Another good use of the mobile mediums!
The Karada: Teaser from Jakob Berglund on Vimeo.
Last year, Tim Kring, the creator of Heroes, teamed up with Nokia to launch Conspiracy For Good, an ambitious alternative reality game with web, mobile and live action elements, in which players got the chance to shape the story and donate money to third-world literacy charities in the process.
Now, the production company that helped produce Kring’s project, Tea4Two has got together with Heroes writer Jim Martin and visual arts company Furnace Fighter Media to create a new transmedia series, The Karada. It’s billed as, ‘a supernatural thriller about a young woman, Emma Gossett, who struggles to save the multiverse as realities collapse around her’. Which sounds quite stressful. “We like to say that the story feels a bit like Inception meets Sliding Doors with a dash of demonic possession,” explains producer Tom Liljeholm. “We take with us the good parts from Truth about Marika and Conspiracy For Good, but try to work hard at making it accessible and comprehensive.”
As well as web episodes, the story will be viewable on mobile devices, and there will be digital comics and live events. As in Conspiracy For Good, participants will have an impact on the narrative. “Community contributions will be taken seriously and matter,” assures Liljeholm. “For example, participants will be called upon to write in the details of Emma’s alternate realities, the basis of which will be produced into a digital comic series. Further, as our heroine in the dramatic series crosses paths with these alternative lives, participants will feel the true impact of their contributions on the storyline.”
It all sounds really bizarre, but I’m fascinated by these pioneering attempts to redefine the concept of the alternative reality game, augmenting the idea with mobile integration and ‘participatory drama’ elements. Liljeholm says that the web series will start off in late winter, depending on some last-minute license deals. “We will however start rolling out snippets of content – be it audio recordings or short videos – as teasers, starting in a few weeks,” he says.
Naturally, there’s a Twitter feed and a Facebook page. But you’ll need to head over to the official website to find out more and to get involved. If you have experience of preventing women from slipping between the reality gaps in a collapsing metaverse, you’ll surely come in handy.
via Heroes writer to create new transmedia series, The Karada | Technology | guardian.co.uk.
