Trumblog

The following is a liveblog of a presentation on transmedia experiences and alternate reality games that was given at South by Southwest by Steve Peters and Maureen McHugh on March 14, 2010.  The presentation began with a short, simple transmedia experience followed by a very useful discussion of best practices for transmedia experiences.

1:34:16 PM: Transmedia experience starts with a box under a chair. Inside a bloody T-shirt saying InternationalMimeAcademy.com

Go to InternationalMimeAcademy.com and go to the Contact Us page

1:36:57 PM: Call The International Mime Academy 310-362-1805

1:43:52 PM: There is a message, but it is interrupted by Oswald who was abducted gives the url ATerribleThingToWaste.com

1:45:00 PM: ATerribleThingToWaste has a clue to go to http://www.youtube.com/oswaldthemime

1:45:56 PM: YouTube video of Oswald says he is locked in with a kryptonite evolution 2000 and his email address

1:46:40 PM: Google kryptonite evolution 2000 and you learn it can be picked with a Bic Pen, send email to Oswald with answer

1:47:26 PM: Get email response from Oswald that he is free and a phone call from his nemesis

1:47:56 PM: Movie – show don’t tell: Transmedia Experience – show evidence, don’t tell

1:48:32 PM: Need context and interactivity, many advertisers don’t get that when they produce transmedia experience.

1:50:11 PM: Must use real addresses, real phone numbers, real email. People will find it or use it.

1:52:30 PM: Sucham in Glendale provide tech support for transmedia & ARG, voice parsing will increase cost.

1:54:24 PM: 2 things for Transmedia storytelling 1. plot must be simple/ use basic conventions 2. no part should take >2 min

1:54:50 PM: Correct co name. ThxRT @sandentotten: transmedia tools? start by checking out sudjam.com

1:55:52 PM: Text is easy and cheap for transmedia, but least effective way to engage your audience.

1:57:25 PM: How do you engage the audience? For an OS send 3D puzzle to influential bloggers.

1:57:53 PM: For transmedia w/ a long game the number of people joining will be less than those dropping off.

1:58:50 PM: Can cut a long campaign into self contained segments to make a larger transmedia campaign.

1:59:07 PM: RT @screeny: With exception of stuff that from Fourth Wall right now, most of the ARGs are linear and non-repeatable.

2:00:49 PM: In transmedia if there is a failure, can make work arounds part of the plot eg. “the bad guy hacked the server”

2:02:01 PM: Ideas for transmedia – museum, city exploration, journalism?

2:03:45 PM: Matrix is textbook example of transmedia. 2nd & 3rd movies struggled because transmedia started too early

2:04:42 PM: Greek Chorus site – to tell people about the transmedia experience if they were not involved or joined later

2:05:52 PM: Hard core transmedia gamers become part of the entertainment.

2:10:40 PM: The goal, compelling, engaging, easy transmedia experience with character development and amazing plot

2:12:06 PM: Transmedia users give phone #s and emails, must have a privacy policy

2:14:12 PM: A transmedia story can be told in a less expensive way than a indie film

2:15:24 PM: Transmedia can be done outside of marketing, PR, and advertising. But how do you monetize it?

2:16:08 PM: Transmedia – the digital space can be part of the same arch as the television series.

2:19:10 PM: Transmedia concepts: sell trading cards with clues to transmedia, monitize your fans post film launch

2:21:54 PM: @sandentotten Exactly, I think that geolocation and transmedia are a perfect match, using to tour a city would be great

2:22:41 PM: argn.com listing of ongoing transmedia ARG

2:24:48 PM: sixminutestomindnight.com Free-fall non-game transmedia ARGs

2:28:15 PM: Transmedia: Use the new technology & cool stuff to tell stories in new ways

2:29:13 PM: RT @anjali28: lot of possibilities using geolocation (4sq, gowalla) in transmedia but not yet

2:29:30 PM: RT @sandentotten: RT @marytoves #10minarg you can pirate a movie, but you can’t pirate an experience! Exciting stuff

2:29:37 PM: RT @screeny: Production teams for ARG range from 4 – 20. Scale up to ~100 for bigger budget projects like films.