Dr. Pamela RutledgeDIRECTOR, MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH CENTERpamelarutledge@gmail.com

@pamelarutledge

WHY BOTHER WITH TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING?

What is Transmedia?

The Power of Connection

Storytelling & the Brain

The Power of Transmedia

Transmedia in Action

Creating Transmedia

1

2

3

4

5

6

WHAT IS

TRANSMEDIA?1

TRANSMEDIA VS. STORYTELLING

TRANSMEDIAis a fancy word for a simple concept: telling stories across multiple platforms

Tim KringHollywood Screenwriter and ProducerCreator, Heroes and Conspiracy for Good

transmedia storytelling

Adjective

Noun

It’s not about the tools

It’s not about the tools

It’s not about the tools

STORYTELLING

Non-linear Multiple media platformsCoherent, not repetitive

AUDIENCE

Access pointsParticipate, contribute

Active consumption

THE POWER OFCONNECTION

2

MOBILEON-DEMAND INFORMATION

24/7CONNECTIVITY

NEW EXPECTATIONS

Participatory psychologyConsumer-driven brand ecosystem

Homogeneous audience

Passive, quiet consumers

MONOMEDIA TRANSMEDIAOne way messaging Dialogue between consumer and brandAssumes all people can be reached with one media channel

Gives audience choice in engagement path

Single message or theme is adapted to fit different media

Each media platform expands narrative with unique contribution

Creator controls message Audience collaborates in story development

Profitability limited to ROI of a given platform, no cross media leverage or narrative leverage

Broadens life cycle and profitability of a campaign beyond traditional retail windows because content is monetizable

Audience attention through Interruption Audience attention through invitationAudience participation enhances brand identity and creates customer loyalty

Engages the consumer long-term by providing value beyond the product

Audience is validated and celebrated

TRANSMEDIA VISION

STORYTELLING &

THE BRAIN3

STORIES ARETIMELESS

• Build trust• Transcend

generations• Engage our

emotions• Inspire us• Are contagious

STORIESCONNECTPEOPLE

THE HUMAN BRAIN ISWIREDFOR STORY

THE BRAIN CRAVES A JOURNEY

2. Emotional Brain

3. Reptilian Brain

1. New Brain

• Simple Brain Science: Think Three

We are storytelling

animalsRuled by

instinct and emotion

Instinct Over Intention

MessageCharactersConflictPlot

ELEMENTSOF STORY

WE LIVE FORCONFLICT

HERO’S JOURNEYJOSEPH CAMPBELL

HeroMentorThreshold GuardianHeraldShapeshifterShadowTrickster

ARCHETYPES:JOSEPH CAMPBELL

WHAT’S YOUR ARCHETYPE?

OLD BRAIN NEW BRAINEmotions Skill-building

Visual images Responsive feedbackPain and gain Participation, ownership

User-centric, personal Social validationSafety Empathy

Narrative

Motivational GoalsAttention starts here

OLD BRAINUnconscious Processing: Attention + Perception

Task-Based• Goal importance• Skill/Knowledge• Feedback • Action = Expectations• Self-efficacy• Directed focus• Social validation &

connection

Narrative-Based• Self-Relevance

(Identity)• Creative ambiguity• Feedback • Action = Discovery• Agency• Emotional activation• Social connection• Transformation

NEW BRAINConscious Processing: Meaning Making

DRIVE BEHAVIOR

NEEDS

CREATE TO SATISFY NEEDS**THE AUDIENCE’S NEEDS, NOT YOURS

• We live in a transmedia world• Audiences have new expectations

for all media• Our brains are wired for story• Instincts trump rational thought• Transmedia takes advantage of all

these

The Story So Far…

THE POWER OF

TRANSMEDIA4

StoryWorldStory

Awareness Engagement Experience Explore

Engagement Path

StoryWorld

Create anticipation

Provide signposts Develop artifacts and rituals

Multiple channels, gaps

Source: Adapted from http://www.slideshare.net/sioflynn

Make the Trip?WHY

Trigger the Psychology of Narrative

• Visual input becomes multi-sensory• Transports/presence into alternate reality• Components:

– Cognitive Engagement– Emotional Engagement– Mental Imagery

• Accepts laws & logic of storyworld• Creates sense of immersion

Theory of Flow: Optimal Engagement

Balancing the Story Arc:Narrative Transportation

The Narrative Channel: Avoiding Exit Points

TRANSMEDIA IN

ACTION5

Main Story Anchor: Novel

Pig 1: Website

Pig 1: Anime Super Pig

Wolf: Website

Wolf: Ning Network for Team Wolf

Pig 2: Twitter Dialogue

Pig 3: Cooking Blog

Pig 3: YouTube Videos

Pig 3: Cookbook

Pig 3: Fan Page

Transmedia Story: The Three Little Pigs

Sequels

Pig 2: Pinterest Board

Wolf: Vine

Main Website

‘East Los High’ Trailer

Anchor: Hulu Videos Website

@eastloshighshow Facebook

Transmedia Story: ‘East Los High’USING TRANSMEDIA TO TURBOCHARGE SOCIAL IMPACT

Character Vlogs

School Newspaper

InstagramTumblr

Links to Resources

Dance Videos

• Strong story based on theory– Sabido Methodology

• Dramatic theory for characters and structure (Brewer)• Emotional and realistic content• Archetypal characters (Jung)• Social Learning Theory: Transitional characters model realistic

change (Bandura)

– Frequency allows creation of parasocial relationships (intimacy at a distance, Horton & Wohl)

• Narrative stays true across media– Enhances suspension of disbelief (Bruner)

What Makes ‘East Los High’ Work?

• Clear “signposts” on every medium• Offers value proposition in skills & resources (mastery)• Provides hub for social connection and affiliation• Access to alternate media fills time gap between episodes• Validates teen experience• Content creation creates stakeholders• Encourages & values audience• Soap opera/telenovela format uses emotional narrative

devices (e.g., cliffhangers)• Models behavioral choice/demonstrates hope & resilience

How Does ‘East Los High’ Bridge the Gaps?

Main Story Anchor

Deb Web

Earned Media

Visual Symbols45,000 Twitter Accounts

Instant Messaging

Transmedia Story: ISIL

Websites

User-generated Content

UGC

UGC

Terrorist attacks

• Symbolic repetition creates “signposts” on every medium• Offers value proposition in skills, purpose• Provides hub for social connection and affiliation• Alternate media via UGC fills time gap between messages• Validates experience of disenfranchised, meaning-seekers• Content creation creates stakeholders• Encourages & ‘values’ audience• Uses highly emotional visual devices (e.g., symbols, violence)• Models behavioral path/demonstrates affiliation & purpose

How Does ISIL Bridge the Gaps?

CREATING

TRANSMEDIA6

Anchor: Your Film ?

? ?

Transmedia Story: ‘Your Film Here’HOW CAN YOU USE TRANSMEDIA TO INCREASE YOUR AUDIENCE?

?

?

??

?

?

StoryWorldStory

Awareness Engagement Experience Explore

Engagement Strategy

StoryWorld

Create anticipation

Provide signposts Develop artifacts and rituals

Multiple channels, gaps

Source: Adapted from http://www.slideshare.net/sioflynn

StoryWorld

Actionable Content

Story Awareness Engagement Action Transformation

Sustainable Engagement

Source: Adapted from Lina Srivastava http://transmedia-activism.com/

Story Immersion

StoryWorld

Anchor: Your Film Website

@yourfilm Facebook

Transmedia Story: ‘Your Film Here’DEVELOPING TRANSMEDIA STRATEGIES

?

?

InstagramTumblr

?

?

FIND YOURPEOPLE

SeeingWhat does the audience’s world

look like?

ThinkingWhat is important to the

audience? What are their goals and plans?

FeelingWhat are the audience’s

emotions, hopes and fears?

HearingWhat influences the the

audience?

DoingWhat does the audience do?

PainsWhat obstacles or challenges face the

audience?

GainsWhat’s in it for the audience? How

might they measure success?

EMPATHY

MAP

Emotion is Sticky

• Increased self-reference• Greater enjoyment• Lower cognitive resistance to persuasion • More accepting of narrative discrepancies• Facilitates recall and

buy-in; more likely to recommend

MAKE APLAN

Transmedia Strategy Checklist

ü Identify and craft the essential story

ü Know your audience ü Evaluate where you can expand the story into smaller

narratives that fit different platformsü Design signposts and assets for direction and collaboration

ü Entice by creating gaps and mini-mysteries

ü Respect your audience

ü Think 360: Extend, adapt and share

• Psychology emphasizes audience-centric view of any journey

• Neuroscience highlights the role of instinct in narrative experience

• Increase persuasion and liking, diminish resistance• Human behavior is

always a reflection of goals and needs

Secret Weapon: Use Psychology

Dr. Pamela RutledgeDIRECTOR, MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH CENTERpamelarutledge@gmail.com

@pamelarutledge

WHY BOTHER WITH TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING?