaken(e.g.,whetherviewerscreatedtheirownvideo,whethertheyplayedagame).

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The Cases

Star WarsThebestwaytotellaTransmediacaseisbyhighlightinganexampleeveryoneknows–liketheStar Warsfranchise.Now,thisisatanextremelevel,butit’sforthisreason–itsnotorietyanddepthofchannelextensionsmakeiteasytofollowalong.

Star Warswasreleasedin1977.What’sinterestingisthatwhatisarguablythemoststoriedfranchiseincinematichistory–andanextremelyrelevantexampleofTransmedia–wasinitiallyintendedtobejustonefilm.Butthat’sbecausethestorywasjustthebeginning...

“It wasn’t long after I began writing Star Wars that I realized the story was more than a single film could hold.” - George Lucas

While developing the next two films, Lucas created such an elaborate back-story that hedecided these first three filmswould beepisodes4,5, and6 inwhatwouldbeasix-filmsagaandtheback-storywouldserveastheprequelsto thefilmsthathewouldmakeata laterdate.Thesuccessof thefirst threefilms led Lucas to createThe Expanded Star Wars Universe (ESWU) whichencompassesalloftheofficiallylicensed,fictionalbackgroundoftheStarWarsuniverse.Theexpandeduniverseincludesbooks,comicbooks,videogames,spin-offfilms,televisionseries,toys,andothermedia.Eachdistributionplatformreachedadifferentaudience,yetstayedtruetotheStar Warsstory.Thecreationof theExpanded Star Wars Universenotonly increased theaudience for thefranchise–itlikelysavedit.

To date, theStar Wars films alone have grossed over $4Bworldwide.Moreimportantly,thestorycontinuesandremainsculturallyrelevantaftermorethan40 years. TheClone Wars animated television series has secured the nextgenerationoffansasithasairedsince2003andproducedananimatedfeaturefilm.Notsurprisingly,theClone Warsfranchisehasbecomeaverysuccessfulvideogamefranchiseaswell.

Fromtoystoalternativeanimation,theStar Warsuniversegoesonforever.

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The launchof theStar Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes videogame,likeeverythingelseStar Wars,had tosuccessfullycaptureavid fanattentionandguaranteeanauthenticnarrativeextensionoftheClone Warscanon.BandDigitalworkedwithanimators,producersandwriterstocreateauniqueonlinecommandcenterwithaneat twist thatmoved the fantasyone-stepcloser toreality.Forthefirsttime,fanscouldreproducetheholographicholocommimage,firstmadefamouswithPrincessLeiaandR2D2,withaugmentedreality.AvirtualYodaappearedonamarker,seeminglysuspended inspace, tellingyouyourmissionthatwouldbefulfilledfirstthroughtrainingonthewebsiteandtheninthegame.

Now,acouplemorecasestudies.These focusonspecificchannels thatareusedtoextendastory.

AseriesofstoryscreensfromStar Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroesvideogamewebsite.FansreceivedholocommmessagesfromYodathroughaugmentedreality.http://www.lucasarts.com/games/jointheclonewars/

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ABC Family’s Pretty Little LiarsaBandDigitalinitiative

Pretty Little Liars isa teenmystery/dramaTVseries thatairsonABCFamily.BasedonthepopularseriesofnovelswrittenbySaraShepard,theshowfollowsthelivesoffourgirlswhosecliquefallsapartafterthedisappearanceofoneofthegirls.Ayearlater,theybeginreceivingmessagesfromamysteriousfigurewhothreatenstoexposetheirsecrets.It’sthisbasisonmystery,andthenuancesofeachcharacter,thatlenditsowelltotheideaofTransmedia.

ABCFamilywantedtocreateanexperienceforviewersthatwouldfeedontheirintensefanship.Sowithlittlemoneyortime,BandDigitalbuilta“ChooseYourOwnAdventure” (CYOA) experience based on unique footage filmed aroundoneof theseriessubplots–totalingfiveepisodes.Thesespecialepisodes ranexclusively on the serieswebsitewithaheadline sponsorship fromMicrosoftBing.ThisWebfeaturereceivedmillionsofviewswithminutesofplayingtime.

Whatwas required tomake this happen? First, a story fanswere interestedinenough topursue further.Second,astoryscenariosupportiveof themainnarrativeuniverse.Third,avehiclethataffordedfaninvolvement.Inthiscase,itwastheabilitytochoosewhatthecharacterwoulddointhegame.Andfinally,theabilitytosharethatgameexperiencewithotherfans.

Band Digital worked directly with the writers and producers of the show tocreatethestorylines(fromconcepttodelivery).Thefanexperienceneededtobeauthenticandserveapurposetotheoverallstory–theepisodesshouldadddepth to theirseriesknowledge,notwaste their time.Eachepisodeprovidedbackgroundinformationoncharactersandservedasteasersforfutureepisodes.Butsometimes,theepisodesjustservedtopiqueinterestandkeeptheaudienceguessing–sowenevergaveawaytoomuch.

How it Works EachCYOAepisodehasanintro.Atitsconclusion,twochoices(prompts)appearon-screenaskingtheviewerwhichtheywouldliketoexplore(rabbithole).Oncetheviewerselectsanoption,anothervideobeginstorevealthestory.Attheendofthatvideo,theviewerisonceagainpromptedtomakeanotherchoice.This

Ateendramathatendlesslycyclesaroundacentralmystery:Theperfectenvironmentforspinningsub-stories.

A“ChooseYourOwnAdventure”(CYOA)decisionpoint.

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choice takes the viewer to the conclusion of that episode.When experienceiscomplete,theviewercanplayitagaintoseewhattheotherdecisionpointsrevealed,ortheycansharetheirCYOAvideowithafriend.

Tracking SuccessTheCYOAcampaignistrackedusingGoogleAnalytics.Overonemillionpeoplespentoverthree-and-a-halfminutesonlineinteractingwiththecontent.And,theteaser for the serieswas leaked onto thePretty Little Liars Facebook page,receivingover2,000likesand500commentswithinthefirsthouralone.

 

 

 

Aseriesofvideosrevealcluesaboutthemysteriouscentralcharacter.http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/pretty-little-liars/make-as-move?cid=adsales_q4fy11_binggame_promo

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Cracker BarrelaBandDigitalinitiative

TheCrackerBarrelcaseisdifferentbecauseitexemplifiesafictionaluniversethatisboththeproductandthebrand.AtCrackerBarrel, it isn’t justthefood.Orjustthestore.Itisabranddedicatedtodeliveringaconsistentenvironmentalexperience.Guestscanrelaxinafrontporchrockingchair,shopforthrow-backtoys and hard-to-find candies, then dine on home style-cooking in a friendly,comfortable, country setting. But even for a company rooted in nostalgia, itknowsdigital ismore important thanever to itsbrand-and that itwas time totranslateitsbrandstorydigitally.

Ifyou’vebeenonaroadtripinCrackerBarrelcountry,you’veundoubtedlyseenits outdoor campaign. Its frequent billboards are nothing if not consistent–inlook and inmessage.Andwhen it comes to its stores,CrackerBarrel takeseverycareforthelikenessoftheexperience,downtothewalldécor(whichtheysourceandstorethemselves).

SowhenCrackerBarreldecidedtorevamptheirwebsite,firstandforemostwastellingitsbrandstoryonline.Notonlydidweredesignthesitetobeconsistentwith the in-store experience–and to streamline and incite purchase–we tookgreatcareintellingtheCrackerBarrelstory.

Taking the Tour NothingcanexplainCrackerBarrelbetterthanactuallybeingthere.Thesights,thesmells,thesounds...theyallcombinetocreatewhatisasignatureCrackerBarrel brand experience. Sowe created a live-action, 360-degree interactivetourthatallowsgueststohangoutonthefrontporch,browseandbuymerchan-diseinthecountrystore,andlearnfactsaboutthefoodwhilenavigatingthroughthediningroom.

The folksy hallmarks of the Cracker Barrel brand story: Openroadsignage,rockingchairs,checkersandthepeggame.

 Crackerbarrel.com:Thevirtualnarrativestoryextensionoftherealworldrestaurantexperience.

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This isn’t the hokey hotel 360 that leaps to mind. It’s cinematic quality, HD video in a full 360 degrees. And it’s video the user controls.

But,whatmakesthisvideosuchakeyelementofthedigitalbrandisitsstory-telling.Thevideo is carefully choreographed to showcase theCrackerBarrelexperience,leveragingknownviewerbehaviortopromptpeoplethroughspecificaspects of the video that best represent theexperience.The viewer’s eye iscontinuallydrawntoasinglefamily–adad,momanddaughter–fromenjoyingtherockingchairsontheporchtosharingamealinthediningroom.

ThenewwebsitecapturestheCrackerBarrelbrandstoryasexemplifiedintherealworldexperience.Itencouragesconversationsthroughblogsandreviews,isdesignedtoreachtheuniqueneedsandinterestsofavarietyoftargetaudi-ences,andreachestheseaudiencesthroughmanychannels…seamlessly.

Auser-driven360˚cinematicHDvideofirstpersonPOVvirtualvisit.Interactionscanoccurwithjustaboutanyelementthroughdigitalhotspots.

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The Future of Transmedia

Transmedia’sapplicationisboundbythelimitationsoftimeandwillingnessofstudios,publishersandnetworkstoextendIP intounchartedterritory.But thepressure tomonetizecontent,extendadvertisingopportunitiesandattractanincreasinglyfragmentedandfickleviewingaudiencewillonlyseeanincreaseinthisactivity.

Thebiggestobstacle,andmostfundamentalchangetoTransmedia’sfuture,willbehowIP issharedandmanaged.Currently,professionalcreativeguildsaredrafting rulesaboutcreation,ownershipand rights for theseancillaryproduc-tions.Assuming that financial incentives will continue to support Transmediaproduction,herearesomeoftheevolutionswemightsee:

• Digital Publishing:Comicsandgraphicnovelsarepopularextensionsforserializedcontent,especiallyforfictionalstoriesthatinvolveacertainrabidfanbase(thinkBuffy the Vampire Slayer).Buttraditionalpublishingcanbeexpensive.Allof themajorcomicpublishersaregrapplingwith theonlinedistributionmodelandtheneedtomovetodigitaltokeeptheformatalivewithabroaderaudience.Oncethecostofprintinganddistributionistakenoutoftheequation,expecttoseemorestoryextensionsinthisformat.

• User-Driven Stories:Thecreativeandentertainmentindustryhasatolerantrelationshipwiththefanfictionuniverse,whichisanincrediblyvibrantworldofordinarycitizensre-creatingtheirownversionsofSupernaturalorDexter.Andwhilewemaynotseeoutrightsupportforthis,wewillseemorewaystoletusersinteractwithanddetermineoutcomesofofficialcontent.Imaginemore intensive“ChooseYourOwnAdventure”digitalseriesor technologythatactuallyletstheaudienceinteractwithalivebroadcast(morethanjusttweetingalong).

• Digital Content:ContenthostslikeYouTubeareseeingthevalueofcreat-ingcustomcontent for theirchannels.YouTubeisplanningaredesignforJanuary of 2012 that will allow for uncluttered content channels–calledYouTubeOriginals.Thesebig-budgetcreationswillfeaturewellknownstarsanddrawa lotofattention fromviewingaudiences.More importantly, thenature of the channel they are “broadcast” on affords the opportunity toextendthestoryincountlessways,includebrandsthroughout,andcreateintimateinteractionwithviewers.

• Unique Physical-Digital Experiences:Withtheevolutionoflocation-basedservices,augmentedreality,3Dwebandotherphysical-digitalconnectivetechnologies,expecttoseenarrativesthatcantapintotherealworld.Simpleexampleswouldincludescavengerhuntsandcheck-insfornarrativepuzzlepieces.Moreelaborateexamplescouldincludeaugmentedrealityappsthatletyouseewhatacharacterseesintherealworld.

Whatwill also evolve are fan’s expectations of fictional content. Clearly withtheadventofrabidfan-fictionsiteslikedeviantART,fanswon’twaitforcontentcreators toembellishorextendagoodstory.They’lldo it themselves.As thedigitalworldcontinues tomake iteasy toaggregate,consumeandbroadcastabout a very narrow topic, fanswill expect that creatorswill offermore thanthetraditional,staticprimarystory.AperfectexampleisthecomingPottermore,an interactiveexperiencesitecreatedbyJ.K.RowlingandSonydedicated totheHarry Potteruniverse.SincetheprimaryHarry Potternarrativeisfinished,Pottermoreoffersanopen-ended,fan-driveninteractivegamingexperiencethatneverends.

Pottermore Ratherthanwritemorestories,J.K.RowlingisdevelopingavirtualHarry Potterworldwherefanscanliveandcreatetheirownopen-endedadven-tures.pottermore.com/

Dark Horse ComicsAnonlineportalofdigitalcomicsoffersnewpublishingopportunitiesatdarkhorse.com.

DeviantARTdeviantART.comrepresentsoneofthelargestenvironmentswherefanswriteandcreatetheirown(unauthorized)versionsoftheirfavoritefilm,broadcastandpublishedstories.