About this presentation

• Synopsis & Concept

• Objectives & Process

• Writer vs Producer Workflow

• Creating suspense across platforms

• More opportunities?

• Narrative calls-to-action & “double impact”

• Immediate next steps…

LowlifeS’ synopsis

• Larry Hayes is San Francisco homicide detective with a drug addiction.

• He has a dead informant, an ex-wife fighting for custody of their daughter and a private eye hired to dig the dirt on him.

High Concept

One story, three perspectives.Told over three platforms: novella, web series, blog.

dETECTIVELARRY HAYES EX-WiFE

(JEN HAYES)PRIVATE EYE(LAUREN ORTEGA)

objectives

• Possible to consume each media independently of any other

• Enhanced satisfaction with each additional media consumption

• Micro-budget

• Freemium distribution model

• Creative Commons licensing to allow audience collaboration

• Simple, commercial, transmedia story (not experimental)

Aim: Whole is greater than sum of parts

Movie Game Book Transmedia

Whole is more satisfying than the sum of the parts: euphoria of collecting and connecting the pieces

Movie Game Book Media Franchise

Whole is less than the sum of the parts: dissatisfying conclusion to consuming all media

Project development

Writer & producer workflow

Making progress…

Reading the source material

• Experience as reader

– Exciting?

– Suspenseful?

– Character likable? Believable? Arc? Etc

• Seek opportunities as producer

– Opportunity to increase payoffs?

– Engagement?

– Revenue opportunities?

– Calls-to-action?

– Meeting objectives?

– Watch for “gotchas”

Finding opportunities in source material

Online “active graphic” crime scene hides clue that creates suspense (reader will know more than character)

Ar marker at end of chapter reveals clue that creates suspense

Each character is hero of their own media

Double impact!

Test against Henry Jenkin’s7-core concepts (my rephrasing)

• Spread vs drill (spreadability vs drillability)

• Continuity vs parallel worlds (Continuity vs multiplicity)

• Physical spaces & merchandise (immersion vs extractability)

• Worldbuilding

• Episodic (seriality)

• Point of view (subjectivity)

• Performance

Next steps

Immediate next steps

• Website & graphics make-over

• Some further web experiments

• Source music (www.audiodraft.com)

• Search for business relationships

To be continued…

Robert Pratten

twitter.com/zenfilms

www.zenfilms.com

www.lowlifes.tv