In an upcoming article in the Journal of Futures Studies I talk about the role transmedia storytelling can play in the field of futures studies. Transmedia storytelling provides new opportunities to shape personal narratives. As we integrate data and information with context and experience the knowledge and wisdom that weContinue Reading
A major challenge facing the transmedia narrative designer is integrating multiple media into an effective story. Particularly important is ensuring the visual design fits with and enhances the story structure, ensuring a coherent and cohesive narrative. Films, comics/graphic novels, photo essays, and other visual forms of communication can all provideContinue Reading
Last fall I wrote an article that combines two fields that I am deeply interested in — transmedia storytelling and futures studies. It is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Futures Studies in March. This abstract lays out the basic premise of the article. Foresight professionals and the futuresContinue Reading
I’ve been looking at ways to develop transmedia stories quickly and inexpensively, while still maintaining high production values. After all, we don’t all have multi-million dollar productions budgets. Part of that exploration has involved playing with a new (and free) 3D graphics rendering engine for a couple of months now andContinue Reading
The application of visual storytelling techniques to transmedia narratives intrigues me. I see a lot of similarities — although there are a enough differences that some adaptation is required. It’s been a lot of years since my last film camera bit the dust. It was a faithful old Canon thatContinue Reading
3D computer graphics can add a lot to transmedia storytelling. While the professional grade applications like Autodesk’s Maya are expensive and have a steep learning curve, some of today’s 3D modelling software is inexpensive or free and can produce high quality images that could find a place in a transmediaContinue Reading
I’ve signed on to take a new free MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) called The Future of Storytelling. My interest in this MOOC is two-fold: It covers storytelling, including an upcoming module on transmedia storytelling It is a MOOC — a truly massive one at that with an estimated 50,000Continue Reading
A common mistake when designing transmedia projects is to use the concepts of “engagement” and “interaction” interchangeably. While they are interrelated, audience engagement and user interaction are distinctly different. This distinction is based on the different mental processes used when reading and navigating a transmedia story. These processes are: Reading modeContinue Reading
At the heart of a successful transmedia story is a powerful user experience created by integrating a compelling story with techniques that engage the user emotionally and intellectually and allow easy user interaction with all of media elements of the story. The trick is to start with the audience andContinue Reading
I’ve been away from Transmedia Digest since mid-Decmeber but that doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned the field of transmedia storytelling. Quite the opposite. Over the last couple of months I’ve immersed myself in a couple of projects. One is getting my thesis on the structure and design of transmedia narratives rewrittenContinue Reading