Archive for November, 2008

THE HOLODECK IS HERE!

Published: November 26, 2008Tags:

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I blog a lot about how a transmedia approach to narrative can be a great way for content creators to immerse their audiences in entertainment experiences. But this week I saw TWO THINGS that made me think less about transmedia narrative extensions, and more about the simple act of sitting on a couch and watching a screen. What I saw has me believing that in-home experiences rivaling the Holodeck of Star Trek, and the Metaverse of Snow Crash are just a couple of years away.

The FIRST thing I saw was a 103″ Panasonic Plasma TV running a demo of 3D content. The quality of that image was staggering. A Disney movie, some footage of the Olympics in China, a trip to the Grand Canyon, a music video with a CGI background. All of it was good enough to take me one step closer to being there. Off angle viewing is no problem with this tech. Yeah you still need to where the glasses — but they’re clear and comfortable. It’s a similar setup to watching a DREAMWORKS 3D movie in IMAX theaters, or that U2 concert flick that was making the rounds. But this was in a home setting, running on a modified BluRay player designed for consumers. And there was nothing special about the TV (Other than it was 103″ inches!). By Q1 2010 these things will be available to the public. Wow. That’s crazy. A high level 3D experience in your house that doesn’t require you to buy a new television? 72 hours ago — I would’ve thought that statement absurd.

The SECOND thing I looked at was FAR CRY 2 on my XBOX 360. I used my HD projector to put this thing up on my big screen at 720P — getting an image that is 140″ inches diagonally. The experience I had playing through the intro and first few levels of that game was crazy immersive. The game takes place in war torn Africa and Ubisoft has done an impeccable job replicating the scenery and sounds of that beautiful and deadly environment.

It wasn’t hard to imagine 3D TV and NEXT GENERATION GAMING coming together to blow the doors off home entertainment. That’s no great revelation. It’s talked about all the time. But these two elements aren’t theoretical — they’re here. And with the way tech innovation is accelerating and Hollywood is scrambling to hold onto its audience — I give it two years or less before this kind of experience is ready to replace prime time in the home.

P.S. — I just read somewhere that nobody pays for PORN anymore. There is just too much free porn on the net that it doesn’t make sense to pay for it. Does that mean porn will be transitioning to an entertainment model that is more experience based? Media biz pundits like to say that porn leads the way for the mainstream entertainment business. If that’s true — what will they do with 3D TV? Yikes.

TRANSMEDIA @ NEWTEEVEE LIVE!

Published: November 22, 2008Tags:

A couple weeks back I went to the NEWTEEVEELIVE event in San Francisco. I was on a panel with some amazing people kibbitzing about bridging the gap between BROADCAST TV and THE WEB. It was awesome. The video of the panel is online — HERE.

TRANSMEDIA INTERVIEW VIA FLIP HD!

Published: November 17, 2008Tags:

Chris Albrecht and I did this interview via his FLIP HD camera at NewTeeVee Live. The new Flip is amazing. So small. Very high quality — as long as you’ve got plenty of light. The interview is kind of fun. I don’t say anything too crazy. But the keyframe with my tongue sticking out is unfortunate. And I kind of look like Blofeld. Maybe I should follow Brian Lam’s example and start using my WiiFit!


Jesse Alexander at NewTeeVee Live from Chris Albrecht on Vimeo.

"BRAIN-SPRAY AWESOME!"

Published: November 14, 2008Tags:

I met Jason Kilar of Hulu at NewTeeVee Live yesterday. He’s a very cool dude. (Even after what he did to my iphone!) With Hulu, Jason and his team have achieved what many thought impossible. His presentation on the matter was brilliant and inspiring. Jason shared candid insight into how he established the internal culture of the Hulu team. The Hulu methodology can be applied to starting a web company. A TV show. Game company. Independent film project. Transmedia Studio. Etc. I hope you dig it!

The video is available — HERE.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Published: November 11, 2008Tags:

I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been busy scribbling the pilot for a new show. Setting up my home office. Trying not to play Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 on my XBOX. And Googling myself (Which is not a psychologically healthy pastime by the way.)

Walt Disney used to say: “Keep moving forward.” I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. So as I think about the script I’m writing. And the various other projects I’m working on. I find myself reading an old index card riddled with little notes. Words of wisdom from my past self. To my future self. Lessons for building network TV franchises. But also applicable to other forms of AAA content. Some of them you may Grok. Others you may not. What follows is just one man’s vision based on his specific experience. So here you go. Not in any particular order or grammatical cohesion –

Episodic stories with sensational cliffhanger act outs. Stories of real people in real places dealing with an element of their ordinary world becoming extraordinary. An ensemble cast with a broad appeal for both national and international audiences. Transmedia content that stems from the DNA of the show’s core concept. A great writing staff that works well in small groups of three and five. Memorable moments in every episode: dialog, story reveals, imaginative set-pieces, etc. A definable “X” for the project — so that everyone who works on the thing understands their mission. An element of both wish fulfillment and relevance for your audience. Make something that is sustainable both creatively and financially. Passionate leadership at all levels is critical to AAA success. Stories should be driven from character choices in response to personal need and/or outside condition.

Use this “wisdom” at your own peril. I make no promises that it will bring success. It may very well bring disaster. But it works for me. And it’s all baked into my new project. Though it’s important to keep moving forward, it’s also critical to bring the lessons of the past along for the ride. See ya!

AT HEROES NO MORE!

Published: November 2, 2008Tags:

I write this with a heavy heart. As of today I am no longer a writer/producer on HEROES. I could not be prouder of all the work I did on the show and wish all my Heroic Scribbler pals the very best. I will certainly continue to blog at GLOBAL COUCH.

GLOBAL COUCH – BOOK CLUB!

Published: November 1, 2008Tags:

Just wanted to mention two awesome books I’m reading. The first is called BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY: HOW TO CREATE UNCONTESTED MARKET SPACE AND MAKE THE COMPETITION IRRELEVANT. I learned about this bad boy from an article re: Nintendo’s corporate strategy.


From Publishers Weekly
Kim and Mauborgne’s blue ocean metaphor elegantly summarizes their vision of the kind of expanding, competitor-free markets that innovative companies can navigate. Unlike “red oceans,” which are well explored and crowded with competitors, “blue oceans” represent “untapped market space” and the “opportunity for highly profitable growth.” The only reason more big companies don’t set sail for them, they suggest, is that “the dominant focus of strategy work over the past twenty-five years has been on competition-based red ocean strategies”-i.e., finding new ways to cut costs and grow revenue by taking away market share from the competition. With this groundbreaking book, Kim and Mauborgne-both professors at France’s INSEAD, the second largest business school in the world-aim to repair that bias. Using dozens of examples-from Southwest Airlines and the Cirque du Soleil to Curves and Starbucks-they present the tools and frameworks they’ve developed specifically for the task of analyzing blue oceans. They urge companies to “value innovation” that focuses on “utility, price, and cost positions,” to “create and capture new demand” and to “focus on the big picture, not the numbers.” And while their heavyweight analytical tools may be of real use only to serious strategy planners, their overall vision will inspire entrepreneurs of all stripes, and most of their ideas are presented in a direct, jargon-free manner.
The second one I’m listening to as a download from ITUNES. It’s the latest by Seth Godin. It’s called TRIBES.


From Publishers Weekly
Short on pages but long on repetition, this newest book by Godin (Purple Cow) argues that lasting and substantive change can be best effected by a tribe: a group of people connected to each other, to a leader and to an idea. Smart innovators find or assemble a movement of similarly minded individuals and get the tribe excited by a new product, service or message, often via the Internet (consider, for example, the popularity of the Obama campaign, Facebook or Twitter). Tribes, Godin says, can be within or outside a corporation, and almost everyone can be a leader; most are kept from realizing their potential by fear of criticism and fear of being wrong.

These books are fun and inspiring. If you’re a wonk like me.

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