A transmedia approach to the
pilot of a cartoon series for kiwi kids about flower fairy friendships and
rivalry in a miniature city.
Monarch Park is my 2D animated
series idea aimed at kids aged 8-12 that could identify with the storylines and
New Zealand motifs. Instead of making an 11 minute animation pilot by myself
this year, I am taking a different approach to the first episode of Monarch
Park. Transmedia is a story told over multiple platforms. This is what I’m
exploring in my project, finding what other platforms will work for my ideas.
The cultural context of my
question is contemporary New Zealand culture. A recent New Zealand practise to
inform my own is The Barefoot Bandits animated TV show. A theorist to inform my
transmedia is Henry Jenkins with his participatory culture theory.
My potential
conclusion/findings of my practice based research question are the experiments
with installations and audience engagement through participation. This includes
making a finished game and visual novel, but also physical forms of Monarch
Park, a board game, colouring pages and merchandise.
3 Key Ideas:
·
Pilot concept & New Zealand context
o
Animatic
o
Script/story
o
Friendships
o
Rivalry
o
Environment
o
Dialogue
o
Demographic
o
Miniature
·
Transmedia approach
o
Methodology
o
Platforms
o
Visual novel
o
Game
o
Merchandise
§
Colouring pages
§
Board game
§
Promotional materials
·
Installation outcome
o
Interactive
o
Storytelling
o
Exhibitions
o
lounge
To be written in that order.
Pilot Concept & New Zealand Context
1.
My concept for the first episode is relevant to
my question to tell me and the audience what is happening. It’s an introduction
to Monarch Park and important to introduce each character and any key plots in
the future of the series. The pilot revolves around the friendships and rivalry
of the four main characters in the story. The New Zealand context of Monarch
Park is important for the target audience. The focus is on the environment
through the characters and backgrounds, and kiwi dialogue. This is to educate
the demographic about native flora and fauna.
1.
References
a.
The
book Your Screenplay Sucks: 100 ways to make it great by W.M. Ackers informed
my pilot concept by showing how important conflict is to drive a story and
create interest. I created a new character to play this role of conflict maker
for the first episode. This book helped me write my script. “If a scene has no
conflict, reading it is worse than watching paint dry. Every single scene has
to have some form of conflict…” (Akers, p.91, 2008) Ackers, W. M. (2008). Your
screenplay sucks!: 100 ways to make it great. Studio City, CA: Michael Wise
Productions.
b.
Children’s Media Use Study by the New Zealand
Broadcasting Standards Authority has informed why I have chosen the 8-12 aged
demographic and why having some education is important for parents.
2.
Practitioners
a.
Mukpuddy:
The Barefoot Bandits has a friend triangle with a rival character from their
school. This dynamic is different from mine. Two boys and one girl, and a nerdy
boy rival. The Barefoot Bandits has the look and feel that would be good to
achieve with its background art, dialogue, and voice acting.
b.
Nicole Hoey: Takaro Tribe. Though
this is aimed at a much younger audience than mine, it has a very NZ feel and
context. It is designed in mind with international audiences however. There’s
an interview with her on national radio
3.
Own work
a.
Kahu Ti Kouka, his bio and appearance.
b.
Treatment, step outline, script, thumbnails,
storyboards, animatic
c.
The colouring pages of the characters feature
the NZ environment and facts about it.
d.
The grub karting drawing that’s now
a puzzle features NZ creatures.
Transmedia Approach
1.
The approach this year to Monarch Park is via
transmedia storytelling but focused on the first episode. Transmedia is what
I’m going to explore my pilot through and experiment with what might work best
in the future for my product.
2.
References
a.
Transmedia branding by B. Tenderich is a
compilation thesis of multiple factions of transmedia. It is more about
branding but this is still useful for my project when I start thinking about
merchandise.
b.
This NZ article by R. Zanker ‘Child audiences
becoming interactive ‘viewsers’: New Zealand children’s responses to websites
attached to local children’s television programmes’ is good to know about and
apply to Monarch Park. The theories of gamification are also relevant for my
own game creation. Screen Australia has also made a handy bible for transmedia
production by G. P. Hayes.
3.
Practitioners
a.
Henry Jenkins and his Star Wars transmedia is
very influential and good case study to work from. – TEDx Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFCLKa0XRlw
b.
Oat the Goat is a very recent NZ endeavour made by the ministry of education about kindness. What is interesting to me is the format of this story, an interactive website with animation, music, and choices. Similar to a visual novel. https://www.bullyingfree.nz/schools/activities-and-events/oat-the-goat
Oat the Goat is a very recent NZ endeavour made by the ministry of education about kindness. What is interesting to me is the format of this story, an interactive website with animation, music, and choices. Similar to a visual novel. https://www.bullyingfree.nz/schools/activities-and-events/oat-the-goat
4.
Own work
a.
My board game is a physical introduction to game
making for me.
b.
Visual novels are easier and faster to make and
a new platform that is gaining traction.
Installation Outcome
1.
There are three exhibitions as part as what we
need to do during the year plus Southsure at the end of the year. These are how
I can display Monarch Park to the public and a real audience that can interact
with the installation. This is the glue and the goals that I work towards in my
practice that stick everything together.
2.
References
a.
Installation
Art between Image and Stage by A. R. Peterson is a book that looks relevant.
b.
Poetics and public space: an investigation into
animated installation by R. Bond is an interesting article exploring this art.
Interesting interview with the author https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEJ_S5ng06k
3.
Practitioners
a.
Tracey
Emin’s ‘My Bed (1999)’ is an interesting practice to show how a real feeling
room can be brought into a gallery space. This inspires my much more
appropriate installation of a typical kiwi lounge that showcases Monarch Park. This
link is her talking about bringing this installation back into the present and
including new images on the wall around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv04ewpiqSc
b.
William Kentridge has made many
animation installations and experiments with movement, meaning, and scale. I
think he is a good practitioner for my next exhibition idea to play with the
scale and how to make the audience feel small. I liked his big stage shows that
incorporate many different mediums working together. I’ve already watched this
documentary about him https://art21.org/watch/william-kentridge-anything-is-possible/full-program-william-kentridge-anything-is-possible
I’ve also found an article by Richard Combs about Kentridge.
4.
Own work
a.
My first exhibition was my first larger scale
installation in my own space.
b.
My second exhibition hasn’t
happened yet but it’s different again to what I’ve done before.
Ethical and cultural considerations
My practice-based research doesn’t involve any participants
taking part in any surveys or anything. In the exhibitions, it’s voluntary to
participate in the activities. All aspects are family friendly because it’s a
kids cartoon aimed at children. I will put down notebooks for any feedback if
people choose too, and those names will remain anonymous if used.
