OTT & Transmedia : Starting a Transmedia Project by Maurice Vaughan

Well... "transmedia" is a nifty word that we used to call adaptations and derivative works (which is in fact that it is). In truth, in media contracts it's still referred to that. Transmedia essentially is a set of story ideas that exist in different media formats, and are not necessarily connected in story-line. Often are not. Giving this phenomenon a specific label masks this fact and leads creators into the idea that it is a single thing. It is not. Consider that Batman comics and Batman films and Batman novels and Batman t-shirts all have a different audience, a different market, and that there is far, far less crossover in audience than you might expect. There is this idea that people will read the book, then watch the film, then go to the comic, and learn more about the story in each one. But in truth, that's highly unlikely due to a host of reasons. The person who would do that is a super-fan, and that's rare even in franchises like Star Wars. Creators dream that they can create such phenomena - they can't. Consider how hard it is to fund even a short film. Now consider that you want to do that in three or more media - and that each media has its own inside group, way of funding, way of distribution, legal considerations, etc. That's the challenge. My advice, as someone who has worked in so-called transmedia for my whole 30+ years in the industry - is to simply choose a story and choose a media and genre and make that one statement as fantastic as possible. Then market the heck out of it and make sure you learn what YOUR MARKET likes about your project, and cater to them in the next media that they like. Build your franchise one statement at a time. Going the other way around it essentially creating the universe in one go, Even God created only light with one word...

Thanks for the detailed answer and advice, Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg. I think it'd be better for focus on one thing at a time, especially in the indie world.

@Maurice Check out Houston Howard, I’ve done many masterclasses with him but he’s also got tons of freely available videos. Never before have we lived in an era with so many tools available for so much free publicity. Content is key. Build an Eco System of the story over different platforms, each offering a new/different/unique story strand. As simple as self publishing some related poetry/novella albeit not a money maker means split rights are on the table if story is bought by a producer. Done in depth course too London Film School but too much to put here. Message me if you want some notes!

Hi, Debbie Croysdale. Happy New Year! I'm not making a transmedia project. I started this post in case someone had the same question, but thanks for the resources! They might help other members who see this post.

@Maurice Happy New Year to you too! Just to add I.P aka Intellectual property is a key factor in Transmedia. If a story already exists in the ether E.g Novel or Comic if a producer wants to film it they don’t have sole rights. Funds needed by artist to execute Pre Awareness can be minimum or even free. EG Podcast, Self Publish Novel, Whattpad etc. Building a fan base has been done via i phone short films building up “commuter time” viewers. It mitigates risk for investor whether Indie or Hollywood if a built in community exists. Story is key. Commercial giants can no longer control the gate keepers.

Thanks for the info, Debbie Croysdale. "Funds needed by artist to execute Pre Awareness can be minimum or even free. EG Podcast, Self Publish Novel, Whattpad etc." You're right. I've seen articles and short stories get bought by producers and production companies, and it doesn't cost much for a writer to publish an article or short story.