The digital revolution is changing the world – and changing the way we tell each other stories.
The unexplored frontiers of this revolution are a siren call to the experimental instinct of storytellers, the communications instinct of activists and community builders, and the “gold rush” instinct of business people wanting to find the Next Big Thing.
Right now, the revolution is in storytelling. Read this example from Wired before you read further.
You might not realise it, but you’ve already experienced stories told this way. It’s been argued that George Lucas was the first storyteller of this kind, with Star Wars merchandising stretching the films and characters far beyond their original narrative. For a modern update, fans around the world are now waiting for JK Rowling’s immersive website Pottermore.
Some reasons why you should take note of this new movement:
- Last year, visionary director Guillermo Del Toro and his creative partners formed Mirada, a production studio that handles everything from concept to post production and calls itself “a storytelling engine in the form of a company – an imaginarium, where we are free to explore”.
- The Passion of Christ, by the National Theatre Wales and starring Michael Sheen, caused a stir in April. The immersive approach mobilised the community of Port Talbot into participating the story in a way that is very rarely seen, whilst the project got a lot of column inches in the national press.
- Earlier this year, legendary plastic couple “Barbie and Ken” began to play out their love story on the social media stage. Barbie left Ken for a surfer seven years ago, and after a long and involved love story that played out over media from Twitter to Billboards, fans voted to reunite the plastic people on Valentines day this year.
- As far back as 2009, Hollywood trade mag Variety identified transmedia storytelling as the “future of the biz”.
- In April 2010 the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) recognised the credit of “Transmedia Producer”.
- Tim Kring, creator of hit television show Heroes, developed Conspiracy for Good in collaboration with Nokia. This was a game that took place across the internet and mobile over four weeks, culminating in a live action event in London and raising money for charity in the real world.
- London-based company Mind Candy ran a puzzle based game called Perplex City, which offered cash prizes to the people who could locate a precious artifact from a fictional city which had apparently been hidden somewhere on earth. The game also involved playing cards which were sold to players, an example of a viable revenue model for this form of storytelling.
- In 2007, renowned industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails sent out a series of interlinked clues which fans followed to reveal supplementary words and images linked to the band’s album and tour.
You’ll notice in these examples that large scale immersive games can take on the quality of stories, whilst straight narratives begin to use game mechanics to keep their audience participative and engaged.
But this is only the start…
If you are a writer, Portal Entertainment is hosting an Immersive Writing Lab in August with a £6k development fund for the writers of tomorrow. The festival aims to help writers explore new forms of storytelling and you can find out more here. Tickets to the Immersive Writing Lab cost a tiny £20 if you book early!
