Recently in storytelling Category
One of the most commonly stated reasons that Australian viewers don't engage with new television programs is the difficulty they sometimes face in staying with the show as networks switch the days and times that the show is on, show's disapear for sports, and sometimes just plain disapear (Yes, I am looking at you, Channel Nine).
More often than not, we figure I'll wait for it to rerun of Foxtel, or binge view on DVD.
ADVERTISING AGE report that CBS in USA is taking a new approach with their new show, 'Harper's Island'. The audience has been told two things about this show, every episode someone will die, and it will run for just 13 episodes. The show is not just a traditional TV presentation either, it also has a strong online component.
It kind of makes sense, in our busy modern lives we all have to plan more, schedule more, have busier lives. Maybe in the future the TV schedule will not need to cover the next 7 days but the next quarter. Foxtel publishes their TV guide monthly, should free-to-air be aiming for the same. Viewer loyalty built through reliable and dependable programming.
But is this all that new, is Australian ahead of the game for once, 'Sea Patrol', 'Underbelly', 'City Homicide' and 'The Circuit' are all short run series and Australian audiences are responding well to these. The days of shows that run for 40 weeks of the year are definately on the way out.
Channel Nine this week are showing the Oscars at 9:30pm on Monday, after all with over 2.5 million viewers last week and some additional publicity courtesy of the Australian Family Association, that's a viewership you don't want to rock the boat with.
Additional digital channels also provide networks with an opportunity to improve programming, while not disgruntelling viewers, unsuccessful shopws could move down onto secondary channels, while popular shows could move up to the primary channel.
Shorter series allow for more creative storytelling and more engaging productions, a great example of this is any comparision between a British show, which can be as low as 6 episodes, and the same show be remade in the USA, where the concept might be pulled out to as many as 22 episodes. Take a look at 'Queer as Folk' for an example.
That's the guarantee I want from my broadcaster, if you begin watching this show, it'll be played all the way through.
More often than not, we figure I'll wait for it to rerun of Foxtel, or binge view on DVD.
ADVERTISING AGE report that CBS in USA is taking a new approach with their new show, 'Harper's Island'. The audience has been told two things about this show, every episode someone will die, and it will run for just 13 episodes. The show is not just a traditional TV presentation either, it also has a strong online component.
It kind of makes sense, in our busy modern lives we all have to plan more, schedule more, have busier lives. Maybe in the future the TV schedule will not need to cover the next 7 days but the next quarter. Foxtel publishes their TV guide monthly, should free-to-air be aiming for the same. Viewer loyalty built through reliable and dependable programming.
But is this all that new, is Australian ahead of the game for once, 'Sea Patrol', 'Underbelly', 'City Homicide' and 'The Circuit' are all short run series and Australian audiences are responding well to these. The days of shows that run for 40 weeks of the year are definately on the way out.
Channel Nine this week are showing the Oscars at 9:30pm on Monday, after all with over 2.5 million viewers last week and some additional publicity courtesy of the Australian Family Association, that's a viewership you don't want to rock the boat with.
Additional digital channels also provide networks with an opportunity to improve programming, while not disgruntelling viewers, unsuccessful shopws could move down onto secondary channels, while popular shows could move up to the primary channel.
Shorter series allow for more creative storytelling and more engaging productions, a great example of this is any comparision between a British show, which can be as low as 6 episodes, and the same show be remade in the USA, where the concept might be pulled out to as many as 22 episodes. Take a look at 'Queer as Folk' for an example.
That's the guarantee I want from my broadcaster, if you begin watching this show, it'll be played all the way through.
The Independent Television Service in San Francisco has just released a new report which looked into new ways of creating distributing and promoting films. The report focuses on 10 case studies, and it's well worth a look. The focus is on social filmmakers, but not strictly documentary.
They also highlight the Top 5 stategies in each area. I particularly like the sugggestion that you could make an international film by collaborating with other idependent filmmakers in other countries.
Source: CinemaTech
They also highlight the Top 5 stategies in each area. I particularly like the sugggestion that you could make an international film by collaborating with other idependent filmmakers in other countries.
Source: CinemaTech
We love the way TV show 'LOST' uses additional material on the internet to
extend the viewing experience. Now in the USA in advance of Season 4 begining
people have started spotting billboards for the fictional
Oceanic Airlines. Providing viewers with yet another mystery to unravel.
The billboards aren't everywhere though, just in towns and cities that have been included in the shows spralling and complexly interlinked flashback sequences.
The billboards aren't everywhere though, just in towns and cities that have been included in the shows spralling and complexly interlinked flashback sequences.
I've noticed a few articles in the last week about the growing us of comic books in business scenarios.
At ADVERTISING AGE there is an article about US business switching on to comics as a place to place advertisements.
Meanwhile at SEND 2 PRESS they discuss the prevelance of manga in Japan and how it has been used for everything from HR Manuals to corporate communication strategies.
ADVERTISING AGE also points out the comics can be xmedia'd into a video format quite easily, a bit like those dodgy old Spderman cartoons.
The real base skills here however is effective storytelling, and the ability to visualise complex material and challenges.
At ADVERTISING AGE there is an article about US business switching on to comics as a place to place advertisements.
Meanwhile at SEND 2 PRESS they discuss the prevelance of manga in Japan and how it has been used for everything from HR Manuals to corporate communication strategies.
ADVERTISING AGE also points out the comics can be xmedia'd into a video format quite easily, a bit like those dodgy old Spderman cartoons.
The real base skills here however is effective storytelling, and the ability to visualise complex material and challenges.
I posted the other day about the interactive photography project 'The Whale Hunt', over at Buzz Machine Jeff Jarvis has a more indepth report about Jonathan Harris and his project.
It's a questions that has been asked many times, a few weeks ago we highlighted the discussion that occurred at FTI on this topic when Christy Dena presented her seminar on Filmmaking in the Cross Platform World. In a recent article by Paul Arendt in THE GUARDIAN has sparked some debate on both their site and the ARTICULATE site here in Australia.
The introduction of directors commentries as a special feature on DVD's has provided a generation of new filmmakers with the best mentors available. From my local DVD store I can get hours of advice with Ridley Scott, Robert Zemekis and Bernardo Bertolucci.
Increasingly though more of the fimmaking process is becoming part of the product, storyboards are made available, design sketches are realsed as books and the shooting script can be bought as well, behind the scenes footage is now standard.
Increasingly the filmmaking process is revealing more and more of what goes on behind the scenes and subsiduary work product is now becoming part of the main event.
Yesterday we posted about the new film '10mph' and how it's using the Radiohead model of distribution and payment. Did you notice the film also has a manual on how you yourself can make a film using their methodology. Similarily the film 'Four Eyed Monsters' lists on it's website all the equipment used to make the film.
The team behind '10mph' have already begun planning their next project, a new film called '10 Yards' which focusses on Fantasy Football, you can visit it's site and by a t-shirt for the film to help them get the film made and listen to podcasts about the films development. This example is pulling the curtain back a little further than the directors commentarries and behind the scenes, giving the audience exposure into the worlds of development and preproduction.
The next step is a logical one, we will be asking the audience to give us the ideas for the film.
Join the Forum Discussion
Which DVD's have the Best Directors Commentaries?
Increasingly though more of the fimmaking process is becoming part of the product, storyboards are made available, design sketches are realsed as books and the shooting script can be bought as well, behind the scenes footage is now standard.
Increasingly the filmmaking process is revealing more and more of what goes on behind the scenes and subsiduary work product is now becoming part of the main event.
Yesterday we posted about the new film '10mph' and how it's using the Radiohead model of distribution and payment. Did you notice the film also has a manual on how you yourself can make a film using their methodology. Similarily the film 'Four Eyed Monsters' lists on it's website all the equipment used to make the film.
The team behind '10mph' have already begun planning their next project, a new film called '10 Yards' which focusses on Fantasy Football, you can visit it's site and by a t-shirt for the film to help them get the film made and listen to podcasts about the films development. This example is pulling the curtain back a little further than the directors commentarries and behind the scenes, giving the audience exposure into the worlds of development and preproduction.
The next step is a logical one, we will be asking the audience to give us the ideas for the film.
Join the Forum Discussion
Which DVD's have the Best Directors Commentaries?
Check out this great video about Viewer Habbits or this one about independent filmmaking, or this one about being a student in 2007.
Take a look at Fan Trust, a consultancy company that work with content producers to help them make products that will appeal to fans and allow producers to make the most out of fan relationships. This is interesting because it would make sense that the core fans of a show are the ones that probably provide the most word of mouth advertising and promotion for a new venture.
Their blog is full of interesting reports, hey, they're even talking about us.
When Christy Dena visited FTI last month part of her great presentation focussed on how traditionally games were off-shoots of films, created by 3rd parties usually as part of a marketing strategy. Now creatives are involved in many different platforms in the making of one creative venture, a Director may also be involved in the comic, the computer game, the toys, it's no longer an off-shoot of a marketing strategy, it is the main game.
Films are also no longer the 'hero' medium, a comic can become a television show, and then a film or a film can continue it's story on though websites, and in many cases a game can morph into a film project. Christy hightlighted several games that have become films such as 'Tomb Raider', 'Doom', 'Resident Evil' and so on. We pondered why some were a success and others not.
I think the reason Tomb Raider is a success is that we bond with it's character Lara Croft, we contol her, we care about her, we went through a huge adventure together and there is that amazing opening sequence in 'Tomb Raider' when we are introduced to Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, she looks and moves exactly like the game character, the camera moves exactly like the game view. It's a very clever visual link.
'Doom' on the other hand doesn't have a character, it's a first person game. It has an arm. I didn't bond with the arm in 'Doom'. I was the arm. I tackled all those monsters and found my way through the maze. The problem with the 'Doom' movie is, I'm not in it.
This is not a flawless theory though, because 'Super Mario Bros' was a terrible movie.
Their blog is full of interesting reports, hey, they're even talking about us.
When Christy Dena visited FTI last month part of her great presentation focussed on how traditionally games were off-shoots of films, created by 3rd parties usually as part of a marketing strategy. Now creatives are involved in many different platforms in the making of one creative venture, a Director may also be involved in the comic, the computer game, the toys, it's no longer an off-shoot of a marketing strategy, it is the main game.
Films are also no longer the 'hero' medium, a comic can become a television show, and then a film or a film can continue it's story on though websites, and in many cases a game can morph into a film project. Christy hightlighted several games that have become films such as 'Tomb Raider', 'Doom', 'Resident Evil' and so on. We pondered why some were a success and others not.
I think the reason Tomb Raider is a success is that we bond with it's character Lara Croft, we contol her, we care about her, we went through a huge adventure together and there is that amazing opening sequence in 'Tomb Raider' when we are introduced to Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, she looks and moves exactly like the game character, the camera moves exactly like the game view. It's a very clever visual link.
'Doom' on the other hand doesn't have a character, it's a first person game. It has an arm. I didn't bond with the arm in 'Doom'. I was the arm. I tackled all those monsters and found my way through the maze. The problem with the 'Doom' movie is, I'm not in it.
This is not a flawless theory though, because 'Super Mario Bros' was a terrible movie.
This was noticed a few weeks ago, but in case you missed it. It has
been discovered that there is a secret simulator in Google Earth.
Press the right combination of keys and you'll be able to fly a plane
around. All the details are here.
This got me thinking about Easter Eggs, which are becoming common on DVD's, in computer games and their cousin the hidden track on music compact discs.
Then I thought about 'Blink' recent episode of the BBC series 'Dr Who' where a girl is recieving messages from the Doctor, who is trapped in the past, she gets some of the messages through 'Easter Eggs' in DVD's. It's a brilliantly written episode, penned by Stephen Moffat. If the BBC are smart when they release the DVD they will include the footage from the stories 'Easter Egg' as an actual 'Easter Egg' on their own release.
We seeing more stories being told over multiple platforms, through viral marketing and secret websites. The techniques used by Nine Inch Nails 'Year Zero', and the series 'Heroes' and 'Lost' are becoming more common.
It strikes me that to date 'Easter Eggs' secret hiding spaces build into hardware or software have not been utilised directly in a storytelling methodology. Sure - we've found cool things in 'Easter Eggs' but I can't think of an example where the story has been woven directly through. I think the hidden story will become a growing feature in the future and in a niche orientated market - something that is secret is going to be way cooler than something that is mass consumed. I'm not thinking of something that is added on to a TV series or rockband, I'm thinking of a story that is secret enitrely. (At least in it's begining until everyone finds it, through some clues and prompting?
This got me thinking about Easter Eggs, which are becoming common on DVD's, in computer games and their cousin the hidden track on music compact discs.
Then I thought about 'Blink' recent episode of the BBC series 'Dr Who' where a girl is recieving messages from the Doctor, who is trapped in the past, she gets some of the messages through 'Easter Eggs' in DVD's. It's a brilliantly written episode, penned by Stephen Moffat. If the BBC are smart when they release the DVD they will include the footage from the stories 'Easter Egg' as an actual 'Easter Egg' on their own release.
We seeing more stories being told over multiple platforms, through viral marketing and secret websites. The techniques used by Nine Inch Nails 'Year Zero', and the series 'Heroes' and 'Lost' are becoming more common.
It strikes me that to date 'Easter Eggs' secret hiding spaces build into hardware or software have not been utilised directly in a storytelling methodology. Sure - we've found cool things in 'Easter Eggs' but I can't think of an example where the story has been woven directly through. I think the hidden story will become a growing feature in the future and in a niche orientated market - something that is secret is going to be way cooler than something that is mass consumed. I'm not thinking of something that is added on to a TV series or rockband, I'm thinking of a story that is secret enitrely. (At least in it's begining until everyone finds it, through some clues and prompting?
