My character, Tim, so far has established his location and how he got there. I think what's sorely lacking is a personality- interests, quirks, etc. The next step will be incorporating the group blog (MAPI) into his identity, but I'm still not sure if I should frame his involvement with the group as an event that happened in the past or reveal that it's happening currently, but he just thinks he's on Mars.
What's simpler to write about in developing his personality is his personal interests. The paranormal will obviously be on the list, but I want to think about what kind of literature he likes. At the moment I'm leaning toward authors such as jack london and ernest hemingway, and possibly a few field guides.
His interest in the Paranormal was sparked by his determination to seek truth beyond what is taught. His search for paranormal activity is much like his search for species of plants in the woods. He wants to someday write a book/ guide of his experiences with the paranormal to inform the public.
Summary of goals:
- Establish character interests
- Solidify involvement with MAPI
- Start creating creating character experiences in his environment
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Production- Top 10 Tips
1. Budgeting doesn't just refer to money. Although creating transmedia narratives can break the bank, another thing to consider is the amount of time you spend in addition to the amount of money. You can utilize preexisting resources- if you already have a computer, if your school has photoshop, if you can rent a camera- but don't forget to manage your time.
2.Choose a good team. Stories like these have lots of moving parts, so it's good to have people on your team with specializations. A skilled team can change the outcome of a project, because they can improve the quality of what they know best. In our class, we weren't able to choose our groups. However, we could still probably discuss what we're each most comfortable with.
3. Speaking of teams, the book says "don't go rogue." The easiest way to turn your team against you is acting without okaying it with them. Be ambitious, certainly... but to maintain consistency make sure everyone knows where you're going.
4. Avoid social media when creating a fictional character... especially a poorly mannered one. Most social sights (facebook especially) has serious rules prohibiting the creation of false profiles, as they should.
5. Utilize even the most basic mediums- "email and phone." Having player/follower email addresses will allow you to reach them and give them updates- even when they're not playing. You can reach a large amount of people at once, will minimal effort and zero funds. Also consider free vs. hosted email. If this group gets a following at all, that's something good to keep in mind.
6. Video- complicated, expensive, but leaves the most significant impression. Videos are often pre-recorded because they take so much work, but can really enhance your narrative. We've wanted to do something like this, but we might have second thoughts after hearing how complicated it can get.
7. How to bring the story into the real world. The funny thing about multi media is, it goes beyond just media. ultimately, our group is going to have real world connections in our story.
8. Related to real world connections- planting physical artifacts can create a more real experience. you can use them as motivation, or to create a treasure hunt or other story to try and find them.
9. "telephony-" using the telephone to create a more intimate experience. using an automated system can give a player/follower a good experience in the game, or putting them on the line with a live person can make them feel like they're not even in a game.
10. Basically, use technology both you and your audience can handle. Don't jump into relying on new technologies if you don't know them well enough or don't know their reliability. Chances are if you're not comfortable working in a medium, neither is your audience.
2.Choose a good team. Stories like these have lots of moving parts, so it's good to have people on your team with specializations. A skilled team can change the outcome of a project, because they can improve the quality of what they know best. In our class, we weren't able to choose our groups. However, we could still probably discuss what we're each most comfortable with.
3. Speaking of teams, the book says "don't go rogue." The easiest way to turn your team against you is acting without okaying it with them. Be ambitious, certainly... but to maintain consistency make sure everyone knows where you're going.
4. Avoid social media when creating a fictional character... especially a poorly mannered one. Most social sights (facebook especially) has serious rules prohibiting the creation of false profiles, as they should.
5. Utilize even the most basic mediums- "email and phone." Having player/follower email addresses will allow you to reach them and give them updates- even when they're not playing. You can reach a large amount of people at once, will minimal effort and zero funds. Also consider free vs. hosted email. If this group gets a following at all, that's something good to keep in mind.
6. Video- complicated, expensive, but leaves the most significant impression. Videos are often pre-recorded because they take so much work, but can really enhance your narrative. We've wanted to do something like this, but we might have second thoughts after hearing how complicated it can get.
7. How to bring the story into the real world. The funny thing about multi media is, it goes beyond just media. ultimately, our group is going to have real world connections in our story.
8. Related to real world connections- planting physical artifacts can create a more real experience. you can use them as motivation, or to create a treasure hunt or other story to try and find them.
9. "telephony-" using the telephone to create a more intimate experience. using an automated system can give a player/follower a good experience in the game, or putting them on the line with a live person can make them feel like they're not even in a game.
10. Basically, use technology both you and your audience can handle. Don't jump into relying on new technologies if you don't know them well enough or don't know their reliability. Chances are if you're not comfortable working in a medium, neither is your audience.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Fictional Story/ Character Development
Reading: A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling Ch. 11-16
Prompt: What principles of story telling can you take from CGTS and apply to your story/ character? Be explicit: quote the passages from the book, explain them in your own words, and describe how you will apply them directly to your work.
One passage from the book that I found particularly helpful was at the very beginning of Ch. 12, and explained the importance of story bibles. This kind of index is crucial to maintaining integrity and consistency in a character or story. I'd like to start tracking the information about my character- including his personality, what he likes/ dislikes, his background story, etc. It will also be good to keep a log of his experiences, or at least the ones he posts about, so that I can make each post different and evolve my character.
Something else that will help me in developing my character is using interactive mediums. The one we used recently in class was a map, which already gives the fictional character an anchor in the real world. Something I'd really like to do is create a video or photograph and edit it to fit his perceived environment. Even if it's just a shot of a desert, it will add dimension to the site and the character.
On pg. 125 Phillips talks about rewarding effort. This means that when you involve an audience, it's your responsibility to engage them, rather than wasting their time. I hope to develop my character into someone who can engage an audience, but following through is something I definitely need to work on. At the moment my character's "twist" is that he's schizophrenic, but many audience members may have realized this already- considering he's blogging from Mars.
I think by further developing my character's story I'll be able to engage an audience with the story, but I'll need to really work on making Tim an authentic character, and developing an interactive experience that's sourced from the blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)