Narrative media is undergoing a shift from the traditional model of

single, linear story lines to much broader explorations of the story

world. Narratives are developed within larger contexts where even

tertiary characters can act as launch points for new stories that

flesh out the fictional universe. These bleed into the physical world

through alternate reality gaming and transmedia cross-platform

experiences that directly engage the audience, drawing them into the

story through real-world challenges. ARG's may not be especially new

but they're being more commonly integrated into franchise productions

through transmedia campaigns across web sites, mobile engagement,

shorts, graphic novels, video games, music, and any other possible

medium that can extend the story.

While much of this shift has been driven by the entertainment

industry, typically around run-up advertising campaigns, transmedia

experiences are perhaps most compelling as native expressions of a

fully-articulated narrative universe. This is transmedia world

building: creating a fictional universe so rich and complete that a

multitude of interweaving stories can emerge from it, taking form

through the social and technological spaces we share.

The video game

spin-off becomes an opportunity to extend the narrative and create a

new experience. The web site becomes a breadcrumb in the story arc

offering a phone number that conveys a meeting place. The graphic

novel picks up the life of a tertiary character from the original

story. The audience is asked to participate in the unfolding

narrative.

The pieces here aren't particularly new but they're all starting to

converge with the technologies that enable these experiences. Most

importantly (and disruptively) they are converging in a way that

radically empowers independent content creators at exactly the moment

when they've been completely abandoned by the industry giants of

yesteryear. The majors have ditched or shelved their independent film

houses and now focus solely on tent-pole blockbusters. Premiers at

Cannes, Sundance, and other indie fests are barely selling to the

studios. Yet, independent creators can set up powerful home studios

and score a RED camera or even a Canon 5D mk2 to shoot & produce

exceptional, authentic work. And very soon the audience will control

access to this massive Long Tail of content right from their living

room (and from their mobiles, and laptops, and kiosks, and car

stereos, etc…)

Indeed, the near-simultaneous announcement of both Google TV and the

new iteration of Apple TV herald the final arrival of truly integrated

internet TV. This is the enxt major wave of convergence. These devices

will fully legitimize web video – the pre-eminent domain of

independent film, tv, and short-format creators – and bring it

directly into the living room for mass consumption. Viewers will be

able to open chat streams, web browsers, interactive content, and

feedback polling while watching content from YouTube, Hulu, Vimeo and

anyone else uploading to the cloud. Content providers will grab

analytics off the back-end, manage ad placement, and push interactive

challenges directly to the viewers. Internet TV convergence will be

radically disruptive.

The majors are fighting hard to control this space. They'll continue

to defend the old models & limp box office gimmicks like "3D" movies

while new media innovators will be figuring out how to use Microsoft's

Kinect and augmented reality and geolocation to extend the reach &

impact of their content. New models of crowdfunding & collaboration

will bring the audience into the production, and creators will push

out distribution through iTunes, Netflix, torrents, and the emerging

array of independent web hosts. Whatever the role of Old Media may be

in the future, independent creators will play a much larger role in

the new media landscape.