Sustainable Back Stories

ABOUT BACKSTORIESbuilding sustainable story franchises

Marcus John Henry Brown

www.marcusjohnhenrybrown.com

5 Reasons for a backstoryThere are five main reasons for creating a backstory for characters and stories. Although these reasons are business driven they ensure that the overall story remains interesting for audiences.

Increase revenues

Money

Increase breadth of story

scalability

Increase audience engagement

Engagement

Increase length of audience engagementduration

Make it easier to plan and adapt the storyplanning

Why a backstory mattersThe very first Star Wars film featured a character called Darth Vader. He was the villain of the story and at the end of the film is defeated by the good guys.

$775,398,007Worldwide box office revenues

Had George Lucas not written extensive backstories for all of the Star Wars characters the story would have stopped at the first film. Darth Vader would have had no where to go.

Source: Forbes, Lucasfilms - Research Date: 1.1.2014

Star Wars Episode IV:A New Hope

thebackstory

Why a backstory mattersDriving additional revenues by extending the story

$775,398,007


$538,375,067

Star Wars Episode v:The Empire Strikes back

$475,106,177

Star Wars Episode v1:return of the jedi

Additional Box Office revenues created by extending the Star Wars Story.


George Lucas had written an extensive backstory though. Between 1977 and 1983 used it to create three amazing films.

Why a backstory mattersDriving additional revenues by revealing the backstory

$775,398,007


$538,375,067

Star Wars Episode v:The Empire Strikes back

$475,106,177

Star Wars Episode v1:return of the jedi

Additional Box-Office revenues created by filming the backstory.

$924,317,558

Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menance

$649,398,328

Star Wars Episode II:Attack of the clones

$848,754,768

Star Wars Episode III:revenge of the sith


So extensive was the Star Wars story universe that, between 1999 and 2005, Lucas Film went on to create an additional set of three films that focused completely on the backstory - answering questions such as: who was Darth Vader, where did he come from and how to he become evil? They weren’t as amazing as the first three films.

Why a backstory mattersDriving additional revenues by creating brand extensions

Star Wars Episode II:Attack of the clones

Star Wars Episode III:revenge of the sith

STAR WARSTHE CLONE WARS

The backstory made it possible to extend the Star Wars brand into other areas, such as animated films for television and computer games.

BrandExtensions

2002 20052008

$68,282,844

Why a backstory matters

An audience always wants to know why things happen and why certain characters do certain things. When Star Wars was released in 1977 nobody knew how important Darth Vader was to the story and finding out why he was so important, was a key factor in the franchise’s success – that and LIGHTSABERS.

$4,277,000,000OVERALL Worldwide box office revenues

The backstory feeds audience curiosity


Why a backstory mattersBox Office $4,277,000,000

DVD: $3,775,000,000

Video game: $2,900,000,000BOOKs: $1,820,000,000other: $1,304,000,000TOYS: $12,000,000,000$27,000,000,000

Total Star wars franchise revenues


The backstory becomes a story franchise

The success of Star Wars lies in its rich backstory with hundreds of interconnected characters, all of which have their own story to tell which then, in turn, become part of the story franchise.

Story franchise

Brands with backstories

172 MillionTotal Pokémon Units sold*

Nintendo’s Pokémon Franchise has a total of 719 characters, each with their own set of characteristics, skills and backstories.

719 Characters

*August 2013

Backstories with meaning

A complex & emotional charged backstory

mythology

The Poppy as a symbol of blood, loss and resurrectionSymbol

sympathy bonds

application

A final emotional discharge. Church.

climax

How the poppy appeal works

Every autumn, the commonwealth states remember their fallen soldiers. Small paper poppies are sold, without a fixed price, and the money collected goes to support charities that look after elderly, disabled or injured servicemen and women.


In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae1915

In Flanders Fields

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hennasabel/4761642512

Remembrance day & the poppy appeal – The mythology

Backstories with meaningRemembrance day & the poppy appeal – The mythology

16 Million deaths20 million casualties

1914 – 1918 – 1st world war

11th November at 11:00 hrs.

11.11.11Armistice Day

15th May 1915

The funeral of Alexis Helmer

Backstories with meaningRemembrance day & the poppy appeal – The Symbol

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/flintfamilyphotos/14299477616

Backstories with meaningRemembrance day & the poppy appeal – The Symbol

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullikespics/3019811681


Source: Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

350.000 volunteers

40 million poppies made

100.000 wreaths

750.000 Crosses

Remembrance day & the poppy appeal – The application

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/howardlake/5123632604




Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tadekk/2228754127


Image source: poppyscotland.org.uk

£34,000,000Total collected 2013



Backstories with meaningRemembrance day & the poppy appeal – The application

You see them everywhere. The queen wears one, the princes, the prime minister, pop stars, weather presenters, your teachers and your neighbour.

Poppy pressure

Pressure campaign


Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defenceimages/8315146504

11.11.11They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,We will remember them.Ode to the fallen - Laurence Binyon

Remembrance day & the poppy appeal – CLIMAX

One minute of complete silence – throughout the country


Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defenceimages/5198189316

Remembrance day & the poppy appeal – CLIMAX

Marcus john henry brownManaging director – creative director

The backstory made it possible to extend the Star Wars brand into other areas, such as animated films for television and computer games.

Contact detailsMarcus John Henry Brown UG (haftungsbeschränkt)Jahnstrasse 34c80469 München

Email: [email protected]

Telephone:+49 (0)89 2351 3330

Skype:Marcus.J.H.Brown

Twitter:@MarcusJHBrownwww.marcusjohnhenrybrown.com

Sustainable Back Stories

Presentations & Public Speaking

Transcript of Sustainable Back Stories