Dimension Busters

Are we witnessing transmedia storytelling experiences evolving into popular mainstream entertainment franchises like many of the thought and innovation leaders know it can become? 

Fourth Wall Studios, creator of the Rides.tv platform have come a long way since debuting in May 2012. Now having seven properties of various genres that range from horror, drama, dark comedy, to animation, Fourth Wall has truly taken the needed steps to advance transmedia deeply into the minds of the mainstream public. It seems as though much needed traction for transmedia entertainment is (depending on your opinion) being delivered in fresh ways by the “founding fathers” of multi-platform storytelling.

Having taken a look at a few of the intellectual properties available for free at Rides.tv, including Flare and Airship Dracula, I can say that they have definitely got my attention. (*Note- if you’re into the horror genre, you’ll likely be very interested in some of the other properties, such as the Dark Wall episodes)

The animated feature “Airship Dracula”, a combination of Bram Stoker meets steampunk, is an interactive web comic that I found most interesting. I signed up on the Rides.tv site, happily giving away my contact information (name, email, and phone number) in order to get the absolute maximum experience that Fourth Wall is providing. While there is only one 7:54 minute episode at the moment, I was taken into a nearly 20 minute adventure exploring all of the additional content that was being supplied, learning the history and background of the characters, trying to get up to speed on what exactly was going on. Watching the episode itself was also an interesting experience, as I sat watching the story unfold while getting text messages and an unobtrusive phone call or two from characters in the story. All of this served as a mechanism that enabled me to have a better idea about what was going on than the characters themselves...and likely a chance to develop feelings of attachment that is sought after in any entertainment product. 

This is all a fairly new way to go about telling a story, which heightens audience engagement, but make no mistake, it’s FAR from perfect. The bottom-line however is that it was interesting and worth the price of admission, my coveted contact information. Something like this could take franchises like Mass Effect or Halo to a whole new level geekdom. 

With Microsoft recently releasing their Smartglass iOS app, just imagine being mid-campaign aboard the Normandy SR-2 and having to keep your phone or tablet handy so you can get secret intel regarding Reaper tactics, Citadel Council decisions, and/or Liara’s moves across the galaxy as the Shadow Broker? There is a TON of potential with these multi-platform methods, I have no doubt that we can look forward to increasingly interesting ways to consume entertainment content, now...and into the future.