Following on from part 1 of this post… here’s some more very REAL Transmedia Case Studies.

Game of Thrones – 19 Reinos – Belen Santa-Olalla

“Create a playground and give it to the audience”

Belen Santa-Olalla and the team behind the immersive Game of Thrones experience must have been two-swords-short of a throne to create this HUGE project with such limited time and budget.

Blending Storyworlds – 19 Reinos, portrayed Spain as an extension of Westeros, which allowed real life events, realms and coronations to take place, allowing the team to create a real-world playground for GOT fans.

The level of detail in this Storyworld was something to behold!

At this point, I could go into all kinds of detail about game mechanics and the use of Conducttr groups, triggers and codes, and integrating social media and gameplay with player types; but I simply don’t have the time. It was amazing to say the least and worth checking out.

However there was one extra point that really stood out to me.

Be Prepared – The unpredictability of the audience; and how their actions affected the overall story arc. A traitorous outlaw who was dues to die within the Storyworld was actually declared a free man by the online players/ kings of the their realms, and soon was welcome among every realm in Madrid. The character survived due to popular demand.

Check out the awesome Trailer here: http://vimeo.com/101625825 (subtitles may be needed)

And be sure to read at this short case study from Tstoryteller too.

After a quick London lunch, I was transformed from mere audience member into EEG guinea pig… No, seriously.

Syncself 2.0 – Karen Palmer

“Focus or Fail.”

Syncself 2.0, which uses wearable EEG tech to monitor focus levels, allows the audience to overcome a series of Parkour/Free Running challenges in an immersive film-like game, by focusing on the outcome.

There is only one phase for this experience (and it was said often).

“SUPER COOL!”

I was also asked to be subject for the demo. No Pressure.

Apparently I have the focus level of an ADD 10-year-old as I only made it passed 1 level, before my character wimped out on a wall jump and went home…

But the experience was still awesome.

The Future? – What stood out me, was the sheer possibilities that this tech holds, the ability to monitor the focus levels of the viewing public would be ace for R&D. Or what about completely integrating it into a Virtual Reality? This is one to watch for sure!

Story First – Karen proudly pointed out”

“It’s important not to be seduced by the technology but to keep your story and concept at the centre & let the tech follow”

This is something we all need to remember in storytelling.

But first I want to beat level 2.

Check it out here: http://theblog.syncself.co.uk/

Projects for Two Screens – Keith Johnson

 “We’re part of the Harmony Game Now”

Audio watermarking has been a key interest for me in the past few months to it was great to hear Keith talk. His problem is a frustratingly fascinating one.

Broadcasters – There seems to be constant contention between Sync Screen and broadcasters who want to incorporate an innovative second screen experience with their traditional broadcasts, however seem to be completely unwilling to draw attention away from the programme on screen.

It was an interesting dilemma and one that has yet to wield a definitive solution.

You can find a link to Keith’s company site here: http://syncscreen.tv/

I should point out here, that due to conflicting schedules between speakers and the private Storyworld Surgery sessions Bellyfeel were delivering in the afternoon, I was unable to see everyone speak…

There were some great speakers lined up but I only caught this one…

Engaging Across Platforms – Elizabeth Evans

Elizabeth raised some great points on the subject of audience engagement, utilizing the App created for the X-Factor. She broke down audience engagement in the following ways.

Types: Types of engagement included, Interaction, sharing and Viewing, does the audience use the app to follow a certain performer, or share their opinions or just to vote.

Form: Emotional engagement, is the audience angry or pleased after an elimination (expressed by pressing a thumbs up or down button on the app)  

Value: The audience is paying attention, spending time in the storyworld and most important Consuming a product.

Audience engagement is a vital part of any interactive Transmedia product, and understating these Types, Forms and Values is crucial in achieving it.

You can find out more about Elizabeth and her work, including her recent publications here: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cfm/staff/elizabeth.evans

Wrap it up

Finally I shall leave you with excellent words from Robert Pratten in his closing summary about applying Transmedia Storytelling into real life scenarios.

“I hear and I forget.  I see and I remember. I do and I Understand”

Interactive is at the heart of innovative media, and we are only scratching the surface of what we can achieve with Transmedia/ Storyworlds.

It was a great day, and I’m looking forward to it again next year.

The next part wasn’t so fun. Another 4-hour journey back to Manchester…

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