MAKE
yo y our
story REALLY STINKIN’ BIG How to go om concept to anchise and make your story last for generations
HOUSTON
HOWARD
contents Acknowledgments
why you should ReAd this Book
FoRewoRd By RoBeRt PRAtten
A Few things to get out oF the wA wAyy
why i decided to wRite the Book
chAPteR 1: get on youR soAPBox!
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chAPteR 2: Build youR chARActeRs A house to live in
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chAPteR 3: time to Finish the house
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chAPteR 4: whA whAt’s t’s the stoRy oF youR woRld?
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chAPteR 5: the stoRies within the stoRy
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chAPteR 6: sPReAd ’em!
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chAPteR 7: All hAil the RA RAtt king
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chAPteR chAP teR 8: uP uP,, uP uP,, And Aw AwAy Ay
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chAPteR 9: so, now whA whAt? t?
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chAPteR 10: some sAge Advice
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ABout the AuthoR
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acknowledgments Tanks, God, or giving me access to Your matchless creativity. You did me a solid and I greatly appreciate it. For understanding my long hours on my laptop, I’d like to thank my wie, Courtney. Coolest. Wie. Ever. Also, thanks to my parents who have always encouraged encouraged me to ollow my dreams. Tanks to my One 3 Productions team or your yo ur trust and or helping me harness a seemingly impossible creative vision. Iron denitely sharpens iron.
why you you should
read this book At this point, you’re probably wondering why you should spend a portion o your hard-earned paycheck on this book. Maybe you’re trying to decide between this book and another industry book? Or possibly you’re you’re considering saving saving the cash and going g oing on a Red Box binge this weekend instead? Listen, I love Red Box binges as much as the next guy, but but honestly you should opt or the book. Why? Because all the things you’ll learn rom it are things I wish I would have known when I rst began beg an pursuing entertainment entertainment as a career. You see, I graduated rom law school on the East Coast. So, when I moved to Los Angeles to start start producing and writing, writing, I had two choices: go to lm school and take on another $40,000 in student loans or gure out how to do it on my own. I chose Door Number wo. For the rst couple o years, I read every Michael Wiese book I could aord. Seriously, I read at least twenty; it was like my own little lm school, school , but with a $39,600 discount. However, However, even with my sel-taught knowledge, I still needed a way to set mysel apart rom the seemingly 14 zillion uber-talented people trying to break into the industry at the same time. I needed neede d a way to do what I love, keep up with our ever-changever-changing entertainment landscape, and, at the same time, be successul on my own terms. So, I gured out a way to do it. And you’ve guessed it... all the secrets, tips, tricks, and strategies are in this book.
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foreword By RoBeRt PRatten
360° Storyweaving — or what the PGA denes as transmedia storytelling — is more than the meme o the moment. It’s an essential way to attract and retain audiences and consumers. With this book it also becomes a methodical approach to maximizing the business potential o any creative idea. In 2000, I quit work as a telecoms marketing consultant and went to lm school. Eight years later and with two indie eatures to my name I discovered transmedia storytelling and realized instantly this was the industry’s salvation. Music, movies, and books had all been ravaged ravage d by online le sharing and an explosion o usergenerated content. Tis same seismic shi in media consumption and production had aected advertising, too — making it harder or the seller’s message to reach buyers and easier or potential buyers to dodge and ignore ig nore advertising. advertising. I realized realize d early on there would be a sweet spot or mysel at the intersection o entertainment, marketing, and technology: using transmedia storytelling to blur the boundary o entertainment and marketing and using technologyy to connect all the parts. og In June 2012, I met with the author, Houston Howard, at the Bergamont Caé in Los Angeles on a typically Caliornian warm, bright morning. We’d met to discuss possible areas o collaboration and cooperation with each an admirer o the other’s work. When Houston told me he was writing a book to capture and share the knowledge he’d gained in developing transmedia ranchises I immediately asked to read it. How could I have known, known, however high my expectations, that once I had it in my hands I would be totally blown away!
Make Your Story Really Really Stink Stinkin in’’ Big is an essential book or anyone working in the creative industries and by ar the best o the transmedia books on the market market at the time o this writing. On rst reading I ound the book to be a real page-turner. I know that’s a clichéd phrase but it’s seldom used to describe a reerence book. book . But with each passing chapter chapter I was eager eag er to know more, eager to learn Houston’s perspective on how to leverage the most rom a story, and eager to see se e how he’d he’d approached the job o o structuring a ully-edged ranchise and built a coherent storyworld. I devoured the book in two t wo sittings and immediately emailed emailed Houston to tell him he’d written written the book the industry needed someone to write! A practical guidebook. And so what I love most about this book are the lists, the breakdowns, the A-Z steps and the bullet points. It’s a go-to practical reerence book I’ve returned to many times even beore it’s been published. (Such as my privileged position as a reviewer has allowed me!) While there are a growing number o people analyzing works o transmedia and providing us all with valuable valuable and much needed neede d insight, ew oer practical how-to advice on how to set o in the right direction and how to improve what may already be in place. Maybe this is why Houston and I get g et along so well? We We both have a desire to encourage others to get started and we endeavor to show how that might be done. My own work is less about developing transmedia ranchises and more about audience participation — applying storytelling and game mechanics to create dynamic, personalized experiences much like Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) and location-based stories. I apply this to storyworlds stor yworlds to create a layer o social partici pation that binds all the various platorms — books, videos, toys, and so on. When used with a ranchise, the participation aspect is usually thought o as part o the marketing. It was while working on a movie project in which I was tasked to build audience participation through social media and email
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Stinkin in’’ Big . Te section that I rst read Make Your Story Really Stink titled “Segments and Ladders” immediately grabbed my attention and started a series o discussions with the scriptwriter. Not only would the the scri script pt be bette betterr or or cre creati ating ng hier hierarc archies hies in the two warr warring ing actions but it would give me additional material to work with. Relatively painless changes to the script were in act made, opening up a whole host o new new possibil possibilitie itiess or or a social game with with bette betterr achieveachievements, levels, and personalization. And the two platorms — eature lm (“the entertainment”) and social game (“the marketing”) — were now much more tightly bound to the same storyworld and both were better or it. Make Your Story Really Stinkin Stinkin’’ Big on Te potential impact o Make the reader’s work should not be underestimated. Te book is ull o useul tips and checklists that allow the creator the best possible oundation or expanding and maximizing the business potential o his or her story. Tis truly is my go-to book on transmedia story development! .... Robert Prat Robert Pratte ten n is a eatu eature re flm direc directo torr, the ound ounder er o Tr Tran ansme smedi diaa Storyteller, Storytell er, and an expert on interactive, social, and pervasive cross platorm plato rm entertain entertainment ment and and marketin marketing. g.
a few things
to get out of the way way
Who W ho is this book for anywa anyway?
Tis book is or any proessional, amateur, or would-be storyteller. You might be a novelist, comic writer, toy maker, producer, game designer, screenwriter, playwright, or transmedia enthusiast — anyone who is looking to get much more out o a story. You want your story to be bigger? You want to position your story or mainstream engagement and commercial success? Ten, whatever your creativ creativee title, this book will help you move in that direction. Who the heck is this guy?
Simply put, I’m the Co-Fou Co -Founder nder and Chie Storyteller o o One 3 Productions — a collection o o diverse creative proessionals proessionals committed to telling stories that cause positive changes in people’s lives. Tere’s work and there’s your calling. A calling is the kind o work that never actually eels like work. Te kind o work you’d never compromise on. Tat you’d sacrice or.. Te kind o work that has your ngerprints all over it and adds or up to something. Something big. Something that couldn’t happen anywhere else or with any other group o people. Tat’s the kind o work we do at One 3 Productions. We’ve assembled a team made o music producers, board game designers, screenwriters, editors, directors, marketing proessionals, comic writers, actors, and singers who all understand the times in
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which they live and are committed committed to using their combined talents talents to tell powerul stories that leave an endurable mark on today’s culture. We have a threeold approach to our business: 1. We develop original intellectual properties (IPs) with the ocus and intent o producing the projects independently as transmedia ranchises; 2. We develop original origina l transmedia-ready IPs with the intent o shopping the project or acquisition or license rom a studio partner or another entity entity;; and 3. We consult with other content creators on the best way to diversiy and grow their projects to have maximum commercial and mainstr mainstream eam impact. With all three o these aspects, we use a comprehensive cam paign approach, which we’ve coined 360° Storyweaving . An optimum 360° Storyweaving Campaign Campaign includes three distinct phases: phases : 1. Te Creation Phase, where we create and design the story components around an original concept; 2. Te Immersion Phase, where we design and plan marketing support or the story components through thematic merchandising and media blurring; and 3. Te Community Phase, where we build commu communities nities through online engagement and interactivity as well as implement social outreach, which springs rom the original purpose and theme o the project. As a side note, this book is geared mainly toward the Creation Creation Phase, which will deal with creatively developing the story concepts around the original concept and IP, which we consider to be the heart o any 360° Storyweaving Campaign. Te other phases exist to support and drive audiences to the story components and will be discussed in this book, but will mainly be detailed and studied in uture publications.
With creative ragmentation in the entertain entertainment ment industry beb eing one o the major obstacles to commercial transmedia design, we eel e el that when you can assemble a team o creativ creativee proessionals rom dierent industries and dierent backgrounds to work together rom the inception o a project, the nal product will be innitely richer, richer, deeper deep er,, and more coordinated. So what is 360° 3 60° Storyweaving? Storyweaving?
Simply put, 360° Storyweaving is a specic type typ e o transmedia. You may or may not have heard o the term transmedia. Chances are you haven’t. haven’t. And even e ven i you have, you’ve you’ve probably heard it used incorrectly or have some unortunate unortunate misconceptions o what it actually is. For example, some olks think transmedia is simply equated with technolog technologyy and new media, with the phrase, “Hey “Hey,, I got an app or my book — transmedia, baby!” possibly being one o the most oen used phrases o late. Others think transmedia strictly means extreme levels o an interaction and participation. Some contend that transmedia is simply a marketing tool. and there are some who staunchly believe belie ve transmedia is orever tied to Altern Alternate ate Reality Gaming. While technology, interaction, marketing, and ARGs denitely have roles in designing the 360° experience transmedia producers seek, seek , at its core, transmedia is much simpler. Essentially, transmedia is a ancy (and potentially scary) word that simply describes an innovative way to grow and expand a story. Again, while many content creators will use a tremendous variety o bells be lls and whistles to t o make their transmedia experiences exp eriences story unique and tailored to their audiences, the basic principle o story expansion is the common denominator that ties all the approaches together. Most transmedia proessionals ocus mainly on perecting and innovating the end-user end-user experience and become bec ome specialists special ists in that regard. While this specialization is needed and really a very cool job j ob to have, we believe belie ve content creators shouldn’t shouldn’t skip to the
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experience part until they’ve perected the art o expanding their story in the proper way. Accordingly,, in this book we’re actually going Accordingly g oing to deal with what we call 360° Storyweaving — our own very specic and unique ap proach to taking a single story idea and growing and expanding it into an ever-increasing creative sandbox where the whole story transorms transor ms into a project greater than the sum o its parts. Basically, it shows you how to make 1 + 1 = 3 instead o boring old 2. I always describe a great 360° Storyweaving project as a photo mosaic. Each picture in the mosaic has its own own independent value and contribu contribution. tion. However However,, the magic happens when you step back and see it’ it’ss not just a bunch o o independent photos tossed together — there’s a bigger, big ger, more rewarding rewarding picture to be seen. O course, this takes planning and coordination, but i you can pull it o, you’ll have craed something not many people can create. Again, 1 + 1 = 3. Te old answer, my riends, riends, is 2. In the twentytwent yrst century, 2 is or the birds. You can still be you.
I can hear you now: “ I’m a scre screenwr enwriter iter/nov /noveli elist/p st/prod roducer/ ucer/poe poet! t! I don don’t ’t wan wantt to to cha change nge careers and become a transmedia proessional!”
o be honest, I didn’t actually hear you (i I could hear you right now, it’d be really creepy), but I’ve gotten that comment enough that I’ve become adept at anticipating it. All I can say is, “Don’tt ret.” “Don’ ret.” 360° Storyweaving Stor yweaving is just a tool to ol that will help you boil yoursel back down to the essence o being a storyteller . Once there, you’ll learn techniques that will help you when you turn turn your ocus back to your area o creativ creativee expertise. However, beore I get ahead o mysel (which I’m relatively sure I already have), let’s go through a general, basic transmedia primer to make make sure we’r we’ree on the same page. First o all, because it’s such an emerging market, there isn’t a consensus as to the “true” denition o transmedia. However, the
Producers Guild o America recently ratied an established credit or a ransmedia Producer. In its code o credits, the PGA simply denes ransmedia Narrative as at least three narrative storylines that all exist in the same ctional universe on a combination o platorms, platorm s, including lm, television, comics, mobile technolog technologyy, short lms, publishing, etc. Te credit goes on to reinorce that the narratives aren’t the same stories repurposed or dierent mediums. Instead they have to all be unique narrat narratives. ives. Additionally, the credit denes a ransmedia Producer as someone who, among other things, oversees and is responsible or the creation, planning, development, and production and maintenance o the ransmedia Narrative across multiple platorms. (For the entire text o the ransmedia Producer credit, visit the PGA PG A’s website, we bsite, www.producersguild.org ). ). Others have dened transmedia as a collection o narrative components transmitted via numerous media and communication communication platormss which, when woven together platorm tog ether by the audience, results in a richer and deeper story stor y than any o its individual components. Henry Jenkins, an American media scholar, USC proessor, and trusty transmedia expert, has dened transmedia as: “A process where integral elements o a ction get dispersed system aticall ati callyy acro across ss mul multip tiple le del deliery iery cha channe nnels ls or the purpo purpose se o crea creatin ting g a unied unied and coor coordina dinated ted ente entertai rtainm nment ent experience experience.. Ideall Ideally, y, each each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unolding o the story. sto ry.” ”
I tend to believe that all three o these denitions coexist politely and harmoniously in the same denotative space and are the denitions I apply to my own work. Regardless o your perspective, however, a very broad take on the subject would describe transmedia transmedia as storytelling across multiple orms o media with each element making distinctive contributions to an audience’s understanding o the storyworld. It’s a powerul and protabl pro tablee storytel storytelling ling met method hod tha thatt has devel developed oped out o ext extrem remee cultural shis, which have made traditional storytelling methods outdated and ineective ine ective with today’ to day’ss You You ubeube-driven driven Generation Z.
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So, or example, a multimedia approach would tell a story in a lm and then retell the same story in a book novelization and then retell the same story yet again in a comic book. Te wilight novels tell the same story as the lms, which tell the same story as the graphic novels, etc. As you can see, a traditional multimedia approach is almost wholly built upon derivative works. works. Conversely, a transmedia approach would develop a ranchise universe not based on a character or a specic plot, but rather a complex ctional world that can sustain multiple interrelated characters and their subsequent stories. Once the universe is established, multiple stories are developed or a variety o mediums with key bits o inormation conveyed through the mediums. Each one o these mediums tells unique stories that exist within the ramework o the ranchise universe and also give audience members unique perspectives and inorm inormation. ation. With this additive comprehension approach, there is no single source or gaining g aining all the inormation inorm ation needed neede d to comprehend c omprehend the universe. For example, Te Matrix isn’t just a story about Neo and Mor pheus. Te Matrix is a story about a uture where machines take over the planet and use humans as batteries. Part o that story is told through Neo’s story via the lm trilogy, part is told through the Animatrix animated eature, eature, and part is told through the video games, and so on. Te stories are all dierent, but still work together to orm a great whole. Wha W hat’ t’ss the difference?
Because there hasn’t been a consensus on the denition o “true” transmedia and because our process is unique, we thought we needed to avoid conusion and come up with our term. Hence, 360° Storyweaving. 360° speaks to broadening a story beyond the our corners o a page or the our corners o a screen and expanding into multiple mediums to a point where no matter where audiences turn, the story is there. Story Stor y speaks to, well, stories. Weaving Weaving communicates communicates
the level o coordination, cohesion, and connection you need to optimize the entire campaign. Te way people are consuming media has changed (and it’s it’s still changing) and 360° Storyweaving is an extension o that. oday’s young people, the soso-called called “digital natives,” are growing up in a connected world with technology that seems completely natural to them. Tey and others are changing and rewriting rewriting the rule book boo k o what is possible. With people such as Heroes creator im Kring decreeing that one-channel storytelling is now considered archaic, the age o this new orm o storytelling has only just begun.
chaPter one
get on
yo y o u r soaPboX! soaPboX , Viable settin setting, g, macro-story, micro-stories, multiPle mediums, dynamic connections, Vertical eXPloration
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Where W here do we start? start?
As with most projects, knowing where to begin is one o, o , i not the, most important steps to execute properly. I you don’t, you’ll only experience grie later in the process because you set o in a wrong direction and are orced to backtra backtrack ck and revise. Listen, there’ss so much to do, why not just get there’ g et it right rig ht the rst time? So, the rst thing you need to do is build your x . Figuratively speaking, o course. Unless, you actually need a soapbox, which in that case, happy happy building. In the nineteenth n ineteenth century century,, people would plop down actual soapboxes so they could be elevated or a public speech. Generally, these speeches had to do with politics, but at the heart o it, the speeches weree opini wer opiniona onated, ted, passio passionat nate, e, agenda-d agenda-driv riven, en, and rabbl rabble-r e-rousin ousing. g. People who used soapboxes were, predictably, called “soapboxers.” Tat’ss the rst step — using your project as a soapbox Tat’ so apbox and proudly accepting the label o o a modern-da mo dern-dayy soapboxer. soapboxer. You may call it theme, moral premise, message, agenda, or even meta-story, but whatever whatever you call it, it’ it’ss going to become the oundation o your project. Why W hy start start with theme?
Why not start by designing characters, strategizing what what mediums to use, or creating a setting or eshing out your supercool origorig inal idea you sketched out last year but haven’ haven’t done anything with? It’s because theme gives your creative decisions purpose and allows your project to connect with your audience on a greater greater level. I’m not saying your story can’t be good without a strong message. sag e. I’m saying that stories without strong thematic oundations are like sugar rushes — they get you excited or a bit, but can’t sustain you or a long period o time because they don don’’t hav havee substa substance. nce. Conversely,, stories set on strong thematic soapboxes are more likely Conversely to endure and continue to resonate resonate because even e ven though the culture may change, universal themes tend to remain intact and continually connect with people across multiple generations. 2
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Have you ever watched an old movie and ound it difcult to relate to because the actors talk dierently than you talk, they act dierently than you act, things look dierently than they do now, and culture has signicantly changed changed since the movie was released? released ? Well, W ell, i the movie has a strong themat thematic ic oundation, that’s what will connect with you, you , allow you to look past all the surr surrounding ounding irrelevance and keep you watching. It’s a Wonderful Wonderful Life is the Honestly, the thematic heartbeat o It’s only reason I would still watch that lm. I know Jimmy Stewart is goodd and all, goo all , but there are so many things that just don’t don’t click with me. But, I’ll still check it out because despite the act it was made beore my parents were even born, it carries a great message messag e — that everyone’ss lie has meaning. everyone’ Te coolness o plots ades over time, the initial ability o characters to relate relate will wane, and the wittiest line o dialogue in 2013 may be glazed over thirty years rom now without even being noticed. But your theme, your message, those things you want to say to the world, your soapbox — they hold up through the years. Why W hy should anyone anyone care?
Seriously. Why should anyone care about your project? Seriously. project ? Why should shou ld anyone give g ive you yo u money that they’ve they ’ve spent hours o their lives earning? Because they’ll be entertained? In a recessive economy and a ridiculously saturated entertainment landscape, simply being able to entertain or a ew hours isn’t isn’t a sae bet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying entertainment is bad. It’s absolutely essential. I’m I ’m merely advocating advocating that you inspire and entertain because a strong soapbox and an entertaining story aren’t mutually exclusive ideals. You’ll build a bigger audience. audience.
Simon Sinek gave a ED ED alk alk where he presented a concept con cept he calls the Golden Circle and spoke on the reason you should always start with “why.” 3
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By the way, as a side note, i you don’t check out ED alks on a regular basis then you should because they’re awesome videos that give tremendous insights into people on the oreront o innovation, creativity, and leadership. In the ED alk (and also in his book Start with Why) he ex plores how great leaders, whether they be politicians, creativ creativee visionaries, lmmakers, lmmakers, inventors, inventors, or corporate CEOs, not only momo tivate people to act, but also inspire people to ollow them. He points out that all industries, creative creative and otherwise, needs ne eds to motivate people to act in order to sustain themselves. Painters need to motivate people to buy their paintings. Writers need to motivate readers to buy their books. Marketers need to motivate people to actually act on their calls-to-action. calls-to -action. Filmmakers Filmmakers need to motivate audiences to watch their movies. Restaurant owners need to motivate people to eat at their establishments. But how do you motivate people? When it comes to motivat motivations, ions, people tend to be swayed by incentives — price, convenience, social benet, etc. However, when you can inspire people to act, as opposed to just motivating them, you actually impart an innate sense o purpose and belonging, which is so much more valuable. As a result, you don’t just start building an audience or a an base, you also start cultivating a devoted ollowing. Motivated Motiva ted consumers, because they are responding to external incentives, will almost always all away when those disincentives appear — the cost is too high, the theater is too ar away, none o their riends are into it, etc. It’s not worth it to them because their connection is a supercial one. Devoted ollowers, however, are willing to pay more i needed needed,, endure inconvenience i required, and even suer a bit i they’re called to do so. Why? Tey’re ollowing you not because you have the coolest project around, but because you believe what they believe and that always has value. You You may think I’m I ’m getting too deep, but when what you create starts to only serve as proo as to what you believe, you’ll 4
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start connecting to your audience in ways you’ve you’ve never planned. Te diagram below actually shows how inspirational leaders communicate and operate. It documents a pattern o thought and action that any content creator, with a little discipline, can put p ut to use. Tis shows the order in which people p eople communicate ideas in an attempt to get others to do something they wouldn’t do on their own accord.
In the creative space, when trying to motivate mo tivate audience members, nanciers, or people they want to acquire the property, writers, producers, and creators creators typically work rom rom the outside in. in. Tey know what their product is, so that’ that’ss where they begin. be gin. “ I’e written written this amazing sci- script that that is screamin screamingg to be shot shot in 3D!”
I they actually move past the “what,” they’ll start describing the “how” o their project. “ I saw how success su ccessul ul Avatar was, so I really used that as a temte m plate or how to maximize maximize action, story, story, and isuals.” ”
Now at this point, most everyone stops. My thinking is most people don’ don’tt ever consider “why “why,,” so they the y honestly wouldn’ wouldn’tt know what to say say,, or i they have, they don’ don’tt think the person they’re pitching to actually cares. 5
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ruly inspirational inspiratio nal leaders and an d artists work rom the inside insi de out. Tey start with the “why” o their project, go to the “how” and eventually nish with the “what.” “ I really really wanted wanted to commu communicate nicate to to young young people how destructie destructie it is to be drien by pain and anger and, and , no matter what kind o tragedy they’e dealt with, the best thing to do is to let it go and move on. So I ended up using a great combination o isuals, action, and story that I knew knew young people people would respond to, to, especially aer seeing how Avatar broke so many box ofce records. What I hae now is an amazing sci- script that’s screaming to be shot in 3D!”
Tis just eels dierent. It has more substance and I promise you, it will ultimately ultimately yield you better results. Let’s say you’re having this conversation with a producer you want to attach attach to your project. project. I he likes science science ction movies, he may be motivated to read your script even i you start with “what.” Tat is, o course, i he has time (which always works to de-motivate people), i he’s he’s even looking or a new project, i he doesn’ do esn’tt already have 403 other sci- scripts on his desk, i he doesn’t think you’re a hack because be cause you don’t don’t have any IMDB credits, and i he doesn’ doesn’tt think you’ll sue him because be cause you’ve you’ve brought this up unsolicited. As you can imagine, working your way through these objections is difcult when you’re only armed with a “what.” But, i you connect with him on the “why,” it’s more likely these other actors won’tt matte won’ matterr as much and he’ll read your script. Why? Because, there’s a good chance he believes the same thing and, ultimately, people don’t don’t buy what you do as much as why why you’re you’re doing it. Apple doesn’t market themselves as a company that makes beautiul, easy-to-use computers (their “what”), or that hires the best designers and most brilliant minds in the marketplace (their “how”). Tey start with how they want to make everyone’s lives easier and how they don’t don’t believe people p eople should shou ld have to settle or the status quo when it comes to technology (their “why”). Tis causes them to go out and hire the best designers and the most 6
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brilliant minds in the industry (their “how”) and, in the end, they produce beautiul, easy-to-use computers. Rev. Dr. Dr. Martin Luther King, King , Jr. Jr. didn’t didn’t motivate people p eople to go g o to Washington, W ashington, D. D.C., C., on a swelte sweltering ring Au August gust day day by layin layingg out a logical twelve-point plan on how to x the country’s racial divide. Instead, he inspired people by telling them what he believed, conveying his dreams, and explaining why change was necessar ne cessaryy. He ound people who believed what what he believed and he he built a ollowi ollowing. ng. In Hollywood, a huge part o the lmmaking game is getting people (agents, producers, actors, janitors, the guy on Craigslist you bought the used uton rom, etc.) to read your scripts. I you can get anyone to actually read anything, it’s a huge victory and worthy accomplishment. Tat’ Tat’ss the same game everyone is playing, playing, which means the producers and the agents don’t don’t have have to take take all o them — they have their pick o the litter. However, as a company, we at One 3 Production Productionss purposely avoid asking anyone to read our stu. Seriously. Because we’re a mission-driven company, whenever we meet with industry industry cont contacts acts,, we always start wit withh why we’re we’re doing wha whatt we’re we’ re doing. doing. From From the there, re, we we talk about about how how we use use a tran transmedi smediaa ap proach proa ch to develop the projects projects and eventuall eventuallyy get to what what our project actually is about. Every single time we’ve done that, the person we’ree meeting with, be it a studio executive we’r executive or an actor, actor, has asked us i he or she could read our script. No joke. It’s because they see our substance, our long-term value, our passion, and our purpose and those actors immediately disarm all the objections, legitimate or otherwise, they have cocked and ready to use against us. When you start with why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’re you’ re connecting to people’ people’ss souls rather than dueling with their logic. Now apply this to your transmedia project.
oo many times I have heard transmedia producers begin talking about their projects by telling me about their tech, their apps, 7
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and their whiz-bang platorms. Almost every time, I tune out. alented olk that have awesome razzle-dazzle technology with their projects are a dime a dozen. Unless you’ve you’ve actually invented a new piece o o technology technolog y, your platorms aren’ aren’t what make your project unique, and even i you have, it doesn’t mean I’m completely sold. I may be interested in your new toy toy,, but why should I be interested in your story? Instead, use the method I’ve been detailing. Why are you even creating this project? Tis is the soapbox/thematic oundation we’ve been talking about. How are you doing it? Well, i you’re ollowing our process, you’re using a macro-narrative approach to transmedia. What are you creating? Tis would be your individual stories, components, and whiz-bang, razzle-dazzle tech elements that you love so much. This will actually help you creatively.
Some creative proessionals, rom songwriters to authors to designers, reer to a destructive phenomenon called “scope creep.” Tis is when the scope o a project starts to grow and grow and grow and grow and grow until the whole project becomes messy, unocused, awkward, and ultimately ragile. I you, as the content creator, haven’t created your project with a steely ocus, how can you reasonably expect your audience to ocus ocus?? In today’ today’ss enter enter-tainment-saturated culture, i you lose someone’s attention or ve seconds, they’re o playing Angry Birds and you have as much o a chance o regaining them as ans as they have o beating the game with the boring red red birds. Not likely likely.. How do you combat scope creep? You orm borders to your project. o make a sandbox, you don don’t ’t start by dumpin dumpingg a bunch o sand on the ground. You begin by building the our walls that contain it. Likewise, puzzle masters never start a puzzle by trying to gure out the middle. Puzzle masters worth their salt start on the edges; they dene their borders. Your soapbox is what will orm those borders or your project. It will dene a very clear narrative space or you to sink your teeth 8
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into and allow you to carve out a more ocused project by inorming every single creative decision you make. A thematic thematic oundation and border empower you to reuse anything that alls outside its scope. I something doesn’t reconcile with your theme, it’s not allowed. I a creative decision starts to tear down your soapbox, you ditch it. rust me. Adhering to a strong thematic soapbox will help you rom straying o the path. It’s like when you go hiking and every now and then you see a sign that says KEEP ON HE PAH. Some may say those signs are inringing on your hiking reedom. I say they’re helping you not be eaten by a mountain lion and you should thank the guy who put them there. Start an argument.
Remember in high school and college when you would have to write persuasive essays? Building your soapbox and laying your thematic oundation work the same way. Your theme will simply be an assertion (or assertions) you want to make to the world. Your entiree project and every entir e very story you write will be your argument as to why your assertion assertion is true. Te Lord of Rings series is actually centered on a number o themes, one o which is that no matter how small you are, you can still do something great. Troughout the books, olkien is constantly making that argument. Every time the Hobbits unexpectedly succeed at doing something great, his assertion is strengthened, and by the end, he proves his assertion true. In the Craig Brewer lm, Hustle & Flow, the theme that resonates above all others is that no matter how ar o the path you’ve gone, you should always pursue your dreams. Every crazy situation Djay nds himsel in deals with that question and is Brewer’ Brewer’ss arguarg ument as to why that assertion is, in act, true. When the lm is over, you end up up not only agreeing with with Brewer Brewer concerning his thematic thematic assertion, but you also nd yoursel saying, “Hey, i a pimp in the ghettos o Memphis can change his lie and achieve his dreams then so can I.” 9
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Good storytellers, though, put pressure on their thematic assertions and take you through a thematic roller coaster beore ulti Hustle le & mately proving their assertions true. So, when you watch Hust Flow, you nd yoursel going g oing through a very ver y dynamic “will he/won’t he/won’t he” process. proce ss. You You think he can change, chang e, then you think he won’ won’t, t, then you think he can, then then you think think he won’ won’t, t, and so so on. Finally, when Djay beats the tar out o Skinny Black in a bathroom stall, you completely write him o as a potential candidate or change. But, in the end, Djay pulls it together and you see the ulllment o the theme in the character’s character’s lie. Brewer obviously and purposely craed the story stor y this way. way. First and oremost, it’s to make the story more dramatic, tense, and interesting or the audience. But also, on a thematic level, you need your argument arg ument to be seen as realistic and credible, so you want to put pressure pressure on the theme in every way possible. How do you choose?
It’s eas It’s easy. y. Just nd something you’ you’re re passionate about. Ident Identi iyy a cause that makes you cry. Pick something that gets you out o bed in the morning and that you nd yoursel talking about to other people. p eople. What are the topics that cause you to raise your voice or to wave your arms arms around around like a crazy person? What What do you want your your kids to learn? What do you want to teach uture generation g enerations? s? Your project is your soapbox, so apbox, so now that you have a stage, stag e, what do you want to say? What do you believe? Or what don’t you believe? Be careul not to just pick open-ended topics, though. I just googled “most common literary themes” and I pulled up this list: 1. Good versus evil; 2. Man versus nature; 3. Love and riendship; 4. Man versus society society;; 5. Man versus himsel; 6. Fa Fate te versus reewill; and 7. Sueri Suering ng versus versus redemption. 10
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Tis is not what I’m reerring to when I’m talking about your theme, message, or soapbox. Tese can, however, help you nd your soapbox, but these are just categories. Remember that your soapbox should be opinionated and passionate. It’s the dierence between a regular reg ular newspaper article (just the acts, expository expositor y, etc.) and an editorial opinion piece. Sure, Star Wars dealt with good versus evil, but Lucas didn’t said something just present present the battle battle and back away away — he actually said about it. He didn’t just present the struggle between suering and redemption, he openly declared that even one o the most evil dudes in the galaxy can be redeemed. Tat’s a bold statement, but he wasn’t araid to say it. Be opinionated. Have a voice and a unique perspective. It’s It’s the dierence between saying, “Racism is my theme,” and saying, “My theme is that racism is evil.” Te latter is much stronger and will elicit more o a response rom an audience. I someone walks up to you and says, “Love and riendship,” you’ll probably just just look at her weird. weird. But, But, i the same person walks up to you and says, “I think a man who is loved and who has riends is the richest man in the world,” you’ll have a completely dierent reaction — a better reaction. Plus there’s now room or dialogue and interaction whereas beore there wasn’t. Tat being said, choosing an open-ended topic isn’t isn’t a bad place to start per p er se. Just don’t don’t stop there. But i you y ou can’t think o a theme right o the bat, just choose a topic. Once you have the topic, write an opinion on that topic. For example, we’ll take the innocuous open-ended topic o “education.” Tat was easy enough to select. Now, just write an opinion about that topic. Education is good. Okay, let’s make it stronger by punching it up. Eeryone should should be educated. educated. We’re getting there. Let’s punch it up again. Eeryone shou should ld be educated, but education can come in many orms. 11
