What is a Bioremediation Engineer anyway?

So a couple of weeks ago I wrote about the terror of transmedia storytelling during a show’s broadcast. However, I may have spoken too quickly, so hear me out.

A few months ago, I watched an interview with actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (from 24, Sunshine Cleaning, Safety Not Guaranteed, etc.). She talked a lot about this new show she was a part of called Dirty Work. The show focuses on a group of twenty-somethings that clean up crime scenes for a living in L.A. However, she didn't say much about the interactive aspects of the show; instead, she just talked about her character, and when the interview was over, I turned the channel and completely forgot about Dirty Work all together. BUT then when we talked about transmedia storytelling and I published my other post, and I had somehow reached back into the depths of the cluttered mess I call my mind and remembered Dirty Work! *I couldn't actually remember what the show was called, so I had to do some digging around on the web for it.* So I set out to see how good transmedia storytelling could get. *I say this because Dirty Work actually won an Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media, Original Interactive Television Programming, which is the first time the Academy has recognized a work that is solely internet based.*

I just finished all three episodes, and may I say WOW. There were just three episodes with each just around ten minutes long, but with the extra content they went to about twenty minutes max. Each episode followed a clear routine, but the extra content just makes the entire experience so unexpected and interesting. The extras didn't get in the way and most of them were timed to fit neatly into the pauses the characters left without making it awkward or distracting. Also the whole thing was very high quality with great visuals, writing, sound, graphics, and websites. Each piece of the story was created with just as much effort as the rest, so the whole experience was very smooth and kept me into the story.

The characters were well rounded and clearly defined. They were a joy to watch. I mean somehow the writers were able to get me invested and allow the characters to have ups and downs and reach some sort of redemption by the end of the episode.

Some of the features of the series are:

• Chapter breaks every few minutes, so you can take a moment to check out content that you haven’t looked at yet.
• webisodes within webisodes (somehow it works)
• You receive calls to your phone (they could be the other lines to the calls happening on screen or sometimes they are the thoughts of particular characters),  you receive text messages that characters receive, and you also get emails that provide links to websites that correspond with the show (like the website for the company the characters work for).
• The videos close themselves so you can get right back to the show.
• Some ‘Fun Facts’ pop on their own throughout the show and the show pauses for a few seconds while the pop up is on screen.

The company that does the web series is Fourth Wall Studios. They have a history with alternative gaming (which has interactive things like the show), so they know how to create an immersive experience without weighing people down with content. The CEO of Fourth Wall, Jim Stewartson, said,

 “One of the things we can say with great confidence is that we’ve screwed this up more than anyone we know about.” 

Unlike most television networks who are still in the process of figuring out the finer details.

The creators definitely deserve that Emmy. 

Also Fourth Wall has started a few new web series on their content website Rides.tv, and I highly suggest checking it out. 

Helpful Links

• The interview that started it all.
• The first episode of Dirty Work. 
• Informative Article
• Another Informative Article
• Yet another Informative Article
• Interview with Mary Lynn Rajskub
• Another informative article

Voting in the Future

I have a bit of a random topic this week. I want to talk about voting. Today was the national Election Day where the nation decided who they wanted to run the country for the next four years. I have no idea how many people voted, but like we have talked about in class, the numbers are probably less than satisfying. People just don’t care to get involved anymore for reasons that range from an inability to get to their voting precinct to feeling disenfranchised about the value of their vote. But to get back to the topic of media, I have heard half-joking, half-serious discussion to allow people to vote online or even via text message. There are obvious flaws in this plan. I mean how will the government verify the identity of each voter and what about those who don’t have access to the internet? It sounds ridiculous, but could this change be necessary or inevitable in the years to come?

I am asking all these questions because who can really know what technology will be like in even the next ten years. Modern technology is in constant flux, and every few years previously successful technologies are made obsolete. Just consider each new incarnation of the iPhone. Each year they come out with a new one that has few differences to its predecessor, but people still line up to pay hundreds of dollars to get them.

So in the future we may not have to get out and go to our voting precincts in order to vote. I mean the possibilities are limitless. Technology could increase voting rates among all age groups. Someday the voting rate could even reach 90-100% with new technologies. The voting booth could come to you! It could pop up on ATM machines or on your iPad when you go to check out Facebook. As for 2012 and the years to come, the voting population will have to keep showing up at their precincts in order to make their voices heard.

                                     

Just as a pat on my own back, I drove an hour back to my home town and cast my vote! This was honestly my first time to vote, and the drive was well worth it.