Getting lost is seldom a good thing, but in the case of J.J. Abrams’ ground-breaking series LOST, it would have been nice to see media industries truly “get it.” LOST captivated viewers and transformed TV into a vehicle that propelled transmedia storytelling into the mainstream. LOST demonstrated how a narrative can effectively extend to multiple platforms, engage a diverse audience, and succeed both fiscally and intellectually. But after its success, the world of media lost track of the lessons learned from this program.
Unfortunately, many media creatives still think of the story itself as a brand to be sold rather than a story to be told. The major challenge is in part one of determining how to predict success in transmedia. It can’t just be based on short term financials — creative needs to consider short and long term narrative success as well. Not everything can or should be The Avengers, and having a financially profitable TV show or game isn’t a guarantee of a successful transmedia property.
So, what can we learn from LOST?
• Audience respect and engagement is key–LOST showed that they cared about their audience. They made choices because they thought they were cool and when the audience showed interest, they remained true to their fans and worked to engage these different audiences in an authentic way.
• Storytelling is not marketing–When presented with marketing opportunities, LOST producers turned them into storytelling opportunities. With a network willing to give the creatives some freedom, and the right marketing partners, those involved appreciated the audience’s attention and assured that viewers saw value in these experiences as opposed to feeling like a long product placement.
• Big enough universe–Too many shows focus solely on a quartet of characters. To have a successful universe, you need to have multiple points of engagement, which comes down to the characters. More story opportunities equal more potential audiences.
• The challenge of multiple arcs–Managing story arcs in transmedia face similar issues that every TV series producer have. To keep viewers satisfied, you need to tell enough of the story while teasing mystery to have them come back. Between the smoke monster and the polar bear, I couldn’t wait to tune in each week…
• Genres can be a problem
LOST was lucky; at the start, nobody knew what kind of story it was. It engaged a more diverse audience, one that might not have normally tuned into a sci fi/fantasy show. A great challenge of transmedia storytelling is to get beyond a niche genre audience. I realize they’re needed, but they aren’t enough for a true large-scale property.
The biggest problems facing transmedia creators and their backers are that everybody thinks they will hit gold. The truth is it just won’t be that easy. The reality is that some really smart people are working on great properties and something will succeed, eventually. The answer is like it was for LOST; the right stories and technologies will line up and we will have the next big thing to talk about.
Michael Niederman, a film and video-maker and chair of the TV dept. of Columbia College, Chicago, is writing a book on transmedia storytelling.
