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Story in the Context of Transmedia


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Joel Blom presents insights about Story structure and applications in the context of Transmedia projects and ideas.

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Story in the Context of Transmedia

  1. 1. Story in the Context of Transmedia Projects by Joel Blom Story Advisor 4 Sept. 2013 – Colab Zurich Transmedia Zurich Presents: ⎪
  2. 2. Story and Transmedia Roots of Story Story Structure Application for Transmedia Story Time
  3. 3. Why stories? Roots Why Story Matters Stories have a practical application in building and advancing society. Co-operation requires learning and stories taught primitive mankind how to co-operate to survive and thrive. Civilization is really nothing more than co-operation in the extreme
  4. 4. Why did these primitive humans tell stories? Roots Why Story Matters Stories have a practical application: to perpetuate society. They’re used as teaching and learning and memory tools
  5. 5. Two components of Story; but we cannot do Emotional and Analytical learning at the same time … except when …. Roots Why Story Matters we absorb a STORY Emotionally, the protagonist takes us on journey … pain, joy, danger, rewards But we’re safe in the megaplex, or behind our Kindle, analyzing what’s going on with the hero or characters … what happened before … what happens after …
  6. 6. Why is a Story so powerful? What makes a Story resonate in our minds? Roots Why Story Matters
  7. 7. Roots Why Story Matters Freud’s model of human psyche • id (instinctual) • super-ego (society’s norms) • ego (Latin for “I”) ID Super EGO EGO Internalized parent You! Unconscious “child” Conflict MIND Personal decisions are the result of the conflict between id and super-ego. Ego is uniquely you, and changes over time as one develops. Your true character is revealed through the actions you take in response to your internal id/super ego conflict.
  8. 8. Roots Why Story Matters Story “psyche” ANTAGONIST (ID) PROTAGONIST (Super EGO) STOR Y Good Guy The true character of protagonist and antagonist, revealed Bad Guy Conflict Story comes from conflict between “doing good” for society (super-ego) and “forces of antagonism” (id instinct) The true character of protagonist and antagonist, revealed through the actions they take in response to the conflict between them. Story: the path of the protagonist and antagonist are in direct opposition. In conflict from the start, the journey through the conflict is the Story: actions revealed through protagonists response to conflict -> leading to resolution of conflict and life’s lessons learned.
  9. 9. Stories resonate when, directly or via metaphor, deal with a common conflict we all face Roots Why Story Matters
  10. 10. What does this journey look like to a writer or storyteller? Roots Why Story Matters Maslow’s 1954, “Motivation and Personality” Different stages along a human’s journey to personal fulfillment
  11. 11. The journey from id to self-actualization is long and tortuous – there are no shortcuts Roots Why Story Matters
  12. 12. Structure Story is in the subtext Structure of Story
  13. 13. Structure Story Structure Template thanks to Mrs. Munson, my 9th grade English teacher (and Joseph Campbell) of Story C --> Context (character, time, place) A --> Action (forces of opposition, conflict) R --> Result (explains the lesson learned and links back to the purpose of the story - what has changed?) S --> Subject T --> Treasure O --> Obstacles and Opposition R --> Return Y --> whY (why this story matters, communicates your story’s call to action)
  14. 14. Structure Narrative’s 3 crucial elements and their delivery mechanisms of Story Deliverable Element Delivery Mechanism Structured narrative (the telling) Choice of events, order and words to describe Character development Action through conflict, leading at least one participant in the story to change – and learn life lesson(s) Subtext: the underlying story Knowledge gaps, leaving space for audience projection and interpretation
  15. 15. Structure Subtext (underlying story): of Story
  16. 16. Structure Subtext: 10 Types of knowledge gap A knowledge gap, jointly held by the story participants, gives the events implicit story power of Story
  17. 17. Structure Subtext: 10 Types of knowledge gap A knowledge gaps gives events implicit story power of Story 1. questions 2. dialog 3. action 4. promise 5. subplot 6. subterfuge 7. implication and suggestion 8. misinterpretation 9. subconscious aims 10. metaphor Credit to David Baboulene, “The Story Book”
  18. 18. Structure Knowledge gap for Transmedia of Story Knowledge gaps of a story are the logical “exits” and “on ramps” for a story to Transpose across medias. Knowledge gaps give transmedia story participants (audience, author, characters) alternative outlets for their story projections.
  19. 19. Story Structure and Transmedia Story Application for Transmedia How do you define Transmedia? Joel Blom: “Transmedia is telling Stories across multiple media platforms where Story elements are strategically dispersed, each making a contribution to S. T. O. R. Y.
  20. 20. Story Application for Transmedia An on-line distributed story template Image credit, Gary Hanes, 2008
  21. 21. Developing Transmedia Stories Story Application for Transmedia Start with a Good Story ● Focus on telling a good story for your defined audience and intended purpose. ● A good Transmedia Story is like all good stories, engaging and interactive – but it also encourages audience participation in helping to shape the story.
  22. 22. Good Stories and Transmedia Story Application for Transmedia “Young people do not simply consume transmedia narratives; rather, transmedia encourages playful participation.” Henry Jenkins
  23. 23. Developing Transmedia Stories Story Application for Transmedia Consider how each platform and their participants will engage with the Story, e.g. blogs or videos or movie theatres, comics or Kindle texts; How each will explore one or more of the Story’s main structural elements (Subject ● Treasure ● Obstacles ● Return ● wHy) or its underlying story, the subtext
  24. 24. Distributing Transmedia Stories Story Application for Transmedia
  25. 25. Developing Transmedia Stories Story Application for Transmedia How will you end the Story? ● The Hero must return – changed – and tell others about what he has learned. ● The path to self-awareness is torturous – setbacks and defeats are inevitable. ● The end as the beginning – non-linear experiences and the “Never-ending Story” (”… this is another story and shall be told another time”)
  26. 26. How will you end the Story? Story Application for Transmedia
  27. 27. What’s your favorite Story ? Story Time
  28. 28. 5 Steps to writing and developing a story for Transmedia ● know Story structure ● know your Story’s purpose ● know your audience ● know your medium(s) ● write your Story* * and rewrite it, and re . . . Story Take-away
  29. 29. Story Take-away What happens next? Let’s connect and find out ⎪ ⎪
  30. 30. Story THE END Thank you CoLab, Liz, Mark and all of tonight’s Story Participants Stay tuned for the next Transmedia Zurich event because your story matters⎪ ⎪