Cross-Media Narrative

Christy Dena

LAMP Residential

Adelaide, 2005

Cross-Media Continuum

Convergence

Adaptation

Enhanced TV Transmedia

Transfiction

Locative Arts

Telematic Arts

ARGs

Aboriginal People of Australia

Shifts

Solo work…Multiple components

Single medium…Multiple platforms

Single point-in-time…Episodic

Scheduled viewing…On-demand & real-time

Static…Dynamic

Single author…Multiple authors

Final publication…Pre & post publication

source

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Crossing Media

How the property is experienced acrossmedia: Sequential

Simultaneous

Spiral

Sequential

Sequential > Example

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Third Season

Simultaneous

Simultaneous Media Usage

Concurrent Media Exposure

Multi-Media Multi-Tasking

Simultaneous Media Usage

MediaMeshing

Simultaneous > Some Stats

30 percent of all media time is spent exposed to more than one medium at atime;

Can fit up to 44 hours of activities in just one day;

Women spend more time multitasking with two or more types of media thanmen;

Newspapers best companion for television watchers;

For those online whilst watching TV: they prefer documentaries in thebackground;

Traditional media are often pushed to "background" status in the "media-meshing" hierarchy…

Simultaneous > Example

• Information for fans about the format of the televisionprogram• The opportunity to register online to take the test“live”1 as the show goes to air or pay to play ($2.95)2after the show has been telecast• Daily online brain teasers – supplied by MENSA• A mental gym – mini online tests to get you in trainingfor the National IQ Test 2002• Weekly votes and quizzes• National IQ test results from around the world

Test Australia:The National IQ Test 2003

Simultaneous > Example

Backyard Blitz, 2005

Simultaneous > Example

Disney and Pixar (2004) AmazingAdventures: Movie Theatre Storybook and

Move Projector

Spiral

Spiral > Example

The Villager Girl andthe Teenbot

Spiral > Example

Nightmare

Narrative Toolkit

Follow onDiff POV

SecondaryCharacter

Sub-plot

Backstory

Possible Worlds

Detail

Meta

Tools > Diff POV

Same scene with differentPOV: Camera

(eg: Punch-Drunk Love &“Blossoms & Blood”)

Character(eg: The Incredibles & Jack-Jack Attacks!)

Tools > Possible Worlds

Quantum PhysicsPhysicistHugh Everett:when aquantummeasurementis performed,every possibleoutcome willactualise.

Tools > Possible Worlds

Each time there is a decisionmade in your story, the inverseis possible;

Each time a character asserts apersonality trait, the inverse ispossible.

Media Meshing

constant search forcomplementaryinformation, differentperspectives, and evenemotional fulfillment

Multi-storiedNarrative Therapy co-founder Micheal White,

Dulwich Centre:

‘I think in many ways life ismulti-storied but there areoften story lines that contradictthe sort of dominant story lineand I sometimes think aboutthem as the subordinatestories of life. We can play apart in helping people toredevelop these stories of lifeand to elevate them – and theyprovide a foundation forpossibility in life.’

Many stories = Much hope

Tools > Next Plot Point

Tools > Detail

How Niobe’s team cutthe power grid is inEnter the Matrix

The Matrix

Designing a Narrative Universe

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Designing a Narrative Universe

POE

Trigger Point

Pivot Point

Rhythm

POE: Point-Of-Entry

POE

Material

What designerscan control

Eg: First websitevisited

Abstract

What no-one cancontrol

Eg: Assumptions,expectations,experience…

POE > Material

Control POE to manage access to contentaccording to : Age;

Technological capabilities;

Region (language & multiple release);

Timed release of storyworld elements;

Sophistication (gaming abilities);

Trigger Point

Trigger > Physics of World

Behaviour

Setting

People

History

Pivot Point

Rhythm > Universe Level

Frequency (how often you can interact);

Range (how many choices are available);

Timing (when they interact);

Form (what they interact with).

Top Tips for Cross-MediaNarrative Develop publicly: builds audiences, audience investment &

press; Encourage assemblers by reducing repetition: make your trailers,

DVD extras, cross-media instantiations unique; Use ‘spare parts’ (works that already exist); Do you need gate-management of your POE?; Does your property have a trigger point to last the length &

breadth of your property?; Check the back doors to your narrative universe; Does it have a pivot point?; Have you varied the distribution of narrative?; Have you explored alternate paths, back-story, future-story, sub-

plots, secondary characters, settings in different media & artstypes?;

If your audience cannot contribute to your property, then it won’tgrow.

Cross-Media Creator

A cross-media creator is a conductor of anorchestra of media channels & arts types; animagineer, constructing fictional worlds thatcover the planet; a programmer, interpretingconversations between technology andnature; a sorcerer conjuring awesome eventseven they are surprised by; an audiencemember that wanted more, and so made apact with The Creator to change the world.