Interactive Narratives: Creating the future of storytelling (SXSW 2011)

INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES: CREATING THE FUTURE OF STORYTELLING

Interactive Narratives: Creating the Future Of StorytellingSXSW Interactive | March 14, 2011


Developed by: Robert Pratten, TransmediaStoryteller.com

Hashtag:

#ppp


Introduction: Defining and Creating an Interactive Narrative…………..4Andrew Lewellen – Content Strategist, Razorfish

“The Three Little Pigs”: Authoring an iPad App…………………………10Josh Koppel – Founder, ScrollMotion

The Role of Social Media in Interactive Storytelling……………………28Esther Lim - Founder, The Estuary, LLC

Participation: Why, What & How…….……………………………………38Robert Pratten – CEO, Transmedia Storyteller.com

Summary…….………………………………………………………………56

Contents


Introduction: Defining and Creating an Interactive Narrative

Andrew LewellenContent Strategist, Razorfish


What Is An Interactive Narrative?

Developed by: Andrew Lewellen, Razorfish



An Interactive Narrative

• Has an authored core story• This could be a mobile app, a print book, a web site. Or nothing more than a sheet

of paper with a Central Dramatic Question, story arc, plot, and character sketches.







• Has a social narrative• The lives of the characters expand into a shared social space where the audience

can learn more about them and become more engaged with the story.







• Has a social narrative• The lives of the characters expand into a shared social space where the audience

can learn more about them and become more engaged with the story.

• Integrates and encourages audience participation• The plot moves outside of the core story and utilizes a social dialogue to engage

readers with the story and its outcome.




A dynamic story that allows for personalized engagement and narrows the gap between writer and reader.



“The Three Little Pigs” Authoring an iPad App

Josh Koppel Founder, ScrollMotion


Developed by: Josh Koppel, ScrollMotion

The Original Experience



Revising the Story Assets

• Digital book building turns pages into pixels



Step 1: Asset Assessment

Image Characteristics• 18 Jpegs• 450 x 420• Vertical Orientation• Public Domain Content



Step 1: Asset Assessment

Text Characteristics• 18 Pages• One paragraph per page

Audio Characteristics• 18 Individual Files (Page by Page)• MP3 Files



Step 2: Visual Layout



Step 3: Extra Features Encourage Personalized Engagement

• Play Modules• Record Your Own Audio


The Role of Social Media in Interactive Storytelling

Esther LimFounder, The Estuary, LLC



The Role of Social Media in Interactive Storytelling


Developed by: The Estuary, LLC

Social Media is a content layering tool to provide extra content to fans

When used as an alternate narrative platform, Social Media can:

• Enrich the primary story through greater character/scenario details

• Extend the primary story through exploration of additional standalone yet related story universes

• Engage audiences by bringing the fictional world into the real world through social interaction, shared experiences and co-authorship

SummarySocial Media as a narrative/engagement platform


• Use micro blogs like Twitter or Tumblr to capture real time events unfolding and tweet call to actions

• Use social mobile media to drive readers to specific locations for more content discovery

Activate audience participationHow do you use social media as a narrative platform?



• Emotional Connection: Audiences can form “friendships” with the character

• Community Building: Friendships and community forms around shared experiences

• Engagement/Co-Authorship: Opportunity for readers to share ideas about the story that can later be integrated into future story development

Audience Connection and EngagementBenefits of using social media in your narrative



• Story Awareness and Discovery: Bring your story to where people play online

• Content syndication/sharing: Good stories create social cache and are shared across friend/fan networks

• Improves search engine discoverability: More mentions, hyperlinks, tags and discussions drives better search engine visibility

• Audience acquisition: Multiple storytelling platforms create more entry points for entering and engaging with the story and its community of readers

Marketing and PromotionBenefits of using social media in your narrative



1. Understand your audience and how they consume content

2. Design the level of reader participation you want to build

3. Identify the best social media platforms for your story/character

4. Build natural entry points (“rabbit holes”) in the story that lead to alternate supporting narratives

5. Leverage platform features to augment story experience

6. Write the experience for all three tiers of content consumers:

• Passive Consumer

• Occasional Participant/Lurker

• Die Hard Fan

7. Allow enough ramp up time (4-6 weeks) for character integration into a community. Relationships are not built overnight.

How do I know if social media is right for my story?Getting started with social media narrative




[email protected]

www.theestuarysf.com

@geekgrl or @theestuarysf


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.theestuarysfcom


Participation: Why, What & How

Robert PrattenCEO, Transmedia Storyteller.com


Summary

• Leave a door open

• Good stories work with or without interactivity• Build on what you know• Structure for enthusiasm



Why bother with participation?• The business case

– lower costs• marketing is integrated into the product (as it

should be)– increased sales

• social recommendation & spread• empowerment of advocates

– engagement is measurable• The creative case

– audience interaction is thrilling and addictive



How do I do it?• Objective:

– Make it easy– Make it worthwhile, meaningful, fun

• Steps– Sketch the experience you want to create

(consider artistic and commercial scenarios)– Layer your story for different levels of

enthusiasm such that it works for the lazy andrewards the fan



Make it easy



Incentivize participation



Layering your story



Additional content for fans



Content for attraction



Layers united by story



Examples• Lowlifes.tv

– solo participation– QR codes offer additional subplot– email-based (alternative reality) game

• Horror Unlimited short story– play with friends– two-player twitter game

• 3 Interactive Pigs– play in teams– multiplayer interactive storytelling



3 Interactive Pigs• Strong authorship (story is on rails) but…• Audience decides outcome at plot points

– House of Straw, House of Sticks, House of Bricks• Pigs vs Wolf – you decide! • Do the pigs live or die? • Why bother?

– Fun to create and fun to play– Facilitate social play which

• strengthens relationships• raise awareness of other (paid) media

– Reward fans



3 Interactive Pigs in Layers




Call To Action


Layered Engagement



Poking friends

Matchword used to trigger Conducttr - tells @BigBadWolf_2011 to send a tweet to these friends



Summary• Leave a door open

• Good stories work with or without interactivity• Build on what you know• Structure for enthusiasm

• Lower costs• Increased sales



Start writing for audience engagement: www.tstoryteller.com

Robert PrattenCEO TransmediaStoryteller.com@zenfilms or @tstoryteller

http://www.tstoryteller.com/


Summary


Summary


• Has an authored core story.

• Has a social narrative.

• Integrates and encourages audience participation.

• Is a dynamic story that allows for personalized engagement and narrows the gap between writer and reader.



Questions?


Thank You!

Interactive Narratives: Creating the future of storytelling (SXSW 2011)

Business

Transcript of Interactive Narratives: Creating the future of storytelling (SXSW 2011)