Month: July 2010

I’ve been doing and about to do a few things, and so I desperately need to do an update post! And, well, here it is.

Today (tonight) (just now), In Media Res, has published my co-curator contribution for a week-long special called Transmedia Now. If you don’t know about In Media Res, here is the quick low-down:

In Media Res is dedicated to experimenting with collaborative, multi-modal forms of online scholarship. Each weekday, a different scholar curates a [short] video clip/visual image slideshow accompanied by a [short] impressionistic response. We use the title “curator” because, like a curator in a museum, you are repurposing a media object that already exists and providing context through your commentary, which frames the object in a particular way. The clip/comment combination are intended both to introduce the curator’s work to the larger community of scholars (as well as non-academics who frequent the site) and, hopefully, encourage feedback/discussion from that community.

IMR is not just inviting scholars to co-curate, but also practitioners. This transmedia-themed week was organised by Elizabeth Strickler and starts with me; then over to Marc Ruppel (if you’ve read my thesis you know he has been researching this area a long time too); Robert Pratten; Brian Newman; and finishing with Ted Hope. Enjoy the awesomeness of Transmedia Now (and please comment)!

Tomorrow I’ll be presenting on transmedia at Jon Reiss’s Think Outside the Box Office Melbourne workshop for Australian Film, Television and Radio School and the Melb Int Film Festival. Reiss refers to me in his book of the same title, but it is great to be asked to contribute to his workshop! Can’t wait!

The day after I’ll be presenting at X|Media|Lab’s Screen X-Tended event for the Melbourne Film Festival, as organized by Screen Australia. There is a bevvy of speakers, including Jeff Gomez! The day after that, we’ll all be mentoring projects at the lab.

Lance Weiler wrote an article on the importance of story for Filmmaker Magazine, and quotes me in the process!

I had a great chat with Liz Hover of the Canadian National Screen Institute about transmedia and my new website YouSuckAtTransmedia.com. Hear the rationale behind the site in our short audio chat here.

As I also mentioned, I was invited to chat on an audio chat show TummelVision. This was a great long chat (about an hour) with Kevin Marks, Heather Gold and Deb Schultz . I really enjoyed talking about the practice and philosophy of transmedia! The archived audio is now online.
Finally, as you know, I mentored in the UK recently at The Pixel Lab. I wasn’t going to put my presentation online, but I had many requests. So, here it is in all its extended-with-lots-of-words-glory:

I’m sure you’ve all heard about Tim Kring’s latest project, Conspiracy for Good. If not, here is the introductory video:

I was fortunate to have been involved with CFG early in the design process when I was brought in by Nokia as a transmedia story and game consultant. The project has since changed, and so I’m excited to see what happens! I wanted to know a bit more about the background of the project and Nokia provided me with the answers! 🙂

How is Tim Kring involved with Conspiracy For Good?
Tim Kring, master transmedia storyteller is the creator of Conspiracy For Good. Similar in spirit to Tim Kring’s work on “Heroes”, Conspiracy For Good is about creativity and storytelling helping drive positive change in the world.

Nokia approached Tim about creating content for Nokia’s Ovi Store and Tim had the idea of Conspiracy For Good in mind as new project to start on for some time. Tim and Nokia discussed the idea and Nokia found that Conspiracy For Good meshed well with the company’s philanthropic philosophy.

Conspiracy For Good is a very big idea and as such has involved well over a hundred people in several countries to make a reality.

Why did Tim Kring decide to partner with Nokia on this project?
Tim Kring has long been watching the development of mobile platforms as they become an integral part of people’s lives. To make the Conspiracy for Good a reality Tim had to look to a global partner with a commitment to both innovation and social responsibility. Nokia as the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer with global reach was positioned to be the perfect partner. Nokia’s commitment to creating innovative content, as well an impressive corporate ethos of philanthropy, aligns perfectly with the Conspiracy for Good’s goal of using narrative to create positive change in the world.

As well as having many elements online, the entire experience is now happening live in London. The first of a series of live events have happened, and so here is a helpful recap:

If you’re lucky you can still get in for today’s action, and make sure you sign up for Action 3 and then the Finale when you can. I wish I could be there!