Hey, everyone!
Not sure if I posted last week, it was such a blur. But I've been thinking about this a lot and would love to know your thoughts. When ScarJo sued Disney for a simultaneous release in theaters and on Disney+, it made a lot of people aware of how actors get paid. But what about other roles?
As a writer, I often wonder how my work could be used in various forms, and I see a future where releases go far beyond the theater. Warner Bros. has played with VR for a few years now without much fanfare. When they filmed The Mummy and the first Suicide Squad, they also filmed a scene in 360 "VR" at the same time (I put that in quotes because you can look around but you can't interact with anything, which is kind of the whole point of VR but I digress).
The result was an interactive experience that audiences could play within the theater lobby or at San Diego Comic-Con. The fact that they filmed these experiences while they filmed the actual movie was what caught my eye.
You can still watch this without a headset - just move your device or mouse to look around:
The Mummy: https://youtu.be/gUMT4scl8dU
Behind the scenes of The Suicide Squad VR: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4lskel
So, what if you're an actor or a writer or producer and your work appears on streaming, in theaters, in VR arcades, and in a comic book all at the same time? Something to think about. George Lucas was smart getting the Star Wars merch rights upfront, lol.
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You've started a really interesting conversation here, HB.
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What a great, knowledgeable contributor you are! Love hearing your takes on everything.
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Wow, YES! "The fact that they filmed these experiences while they filmed the actual movie was what caught my eye." Absolutely! See - pre-production that includes multiple mediums. So cool!
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It's a pertinent point to all creators of transmedia. As any principle player in a transmedia project, what's your role of contribution after it catches on? It's the classic entrepreneur problem, I need money and influence to get this made but to get it, I need to give up equity and power. I'd recommend everyone with a story world, a transmedia project, to invest time to building their audience as organically and as much under their control as possible. "Owning" the audience and the conduit in which the primarily interaction point (website) with you, the creator, is the most powerful thing you can have in any negotiation for distribution and rights to further content.
Never give too much, it pays to have a great entertainment lawyer!
On the flipside, if you're not the owner of the world and a hired hand, checking to make sure transmedia verbiage is in you contract will be worth exploring for this exact reason. Chisel out a role in case the inevitable happens.