“Transmedia” is an industry term for stories that transcend just one type of media – be it videos, podcasts, or written fiction. Even though HOOD began its life as a TV pilot, it has grown into so much more with the help of our fabulous team of creatives. But why did we decide to take this approach?
To Tell Better and Different Stories
Different types of media lend themselves to different modes of storytelling. If the inner thoughts of a character are key, then written fiction is best equipped to handle it. When you want to absorb an audience in the outward-facing aspects and personality of a character, a medium where you can hear and/or see them doing things and how they do things will be stronger. Depending on the focus for any part of the whole, there are approaches that will serve the story and the characters better than others.
Transmedia also allows our different characters and projects to interact in different ways. For instance, Outlaw Radio and Nottingham News were written in tandem so they can respond to one another. This leads to each one becoming a richer, more complex story because they feed off each other and also give the audience the sense that there is no one clear side of right or wrong within this very morally grey story world we’ve created.
To Push Ourselves Creatively
Different types of media also take different skills. The early days of Quivalon and the World of HOOD started with aspiring screenwriters looking for an American-style TV writing room experience to help them prepare for their careers. Since then, these same people and new members of the team have branched out into podcasts (Clash of the Cousins, Outlaw Radio), short videos (Character introductions, Nottingham News), and prose (The Return of Robyn novel, wiki articles).
In many ways, The World of HOOD is a playground for the team to learn new things and experiment with new ways of creating. And it’s definitely working! Each new project seems to take off like wildfire and get bigger and bigger due to the excitement of the team and their willingness to dive into something new.
To Reach a Wider Audience
As they say, there’re “different strokes for different folks”, and we want to reach them all! When we can create content that is both long and short, visual and not, reading and listening, we provide many different entry points into this big, beautiful world of ours. Distributing content digitally has never been easier, and the more different ways we have for people to find out about what we are doing, the better chance we have of creating an audience hungry for more.
The usual chain of events to get a television show made is to write a pilot, find an agent, take meetings, get an option deal, and go into development. With HOOD, we wanted to take more of a grassroots approach to show potential production companies and distributors that people are already interested in the story we’re telling. So don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and then like and share our content to get the word out to more people!
To Create Exciting Content with Limited Resources
Let’s face it, the HOOD TV series is going to be epic! Which also means a big price tag…
Despite our shallow pockets, we can create supporting transmedia content to give people a taste of what’s to come. We believe in these characters, our themes, and the world we created, and sharing that with people doesn’t have to be limited by finances as long as we can be flexible about how these stories are told.
To Bring Together an International Team
Just as distributing digital content has become easier, creating it has also become easier, too. Our team spans countries and languages, but we can all work together using online platforms and in whatever timeframe works for us. This means that people who are willing and able to be part of our projects aren’t limited by geography. Despite having shallow pockets, I can sit in my apartment and have a recording session for a podcast with talented actors hundreds of miles away. Our production meetings include people dialing in from Holland, Germany, Egypt, and the UK.
Everyone working on the different facets of HOOD is here because they love the overall story world and project. Transmedia allows us to harness that enthusiasm no matter where people happen to hang their hats.
What do you Think?
Are you a fan of transmedia, either as a creator or consumer? Or would you rather just stick to one medium?
Is there part of the HOOD world you want to know more about? Got a suggestion for a video or podcast?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
