Navigating the Storyworld
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
® A PUBLICATION OF BRUNICO COMMUNICATIONS LTD. SPRING 2013 TRANSMEDIA: Navigating the storyworld CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS | BUILDING AUDIENCES | CFC @ 25 | SCRIPTED TRENDS PPB.Cover.spring.inddB.Cover.spring.indd 1 115/02/135/02/13 44:16:16 PPMM SPRING 2013 table of contents What, were you expecting something more Ivy League? (Clockwise from top left): Mr. D is up for a pair of Canadian Screen Awards, including best comedy and best performance by Gerry Dee (the one not holding the bottle – that’s actor Jonathan Torrens). Also doing well with audiences and CSA juries alike are Lost Girl and Resident Evil: Retribution. 8 Up front 24 The Big Picture 38 Canadian Film Centre CineCoup accelerates fi lmmaking, On the eve of the inaugural Canadian Setting the standard through a the niche promise in small data, IBM’s Screen Awards, Playback checks into TV quarter century of evolution. tech innovations and next generation trends and the Canadian fi lm scene. interactive e-books. 46 The Back Page 25 Trending in TV Scribes Bob Martin and Craig David 14 Turning a page Etan Vlessing delves into successful Wallace on creating a cult TV hit. Business models and elevator pitches genres and strategies in the from newly-launched prodcos. scripted space. 17 Transmedia grows up 34 On the Silver Screen The changing role of audience, How to market Canadian fi lms to revenue opps and a spotlight on domestic audiences; plus, a look at the original Canadian IPs. top homegrown fi lms of 2012. ® A PUBLICATION OF BRUNICO COMMUNICATIONS LTD. SPRING 2013 This issue’s cover was conceived by award-winning Toronto interactive outfi t Secret Location. Playback sought them out to TRANSMEDIA: execute the cover since the award-winning team is so well-versed in Navigating the storyworld CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS | BUILDING AUDIENCES | CFC @ 25 | SCRIPTED TRENDS all things multi-platform, evidenced by their recent CSA digital nom. PB.Cover.spring.indd 1 15/02/13 4:16 PM spring 2013 | 3 PPB.TOC.2013.inddB.TOC.2013.indd 3 115/02/135/02/13 44:33:33 PPMM PUBLISHER Mary Maddever • [email protected] EDITOR Matt Sylvain • [email protected] NEWS EDITOR Danielle Ng-See-Quan • [email protected] THINKING CONTRIBUTORS Mark Dillon, Kevin Ritchie, Etan Vlessing INTERN OUTSIDE THE Rodrigo Cokting MEDIUM BRUNICO CREATIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR During our fi rst editorial brainstorm in preparation for this issue’s transmedia report, Stephen Stanley • [email protected] Playback contributor Etan Vlessing quickly cut to the point. When it comes to monetizing ART DIRECTOR entertainment content across the breadth of platform options, all indications are that no Mark Lacoursiere • [email protected] one has yet come up with “the secret sauce,” the single, fool-proof recipe for making PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION SUPERVISOR Robert Lines • [email protected] money doing it. He brought up a good point. While no one may have yet come up with the secret ADVERTISING SALES sauce, many are spending a lot of time in the kitchen trying to fi gure out the recipe. It (416) 408-2300 is that kitchen-style experimenting to which we dedicate the transmedia report, which FAX (416) 408-0870 1-888-278-6426 begins on page 17. ADVERTISING EXEC To keep with the food metaphor, transmedia and multi-platform entertainment executions Jessamyn Nunez • [email protected] are becoming increasingly crucial because just as fast food restaurants completely MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR changed they way we think about (and consume) food, screen entertainment is going Vakis Boutsalis • [email protected] through an equally great transformation. Innumerable studies reveal that consumers BRUNICO AUDIENCE SERVICES are reaching for mobile devices for their entertainment fi xes in growing numbers. And ASSISTANT MANAGER advertisers are spending ever greater sums on connecting with consumers online; indeed, Christine McNalley • [email protected] by 2016 the Canadian advertising industry will spend more money online than it does on MANAGER TV according to the Canadian Marketing Association. Deborah Brewster • [email protected] That industry and cultural turning point will be made sharper by the fact that within a few years internet-connected TVs will be common and long-form screen content will be ADMINISTRATION effortlessly accessible on mobile tablet computers. If those in the kitchen are already PRESIDENT AND CEO feeling the heat, I have bad news: It’s only going to get hotter. Russell Goldstein • [email protected] At the end of the day, however, audiences will still want what they want now, visually- and VP AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Omri Tintpulver • [email protected] emotionally-engaging stories that make them think – or not – depending on their mood VP AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR and aptitudes. Entertainment, in other words, like the nominees for the inaugural Canadian Mary Maddever • [email protected] Screen Awards. Since the awards are about recognizing the best in the business, Playback VP ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE focused this issue on what’s working now and why. Linda Lovegrove • [email protected] VP & PUBLISHER, REALSCREEN I OWE YOU ALL BEERS Claire Macdonald • [email protected] To help us plan and execute the content in our special focus on transmedia, Playback VP & PUBLISHER, KIDSCREEN sought insight from a cross-industry group of experts who are very up on all the Jocelyn Christie • [email protected] opportunities and challenges of taking content across multiple platforms. Here I thank each Playback is published by Brunico Communications Ltd., one by name: Catalina Briceno, director industry and market trends, Canada Media Fund; 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9 Charles Falzon, Chair of RTA School of Media, Ryerson University and co-chairman, CCI (416) 408-2300; FAX: (416) 408-0870 Internet address: www.playbackonline.ca Entertainment; Evan Jones, partner and creative director, Stitch Media; Jarrett Sherman, Editorial e-mail: [email protected] Sales e-mail: [email protected] transmedia veteran; Liz Shorten, managing VP, operations and member services, Canadian Sales FAX: (416) 408-0870 Media Production Association-B.C. producers’ branch; and Zach Feldberg, senior manager, © 2011 Brunico Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Global entertainment, dramatics and factual, digital, Shaw Media. Printed in Canada. Postmaster Notifi cation Canadian Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Matt Sylvain Playback PO BOX 369 Beeton ON, L0G 1A0 U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Editor, Playback Playback PO BOX 1103, Niagara Falls NY, 14304 [email protected] Canada Post Agreement No. 40050265. ISSN: 0836-2114 Printed in Canada. 4 spring 2013 | playbackonline.ca PPB.Editorial.2013.inddB.Editorial.2013.indd 4 115/02/135/02/13 33:57:57 PPMM PPB.22794.NBC.inddB.22794.NBC.indd 1 114/02/134/02/13 22:49:49 PPMM GET THE LONG AND Playback’s THE SHORT evolving role OF IT Since Playback launched back in the 1980s, some things have stayed the same – like how a smaller consumer base means ROI for marketing costs in Canada will never be on scale with our neighbours. But more has changed. The headlines are still rife with regulatory and funding news, but the complexity caused by wholesale business model reinvention, make the old challenges seem simple by comparison. Playback magazine and Thanks to the commitment of funders, regulators, trainers and associations, Cancon quality today is on par with that of the U.S. market. We playbackonline.ca cover are on NA primetime. We sell formats abroad. We win prizes at top fi lm festivals. Our talent is poached. While producers looking to fi nance projects would argue funding remains the biggest battle, a focus on monetizing and by default the whole industry, marketing, is the more strategic brief. Building big audiences at home for our fi lms and our uniquely Canadian TV content (as per InnoSpa’s from breaking news to Alexander Manu’s description), still needs solving. And newer to the mix, transmedia content also presents ROI challenges. Recently, a panel at an Ontario Media Development Corporation event looked at how digital platforms and the impact of social media in-depth features. affects content development, and during the Q&A, some interesting questions came up. Like ‘is there too much focus on transmedia given the slim monetizing prospects – does the emphasis make sense enough for it to be a funding trigger?’ The responses got to the core of some common learning curve issues, such as transmedia goals that do not align with market reality – will anyone actually use/pay for what Stay in the loop. you’re creating? The business model in this space is often circuitous, so a more realistic goal – rather than transactional – might be PR, buzz, or some other engagement outcome. Every day. All year. And it doesn’t always have to be a big undertaking. Sometimes a small tightly-focused project can have a bigger impact. It’s also an area where partnering and collaborating on shared objectives can really make a difference. For only $12 Which brings me to Playback’s evolving role. In tandem with our sister publications strategy and Media In Canada, we’re developing a series of networking and professional development events and products to help hook producers up with consumer brands and advertising a month. agencies, with an eye to content partnering. Coming up this May is our second AToMiC Awards and conference, which looks at the intersection of content, tech, media innovation and brands. And new this year, we’re launching the BCON Expo at the end of March. In addition to keynotes and case studies about brand A subscription to and producer collaboration on everything from branded content to integration, we’re debuting the New Content Upfronts, wherein media companies share what’s working and what’s next with an eye to brand partnering.