what's wrong with transmedia content? where's the funding?

© Gary Hayes CCO MUVEDesign & Founder StoryLabs@garyphayes - [email protected] - storylabs.com.au - muvedesign.com

\What’s Wrong with Multi Platform Content?

What’s Wrong with Multi Platform Content?GaryPHayes

Tuesday, 9 August 11

mailto:[email protected]




Ten minutes, three questions

1 Who truly represents the interests of Multi-Platform Production & Producers in Australia?

2 Where is the national training coordination for Multi-Platform Content Production?

3 Are we really serious about Multi-Platform funding?






My perspective

BBC Senior Development Prod 8yrsBBC Strategy & TrainingiTV Producer & AFI Mentor USA 2yrsLAMP@AFTRS Director 5 yrsCourse creator Multi Platform AFTRS/Metro Screen 2 yrsLecturer internationally in Transmedia ProductionRun own Multi Platform company MUVEDesignFounder & Director StoryLabs

a few weeks ago wrote ‘How to Write a Multi-Platform Production Bible for Screen Australia’






For the purposes of this talk

Transmedia = Multi Platform = Cross Media = 360 Media = All Media = Digital Media = New Media =

Cross Platform = Multi Media = Transmedia StoryTelling etc:

What TV & Film people call ‘all that other stuff!” ;)






we are certainly seeing a level

of device convergence - e.g: all media

viewed on tablet/smart phones...but






the real change is the channels

of media consumption

that have completely...






DIVERGED!!






Sesame Workshop and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center






offline media sectors are suffering this fragmentation - music, books, dvd...BUT






TV viewing is up. Yay!So says the TV industry -

but what is really happening!?






77% of Australian respondents (5800) said they “juggled at least two forms of media at once”

of these 65 per cent said when using web and TV together

the internet had most of their attentionwhile

only 14 per cent saying the TV didNielsen

simple math65% of 77% = 50.05%

or half of Oz TV viewers have their attention on the internet not TV

We are now firmly in the attention economy






Should16-24 media users be part of policy making?

52% of 16-24s media activity is simultaneous

Compared to 22% of people aged over 55

Ofcom UK






and what happens when ad supported linear content

drops away? Ad response down 20% in 1 year across TV and

Online






1 Who truly represents the interests of Multi-Platform Production in Australia?






1 Who truly represents the interests of all Multi-Platform Production & Producers in Australia?






2 Where is the national training coordination for Multi-Platform Content Production?






Where exactly are these specialist multi-platform

skills being nurtured?






Where exactly

are these specialist

multi-platform

skills being

nurtured?






3 Are we really serious about Multi-Platform funding?






1 Defining Multi-Platform – How can you fund that, which cannot be described?

2 Division – Dispersed funding means drop-in-the-ocean pots of money

3 Selection – Who should really select the projects that get funding?

4 Audiences vs Users- We can’t measure engagement so lets judge on numbers only?

5 Passion – Why are most funding bodies led by linear video evangelists?

6 Advisors – In the fast evolving multi-platform world, who do you get advice from?

7 Education and Training – The quality of project submissions depends on the quality of training.

8 Funding Levels – Even with the low level of support to MP projects, what is each project worth?

9 Keeping Up – Are funding bodies way behind the evolution that is happening?

10 Measurement – Is funding by not expecting a return (metric or monetary) setting up failure?

10 Reasons Multi Platform Content Support is Broken

http://www.personalizemedia.com/10-reasons-public-multi-platform-funding-is-broken-ways-to-fix-it/








1 Defining Multi-Platform – How can you fund that, which cannot be described?

A SOLUTION: Although new MP formats are arriving quickly it is important there is a simple agreed way of describing what kind of project it is exactly. Although putting it in a ‘labelled box’ may sound premature in some circles, without this the problems mentioned above will prevail. The DRAFT list below is a very simple 3 way matrix which can be used to get a sense of the project to help define level of funding for a type of project, any specialist help required before, during and after and a way to manage numbers funding across certain categories – eg: 25% mobile, 30% not for profit, 10% experimental and so on. It is a ‘get the ball rolling’, debate list.

see









1 Defining Multi-Platform – How can you

fund that, which cannot be described?






2 - Division – Dispersed funding means drop-in-the-ocean pots of money

SOLUTION: There needs to be coordination between agencies – national level glued to regional and arts organisations working with altruistic industry focused organisations. 3rd party training and development units need to be registered and funded properly over a longer timeframe and the funding groups be clear on their outcomes.









3 Selection – Who should really choose the projects that get funding?

A SOLUTION: There is no single solution but a radical one funding agencies should start to consider as part of the mix (especially as it is all ‘our’ money in the first place) is online crowd sourced voting and/or event based pitching. This is now a tried and tested way for groups of people to decide on what project is likely to hit ‘its’ mark. As long as the project itself is clear on its goals then a simple overview of the project can be voted and commented on. This would also stop some of the rather ‘local’ conflict of interest activity that results from a few experts from a few companies, particularly in the fledgling industry.









4 Audiences vs Users- We can’t measure engagement so lets judge on numbers only?

A SOLUTION: The thing that is left off are funding bodies insisting on metrics – ‘any connected project must specify its measurement and monitoring of the service – define what is regarded as success or failure’.









5 Passion – Why are most funding bodies led by linear video evangelists?

A SOLUTION: Make sure inside the funding bodies there are staff who were once practitioners outside film and TV and more than that actually are regular ‘travellers’ in multi-platform environments. – these are people who actually live the culture of some of the ‘continents‘.





http://www.personalizemedia.com/navigating-the-world-of-multi-platform-transmedia-rituals/

http://www.personalizemedia.com/navigating-the-world-of-multi-platform-transmedia-rituals/





6 Advisors – In the fast evolving multi-platform world, who do you get advice from?

A SOLUTION: Build an experts group that independently represents multi-platform to provide good best practise and definitions to the funding bodies. This should not be too industry focused or too academic but reflect a broad interest. Existing industry bodies are often rooted in here-and-now digital and are poor innovators so there needs to be pioneers and researchers in the mix as well as informed members or crowd sourced public community elements.









7 Education and Training – The quality of project submissions depends on the quality of training.

A SOLUTION: Funding bodies globally do two things. 1 – Have a list of recognised training units who are clearly tasked with outcomes relevant to the funding bodies ‘defined’ goals. 2 – Have a global directory of independent specialised consultants and fleet of foot companies who can provide good pre and post event executive type roles in the project. StoryLabs is one unit moving forward with 2 at least.





http://storylabs.us/

http://storylabs.us/





8 Funding Levels – Even with the low level of support to MP projects, what is each project worth?

A SOLUTION: A defined structure at the outset of the submission process could generate budgets from submissions that make sense within the context of the main elements of the build – iPhone apps vs web 2.0 websites vs locative games vs community hubs etc:









9 Keeping Up – Are funding bodies way behind the actual changes that are happening?

A SOLUTION: Be willing to publish the metrics (see 10) and use comprehensive research methods to look inside and outside of industry figures. Become more reliant on solid independent research looking primarily at audience usage vs pure sales/money or time-spent reports. Use social media more in garnering public interest, this goes way beyond making a Facebook page but using a gamut of Social tools to connect with the ‘investors’.









10 Measurement – Is funding by not expecting a return (metric or monetary) setting up failure?

A SOLUTION: Key Performance Indicators KPIs should be used as a major part of any submission. The multi platform projects (and linear ones to that extent) need to state how they consider the project will succeed or fail. Did it generate the $100k profit in the first year, did it have 5mill impressions across the measurable web, did it break even at the box office, how many actually watched the range of costly web videos, how many turned up for the 3D projection mapping event? Monitoring projects post funding needs to be resourced, if it can’t be measured it shouldn’t be funded, period.









To RecapAustralia is falling seriously behind the rest of the world

in multi platform content production! It needs to:

1 Rally for an open multi-platform focused industry body

2 Revitalise & coordinate transmedia & multi-platform training across the board

3 Reevaluate how multi-platform support is funded

Thank you!




what's wrong with transmedia content? where's the funding?

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