StoryLabs to run Screen Australia Digital Ignition Multi Platform Clinic

Screen Australia is proud to announce the inaugural Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic, a five-day workshop to support up to seven teams to develop a multi-platform strategy for an existing project.

With a view to strengthening and advancing Australian digital storytelling culture and its practitioners, this intensive workshop will focus on the deeper potential of multi-platform storytelling. It aims to assist traditional screen storytellers, digital creators and game developers to go beyond basic narrative extensions such as webisodes, Facebook and twitter updates, or brochure-style websites. Participants will develop a ‘story production bible’ enabling them to take a project across relevant platforms with meaningful and sustained interactions for users.

Screen Australia has engaged transmedia collective StoryLabs to direct the first workshop, under the guidance of its key founder Gary Hayes. An award-winning multi-platform producer, author, educator and director, Gary has designed and lead multi-platform/transmedia courses internationally and in Australia with AFTRS and Metro Screen. He was the director of AFTRS’s LAMP program for five years, was Senior Interactive Development Producer at the BBC for eight years, and was a Social TV Producer in the US. He now runs MUVEDesign and the influential media and marketing site PersonalizeMedia. Gary will be supported by up to eight high-calibre international and domestic experts.

“The Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic falls within the suite of support offered through our All Media Program, which seeks to ignite and strengthen digital understanding, expertise and activity within the Australian screen content sector,” said Screen Australia Investment Manager Mike Cowap. “We’re thrilled to be working with Gary and his StoryLabs network to make this as rich and practical a workshop as possible.”

Founder of StoryLabs Gary Hayes said, “We’ll deliver a highly structured program focused on all the important practical topics, including storytelling, user experience, design, technical, business and marketing. We’ll be using case studies and tried and tested exercises to hone participants’ processes, and ensure they leave with a tangible ‘bible’ and clear list of next steps for their project to get it off the ground.”

Applications are now open for producers with a feature film, game, linear or interactive drama or documentary, interested in developing strategies to take the property across multiple platforms. Screen Australia will favour those projects where a ‘key platform’ has a strong likelihood of going into full production.

The Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic will be run from Monday 21 November to Friday 25 November in rural NSW within 2 hours’ drive of Sydney.

Applications close Friday 30 September 2011.

For guidelines and an application form, visit the Screen Australia website.

For more information about StoryLabs visit: http://storylabs.us/
Media Enquiries
Teri Calder T: 02 8113 5833; M: 0408 440 995
teri.calder@screenaustralia.gov.au