Filmmakers Notebook /

One of the words that comes up with increasing frequency in the world of indie filmmaking, television and other forms of entertainment is transmedia. For some, it seems like a viable option for audience building and extending the reach of a project, while others seem reluctant to take that leap and try including it. Because of these opposing points of view, I was particularly curious to see how the speakers on the “Transmedia: Telling the Story Through Narrative Content, Games and Real-World Adventures” panel at NAB in Las Vegas on April 11th would address the subject matter. Moderator by Henry Jenkins, who coined the term transmedia and is a professor of communication, journalism and cinematic arts at USC was joined on the dais by Danny Bilson, EVP at Core Games, THQ; Jeff Gomez, transmedia producer and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment; Gale Anne Hurd, producer (“The Walking Dead,” “The Terminator,” “Aliens”); Tim Kring, multiplatform storyteller (“Conspiracy for Good,” “Heroes”) and Kim Moses, executive producer/director/writer, Sander/Moses Productions/Slam (“Ghost Whisperer”).

Jenkins, who is also the author of the award winning book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, started the conversation by giving the audience a definition or starting point of what transmedia is – a process by which narrative information is systematically dispersed across media channels. He added that each media makes its unique contribution and many channels can be used to tell a story. It is different than simply franchising or branding because in transmedia each of the elements is used to add something vital and it is a tool that can be used by the new generation of storytellers to expand their canvas. Another fact commented upon was the announcement by the Producers Guild of America that they had added the new job classification transmedia producer, another indication that this form of media is here to stay.

Jeff Gomez spoke next about the need to help clients understand transmedia and how it can be used to maximize and monitize intellectual properties. He explained that the most common application for it is to help sell products. “If you like the story you might buy from one media to the next,” he said adding that this is not the most brilliant application of it and that it is capable of other remarkable things. “It is going to afford producers and people who create intellectual property a fantastic degree of intellectual control,” he asserted. New models are being developed allowing for new methods of artistic expression. “You need to exert your creative and business influence over these platforms – take equity in these products,” he state then cotinued, “You are now envisioning stories that dovetail and flow across these media channels.” This robust story world will create opportunities for partnerships and deeper investments lending itself to crossovers in industries such as publishing and music.

According to Gomez , transmedia has also been responsible for changes in the law. In Canada, for example, in order to be government financed filmmakers and television producers must take other platforms into consideration and in Brazil co-production deals are being negotiated with the United States. This will lead to different types of contracts and the possibility for more income to be made by transmedia producers indicating that something real and tangible is happening in this space. Jeff believes that we will see masters emerging on the scene with a rare combination of talent and skills who will be the new rock stars in creating these types of projects. He pointed to Sean Daly’s interest at Disney, Nickelodeon creating new media strategies and Televisa adding a transmedia division as examples. He believes that these new applications will capture younger people who have left traditional media, and bring them back using this new superstructure.

Kim Moses gained first hand experience building up audiences for “Ghost Whisperer” by using the show as a cornerstone and creating a strategic model around it that she referred to as an infinity loop. This format drove fans from one part of the model to another, giving them experiences on a host of different platforms including mobile phones, publishing, social outreach, merchandise and gaming. She explained that women are more avid followers of dramatic television and in recent years viewing trends have been dropping. Surprisingly enough now the average gamer is actually a 43 year old woman and the numbers being lost on network television are being gained on the internet. In its 5th season “Ghost Whisperer” launched transmedia storytelling by sending out birth notices about Melinda’s son. Viewers had info about the baby sent to them via their mobile applications and on the internet and were able to see him before his debut on the show. This arc was used as a springboard for telling stories on various platforms offering the audience a total engagement experience.

One of the newer television shows that has benefitted from making the leap from the comic book arena to television is AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and producer Gale Anne Hurd told us that genre fans are already familiar with transmedia, which made it both easier and more challenging. “Those fans are the most demanding. They feel an enormous connection to the material the way it existed,” she said before adding, “The first thing you have to respond to is fear.” She said that fans are terrified that when material is adapted to a new media it’s no longer going to be true to the original and that her team has tried to involve the creators as a way of dealing with this. “In this case Robert Kirkman was eager to come on board as a writer,” she finished. Although Kirkman lacked experience as a television scribe, his presence reassured the fans showing them that not only was he okay with the show airing on AMC, but that there was a synergy between his vision and the support of the network.

Another critical factor with “The Walking Dead” was choosing the best time to make announcements about the show and it was decided that the two weeks leading up to the AMC Halloween Fear Fest featuring horror and Sci-Fi films was the perfect way to market it. That led to the question of where to show the first imagery. “It was a no brainer that we would launch at Comic-Con,” Gale shared. They showed a clip that was true to the comic book, but also demonstrated how the show was going to be different and they also set up a web site early on. They wanted the fans to know how the adaptation was going to proceed from the comic book to the screen. Noting the strong fan base and loyalty to the graphic novel, Gale said, “It’s not the Walking Dead Lite or another version of the Walking Dead, but you can enjoy them separately.

More from the Transmedia Panel coming in Part 2 later this week.