Keep in mind that I say this about transmedia with an understanding that it’s ridiculously difficult for independent producers with limited resources to start up a transmedia effort. It’s much easier for someone making a web series to just film it and put it out on some streaming source and hope for the best. Also much cheaper.

Did I mention much less successful, too?

With so many outlets fighting for a limited number of eyes, producers need to plan for more in-depth engagement with the viewers from the beginning. It is more work. It does take time and can be really frustrating. At the same time, if you work hard at it then you will start to see results.

Gennefer Snowfield is one of my favorites in the interwebs when it comes to finding great information about transmedia or branded entertainment. Following one of her links pointed me to this post on Culture Hacker by Robert Pratton. In a nutshell, he explains his plan for creating a cross media experience for the film Vauxhall Crossed in order to build an audience. He has a great analogy for growing a fan base that relies on digging for oil. He even has a great visual aid, which I am blatantly ripping off right now.

Digging for audiences, from Robert Pratten

This analogy works really well and explains the importance and power of really taking the time to connect with the audience. The example he continues with is great because it shows an understanding of the audience he’s trying to attract. In this case, the project is for a story about spies. So he created a storefront for a Chinese restaurant that doesn’t exist. It’s a cover for the agents but the site acts just like a restaurant. Early adopters who join in get secret access to another part of the store, just like… wait for it… spies!

He did a great job in thinking about the product and how to support it by playing up concepts that fans of that content would appreciate. He connected with the desired audience. This is a really important part of the puzzle that a lot of people miss.

It’s not enough to just tweet about your show or your story. You can’t get by with simply adding a lot of random friends on Facebook hoping that someone will pay attention. You have to engage with the audience you want to attract. And that’s the really hard part. It takes time and you really have to care. Once you get there, you really have struck oil. Or gold if you prefer something less messy… but less accurate as a metaphor. ‘Cuz it doesn’t really spread out like… let’s just stick with oil.

So in this case Pratton does a great job of getting people into world he’s creating. Once they’re invested in this world, they start to tell their friends. And then we have a shampoo commercial.

What about existing properties? Can existing properties with an established fan base benefit from a transmedia approach? Absolutely.

More and more TV shows are reaching out to new audiences

Just look at your local bookstore and see all of the novels written for Star Trek. Swing by a comic book store and check out how many comics there are of TV shows like Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other TV properties. When you stop and think about it, these transmedia projects aren’t just great for the originating property. They’re great for the new industry and the new market that’s being introduced to the property.

Transmedia is a gateway for people to access stories they never knew existed and I’ll argue it’s good for the entertainment industry as a whole. But that’s a big heady concept and I’ve rambled enough in this post for now. So let’s talk about that next time.

Today, I think I’ll be talking about Transmedia productions… specifically ARGs. If you go all the way to the end then I might just blow your mind with just how crazy the new “Dollhouse” ARG really is.Recently I think the majority of geekdom was distraught when FOX once again cancelled a Joss Whedon series. “Dollhouse” got the axe this week. Whether it got it too soon or not I think has yet to be figured out. While I personally enjoyed it, I know a lot of people we disappointed. But this discussion is probably best held off for another day. Because “Dollhouse” isn’t quite dead yet. In fact, it seems more lively than ever.

Right about the time the announcement was made about “Dollhouse” being cancelled, there was a website launched for the Rossum Corporation. In case you haven’t watched the show, they’re the ones running the Dollhouses.

A few people noticed that there were actually contact numbers on the website for people to call and e-mail. When you call it, you’ll get the usual voicemail that you’d expect from a company, especially one set up by a TV show. The fun happened later when some people got a call back from Rossum.

Those phone calls had a hidden meaning. With a little research, people were led to a site at www.ditchthetech.com. The site had a video urging people to stop Rossum and ditch the tech.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are way too many places to take you through everything now, but this led people to www.wipethefuture.com (you need to figure out the password), www.spectrin.com (another hidden area with passwords), @AlexfromPR and several other places scattered around the web. Each piece leads to another part of the bigger puzzle and I have to say it’s been really well done. Completely engaging and expanding on the “Dollhouse” universe in ways I don’t think anyone really imgained. Some people are even saying that it feels like a new show. Maybe Whedon’s next project?

This is all part of transmedia storytelling, where producers take several different types of media in order to further engage their audience and tell a richer story. That’s one of the great things about the internet; You can reach out to you fans and have them take part in the story, not just watch it. The Twitter account for @AlexfromPR is treated just like a real person who has a real blog.

She reacts just like a real person would if hundreds of people start asking her crazy questions about Rossum and Iceland and tattoos. You might freak out. So does Alex. And this kind of interactivity is what makes this an ARG.

An ARG is an “Alternate Reality Game” and I have to say I LOVE the concept. So much so that I think I just might steal it. We’ve already been developing some viral locations for the “CELL” mythology but I think we may even want to develop it even farther so that when we launch, people will have a chance to interact and learn more about the world.

I also think that for us Indie producers, this kind of media effort could really pay off.

There are a lot of ways that indie producers can take advantage of the unique position web distribution gives us. I’ve always been a huge proponent of building a community around your brand. These ARGs are just another level of engagement we can take with our viewers. If we can get the support of a community talking about our show, imagine how strong we could be with a community that’s a PART of the show and interacting with it. That level of engagement is where we have an advantage over traditional media. If we can use that to show that our viewers care about our content, then they’ll be more likely to help us finance more in the future.It may be too late for “Dollhouse,” but it’s not too late for us.

And now how can I blow your mind about the “Dollhouse” ARG? Here we go…

The website www.spectrin.com isn’t a new site. It’s been around since 2004. You can find archived versions of the site at www.archive.org, which works just to create archives of web pages over time.  So when they talk in the ARG about getting into our “timeline,” it starts to take on a new sense of depth. Did they plan this story out 5 years ago? Way before “Dollhouse” was even a twinkle in Eliza’s eye? Have they been secretly planning this for years? How deep does this go? Where is this rabbithole taking us? I for one can’t wait to find out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are a lot of things to love about the Austin Film Festival. First off, it’s geared towards Screenwriters. So many of the panels are for storytelling and ways to get your scripts out there. Great panels with guys like Terry Rossio and Shane Black sharing all sorts of stories about how to make a great screenplay. The best part of it is that after they’re done, you can go up and talk to them and ask questions. You might even catch them in the bar and just have a beer with them. This year Ron Howard was wandering around town just having a great time. Last year, Danny Boyle spent a few nights just down in the bar talking to people. You don’t get that kind of access at other festivals. Austin is unique for that.

They also don’t forget about TV. I got the chance to talk with Damon Lindelof and Roberto Orci. (Orci thought our raw footage looked good. Yeah. We’re cool like that.) It was great for me to talk to them because I’ve always seen “CELL” as a show that they would be interested in. And they talked about the pitfalls of TV and what it’s been like for them. What was even better was getting to talk to them and get advice on the next step for us in our work with “CELL.”

And there are lots of parties. Big parties.

Even with all of that, one of the best things about the festival is meeting all of the other writers and producers that have come from all over the world. I got the chance to talk to a documentary filmmaker from Australia to a couple of seniors from Emerson College about to move to LA. All of them have stories. All of them have great ideas. And all of them want to work hard and be successful. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have come to the festival in the first place.

I’ll try to pass on some of the things I learned at the festival. One thing I did learn is that even festivals don’t have a clue what to do with web series. It’s a new world out there and we’re on the cutting edge of high-quality web content. Stick with us and let’s make something great happen. Maybe next year we can be panelists.

The biggest thing to talk about is the set. Our set in small but it really is a character unto itself. Because of that, we’re really working hard to make it look great. Unfortunately that means it’s taking a little bit longer and (in Producer voice, if that exists) is way over budget. I have a feeling our Art Department will be working on this place until right before I yell “Action.” But it’s taking shape. I can’t tell you how many people have come down to the set and volunteered time to help build this and make it look great for our production. We’re micro budget but that doesn’t mean we have to look like it and right now I think we’re going to pull a HUGE rabbit out of our hat. I spent a while out there today talking to our Production Designer Stepehn and Art Director Dan (as well as our new Stunt Coordinator Louis) and working on the set. There’s still a LOT of work to get done and we have made some changes at the last minute to the set, but we think it will look great and these are all great changes. Just the few things we worked on today have made a huge difference.

On a related note, I do want to take a minute and thank the film community in the Austin area. We have to rely on the kindness of people to help us make this show happen. And we’ve seen a lot of kindness. When we’re in a bind, we send word out to the community and we usually find people who are willing to help. Whether it’s someone who wants to help frame flats for a set or someone who lets us use a ladder and cooler, people have really come together to help make this a reality. There’s no way that we can ever really thank these people enough for what they’re doing. We are definitely keeping track and we’ll make sure to let everyone know who has really stepped in and helped make this show a reality.

The best example of that generosity has to be the people of Smithville, Texas. I have never really been in a town quite so friendly and helpful. There was a vintage car show on the street where we’re building our set and people kept coming in and asking if there was anything they could do to help us. The Chamber of Commerce has been a huge help with helping us find locations, food, props… you name it. This is a town that really likes having film here and they see the value to their community, even from a tiny micro budget work like ours. I’ve already started trying to write material just so I can go back there and be in that environment again.

We also had some wardrobe tests today. The costumes are looking good and I can’t wait to see them after alterations. We had a long conversation with Ben about our special effects and how we’re going to handle some of the things we have happening. Ben has some great ideas and I’m really excited to see how they all come out.

The cast is also really excited about some of our marketing and promotional plans and other ideas for content. So many people in this production are working hard for its success that I’m really excited about our chances. We all really think that “Cell” will be a great show and we’re already hoping for a second season. Is that jumping ahead?

NAH!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Music starts at 7pm at Maggie Mae’s, 323 East 6th St. on September 23rd.

Live Performances by: Aimee Bobruck, Infinite Partials, Chris Hawkes, Harry Bodine, Will McGowan, and Afrofreque (listed in order of appearance).

Purchase Tickets! Buy tickets in advance here for $12 OR at the door for $15.

Remember that all the proceeds go to supporting the local and independent media community.

We’d love to meet you all. Much of our cast for “Cell” will be there so be sure to stop by and say hello.

If I were to pick out one thing missing, it’s that a lot of people don’t understand or don’t take advantage of something unique to the web that you can’t find in traditional media: Community.

Read Clay Shirkey’s book “Here Comes Everybody.” You can get a great overview of the way the stream is changing society. One thing that Shirkey talks about is the ease with which people can form communities now. Years ago it took a massive effort just to organize people getting together for a meeting at the local library. Now you can have a video conference, join a message board, jump on Twitter… You name it. Organizing groups is easy.  And organizing groups gives people power.

Look at what happened with the TV show Jericho.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After it was cancelled, a community of fans rallied together and lobbied the  network to give their show another chance. It worked. Jericho was brought back for another try. It didn’t last long before it was cancelled again due to poor ratings (which I think has to do with the network not understanding the value of an engaged viewer as opposed to a casual viewer. Or time shifted viewing. Or any of a number of other factors that might have saved Jericho like it saved Dollhouse. But that’s another article.). What matters is that a community got together and organized into action based primarily on the stream.

That’s important and should be a model for anyone wanting to be successful in online video. We’re all part of a community. If we all band together to help, encourage and promote each other then the chances for all our success goes up drastically. That’s why it’s important for Lovable Varmint Productions and all of us involved to actively engage the web community to show that we don’t only care about our success, we care about everyone else’s success and the success of the medium.

One of the biggest hitters in online video right now has to be Felicia Day. Her series “The Guild” started out with everyone donating their time to the production and hoping to make something in the end. “The Guild” is a great concept and caught on. Fans donated their own money to keep the show running. Not long after, they were able to get sponsorship from Sprint and now they’re on the XBox Marketplace with a community site all their own with over 5000 members. They even did a music video that was #1 on iTunes when it first came out. You might say they could be a role model for success.

Well the Felicia Train is still running. Season 3 of The Guild is just hitting the stream and they’ve grown even bigger. One of the big surprises is the addition of another web celebrity… Wil Wheaton. The first episode is fun and really gets you ready for the season to hit. I can’t wait to see what happens with Wheaton. Such excitement in the geek circles. So take a few minutes to watch “The Guild: Episode 1, Season 3.” Then go catch up with the other seasons. And don’t forget to watch the video for “Do You Want to Date My Avatar.” By supporting other online video you’re supporting the medium as a whole and helping to support other indie producers fighting to get good content in the stream.