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
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