2. Rhys Miles Thomas
• Digital Manager at Cyfle
• Managing Director of Cross Platform company
Glass Shot
• Worked in the Creative Industries for over 20
years
• Worked, Trained and Collaborated in the
Digital Field since 2004
@RhysMT / Cyfle
3. 3 tenets of Storytelling in a Digital Age
Storyworld
Character
STORY
@RhysMT / Cyfle
5. • “When I first started, you would pitch a story
because without a good story you didn’t really
have a film.
• Later, once sequels started to take – off, you
pitched a character because a good character
could support multiple stories.
• And now, you pitch a world because a world can
support multiple characters and multiple stories
across multiple media”
• Hollywood Scriptwriter – cited by Henry Jenkins
“Convergence Culture”
@RhysMT / Cyfle
6. • You want to create an immersive world, where
your audience can dive into and explore –
never leaving until they choose to
• You need to be able to answer the question –
In a world where this happens what would
you, the characters, the audience do?
@RhysMT / Cyfle
7. The Basis of a Storyworld = the World
of your Story
• Where does the story take place? Real or Imaginary
World or Something Else?
• What are the rules / society is there? Dictatorship,
Democratic, Cooperative, Police State or Something
Else?
• What kind of Religion exists? Secular, Singular, Atheist,
Multi Dimensional or Something Else?
• When does it take place? Past Present or Future?
• And so on and so on
• Everything should mean something and there should
be a reason for everything
@RhysMT / Cyfle
8. Task 1
• Create your own Storyworld!
• Looking back at the previous slide – answer
the questions in relation to a world that you
have created – and for your story to exist in
@RhysMT / Cyfle
9. In an immersive Storyworld in a Digital
Context –
• You need to allow space for the audience to
become involved, to explore, to create their
own content
@RhysMT / Cyfle
10. • For exploration, you need to create Rabbit Holes
– a place for the audience to “fall down” and
discover hidden depths to your Storyworld (think
Alice in Wonderland)
•
• For allowing the audience to become involved
and create their own content, you need to create
Cheese Holes – where you leave parts of the
story untold so that the audience can interact
with them, or write their own mythology / create
their own content
@RhysMT / Cyfle
11. The other side of your Storyworld,
• You need to spread this world you’ve created
across several platforms, each with their own
unique style and form of engagement
• For example –
@RhysMT / Cyfle
12. Lance Weiler’s Platform Storyworld
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Film
Community
Games
Fan Fiction
Toys
Books
Graphic Novels / Comics
Serial Content
User Generated Content
@RhysMT / Cyfle
13. Task 2
• Storyworld Platforms
• Make a list of the different platforms your
Storyworld will exist on
@RhysMT / Cyfle
16. Character Knowledge
• Answer who they are, what they believe in, why
they believe in it
• Know their full history – where they come from?
what they do? what they believe in? who their
best friend was in school and so on
• Know how they’d react in any situation or
emotion – anger / happiness / the birth of a child
/ the death of a friend or more mundane
situations like what they watch on tv / what they
like to eat and so on
@RhysMT / Cyfle
17. Task 3
• Character
• Looking back at the previous slide –
Create 2 characters that have opposite traits
to each other (for example a Vicar and a
Rocker)
• Now answer the questions using these two
characters
@RhysMT / Cyfle
18. • Digital is a lean forward experience – so make
sure that your characters are fully rounded
individuals, engaging – you’re literally looking
right into the whites of their eyes
• “LonelyGirl 15”
• If you don’t make them someone an audience
can relate to – then they can turn away
• “Kate Modern”
@RhysMT / Cyfle
19. • We live in a world of social media – people will
expect / enjoy being social with your
characters (so you need to be ready for any
situation or question)
• Remember though – Online / mobile / tablets
people will react differently to your characters
from the TV or a movie
• Your characters need to be their friends, they
need to be someone a person can relate to
@RhysMT / Cyfle
20. Character and Social Media
• With an engaging character you can really use
Social Media to expand your audience base, or
your market reach
• Understand who your audience is, what do
they want and where do they want it?
@RhysMT / Cyfle
21. Task 4
• Looking at both your Storyworld and your
Characters - Who do you think your audience
is?
• Write a short paragraph describing your ideal
audience member
@RhysMT / Cyfle
22. • However, your social media content must
reflect your audiences digital habits, for
example –
• People will not stay engaged with a blog post
that’s 3000 words – it’s more effective if it’s a
1000 word blog
@RhysMT / Cyfle
23. • People are more likely to share comment and
engage with visual content that is short, funny
and relevant to them
• People enjoy a space where they can show off
their own creativity
@RhysMT / Cyfle
24. For example, on Twitter • Use Twitter to share opinions, engage with the
public, share other peoples content /
comment on situations and so on– all works
towards creating a loyal following
• For Example – “Shit my dad says…”
@RhysMT / Cyfle
25. Task 5
• Taking one of your characters –
Write 3 short tweets that gives their opinion
on X Factor / Clowns and French Classes in
School
@RhysMT / Cyfle
27. For example, on Facebook
• Use Facebook as a place to encourage user
generated content, fans engagement with each
other, running competitions, a timeline of
updates, creating immersive campaigns and so on
– all works towards creating a loyal following
• “Old Spice campaign”
• Remember though –
• Facebook is very quick, you don’t really get time
to read a deep immersive story (before someone
else has shared another picture or update)
@RhysMT / Cyfle
28. Task 6
• On paper, imagine what the Facebook update
would be about one of your characters going
to Ibiza
• You need to describe a series of three
photographs taken whilst there (for example
this could be a series of tagged drunken
images) – with a caption headline to go with
each photograph
@RhysMT / Cyfle
29. For example, on YouTube
• Use YouTube as a place to encourage
interactivity, as a place to encourage user
generated content – through parody /
responsive videos, fan engagement with your
content / opinions – no real conversation
between user and content but a great way of
creating a loyal following
• “Parody – Downfall Hitler speech”
@RhysMT / Cyfle
30. Task 7
• What kind of User Generated Content could
your audience create around your characters
and / or Storyworld?
@RhysMT / Cyfle
31. However, a word of warning!
• Don’t lose your audience because you assume
they know what you’re thinking, because you
assume you know what they want, or you try
and do something just because you think you
know what they want!
@RhysMT / Cyfle
32. Finally (or initially),
• Once you’ve got your Characters and
Storyworld – you need to create a fantastically
interesting, fascinating and engaging story!
(not much then)
@RhysMT / Cyfle
33. Task 8
Story
• Look into your pockets / bag, and choose one
item (could be your phone / tobacco / pen
and so on)
• Now swap this item with the person to your
left
• Now create a story – with your new item,
using your characters set in your Storyworld
@RhysMT / Cyfle
35. Over the Break, Think of the Following Questions
Task 9
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•
•
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What Type of Story Do you Want to Tell?
Who will it Appeal To?
Why do you want to tell this Story?
Are you Passionate about the message? Or do
you want to entertain?
• Why should your audience care?
• What’s the heartbeat of the story?
@RhysMT / Cyfle
36. Task 10
• (using the characters / storyworld that you’ve
created and the thoughts on story that you
had)
Now tell your story
@RhysMT / Cyfle
37. Some thoughts on Story,
• Find something you’re passionate about – and create
something that will make other people passionate
about it
• You must be story centric and not platform centric! It’s
not about the flashy technology or the latest greatest
advancement in interactivity – all of this means
nothing if you haven’t got a great story!
• What works well in a digital world – Sci
Fi, Conspiracy, Teen HOWEVER this doesn’t mean that
other styles can’t work in this field!
@RhysMT / Cyfle
38. Some tips from Alison
Norrington, Storycentral
• Story is about eternal, universal forms, not formulas
• Story is about archetypes, not stereotypes
• Story is about thoroughness, not shortcuts
• Story is about mastering the art, not second guessing the marketplace
• Story is about respect, not disdain for audience
• Story is about originality, not duplication
@RhysMT / Cyfle
39. Final thoughts,
Be relevant
Be credible
Be spreadable
Be exceptional
Be genuine
(Alison Norrington – StoryCentral)
@RhysMT / Cyfle