‘Resolution’: Warwick’s first ever transmedia experience

Humans love telling stories. Fictional stories allow us to invent new worlds, different to the one we live in. Nowadays, we have many ways we tell stories: text, film, paint, voice… The internet opened for storytellers the door to a worldwide audience that can consume content anywhere and at any time they want. However, most storytellers are still constrained by the platform they choose to tell their story. They know the experience they create has a specific duration and that, once the audience leave the theatre (or turn Netflix off), they will be back to their everyday lives.

Transmedia, one of the most recent developments in the entertainment industry, is trying to change this. The transmedia narrative frees the storyteller, allowing them to use several platforms simultaneously to tell a story. Furthermore, transmedia allows for a deeper interactive experience for the audience.

The transmedia narrative frees the storyteller, allowing him to use several platforms simultaneously to tell a story

Using several platforms at the same time, the fictional world expands beyond the screen (or the paper) and becomes an immersive experience that blends with the everyday lives of the audience. The content created as part of the story will surround the audience, who can interact with it and explore it by themselves. The level of realism is so surprising, that the audience is no longer able to discern anymore the fiction from the real.

Transmedia storytelling did not appear out of nowhere. It is part of a broader movement that wants to end the traditional passive nature of the audience, by giving them an active role. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are also part this movement. A new definition is required for these narratives: ‘storydoing’. With storydoing, the artist leaves their high throne and hands the control to the audience.

The level of realism is so surprising, that the audience is no longer able to discern anymore the fiction from the real

There have been very successful examples of transmedia narratives. Probably the most famous one of recent years has been ‘SKAM’, a TV show that complemented the experience with the creation of real social media accounts for the characters of the story.

Transmedia narrative is accessible for any creator ready to try it. That is why I decided to unite the brightest writers I knew at Warwick, led by Peter Morris, to help design the first transmedia experience at Warwick University. In that meeting, ‘Resolution’ was born. ‘Resolution’ is a transmedia experience about the disappearance of Cameron Wyatt, a fictional student at Warwick.

Warwick turned out to be a perfect place for a transmedia experience. It has a fairly homogeneous population, interacting constantly with each other and sharing common spaces. For once, the Warwick bubble was going to play in our favour.

It is part of a broader movement that wants to end the traditional passive nature of the audience, by giving them an active role

We dedicated the following weeks to creating a consistent story. We decided to use all the main platforms used by students to tell it: a podcast, a YouTube channel, Facebook accounts for the characters and physical clues placed around campus. With the hard work of a fantastic team of creators, writers and actors, this behemoth project came to live. It all started with a ‘missing campaign’ across campus and on January 30^th the investigation started. Now, for the rest of term, the audience will be able to follow the investigation of this mysterious case.

We knew from the beginning that the biggest challenge that this project faces is having to explain the nature of transmedia to the audience. For most of them, it is the first time that they will have to fulfill an active role in order to follow the story. Our project will be a test of the extent to which an audience can control the narrative of a story.

Warwick turns out to be a perfect place for a transmedia experience. For once, the Warwick bubble was going to play in our favour

We want to encourage the audience to be adventurous, becoming active members of the story and interacting with the multiple elements that compromise the world of ‘Resolution’.

So far, the reception has been good, and some people are truly engaging with the story. However, what we really hope is that we can serve as an inspiration for other innovative and experimental projects. We have brilliant creative minds at Warwick and we are thrilled to see what the legacy of this project will be. We want to be an example for others to adventure into the newest forms of storytelling.

You can start following the story though our Facebook page: ‘Resolution: A Transmedia Experience’. Join the most immersive experience ever created at Warwick!