The Fifth Space is where live events take place in the physical world, away from the computer (all four screens). It is the cinema, the theatre, the stadium, the muddy field, the street. It is a place where people with a similiar interest congregate.

Following on from my previous post, The Five Space Strategy, here I dig deeper into what we mean by the Fifth Space…

Isolation

When we use a computer we are in a singular engagement with the machine; we become isolated, even in public places like trains and cafes. The irony is that whilst we are cut-off from physical human contact, we are in fact more in touch with one another than ever before through instant messaging, text messaging, mobile phones, and social media. But we are more physically alone than ever; the computer makes digital contact but we still need more than that. We need and enjoy physical social interface with like-minded beings.

[note color=”#ffffd6″]So despite all the gadgets and technology we will always crave the experience of human assembly, being with other human beings, sharing the same experience as a crowd. It is in our DNA.[/note]

Go Live!

Live music is an example of the Fifth Space in action. The music business was turned upside-down by legal and illegal downloading of music. CD sales are down year after year but it is live music that is booming. Take the Stone Roses reunion gigs at Heaton Park last month; 250,000 people at £55 a ticket = £££. People have a strong desire to see live music performed by the bands they love. It’s the same with stories.

Secret Cinema are great exponents of the live event. They have a growing online community who share a passion for the cinema experience. They use live events to create an experience around their screenings and keep them in context with the film title. For example, flash mobs, strange archaelogical digs and psychological training events were all part of the build-up to the screening of Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus‘. Over 30,000 people were expected to visit Secret Cinema’s June run in London.

Bellyfeel Events

For Bellyfeel, live events are an important part of transmedia storytelling. They give crowds a shared experience and help to reinforce the on-line storyworld community. They give the storyworld a real life presence and create an ‘I was there’ badge of honour amongst the fan community.

Next time I will describe the live events we held for our transmedia thriller pilot, ‘The Alexander Wilson Project‘.