At the 8th LAMP residential, an international event with three New Zealand teams, held in Marysville, Victoria several excellent projects surfaced. Originally called “Touched by the Road Toll” it was led by Sandra Cook (Producer/Creator), Kerry Sunderland (Online Producer/Designer) and Tamsin Smyth (Designer) with Laurel Papworth a ‘guardian’ mentor. Since then the Sandra and Kerry have worked hard to get this very worth project off the ground and launched. So it was fabulous to find out a few weeks ago that Journey Beyond Road Trauma has launched and is doing extremely well in activating and bonding a community affected by road tragedies.

Sandra contacted LAMP and told us all about the project and it’s journey over the past two years and sent us some more background as to the purpose of the community site.

Sandra Cook and Kerry Sunderland are the co-founders of Journey Beyond Road Trauma. Kerry and Sandra joined forces in late 2007 after working together on a documentary called ‘The Burning Season’. In Feb 2008, they formed a new company called Online Story Exchange to oversee production of the first stage of the project.

Sandra recently said “Since the launch of our testing site four weeks ago, people from all over Australia have joined the community in an overwhelming show of support for each other. People have set up profiles, created memory spaces, connected with each other, told their story and marked the scene of a collision on Google Maps.”

A lot more about the project below:

Behind every fatality and serious injury statistic there are thousands of stories. Tell your story to educate others about the impact of careless driving. A community site for collective healing, remembrance and positive action Journey Beyond Road Trauma is an online social network for all those affected by road trauma. The site is a space where you can find a network of support, a way to connect, a place to remember and tools to be positive and pro-active.

Whether the crash was yesterday or 15 years ago, the site can be used as an intimate place of sharing with family or friends, or can be used to engage with a broader online community. The community is also a resource for the all Australians, particularly those with an interest in road safety as well as those who are affected by road trauma in their workplace (emergency services, lawyers, health workers and so on).

When you join the community you will be able to:

• Set up a profile
• Connect with others affected by road trauma
• Tell your story with blogs and video
• Watch short documentaries.
• Mark the scene of the collision (a virtual roadside memorial mark) on a Google Map

In Australia there are about 1600 deaths on our roads every year. Alarmingly, another 140 people are seriously injured each day. The site provides a contact point for people to access counselling services, legal services, victims of crime support, road safety education programs and disability carers. Under the guidance of road safety experts, the community can channel their grief into positive action by collectively campaigning for road safety. The online space can also be used as an educational resource to complement already existing road safety campaigns.

Where did the concept for this project come from and why did you do this?

In Adelaide, at 7:15am on Thursday the 11th of March 2004, Sandra’s father was critically injured on a suburban road when driving to work. He didn’t die at the scene. He was taken to hospital and died 11 days later when the family made the agonising decision to turn off his life support. Exactly one year after the crash, as a way of coping, Sandra decided to start filming her family. She wanted to document not only her family’s grief and shock, but primarily their search for justice as the cogs turned ever more slowly in what seemed to be an endless, impersonal and ineffective legal system. Her family had no idea what caused the accident. The driver who caused the crash was charged with ‘Causing death by dangerous driving’, but it would be over two and a half years before the family sat in a courtroom and began to piece together the story of that fateful day. All they knew was that a woman on her way home from working night duty as a nurse crossed the median strip from the other side of the road and hit her father’s car head on. At the trial they learnt that the driver suffered from chronic knee pain and as a result was taking more than 1200mg of morphine a day, which is a bigger dose than what is typically prescribed to a terminally ill cancer patient. As the story unfolded, the family’s relationship with the driver became complicated and disappointing when verbal promises that were made in a Restorative Justice conference were not honored. Sandra stopped filming; the documentary became a story she didn’t want to tell. She didn’t have a happy ending so she put all the tapes in a carton and stashed her vision in the back of a cupboard. But, over time, Sandra recognised that the art form of documentary filmmaking is changing rapidly, with the single approach of a ‘one-hour documentary for television’ becoming a notion of the past.

As digital media platforms converge, documentary makers need to tell stories in innovative ways, engaging the wider web audience.

A year or so after Sandra officially quit, she began to contemplate how the project could work online and engage the thousands of other people affected by road trauma. It was at this point, about three days before Christmas in 2007 that Sandra teamed up with multi-platform documentary writer/producer Kerry Sunderland who she had met while working on ‘The Burning Season’. Fortunately, soon after, Sandra and Kerry were accepted into the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP). It was the best thing that could have happened for the project. In February 2008 Kerry and Sandra travelled to the beautiful town of Marysville, Victoria to attend LAMP. At LAMP, under the mentorship of Australian and International digital media experts, they developed and workshopped the project with the most bright, witty, clever and creative minds. The live-in workshop was almost a year to the date before the tragic Black Saturday fires. After LAMP Sandra and Kerry set out to research how the project could be an effective tool in road safety education.

When Journey Beyond Road Trauma was in the very early stages of development it was accepted into the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP). In February 2008 Kerry and Sandra travelled to Marysville Victoria to attend LAMP. At LAMP, under the mentorship of Australian and international digital media experts including Gary Hayes, Anthony Eden, Laurel Papworth and Matt Costello, they developed and produced an Electronic Proof of Concept (EPOC) for the web site. It was this EPOC that enabled Sandra Cook and Kerry Sunderland to secure development funding from the South Australian Film Corporation. Kerry and Sandra subsequently received a $100,000 grant through Screen Australia’s Cross-Platform Digital Media Production Fund. The project is also sponsored by the Royal Automobile Association (RAA) and has received a grant from the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation foundation.

Kerry and Sandra spent a year researching and meeting with some of Australia’s pre-eminent road safety experts to learn how this project could be effective in road safety education. Those experts include:

• Lachlan McIntosh AM, Asia Pacific Director of the International Road Assessment Program (iRap) and Chairman of the Australasian College of Road Safety
• John Goldsworthy, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
• Professor Barry Watson, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q).

Follow the team and find out more on:

Facebook - myspace - Twitter

CONTACT

• Sandra Cook – Director / Producer p: 0413 146 013 e: sandracook@onlinestoryexchange.com
• Michelle Kelly – Online Marketing Co-ordinator p: 0431 011 050 e: michellekelly@onlinestoryexchange.com

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As we ended the last decade we were collating/archiving assets from the LAMP site and think it important to recognise the people that made LAMP the Australian icon in effective emerging media development.

Many of the mentors and participants were beginning their own journey on these workshops and residentials and are now leading the industry in Australia and abroad. We hope these ‘retrospective’ posts serve as a record for that which follows LAMP.

LAMP 2005-2009 was:

A selection of the more than 50 mentors from the past four years (in first name alphabetical)

Andrew Apostola	Anthony Eden	Catherine Gleeson	Christy Dena
David Court	David Gurney	David Jensen	Duane Varan
Gary Hayes	Jackie Turnure	Jennifer Wilson	Jim Shomos
John Banks	John Buchanan	Jonathan Marshall	Keren Flavell
Laurel Papworth	Lisa Romano	Malcolm Long	Marc Walker
Mark Meadows	Mark Pesce	Matt Costello	Paul Bennun
Peter Giles	Rachel Dixon	Raffi Krikorian	Ric Holland
Shiralee Saul	Sohail Dahdal	Tony Walsh	William Cooper

Some of the residential participants attached to over seventy 6 day – 6 month projects

A selection of key speakers who presented at ‘non-project based’ LAMP run seminars

Over 150 high level industry guests visited LAMP residentials

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Australia’s leading screen conference, run by SPAA, is in Sydney this week and many multi-platform folk associated with LAMP & AFTRS in the past are in force with a record number of panels and sessions. The heavily featured 360 Media (and by implication Social Media) track sits nicely in the theme of this years conference ‘Reaching Your Audience’. LAMP’s Gary Hayes is listed as a key advisor to this years event and the following are a taste of some of the great sessions worth checking out. Lots more detail on the downloadable PDF on the SPAA Conference site.

The sessions below are the LAMP best 360, multi platform picks for the 3 days

Weds 18 th Nov

10:30–11:45 am BREAKOUT Grand Ballroom 4

Reaching a niche or diverse audience is increasingly a producer’s mandate (not just the distributor’s). We are experiencing a moment of radical change across technology, consumer behaviour, distribution and marketing with seismic shifts in the way that entertainment is conceived, produced, distributed and consumed. Social Media, User Generated Content, Digitaland Mobile Channels, Convergence and Diversity are a fact of life. Successful producers are those who can realize the potential of a single extraordinary story across the widest range of platforms. How can we define, validate, inspire, energise and leverage the interactive participation of today’s audiences? What are the insights, trends and innovations that will shape our creative and marketing capacities as filmmakers? How can producers optimise their distribution plan to ensure their film successfully reaches an audience against an increasing competition for screens and changing consumer behaviour? A group of successful entertainment marketers will come together to help you gain a more comprehensive understanding of targeted movie marketing, divulge inside tricks, techniques and trends, outline how and where audiences are consuming content and provide an essential perspective that will help reorient your approach to storytelling, distribution & marketing.

Session Producer:

• Martin Walsh, Digital Marketing, Director, Microsoft & Producer, Red Dune Films

Speakers:

• Stephanie Bohn, Director of Worldwide Marketing, Digital Distribution, Warner Brothers, US
• Travis Johnson, Managing Director, Universal McCann Sydney
• Gordon Paddison, Founder & Principal, Stradella Road, US

1:45–3:00 pm BREAKOUT Meeting Room 4

Come on people—let’s switch on! We get an international perspective from the guru himself Ken Faier of Nerd Corps Entertainment, Canada and hear about all the ultra cool kinds of  ‘360’ programming you could be doing.

Session Chair:

• Dan Fill, Partner, Chocolate Liberation Front

Speaker:

• Ken Faier, President, Nerd Corps, CA

1:45–3:00 pm BREAKOUT Grand Ballroom 4

Part 2 of this session will take you through today’s film audience behaviour and how to translate this insight into practical strategies and tactics.Case studies include District 9, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Lord of the Rings, The Watchmen, Snakes on a Plane and Sex and the City and will illustrate how important understanding your audience is, how filmmakers can successfully tap into today’s digitally wired consumers, integrate across platforms and optimise their distribution opportunities accordingly.

Session Producer:

• Martin Walsh, Digital Marketing Director, Microsoft

& Producer, Red Dune Films

Speakers:

• Stephanie Bohn, Director of Worldwide Marketing, Digital Distribution, Warner Brothers, US
• Graham Cassidy, Senior Adviser, Cato Counsel
• Travis Johnson, Managing Director, Universal McCann Sydney
• Christopher Mapp, Managing Director, Omnilab
• Gordon Paddison, Founder & Principal, Stradella Road, US

1:45–3:00 pm BREAKOUT Barnet Room

Christopher Sandberg, is CEO of new media production company  The company P. He is dedicated to the exploration of human interaction and audience involvement in modern entertainment. With over a decade of experience in start-ups as CEO/ExecutiveProducer/Producer in television, online and mobile, ranging from drama to social applications and games, Sandberg executive produced the participatory drama The Truth About Marika (produced with SVT). Sandberg is currently involved as CEO and Executive producer in one international participation drama with VRT and SVT, several AFP internationally and numerous ARG marketing campaigns and online and computer games for clients of The company P. He holds advisory trustee positions,notably in the creative team for the mediasummit SIME. Sandberg is creator and Executive Producer forthe national DTV channel “Mediteve”, Scandinavia’s first participatory television channel, integrating SMS based chat and formats rangingfrom game shows to drama (now re-launchedas TV400, with TV4).

Session Producer:

• Courtney Gibson, Director of Programmes, Southern Star Entertainment

3:00–4:45 pm BREAKOUT Grand Ballroom 3

What do producers need to know and do tomake money from emerging content channels?We will consider the costs to produce in new formats or make additional content including long and short form episodes, downloads, social media tools and websites—against the financing and revenue mix of traditional and digital delivery channels, government funding and producer offset, distributor advances and brand-related revenue. We will also dissect the lexicon of Next-Gen television to find out what you do and don’t need to understand about targeted distribution, expanded reach, precise metrics, increased loyalty, contextual sponsorship, e-commerce,VOD and IPTV.

Session Producer:

• Debra Allanson, Managing Director, Ish Media

Speakers:

• Matt Houltham, Digital Partner, Zenithoptimedia
• Ben Liebmann, Vice President, Licensing— FremantleMedia Enterprises
• Katherine Rossetti, Director, Freshwater Media
• Angelo Tilocca, Manager, Content Licensing, ABC Commercial

THURSDAY 19th November

9:00–10:00 am PLENARY Grand Ballroom 1

Major corporations once completely controlled the holy media trinity of technology, distribution,and content. No more. Whether its fan fiction finding its way into Showtime Network’s The LWord, Susan Boyle’s appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, mobile phone video and photos of a bubbling revolution in Iran or the collaboration of fans on recording artist Imogen Heap’s new album Ellipse, a technology enabled sea change has occurred in the production,distribution, and consumption of content. From participation television, locative and alternate reality gaming and a world of mobile phone apps to high quality user generated production and the tech steroid power of social media applications the audience is surgingforward. And yet, good storytelling will always beat the core of great content. But, what does this revolution mean to the both traditional and new creators, producers and distributors of content.Brian Seth Hurst, CEO of The Opportunity Management Company will escort you intothe revolutionary battlefield to survey the developing media landscape, its casualties and its opportunities. Brought to you by Screen Australia

SPAA acknowledges the financial assistance of Screen Australia

10:30–11:45 am BREAKOUT Grand Ballroom 3

TV is in major transition where it is evolving from just scheduled broadcast to being always-on, participatory and social. Its traditional audience is now fully engaged with Social Media and here they effectively become ‘programme’ and content makers for each other but, in the backchannel, they still drive conversation around traditional, compelling broadcast content. This is what we currently label, Social TV. There are many challenges ahead and this session will look at innovations across broad band and IPTV, latest business models, new advertising models and latest video web 2.0 mash-ups. We will also try to answer questions such as, is IPTV a valid platform for video producers? Where are the opportunities across on-demand platforms and is the old advertising model really broken? Is audience contributed online content sustainable at scale and what are the challenges of broadcasting and delivering on-demand? Is there a role for a public service broadcaster in a commercially driven IPTV landscape. IPTV used to stand for ‘Internet Protocol TV’ but in today’s Social Media world perhaps it really means Interactive and Personal TV.

Session Producer:

• Gary Hayes, Director of LAMP, AFTRS & CCO of MUVEDesign

Speakers:

• Arul Baskaran, Acting Head of Multiplatform Production, ABC
• Courtney Gibson, Dir. of Programmes, Southern Star Entertainment
• Lisa Gray, Head of Content, The Feds
• Marshall Heald, Head of Online, SBS
• Siobhan Mulholland, Creative Director, Dubz.tv, UK

1:15–2:30 pm BREAKOUT Grand Ballroom 1

Traditional advertising models are underpressure, challenging the content-distribution ecosystem to adapt in response to empowered consumers. Brands are enthusiastically pursuing opportunities ushered in by digital television and interactive media. Savvy brands are now creating original programming. What do advertisers need from program partners? How can brand interactivity better engage viewers with traditional shows? What role do programmers play in brand-generated shows? Where do brands fit into direct-to-web distribution and user-generated content? Learn from teams that have ‘been there, done that’ as we speak to various content owners and related advertisers on their recent collaborations.

Session Producer:

• Tim Flattery, Executive Producer— Branded Entertainment, Carat

Speakers:

• Damien Bray, CEO, Brand New Media Entertainment
• Michael Cook, Executive Producer, The Feds
• Matthew Hunt, Managing Director, RedLever

1:15–2:30 pm BREAKOUT Meeting Room 4

How to find, engage and retain audiences through social networks such as Bebo, Twitter, branded microcommunities and Facebook/MySpace widgets and iPhone applications. Specifically for those in the industry of providing ‘real time, experiential marketing’ social media assets (content) and distribution (networks) are pulled together to provide both campaign and long term strategies for building brand in the social media space. Laurel Papworth is a Power150 media blogger and in the top 5 media bloggers for Australia.She has been teaching for 20 years, mostly in the area of online communities and virtual communications.Laurel is the senior social media strategist in Australia, consulting to companies in Australia, Asia and Middle East including Fairfax: RSVP Dating Community, Sony Corporation, Universal McCann EricksonWorldWide and Channel Ten.

Session Producer:

• Laurel Papworth, Social Networks Strategist

3:00–4:15 pm BREAKOUT Meeting Room 4

Kelly Chapman and Sarah-Jane Woulahan will walk you through various examples of branded entertainment produced in Australia and internationally—from small, independent scale projects to huge global productions.Through case studies they’ll demonstrate approaches to creating immersive entertainment experiences that incorporate commercial partners, and explain how audience-centriccontent creation lends itself to meeting the needs of brands.

Session Producer:

• Kelly Chapman, Producer, KCDC

Speaker:

• Sarah-Jane Woulahan, Director, Portable

FRIDAY 20th NOVEMBER

12.00-1.15om Breakout: Meeting Room 2

This is an opportunity for producers to get a general update on the digital media landscape in Australia, meet those who are active in the space and develop relationships with potential partners including broadcasters, digital content distributors, digital studios, telcos, government agencies and branded entertainment media agencies. Producers will meet people who can assist with developing an efficient digital strategy and learn more about their requirements. Pitching is only allowed at the discretion of the executives. Pre-bookings essential. Please see Cynthia at the Roundtables Booking Desk on Level 4 for availability.

Executives include:

• Debra Allanson, Managing Director, Studio Ish
• Arul Baskaran, A/Head of Multiplatform Production, ABC
• Mike Cowap, Development Manager, Innovation, Screen Australia
• Dan Fill, Partner, Chocolate Liberation Front
• Tim Flattery, Executive Producer—Branded Entertainment, Carat
• Jason Franklin, General Manager, Branded Entertainment, Endemol Southern Star
• Marcus Gillezeau, Producer, Firelight
• James Grant Hay, Senior Brand Strategist, RedLever
• Marshall Heald, Head of Online, SBS
• Mike Kerry, Business Development Director, MySpace Video, Australia and New Zealand
• Sally Nelson, Group Manager Movies & Video, Telstra Media
• Christopher Smyth, Product Manager Video, Ninemsn
• Jennifer Wilson, Director, The Project Factory

International Guests

• Kay Benbow, Head of CBeebies Production, Animation & Acquisitions, BBC, UK
• Andrew Bohn, Partner, Fluent Entertainment, US
• Stephanie Bohn, Director of Worldwide Marketing, Digital Distribution, Warner Bros, US
• Jules Borkent, SVP, Global Acquisitions & International Programming, Nickelodeon, US
• Ken Faier, President, Nerd Corps, CA
• Bob Higgins, Head of Creative, Wildbrain, US
• Samantha Horley, Managing Director, Salt, UK
• Brian Seth Hurst, CEO, The Opportunity Management Company, US
• Ian Hutchinson, Partner, Silver Reel, UK
• Heather Kenyon, VP Project Development & Sales, Starz Animation and Film Roman, US
• Annmarie Lesiuk, Managing Director, Minds Eye International, US
• Sharon Menzies, Managing Director, Fulcrum Media, NZ
• Charlotte Mickie, Executive Vice-President International Film Sales e1 Entertainment, CA
• Annie Miles, Executive Producer, UK
• Siobhan Mulholland, Creative Director, Dubz.tv, UK
• Gordon Paddison, Founder & Principal, Stradella Road, US
• Isaac Palmer, MD, MESA Global, US
• Antonio Salas, Sales Executive, Bankside Films, UK
• Christopher Sandberg, CEO and Founder, The company P, SE
• Sander Schwartz, EVP, Head of Children and Family Entertainment, FremantleMedia, UK
• Christopher Skala, Senior VP, Programming & New Content Development, HiT, UK
• Adrian Ward, Senior Vice President—Entertainment, Sports & Media Department, Bank of California, US
• Michael Werner, Co-Chairman of Fortissimo Films, HK
• Matthew Weiner, Series Creator/Executive Producer/Writer, US
• Nick Wilson, Director of Children’s Programmes, Five, UK
• Michael Wrenn, Curious Film Distribution, NZ

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LAMP’s Gary Hayes created, posted & paged (on his top 5 Australian AdAge blog, Personalizemedia) this simple flash app a few weeks ago to demonstrate the tsunami of content, communication and commercial activity across Social Media, Mobile and Games. The widget, embedded below, rather ironically went viral itself as it is was linked to from Wired, Guardian, other major sites and was re-tweeted over 2000 times which generated a reach around 15 million! It is now embedded in over 450 sites (over 150 shown in the video below the counter) and Gary is keeping it constantly updated with the latest stats across the 40+ metrics.

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Australians now spend an average of 16.1 hours on the internet each week, 12.9 hours watching TV, 8.8 hours listening to the radio, 3.7 hours on a mobile phone and 2.8 hours reading newspapers according to The Nielsen Online Internet and Technology Report quoted in The Australian earlier this year. With internet use now eclipsing TV viewing Australian broadcasters are in for a bumpy ride over the next few years. In this environment, how well prepared are our content producers for a world of participatory media, social networking and transmedia storytelling?

AFTRS are running a new post graduate course in 2010 which has been designed for content producers of all persuasions to combine the practical skills of traditional media with those of the online world. What’s clear is there is a huge appetite by global audiences for rich media content and we need skilled producers to start the conversations.

More information about this groundbreaking new course is available here and applications close on November 1, 2009

The course has been developed utilising the knowledge and experience gained through LAMP workshops, seminars and residentials and the pool of national and international experts who have contributed to its success. To get an idea of the calibre of our industry speakers here is a list of links to some of the most pertinent LAMP podcasts, vodcasts and slideshares about Multi Platform Content innovation. And finally, some of our industry testimonials and more stats to help you ponder your future.

Innovations in Multi Platform Content Seminar

With speakers including Anthony Mullins and Jackie Turnure from Hoodlum (Prime Time Emmy Award Winners), Social Media Strategist Laurel Papworth, Senior Vice President of Animal Logic Interactive Giancarlo A. Mori and Multi Platform producer Jim Shomos

Television 2.0: Social TV Seminar

Featuring Acting Head of ABC Multi Platform Arul Baskaran, Director of AFTRS LAMP Gary Hayes, Head of informitv William Cooper and Head of Strategic Development at ABC Innovation Chris Winter.

The Social Media Campaign

Featuring Social Media Strategist Laurel Papworth, Multi Platform Producer Martin Walsh, Geoffrey Emmerson, CEO of The Prosperity, Gary Hayes Director of AFTRS LAMP and Danielle Warby Online Marketing Director, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney

Industry Testimonials

The screen industry is rapidly evolving and now more than ever there is a need for skilled multi platform specialists. Practical knowledge and learning in this area with the AFTRS has helped to transform the way we produce and deliver our projects.

Marcus Gillezeau and Ellenor Cox, 2009 International Digital Emmy Award winners

To reach our audiences, we need to cleverly create and adapt screen content, so that it is engaging on multiple platforms. Screen NSW is keen to support talented practitioners with well thought out multiple platform projects, as the future and relevance of our industry depends upon them. Take this course and extend your skills and your industry opportunities.

Tania Chambers, Chief Executive, Screen NSW

Fifteen years ago when I talked about multi platform content I was talking about new innovative ways that we will use to tell our stories in the future. That future is now, these days it’s a given in the screen content industry that you have an in-depth understanding of how to multi platform your content. It’s very exciting that AFTRS is presenting a national course specific to multi platform storytelling.

Sohail Dahdal, Emerging Media Producer (First Australians, Long Journeys Young Lives)

Audiences are consuming content across multiple screens and are increasingly expecting this as standard.  This presents an enormous opportunity for a new generation of storytellers to meet this expectation.  AFTRS has pioneered education in this important new sector of the media, and this course consolidates the varied skills required into one place

Guy Gadney, The Project Factory

Emerging Media Statistics

“Three out of four Americans use social technology”

Forrester, The Growth of Social Media Adoption, 2008

“Two thirds of the global internet population visit social networks” - Nielsen, Global Faces and Networked Places, 2009

“Visiting social sites is now the fourth most popular online activity, ahead of personal email.” - Nielsen, Global Faces and Networked Places, 2009

“If Facebook were a country it would be the 8^th most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan” - Mark Zuckerberg, Jan 2009

“Worldwide production of over 1 billion mobile phones per year is driving both innovation and adoption of ever more capable portable devices.” - Australia and New Zealand Horizon Report, 2008

A new survey by the Conference Board reports that almost 25% of U.S. households watch TV shows 
online as opposed to 20% just one year ago. Of these viewers, 43% watch news shows, 35% sitcoms, 
comedies and dramas, around 20% watch reality programming and 18% sports. - Conference Board report quoted in the LA Times, September 2009

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Profiling successful case studies, people and the latest techniques across multi platform media. FREE themed seminars running on the last Wednesday of every month at 5:30pm – 7pm. No need to register just turn up to Theatre 1 at AFTRS Sydney

Upcoming FREE seminars:

• AFTRS, Main Theatre, 5:30pm – 7pm, Wed Sept 30
• Wed Sept 30 – Building Creative Collaboration Online

Social networking applications have opened many new opportunities for creative people to collaborate online. Australian online collaborative spaces are notoriously thin on the ground but there are a few leaders in a small pack. What consitutes an online creative community, how do you motivate people to contribute content and what are the benefits that are offered?

Speakers will include:

• Sherre De Lys from the ABC’s Pool – a creative community for online collaboration and content creation and
• Matt Fayle and Pip Jameson from The Loop, a creative portfolio and collaboration site about to be launched targeting creative industries.

Pool was launched by the ABC in 2008 and is a creative community of content creators and a place to share and talk about creative work. It embraces music, photos, videos, documentaries, interviews, animations and other forms and has brokered partnerships between the ABC and universities. Pool claims to be ‘conducting research in action at the intersection of broadcast and participatory media’ and embraces Creative Commons licencing in a big way. The Loop is a platform for promotion where creative people can showcase their skills and achievements, share ideas and connect with other creative people.It is also a highly targeted job advertising portal and is the creation of Pip Jameson and Matt Fayle, both ex-MTV creatives. The Loop is the first Australian recruitment and portfolio site that is built on a social networking platform. It will launch in October 2009.

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LAMP has been an integral part of the interactive cross media & digital curriculum at AFTRS for the past four years. As well as its external facing activities works closely with all aspects of social and cross media in the Graduate Diploma for Directors & Production students, Foundation ‘Creating Experiences and Designing Worlds modules’ and MA specialist courses in Virtual Worlds, Social Media and Games.

Next year there are some great Graduate Certificate courses starting and LAMP will be very active in the Multiplatform and Games & Virtual Worlds offerings and recommend you to pass these around. More info here:

MULTIPLATFORM GRADUATE CERTIFICATE – This course provides a systematic and practical approach to multi platform content creation in order to provide emerging producers with skills to initiate and manage these projects. Students will learn to tailor content for emerging media platforms such as convergent television, broadband web and mobile devices and focus on alternate reality games, episodic social media and other emerging entertainment formats which utilise a combination of platforms to engage audiences. A comprehensive overview of media technologies, platforms and formats is provided in addition to real world exercises and briefs culminating in a final project that can be used by students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. More info here Multiplatform

The games and virtual worlds course is a great mix of social and goal orientated games design and incorporates much of what Ian Brown & Gary Hayes talked about recently in the Kotaku interviews. Again more information from the AFTRS MakeIt site:

GAME AND VIRTUAL WORLDS GRADUATE CERTIFICATE - This course concentrates on the development of original concepts for virtual stories, games, social worlds and innovative gameplay resulting in the creation of a working prototype by the end of the course. Designed for emerging games designers, writers and developers this creatively focused course utilises prototyping methods to rapidly generate ideas and concepts for innovative projects. The crossover between cinematic storytelling and virtual environments, particularly in the areas of cinematography, storytelling, character and environment design are investigated in real world exercises and briefs. More info here Games & Virtual Worlds

Both courses are postgraduate and part time (16 weeks / 1 semester – 2 evenings a week plus 1 weekend a month) so very doable for those working or involved in other activities. The course fee is only $5900.

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STUDY MULTIPLATFORM CONTENT PRODUCTION part time at AFTRS in 2010

All video and audio below recorded at the AFTRS Theatre July 2009. LAMP pod and vodcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon on the right if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

FIVE SEMINAR VIDEOS – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

1. THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGN & COMMUNITY – 50m (slideshares here) © Laurel Papworth – Australia’s leading Social Network Strategist and communities manager
2. DIGITAL AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE MARKETING 35m © Martin Walsh – Head of Digital Marketing Microsoft & Independent Film Actor & Producer Red Dune Films (slideshare embedded here)
3. ANATOMY OF A BLOGGER OUTREACH CAMPAIGN -  16m © Geoffrey Emerson Managing Director The Prosperity Principal
4. (Seminar Intro) THE RISE AND RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA – 13m (slideshares here) © Gary Hayes Director LAMP @ AFTRS and CCO of MUVEDesign
5. UNIVERSITY MEET SOCIAL MEDIA -  16m (note: music error first few minutes) © Danielle Warby Online Marketing Coordinator for the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney

Original seminar link – Social media has exploded over the last 3 years,  the scale of this phenomenon means no one can ignore it anymore. For example mid 2008 there were over 113 million blogs, 200 million active Facebook users & over 1.1 billion twitter messages. Today over 346 million read blogs and another 130 million watch YouTube videos, daily. But it is the time spent using social media that tell a more significant story. Facebook users logged 13.9 billion minutes on their site in April 09, MySpace 5 billion minutes and the new kid in town, Twitter logged 300 million minutes. According to a Nielsen study, total minutes spent on social networking sites has increased 83 percent year-over-year. Learn how to connect and be involved in this social revolution.

AUDIO ONLY VERSIONS OF 1-5 ABOVE – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

• Video & audio recorded by AFTRS Post-production & Digital Dept
• Pod and vodcast editing, encoding, tagging & publishing by Gary Hayes

Related posts

• Mastering Multi Platform Content (5)
• The Social Media Campaign: Seminar & Workshop (6)
• Vodcasts – Open Social Collaboration Tools (0)
• Vodcasts – Television 2.0: Social TV (0)
• Vodcasts – Doco 2.0: Serious Games (0)

STUDY MULTIPLATFORM CONTENT PRODUCTION part time at AFTRS in 2010

All video and audio below recorded at the AFTRS Theatre March 2009. LAMP pod and vodcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon on the right if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

FOUR SEMINAR VIDEOS – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

1. SOCIALIZED TV 2.0 – 17m © Gary Hayes Director LAMP @ AFTRS and CCO of MUVEDesign (slideshares here)
2. MULTIPLATFORM TV – 12m (abridged) – © ABCTV Arul Baskaran (Executive Producer ABC TV Multiplatform)
3. IPTV FUTURES – 20m © William Cooper Head of Informitv (live Skype video interview with Gary Hayes)
4. TV INNOVATION -15m (abridged) – Chris Winter (ABC Innovation)

Original seminar link – TV is in major transition. Where are the opportunities across on-demand platforms? Is the old advertising model broken? Will broadband to set top box comfortably co-exist with video on the web? Help prepare you for big changes just on the horizon. Innovations across broadband TV and IPTV. New advertising models and latest video web 2.0 mashups. Is IPTV a valid platform for video producers? The evolving role of public service broadcaster and online video distribution ABC new developments including iView, Google Earth TV & programme related services such as Gruen Transfer How online video will become more personalized Is audience contributed online content sustainable at scale? What does the future hold?

AUDIO ONLY VERSIONS OF ABOVE – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

• Video & audio recorded by AFTRS Post-production & Digital Dept
• Pod and vodcast editing, encoding, tagging & publishing by Gary Hayes

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• Vodcasts – The Social Media Campaign (6)
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• Vodcasts – Open Social Collaboration Tools (0)
• Mastering Multi Platform Content (5)

STUDY MULTIPLATFORM CONTENT part time at AFTRS in 2010

All video and audio below recorded at the AFTRS Theatre April 2009. LAMP pod and vodcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon on the right if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

FOUR SEMINAR VIDEOS – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

1. COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITIES – 32m © Laurel Papworth senior consultant, strategist, writer and workshop facilitator on online communities and social networks in Australia, Asia and Middle East
2. CROWDSOURCING – 7m © Doug Garske Managing Director at Atomic Marketing
3. FREE AND EASY (seminar intro) – 10m © Gary Hayes Director LAMP @ AFTRS and CCO of MUVEDesign (slideshares here)

Original seminar link – There are a vast range of new free to use tools that enable rich and efficient collaboration for audiences and professionals alike. What are the best tools for online communities, project development, video distribution and marketing. A survey of free to use tools and services including Mogulus, Twitter, Joomla, Ning, Blogger, Ustream, Drupal, Wikis, Social Bookmarking, Virtual World Gatherings, WordPress and many others.

AUDIO ONLY VERSIONS OF ABOVE – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

• Video & audio recorded by AFTRS Post-production & Digital Dept
• Pod and vodcast editing, encoding, tagging & publishing by Gary Hayes

Related posts

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• Vodcasts – The Social Media Campaign (6)
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• Study Multiplatform and Games Virtual Worlds at AFTRS (0)

STUDY MULTIPLATFORM CONTENT PRODUCTION part time at AFTRS in 2010

All video and audio below recorded at the AFTRS Theatre April 2009. LAMP pod and vodcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon on the right if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

FIVE SEMINAR VIDEOS – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

1. THE ART & CRAFT OF MULTIPLATFORM STORYTELLING – 37m © Hoodlum Anthony Mullins – Creative Director Hoodlum  & Jackie Turnure, Head of Development and Production Hoodlum
2. MOBILE SOCIAL TECH AND ALTERNATE REALITY GAMING – 35m © Bob Hitching Xumii
3. THE INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY – 38m © Laurel Papworth senior consultant, strategist, writer and workshop facilitator on online communities and social networks in Australia, Asia and Middle East (slideshares here)
4. PLAYING IN A DIGITAL WORLD – 31m © Jim Shomos CEO Forget The Rules
5. MULTIPLATFORM INNOVATIONS – 22m © Giancarlo A. Mori Senior Vice President, ANIMALLOGIC Interactive. (live Skype video intro interview with Gary Hayes)

Original seminar link – The way content is consumed has changed. A selection of leading innovators in multi-platform content present recent projects in the areas of social media, cross platform storytelling, extended entertainment, games and online entertainment. This will be an eye opener for those who thought cross-media meant TV show and a website!

AUDIO ONLY VERSIONS OF ABOVE – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

• Video & audio recorded by AFTRS Post-production & Digital Dept
• Pod and vodcast editing, encoding, tagging & publishing by Gary Hayes

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• Vodcasts – Seminar: Art & Craft of Machinima (0)

STUDY GAMES AND VIRTUAL WORLDS part time at AFTRS in 2010

All video and audio below recorded at the AFTRS Theatre April 2009. LAMP pod and vodcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon on the right if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

FOUR SEMINAR VIDEOS – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

1. GAMES: SERIOUSLY – 35m © Gary Hayes Director LAMP @ AFTRS and CCO of MUVEDesign (slideshares here)
2. THE REALITY OF THE SIMULATION – 38m © John Welsh Development Manager of Serious Games at Sydac
3. SERIOUS GAMES: REACH OUT – 28m © Marianne Webb interactive manager for Reach Out!
4. DOCO 2.0: FIRST AUSTRALIANS PANEL – 25m © AFTRS & First Australians - Peter Giles Director Digital Media talks to Rachel Perkins (Director), Darren Dale (EP) Sohail Dahdal (Online Producer)

Original seminar link – All video and audio below recorded at the AFTRS Theatre April 2009. The intersection between documentary filmmaking and games will be explored in this half seminar and half rapid development workshop, providing deep insight into the potential of Serious Games. Both games and stories have long been recognised as powerful learning tools. Their combination in the 21st century has the potential to provide learning experiences that are collaborative and globally connected. What are the best examples of Serious Games and where are they heading? How can Serious Games be employed by educators, corporations or non-profit organizations?

AUDIO ONLY VERSIONS OF ABOVE – Click the skip arrows to move between presentations

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

• Video & audio recorded by AFTRS Post-production & Digital Dept
• Pod and vodcast editing, encoding, tagging & publishing by Gary Hayes

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THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN: CONNECTING & CONVERSING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE COMMUNITY

Social media has exploded over the last 3 years,  the scale of this phenomenon means no one can ignore it anymore. For example mid 2008 there were over 113 million blogs, 200 million active Facebook users & over 1.1 billion twitter messages. Today over 346 million read blogs and another 130 million watch YouTube videos, daily. But it is the time spent using social media that tell a more significant story. Facebook users logged 13.9 billion minutes on their site in April 09, MySpace 5 billion minutes and the new kid in town, Twitter logged 300 million minutes. According to a Nielsen study, total minutes spent on social networking sites has increased 83 percent year-over-year. Learn how to connect and be involved in this social revolution.

A two part event:

1. The three hour seminar will introduce you to the most successful online marketing case studies, promoting content, brands and events online and will demonstrate a range of community building techniques
2. The one day workshop will be intimate hands-on training in how to use a variety online social tools to connect to and grow audiences around ‘your’ niche areas, whether production, event, brand or service

Both days are suitable for creatives wanting to generate interest in their work, marketing departments needing to understand this new environment and any one wanting to understand, promote themselves and grow online communities

SEMINAR: Thurs 2 July 2 – 5 pm CLICK TO APPLY $60

Aimed at anyone who wants to promote themselves, their product or creation into communities. This seminar led by Laurel Papworth looks at the latest techniques of marketing yourself online through engaging with online events, social networks and DIY social media and the workshop will examine case studies of successful producers and creators doing it for themselves.

Final speakers:

• Martin Walsh – Head of Digital Marketing Microsoft & Independent Film Actor & Producer “Long Tan” + ARGs (42 entertainment)
• Danielle Warby – Online Marketing Coordinator the University of Sydney
• Geoffrey Emerson – MD of The Prosperity Principal – Sydney Experiential, Digital, Social Media, Design and Video production
• Laurel Papworth – Australia’s leading Social Network Strategist and communities manager
• (intro) Gary Hayes - Director LAMP and CCO MUVEDesign

WORKSHOP: Friday  3  July 10 am – 5 pm CLICK TO APPLY $240

A workshop looking at how to understand the new audiences, build traffic and loyalty that goes way beyond creating a Facebook group or uploading a trailer onto YouTube but looks at a multitude of techniques of engaging through online events, real time conversation, socializing content and personal or corporate brand building. Some of the key aspects of the Social Media Campaign to be explored are described by Laurel below from her blog

1. Get involved, read what’s out there, source top bloggers, forums, bulletin boards, Twitterers, Digg fanatics and Facebook discussion groups – read and understand them.
2. Create – or better yet, find – social media assets you didn’t know you already had. Powerpoint presentations from the shareholder meeting? Put ‘em up on slideshare. FAQ’s and Customer Service Tip sheets? Put them in a wiki or a blog post. That sort of thing. Don’t waste money on made-for-web ‘viral’ crap. It’s useful, not buzzy stuff that social media wants.
3. Discuss – any campaign you create that is not discussed in social networks, doesn’t exist.Make sure the tools for discussion exist, don’t lock it down with pre-moderation and pdfs.
4. Promote – use distribution, not content networks for promotion. That would be Facebook, Digg and the like (you can’t blog on those sites, they are not for Citizen Journalist, but for Citizen Editor). Better still, offer widgets for customer to customer promotion.
5. Measure, analyse, get your metrics. Which ones are meaningful? A top blogger blogging or a Facebook group discussing? Hits to your web page or increase in Technorati keywords?

By the end of this workshop participants will have had the opportunity to learn about:

• The online ecology of social networks

• Techniques to distribute your content as widely as possible to a global audience

• Planning and staging a campaign which has maximum impact and reach

• Building loyalty and community with an online audience

About Laurel Papworth

Led by Laurel Papworth who is a Power150 media blogger (global – AdNews) and in the top 3 media bloggers for Australia (B&T). She has been teaching for 20 years, mostly in the area of online communities and virtual communications. Laurel is the senior social media strategist in Australia, consulting to companies, not for profits and government departments in Australia, Asia and Middle East including:

• Middle East Broadcasting (Dubai/Saudi Arabia) – Channel MBC4
• Telecom New Zealand
• Fairfax: RSVP Dating Community
• Sony Corporation
• Universal McCann Erickson WorldWide
• CHANNEL TEN: including Australian Idol community
• Sulake: Makers of Habbo
• Macquarie Leisure
• Macquarie Media
• New Holland Publishing
• Australasian, Performing Right Association (APRA)
• Peoplebrowsr
• MySongcast.com unsigned bands community
• Australian Businesswomens’ Network
• Pink Sofa online community
• ABC Australia
• National Archives of Australia (gov)
• Department of State and Regional Development (gov)
• Department of Primary Industry (gov)
• Australian Film Television and Radio School (edu)
• University of Sydney (edu, public)
• University of Western Sydney (edu, Masters program).

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LAMP ‘STATE OF PLAY’ SEMINARS

Profiling successful case studies, people and the latest techniques across multi platform social media.

• FREE themed seminars running on the last Wednesday of every month at 6pm – 7pm.
• No need to register just turn up to the main Theatre at AFTRS, Sydney (directions)

Next FREE seminar:

Wed April 29 – FREE AND EASY: Open Source Creative Tools

There are a vast range of new free to use tools that enable rich and efficient collaboration for audiences and professionals alike. What are the best tools for online communities, project development, video distribution and marketing. A survey of free to use tools and services including Mogulus, Twitter, Joomla, Ning, Blogger, Ustream, Drupal, Wikis, Social Bookmarking, Virtual World Gatherings, WordPress and many others.

Presented by Australia’s foremost Social Network strategist Laurel Papworth will give a clear overview of the best tools to collaborate from a creative, marketing and social angle. She will show the how the previous audience are now TV channel producers, publishers, news agencies, film makers, music producers and how professionals can re-engage by becoming learning the ‘tricks of the community’. Laurel will also cover the basics of how generic social media tools like Ning, UStream and Blogger can be used to quickly create your own networks.

• Speakers:  Laurel Papworth‚ Social Media Strategist & CEO World Communities
• others to be announced
• Introduction by Gary Hayes – AFTRS LAMP

Laurel Papworth
Laurel is a senior consultant, strategist, writer and workshop facilitator on online communities and social networks in Australia, Asia and Middle East. She features regularly on ABC Radio, Public and Commercial TV, serious newspapers and major global blogs. Laurel consults at executive level and facilitates strategic workshops on the impact of social networks on industry sectors, teaches marketing, blogging and social media courses for companies and runs workshops for small and home business on behalf of the Australian Government. Laurel taught the first Australian public social media courses in 2005 at University of Sydney and in addition, develops and teaches Insights Masterclasses for LAMP at Australian Film Television and Radio School on innovation and cross media. When not consulting with companies building online community strategies, Laurel is a global Power150 Media and Marketing blogger (Advertising Age) placing her as #5 blogger in Australia.

Upcoming FREE seminars:

• Wed May 27 – MASSIVELY MULTI-STORYTELLER WORLDS: The Drama of Game Worlds
  • Virtual worlds are now populated by 900 million players globally with many spending more time in them than their real lives. This ‘State of Play’ seminars looks at the range of stories being created in these social and game worlds. It will focus on the drama being created by these full time role players and the opportunities for traditional writers to engage in this popular medium. Speakers: Gary Hayes (AFTRS LAMP) and others to be announced
• Wed Jun 29 – CINEMA 2.0: Big Screen Participatory Futures
  • Stereoscopic 3D, interactive cinema, games in cinema. Where does the future lie for cinemas and other public screen spaces? Speakers: Tim Baier (Animal Logic) and others to be announced

Previous seminar/s

• Wed March 25 – TELEVISION 2.0: latest innovations in online video
  • TV is in major transition. Where are the opportunities across on-demand platforms? Is the old advertising model broken? Will broadband to set top box comfortably co-exist with video on the web? A pre MIP TV session to help prepare you for big changes just on the horizon.
• Speakers:
  • Arul Baskaran (Executive Producer ABC TV Multiplatform)
  • William Cooper (Informitv – live from UK),
  • Chris Winter (ABC Innovation)
  • Gary Hayes (LAMP)

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• Vodcasts – Open Social Collaboration Tools (0)
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• Mastering Multi Platform Content (5)
• Television 2.0 – Free LAMP ‘State of Play’ Seminar (4)

INNOVATIONS IN MULTI-PLATFORM CONTENT – Wed 22 April 9.30 – 1.00 pm – Sydney

• Do you really know what Alternate or Augmented Reality Games are, or what makes Social Media Entertainment really successful?
• How do you plan, produce and maintain complex distributed narrative, multi-platform services?
• Why do interactive stories work & how to get clients interested in it
• How can you combine the immersion of games with the drama of film and TV?
• How can you keep people engaged across time and space?
• What is the true Future of Entertainment?

The way content is consumed has changed. A selection of leading innovators in multi-platform content present recent projects in the areas of social media, cross platform storytelling, extended entertainment, games and online entertainment. This will be an eye opener for those who thought cross-media meant TV show and a website!

Hoodlum (global leaders in distributed storytelling) will share behind the scenes on their world renowned multi-platform ‘game-like’ dramas such as Lost, Spooks and Emmerdale. World Communities will highlight the best social media services that draw in audience and user participation while also building loyalty for future services. Animal Logic on a live link from LA will talk about the future of entertainment formats while Xumii will look at this from a social mobile perspective. Finally MOGIE/Forget the Rules will show a unique new Australian grown format combining live action and game worlds. Sohail Dahdal and Gary Hayes, both leading multi-platform creators themselves, will manage this very special seminar.

APPLY: Seminar Wed 22 April 9.30 am – 1 pm

Presenters include:

• Anthony Mullins – Creative Director Hoodlum
• Giancarlo A. Mori, Senior Vice President, ANIMALLOGIC Interactive
• Bob Hitching – Xumii
• Jackie Turnure, Head of Development and Production Hoodlum
• Laurel Papworth – World Communities & laurelpapworth.com
• Jim Shomos – www.mordykoots.com, MOGIE, Movie Over Game Integrated Entertainment
• Sohail Dahdal (First Australians, Long Journey Young Lives)
• Gary Hayes (LAMP@ AFTRS & MUVEDesign)

By the end of this seminar participants will have had the opportunity to learn about:

• How to develop new forms of storytelling that integrate narrative and interactivity
• Innovative techniques in multi platform content creation
• Future directions of media innovation
• Case studies of innovative projects and production methodologies and techniques
• Techniques to foster and promote creative innovation
• Creating community and communicating directly with audiences

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Ozdox, the The Australian Documentary Forum and The Australian Director’s Guild in association with AFTRS supported by Metroscreen and Sydney Film School presents:

The Documentary Distribution Dilemma

What online video can and cannot deliver, and why filmmakers need to understand it NOW!

• Date: THURS 9 April 2009 – 6.30pm for 7pm
• Venue: AFTRS Theatre 130 Bent St The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
• $5 at the door (no reservations)
• The Ozdox website is www.ozdox.org – register to be notified of seminars by email.

This special OzDox session, produced by Sensory Image, will explore new technologies and online video festival and multi-channel distribution sites (e.g.  raindance.tv). It will gaze into the crystal ball for documentary filmmakers, in the new climate of ABC and SBS online streaming. It will bring together experts and filmmakers to examine the impact of VOD upon our work, our pocketbooks and our futures.

Video online has been developing for a number of years and has now gained a large following and a big press. From You Tube to the ABC,  increasing numbers of people are uploading and downloading increasing amounts of material, and filmmakers have an imperative need to understand the rapidly evolving online environment.

At this point, Video-on-Demand is relatively underused but Hollywood and TV networks alike are looking toward VOD as a complementary distribution platform, and it is about to take off. As the educational market is also moving towards VOD, documentary DVD sales will also affected — perhaps even replaced. Significantly, VOD revenues are currently around $1.5 billion and are predicted to reach $5 billion in two years — and it’s only the beginning…

Special Guests:

• Moderator: Sandra Davey – General Manager – Digital, Unwired Australia
• Judith Bowtell – Director, Policy and Communications, NSW Film and Television Office
• Chris Gilbey OAM – www.perceptric.com and www.vquence.com.au
• Robert Hutchinson – Head of New Media & Digital Services Interface stream, ABC – www.abc.net.au

With Overseas Guests (via video):

• Elliot Grove and Zara Ballantyne Grove – www.raindance.tv
• Nick Ware – Managing Director – Joining The Docs in UK

Among the issues we will be addressing are…

• What is the actual state of online development today?
• What do filmmakers need to know about online – technically, creatively and in terms of marketing and delivery to audiences?
• What do we need to change in the way we plan and make our films?
• Is online delivery a viable alternative to DVD distribution?
• Where can filmmakers go to make a return on investment in the online forum?
• There will also be time for those attending the seminar to ask questions of the panel.

Guests bios:

Robert Hutchinson – Head of New Media & Digital Services Interface stream, ABC

As Head of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s New Media & Digital Services Interface stream, Robert is responsible for the visual presentation and ease of use of digital content and services on the website, broadband service and other digital platforms. Robert is also Creative Director of ABC2, the ABC’s new digital TV channel. His current role includes developing broadband and digital television strategies and initiatives for the corporation. Robert has been working in the multi-media and Internet industries since 1995 in a variety of roles including new media arts practitioner, web designer and business analyst. He has been responsible for establishing Internet ventures for major advertising and media companies including Saatchi & Saatchi
(Wellington) and The Radio Network (NZ). Robert also works as an independent film producer and director.

Chris Gilbey OAM – www.perceptric.com and www.vquence.com.au

One of the leading visionaries in Australian Media and Technology, Chris consults on business strategy with particular regard to the impact of P2P technologies on media through Perceptric Pty Limited. As CEO of Lake Technology (ASX) he successfully led the company to a sale to Dolby Laboratories (NYSE), and subsequently consulted to Dolby’s Consumer Division on global consumer strategy. With 20 years in the Australian Music Industry, Chris led the development of the first transactional web site for CDs at BMG, as well as the development of the enhanced CD. Founding chairman of the Australian Music Industry‚Äôs charity, the Golden Stave Foundation, and founding chairman of Export Music Australia, Chris received the Order of Australia for his contribution to the music industry and charity.

Elliot Grove – Raindance

Founder of Raindance Film Festival in 1993, the British Independent Film Awards in 1998, and Raindance.TV in 2007, Elliot has produced over 150 short films and 5 feature films.  He teaches writers and producers in the UK, Europe, Japan and America. He has written three books which have become industry standards: BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MAKING IT IN FILM (Barrons 2009), RAINDANCE WRITERS LAB 2nd Edition (Focal Press 2008) and RAINDANCE PRODUCERS LAB (2004).

Zara Ballantyne-Grove – Raindance.tv

Zara managed the 2006 Nokia Shorts competition as well as the creation of mobile assets for the popular CSI franchise. She currently manages the licensing of content for Raindance.tv and supervises the scheduling and delivery of films to over 10 distribution partners. London-based Raindance.tv streams off-beat shorts, features and documentaries worldwide over 10 media platforms. In the last five months, over 300,000 people have already watched raindance.tv.

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LAMP mentored ‘Social Media, Multi-Platform’ Drama Scorched won the coveted International Interactive Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences last night at MIP TV. The first time Australia has won this award.

A big congratulations particularly to producers Marcus Gillezeau & Ellenor Cox (of Firelight) from all at AFTRS and especially the LAMP team. These awards are held annually at MIP TV in Cannes and celebrate the most innovative drama, documentary, informational and entertainment services delivered on multiple platforms.

Through these awards, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is celebrating a significantly growing sector of the television industry and recognize excellence in content created and designed for viewer interaction and/or delivery on a digital platform.

The 2009 Winners.

Fiction category winners “Scorched” Firelight Productions in association with Essential Media & Goalpost Pictures, Australia

Non-fiction category winners “Britain From Above,”  BBC / Lion, United Kingdom

Children and young people category winners “Battlefront”, Channel 4, United Kingdom

Brian Seth Hurst (Second Vice Chair at Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and CEO at The Opportunity Management Company) who helps organise these awards sent through this Twitpic of himself (mid left),  Chris Hilton from Essential Media and Entertainment (far left), Marcus Gillezeau (mid right) and Mike Cowap (Innovation Head at Screen Australia – far right), at the after awards (30 minutes ago!). Picture from Brian Seth Hurst (actual photographer as yet unknown).

The story has also been covered in The Hollywood Reporter, TVAusCast,  TV Tonight, Digital Media, Campaign Brief, ShowHype and NineMSN

Digital Media magazine has a few ‘delegates’ over there at the moment who are twittering events as they happen you can follow them here. This is how we found out about the award over here from several other tweeters…

• PipRMB: Aussie digital media company Firelight Prods. have won the first ever International Digital Emmy for best drama for Scorched – huge congrats
• BrianSethHurst: Winner Fiction Int’l Digital Emmy Award “Scorched” Australia Goalpost Media, Essential Media
• FanTrust: Check out Scorched which just won a digital Emmy– outstanding fictional drama for 3 screens. Live from #miptv

Other awards winners noted by TV Week

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences revealed the winners for the International Digital Emmy Awards at the MIP TV opening festivities in Cannes, France.

Australia won its first International Digital Emmy award in the fiction category for “Scorched.”

The non-fiction category went to “Britain From Above,” while “Battlefront” won the children and young people category. Both programs were from the U.K.

The Digital Media magazine also featured an article prior to MIP TV referring to LAMP’s involvement in the project -

“Meanwhile the makers of NineMSN cross-platform drama Scorched,  Marcus Gillezeau, Ellenor Cox, Michael O’Neill and Brad Hayward, have been nominated for an International Digital Emmy Award.  The awards ceremony will be held on March 30 at the  MipTV conference. Scorched was financed by Nine Network, ITV International, Screen Australia and the New South Wales Film and Television Office and developed through the Australian Film Television & Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP), which is Australia’s premier emerging media research and development production lab.”

Below is a shot of the team with Jackie Turnure (far right – now at Hoodlum) back in May 2006 when they started planning the Social Media elements of the experience on a LAMP residential. There were then several follow up sessions with them to help crystallize their ideas. (Pic Catherine Gleeson)

Scorched has received a great deal of attention and commentary from press and also those closer to the project. This is the LAMP post about the launch, here is Guy Gadney at MIPTV at the moment (then head of PBL New Media, Channel 9) and Gary Hayes (LAMP Director’s personal media blog). It is great news that another LAMP connected project has won the International Emmy’s – examples of earlier ones included Jim Shomos (LAMP mentor) with his Forget the Rules projects, the winner of the Ogilvy Amex award by then LAMP mentor Jackie Turner and other LAMP projects such as  The Deep Sleep won development awards too.

Previous iiEmmy award winners in related categories have included Canadian Xenophile’s Alternate Reality Doco/Drama Regenesis and Total Drama Island plus fellow Canadian’s Zinc Roe with their Zimmer Twins service (now featured globally).

Link to the Canadian’s winning most awards two years ago here and the image below is of the two teams during the awards taken by LAMP’s Gary Hayes.

Tags: advanced, Australia, Australian, Brad Hayward, Cannes, ceremony, conference, Cox, development, Documentary, Ellenor, entertainment, Gary Hayes, Interactive, International, IPTV, Marcus Gillezeau, Mentored, Michael O'Neill, mip tv, Multi, Network, NineMSN, Production, research, School, Scorched, Screen, South Wales, Television, Total Drama Island, WINS

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LAMP @ AFTRS has begun it’s 2009 series of seminars, workshops and incubators, many are listed below.

LAMP has been actively involved in getting 360 Content development integrated into the main curriculum at AFTRS (in its new building) for the past year but is now back delivering industry standard, emerging media education.

Multiplatform Content and Innovative new format development will be delivered as:

• LAMP ‘State of Play’ Seminars
• LAMP ‘Interactive’ Workshops
• LAMP ‘New Format’ Incubators

These new learning packages are specially designed so that industry professionals and students alike can understand the new landscape, appreciate it’s potential and prepare themselves for the production of new form content across  social media, games, mobile, broadband internet, location based services and virtual worlds.

Stay up to date with our activities by joining the LAMP Facebook Group

LAMP ‘STATE OF PLAY’ SEMINARS

Profiling successful case studies, people and the latest techniques across multi platform media.

• FREE themed seminars running on the last Wednesday of every month at 6pm – 7pm.
• No need to register just turn up to the main Theatre at AFTRS, Sydney (directions)

Upcoming FREE seminars:

• Wed Jul 29 – CINEMA 2.0: Big Screen Participatory Futures
  

  • Stereoscopic 3D, interactive cinema, games in cinema. Where does the future lie for cinemas and other public screen spaces? Speakers: Tim Baier (Animal Logic), Paul Nichola (Cane Toad’s 3D cinematographer) and others to be announced

• Wed Aug 26 – MASSIVELY MULTI-STORYTELLER WORLDS: The Drama of Game Worlds
  

  • Virtual worlds are now populated by 900 million players globally with many spending more time in them than their real lives. This ‘State of Play’ seminars looks at the range of stories being created in these social and game worlds. It will focus on the drama being created by these full time role players and the opportunities for traditional writers to engage in this popular medium. Speakers: Gary Hayes (AFTRS LAMP), Ian Brown, Laurel Papworth and others to be announced

• Previous State of Plays

• Wed March 25 – TELEVISION 2.0: latest innovations in online video
  

  • TV is in major transition. Where are the opportunities across on-demand platforms? Is the old advertising model broken? Will broadband to set top box comfortably co-exist with video on the web? A pre MIP TV session to help prepare you for big changes just on the horizon.
  • Speakers: William Cooper (Informitv – live from UK),  Chris Winter (ABC Innovation), Arul Baskaran (Executive Producer ABC TV Multiplatform), Gary Hayes (LAMP)

• Wed April 29 – FREE AND EASY: Open Source Creative Tools
  

  • There are a vast range of new free to use tools that enable rich and efficient collaboration. What are the best tools for online communities, project development, video distribution and marketing. A survey of tools including Mogulus, Joomla, Ning, Ustream, Drupal, Celtx and many others.
  • Speakers:  Laurel Papworth ‚Social Media Strategist, Gary Hayes – AFTRS LAMP

Go to the AFTRS site for a full list of the above seminars

LAMP ‘INTERACTIVE’ WORKSHOPS

Practical and hands on creative workshops exploring everything there is to know about the latest innovative new forms.

Upcoming seminar workshops:

CLICK TO APPLY: Seminar and Workshop Fri 3 April 10am – 5pm

The intersection between documentary filmmaking and games will be explored in this seminar and workshop, providing deep insight into the potential of Serious Games.

Both games and stories have long been recognised as powerful learning tools. Their combination in the 21st century has the potential to provide learning experiences that are collaborative and globally connected. What are the best examples of Serious Games and where are they heading? How can Serious Games be employed by educators, corporations or non-profit organizations?

Screen Australia and the ABC have recently announced a funding initiative in the area of Serious Games. This seminar will bring you up to speed with the latest developments in serious games and provide an opportunity to present your own concepts and workshop ideas with experts in an afternoon workshop.

Speakers include:

• Live link up with Tim Nixon Straylight Studios, New Zealand
• Marianne Webb – Inspire Foundation
• Rachel Perkins & Darren Dale – First Australians
• John Welsh – SYDAC.com.au
• Gary Hayes – LAMP, ex BBC Serious Games & MUVEDesign
  
• Sohail Dahdal  – First Australians, Long Journey Young Lives
• Jennifer Collins – ABC Screen Australia Serious Game Initiative
• Peter Giles – AFTRS

• Rachel Perkins (Director), Darren Dale (EP) Sohail Dahdal (Online Producer) on SBS’s First Australians will talk about the online experience of the documentary series and explore the future possibilities of documentary games.
• Marianne Webb is the interactive manager for Reach Out!, an online service that inspires young people to help themselves through tough times. Marianne will talk about the serious game Reach Out Central that been part of an innovative online strategy to build community engagement by the Inspire Foundation.
• John Welsh is the Development Manager of Serious Games at Sydac, a leading Australian simulation technology company. John will talk about the role of simulation and play in learning environments.
• Gary Hayes is the Head of AFTRS Laboratory for Advanced Media production and he will speak about the history of serious games, a survey of future directions and cross over between games and documentary forms.
• Jennifer Collins – Manager of Development, ABC TV (Jennifer, with Mike Cowap from Screen Australia, is running the Serious Games funding initiative currently calling for applications)
• Tim Nixon – CEO Straylight Studios – Tim runs New Zealand based Straylight Studios an innovative games studio who specialise in ‘meaningful play’.

By the end of this workshop participants will have had the opportunity to learn about:

• The various types of serious games: evolution of the form and the directions it is heading
• The global serious games community and online resources
• Documentary storytelling and its relationship to serious games
• Techniques to brain-storm, plan and document serious games ideas
• The links between documentary research and serious games
• User created games and managing online communities

APPLY: Seminar Wed 22 April 9.30 am – 1 pm

A selection of leading innovators in multi-platform content present recent projects in the areas of social media, cross platform storytelling, extended entertainment, games and online entertainment.

Presenters include:

• Jackie Turnure, Head of Development and Production Hoodlum
• Anthony Mullins – Creative Director Hoodlum
• Laurel Papworth – World Communities & laurelpapworth.com
• Giancarlo A. Mori, Senior Vice President, ANIMALLOGIC Interactive
• Bob Hitching – Xumii
• Jim Shomos – www.mordykoots.com, Forget The Rules
• Sohail Dahdal & Gary Hayes AFTRS

By the end of this seminar participants will have had the opportunity to learn about:

• Innovative techniques in multi platform content creation
• Future directions of media innovation
• Case studies of innovative projects and production methodologies and techniques
• Techniques to foster and promote creative innovation
• Creating community and communicating directly with audiences

CLICK TO APPLY: Seminar Thurs 14 May 2 – 5 pm

CLICK TO APPLY: Workshop Fri 15 May 10 am – 5 pm (must attend seminar)

Games and virtual worlds are now being used as creative tools to make a wide range of films from horror genre, comedy to corporate training and education. YouTube, Machinima.com and scores of other video portals are filled with examples of these new forms of virtual storytelling and some are now being commissioned by mainstream TV. NBC aired a CSI episode in 2008 featuring machinima made in Second Life and HBO recently acquired the machinima series ‘Molotov Alva’.

The seminar will explore the vast range of machinima made with console, PC and online games. It will also look at simple forms of film pre-visualisation now possible using games technologies. The intensive workshop will provide a hands-on introduction to the tools of machinima and the opportunity to work on a short project. Participants are encouraged to bring along a pre-recorded soundtrack (including voice and/or music) to use as the basis for their project.

Presenters and workshop trainers include:

• Gary Wiesneski, SLCN.tv
• Mark Strong  – Wandering Eye Pictures
• TBC – Jim Shomos, ForgetTheRules (MOGIE – Movie over Game Integrated Entertainment)
• Gary Hayes, LAMP and MUVEDesign
• Kit Devine and/or Ian Brown – AFTRS
• Kathy Mueller  – AFTRS

By the end of this workshop & seminar participants will have had the opportunity to learn about:

• What makes compelling machinima
• The wide range of machinima styles being created around the world
• Insight into the engines and tools used to create machinima
• Basic storyboarding and scripting techniques for machinima
• Global machinima community and other online resources
• Role playing and improvisation techniques that work in this new form

CLICK TO APPLY: Seminar Friday 5 June 10am – 1 pm

“The web is 15-30 billion web pages. A workshop designed to help you track and follow the latest trends and information across a range of specialised areas. Browsers, RSS readers and social media mash-ups have evolved into being effective one-stop-shop views on a world of relevant content. This is a half day workshop looking beyond the search engine, basic RSS feeds or old fashioned email alerts. It is designed to help you find, filter information and follow the right people on the web. Web filtering is becoming a critical skill for researchers, marketers and those who need specific news and information. It will also help you track and follow the latest trends and information across a range of specialised areas.

By the end of this workshop participants will have had the opportunity to learn:

• How to get the web to deliver the right information to you
• About the very latest web research techniques across services such as digg, delicious, twitter, technorati, social networks, specialised engines & the semantic web
• How to find the key recommenders, filterers and influencers in your field
• Blogosphere filtering, separating the signal from the noise
• How to make contact and become a key filterer yourself
• Taming RSS feeds and being more efficient with email alerts
• Reading trends and patterns

Led by Laurel Papworth of company World Communities, who is a Power150 media blogger (global – AdNews) and in the top 5 media bloggers for Australia (B&T). She has been teaching for 20 years, mostly in the area of online communities and virtual communications. Laurel is the senior social media strategist in Australia, consulting to companies, not for profits and government departments in Australia, Asia and Middle East.

CLICK TO APPLY: Seminar: Thurs 2 July 2 – 5 pm

CLICK TO APPLY: Workshop : Friday  3  July 10 am – 5 pm

Aimed at anyone who wants to promote themselves, their product or creation into communities. A workshop looking at how to understand the new audiences, build traffic and loyalty that goes way beyond uploading a 9 minute short onto YouTube but looks at techniques of engaging with online events, social networks and DIY social media. The workshop will examine case studies of successful campaigns from producers and creators doing it for themselves.

By the end of this workshop participants will have had the opportunity to learn about:

• The online ecology of social networks
• Techniques to distribute your content as widely as possible to a global audience
• Planning and staging a campaign which has maximum impact and reach
• Building loyalty and community with an online audience

Led by Laurel Papworth who is a Power150 media blogger (global – AdNews) and in the top 5 media bloggers for Australia (B&T). She has been teaching for 20 years, mostly in the area of online communities and virtual communications. Laurel is the senior social media strategist in Australia, consulting to companies, not for profits and government departments in Australia, Asia and Middle East including: Middle East Broadcasting (Dubai/Saudi Arabia) – Channel MBC4, Telecom New Zealand, , Fairfax: RSVP Dating Community, Sony Corporation, Universal McCann Erickson WorldWide, CHANNEL TEN: including Australian Idol community, Sulake: Makers of Habbo, Macquarie Leisure, Macquarie Media, New Holland Publishing, Australasian, Performing Right Association (APRA), Peoplebrowsr, MySongcast.com unsigned bands community, Australian Businesswomens’ Network, Pink Sofa online community, ABC Australia, National Archives of Australia (gov), Department of State and Regional Development (gov), Department of Primary Industry (gov), Australian Film Television and Radio School (edu), University of Sydney (edu, public), University of Western Sydney (edu, Masters program).

Go to the AFTRS site list of all of these seminars and workshops >

LAMP ‘NEW FORMAT’ INCUBATORS

NOTE: To be updated soon.

These are extended and intensive 3-5 day workshops designed to maximise participants time and help them really understand emerging media areas by working collaboratively on new and adapted ideas. Based loosely on previous LAMP intensive labs they really help to push your thinking to the next stage, whether it be piloting, developing participatory audiences, broadening the project’s media format or developing new ways of delivering content. It could include the communication of content through mobile devices, advanced television services, broadband portals, social networks, gaming environments, virtual worlds and more.

The LAMP ‘New Format’ Incubators focus on content and service development, and extends perceived ideas of creativity, technicality, audience, consumer and business. Participants will use a range of exercises and form creative teams to utilise their thinking and skills in new ways to create compelling interactive content that meets the changing needs of audiences and the new media marketplace.

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TV 2.0: The Latest Innovations in Online Video

Wed 25 March 6-7 pm – TELEVISION 2.0

This is the first of a series of LAMP ‘State of Play’ Seminars profiling successful case studies, people and the latest techniques across multi platform media.

• FREE themed seminars running on the last Wednesday of every month at 6pm – 7pm.
• No need to register just turn up to the main Theatre at AFTRS, Sydney (directions)

TV is in major transition. Where are the opportunities across on-demand platforms? Is the old advertising model broken? Will broadband to set top box comfortably co-exist with video on the web? A pre MIP TV session to help prepare you for big changes just on the horizon.

Speakers  – Introduced by Peter Giles, AFTRS

• Arul Baskaran (Executive Producer ABC TV Multiplatform) – Online Gruentransfer, iView…
• William Cooper (Informitv – live from UK)
• Chris Winter (ABC Innovation)
• Gary Hayes (LAMP ex Senior Development Producer BBC New Media)

Areas to be covered in the seminar:

• Overview of all categories of existing online video services & business models
• The challenges of broadcasting and delivering ondemand
• Social Media TV, is TV becoming always-on, participatory and shared?
• Innovations across broadband TV and IPTV
• New advertising models and latest video web 2.0 mashups
• Is IPTV a valid platform for video producers?
• The evolving role of public service broadcaster and online video distribution
• ABC new developments including iView, Google Earth TV & programme related services such as Gruen Transfer
• How online video will become more personalized
• Is audience contributed online content sustainable at scale?
• What does the future hold?

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GameJam 2008 was run at AFTRS in Sydney on 1 November and featured talks to do with developing for or playing with console, pc games or online games. Creating and using virtual worlds, games, film cross-over, machinima, writing, AI and educational, fun or just plain cool stuff.

Below is a selection of those captured on the day including a short item related to three new courses AFTRS are offering in 2008 featuring Previsualisation elements – Animation Directing, Games and Virtual Worlds.

1 Guy Gadney “The Life of an MMORPG Diaspora”

Guy takes us on a personal tour of one of the first ‘grass roots’ online games as he tells the story of Diaspora. MP3 recording 6.9MB Click to listen

2 Dan Graf “Story and Game”

Dan gives a thoughtful talk about the conceptual framework of film or book to game adaptation. He talks about experiential design and audience centric focus when you plan your interactive version. An interesting session at the end when Ian Brown joins the discussion and  the perennial issue of narrative vs play is brought to the fore again. MP3 recording 13.4MB Click to listen

3 Peter Giles “Future of Game Education”

Peter looks at many of the issues that are facing educators and academic institutions as they begin to consider games as a core part of curriculum. MP3 recording 5.6MB Click to listen

4 Physical TV “You Are Going To Die”

Karen Pearlman and Richard James Allen are the creators of a cross-media property called Thursday’s Fiction. They worked with Gary Hayes on the virtual world aspect of the project and talk more about where the proposition is headed as it moves into game space. MP3 recording 6.4MB Click to listen

5 Marigo Raftopoulos “Galapagos: Serious Game”

Marigo introduces us to her serious game concept to help businesses understand the benefits of thinking about the environment. MP3 recording 4.9MB Click to listen

6 Brett Robertson “History of Games”

Brett takes us on a light hearted trip down memory lane and also at the current state of the games industry. MP3 recording 7.9MB Click to listen

7 Ian Brown “Portal, Have Your Cake and Eat It Too”

Ian takes us behind the scenes from a user and passionate fan perspective of one of the most unique games to have become commercial, portal. He also looks at the original game, Narbuncular Drop, designed by students that Valve used to develop Portal. MP3 recording 7.4MB Click to listen

8 Michela Ledwidge “MOD the Movies!”

Michela takes us deep into Sanctuary and the thinking behind allowing the audience to customise, mash-up and generally Mod cinematic content. MP3 recording 7.4MB Click to listen

9 Gary Hayes “Reality & Pleasure – State of Play of Blended Real Life, TV and Game World” Vod/Podcast

This video above available as a download (with better audio & creative commons) 50MB MP4 click here

LAMP PODCASTS

All LAMP podcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon below if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

• This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.
• Audio recorded by Gary Hayes & Brett Robertson
• Description, editing, podcasting and production by Gary Hayes

Finally a short compilation capture edited by Peter Giles (note video has camera sound, podcasts are higher quality direct lapel mikes).

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SCORCHED is Australia’s first ‘what-if’ disaster telemovie. - “The Year is 2012 and Australia has run out of water.”

There is a lot more than meets the eye to Scorched, destined to be Australia’s biggest landmark doco-drama event this year. The social media, community generated story elements that build up to and after the 90 minute tele-feature being transmitted on Chn 9 in December have been work-shopped through LAMP workshops, on-going consultancy and the 3rd residential in Perth back in 2006.

Marcus Gillezeau and Ellenor Cox are the co-directors of Firelight, the creators of this groundbreaking drama format. They are wonderful example of leading independent producers who have embraced the significance of creating entertainment that spreads across platforms and time but also draws in content from the audience and makes the whole ‘experience’ more collaborative and engaging.

The surrounding online service is a hybrid of an Alternate Reality Game, an Episodic drama delivered via social media sites (such as Facebook and YouTube) and a range of fake (faux) websites that are part of the futuristic element of the story. The main hub site is CPN News, a 24-hour live news channel broadcasting stories from 2012 and including many of the lead characters – these include notable actors Vince Colosimo, Georgie Parker, Rachel Carpani, Cameron Daddo and Les Hill. You can already follow one of the characters, Cassie, on her own YouTube channel Cassie Has Dreams – which follows her ‘accelerated’ story up to the beginning of the tele-movie. More from the team and the official press release below. More coverage here:

• Urban Cinefile – Scorched A Case-Study
• The West – Online Drama Begins Streaming
• GoArticles – Ninemsn launches first online-only drama Cassie Has Dreams
• The Open Press – First Online-Only Drama
• Yahoo – Online Drama Begins Streaming
• Daily – Online drama begins
• PR-USA – Nine MSN launches Cassie Has Dreams

Good luck on this project, there will be a great deal of expertise gained from this journey – for audience and producers alike!

SCORCHED is a groundbreaking all-media event incorporating television, online and user generated content that will revolutionise the way Australian’s engage with television drama. A gripping 90 minute tele-feature broadcast on the Nine Network will be augmented by an extensive 8 week interactive online drama series that will lead into and ultimately conclude the drama surrounding an ensemble of characters who find themselves engulfed by raging bushfires in a futuristic Sydney that has, due to the effects of global warming, completely run out of water.

In the two months leading up to the TV broadcast of SCORCHED the audience are invited into this future world-without-water through www.scorched.tv (which will be promoted and co-located at ninemsn). Upon entering this online world the audience is introduced to CPN News, a futuristic 24-hour live news station broadcasting stories from 2012. Our CPN news anchors guide the audience through the headline stories of the week focusing attention on how the ongoing drought and water scarcity across Australia has permeated all aspects of life as we know it. CPN’s main reporter Susan Shapiro (Rachel Carpani) is one of the main characters in the tele-feature. Many of Susan’s online interviews are with characters the audience will again meet in the TV broadcast.

CPN encourages the audience to send in stories and videos of what life is like for them in these hard times. These videos and postings are a featured part of the www.scorched.tv website and provide a novel way for the online community to interact with the future and see their offerings posted on a high-profile website. CPN also points viewers to their featured viewer of the week – Cassie Hoffman, an 18-year-old girl living in Bourke who has become obsessed with diarising her life on her website ‘Cassie Has Dreams’ to compensate for the loneliness of being one of the few remaining teenagers left in her dying town. The audience can interact with Cassie and the other characters via email, watch faux news reports and read numerous stories which set the scene on a national and global level

With potential synergies alongside Jane McGonigal’s Superstruct (“the world has 23 years left” collaborative ARG) happening in similar timeframe, SCORCHED is produced for the Nine Network by Goalpost Pictures Australiaand Essential Media and Entertainment, in association with FirelightProductions. It is financed by the Nine Network, Granada International, the Film Finance Corporation, the New South Wales Film and Television Office and the Australian Film Commission, and was developed through the Australian Film Television & Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP).

FIRELIGHT PRODUCTIONS SHINES LIGHT ON ALL-MEDIA SCREEN CONTENT CREATION

Firelight Productions are the original concept creators behind the multi-platform delivery of Scorched, a major 90-minute feature-length television and online event that will be broadcast via the Internet and on Nine Network Australia.

Scorched, produced by Goalpost Pictures Australia and Essential Media and Entertainment, in association with Firelight Productions, will revolutionise the way Australian’s engage with television drama. A gripping 90 minute tele-feature will be augmented by an extensive 8 week online drama series that will lead into, provide clues for, and ultimately conclude the drama surrounding an ensemble of characters who find themselves engulfed by raging bushfires in a futuristic Sydney that has, due to the effects of global warming, completely run out of water.

Starring Cameron Daddo, Vince Colosimo, Rachel Carpani and Georgie Parker, the Scorched experience will include the most sophisticated and comprehensive cross-platform element yet created for a television event in this country. The interactive online component will launch in mid August, leading up to the tele-feature broadcast later in the year.

Co-directors of Firelight Productions, Ellenor Cox and Marcus Gillezeau, who engineered the cross-platform delivery of Scorched over 2 years, are enthusiastic screen content creators with all-media capabilities who are at the cutting edge of cross-platform content generation in Australia. Their business began in 1997 as a production company specialising in adventure and social political documentaries for international television, but is now focused primarily on all-media projects after the couple identified a considerable niche in the marketplace.

Gillezeau states, “The emergence of new screen technologies created strong demand on content that can deliver across a multitude of platforms. In addition to that, audience interactivity has become paramount to engaging the widest possible audience. Firelight has spent a number of years researching and experimenting in all-media content. Scorched is a breakthrough all-media event that is the culmination of our work to date in this area.”

Scorched is their flagship project, financed by Nine, Granada International, the Film Finance Corp, the New South Wales Film and Television Office and the Australian Film Commission, and developed through the Australian Film Television & Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP), which is Australia’s premier emerging media research and development production lab.

“When we started to develop the all-media concept for Scorched there was little that had been done before in Australia that combined such an extensive new media proposition with such a significant television offering as a prime time movie on Australia’s leading network.” says Cox. “We looked at overseas projects and were really making it up as we went along. The knowledge we have gained about all-media delivery through developing Scorched now informs all of our future projects and Firelight has become a leader in cross platform content creation.”

Scorched hooks the viewer in with an intriguing conservation message – the reality of global warming makes the idea of a city that has run out of water seem a likely possibility. Gillezeau and Cox wanted to bring to the mainstream audience’s attention the issues of water scarcity and drought in Australia but needed to find a way of making these subjects seem ‘sexy and entertaining’. Hence the concept of Scorched was borne. In the weeks leading up to the Scorched television broadcast, audiences are invited into this future world without water through www.scorched.tv to meet Cassie Hoffman – an 18-year-old girl living in Bourke who has become obsessed with diarising her life on her website ‘Cassie Has Dreams’ to compensate for the loneliness of being one of the few remaining teenagers left in her dying town.

Gillezeau explains, “Once you enter www.scorched.tv, you can follow a serialised drama (60 minutes of 2-3 minute webisodes) which unfolds on a daily basis. The prequel drama takes the viewer right up to the very first scene of the telemovie. Web enthusiasts will be able to participate in an interactive conspiracy-style investigation online, which will arm them with bonus material with which to enjoy one of the unfolding storylines in the telemovie when it airs. After the TV broadcast the drama continues with the sequel to the online story and continuing news reports.”

Firelight is currently supervising producer on Storm Surfers, Dangerous Banks – a documentary about big wave pro-surfers that will also have a significant cross platform delivery. Storm Surfers, financed by Red Bull, the New South Wales Film and TV Office, Discovery Networks Asia and Off The Fence (Netherlands) is one of the first documentary projects in Australia to utilise the new producer’s tax offset. It will air on the Discovery Network, prior to which fans and surfers from all over the world will be able to follow their heroes’ journey comprehensively online and, like the pro-surfers themselves, track the storm that will generate the big waves, and ultimately predict when the waves will hit.

Firelight’s mission is to produce innovative programming for all-media, multi-platform delivery, and to remain at the forefront of cross platform screen content creation in Australia and internationally. Upcoming projects include the interactive online drama series Innocent which follows the story of 6 accused young drug traffickers and the reality TV series Kids in Charge where a team of tweens has 10 days to deliver a Rock show spectacle.

Marcus Gillezeau is also the author of the critically acclaimed book ‘Hands On – A practical guide to production and technology in Film, TV and New Media’. The book has been an instant hit at universities and several major conferences across the country.

Since 1997 Firelight have produced more than 20 programs and series including My Home Your War (SBS), Cave in the Snow (SBS), Breaking Bows and Arrows (SBS), The Artist The QC & The Refugee (ABC), Painting with Light in a Dark World (SBS) and Afrika: Cape Town to Cairo (ABC and National Geographic). In 2001 they produced Australia’s first fully convergent, multi-platform documentary project Little Dove Big Voyage for Network 7.  Their films have won numerous international and domestic awards and have screened all over the world on television and in film festivals.

For more information, please contact:

Angie Fielder
angiefielder@iinet.net.au
0403 819 644

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Previously highlighted on the LAMP site here The Thursday’s Fictions cross-media jamboree continues on and has been put into the Atom finals awards 2008 as Best Multimodal Production (other 3 entries below).

Award Recipients – Names: Richard James Allen, Gary Hayes, and Karen Pearlman

Award Recipients – Organisations: The Physical TV Company, AFTRS LAMP (The Australian Film Television and Radio School – The Laboratory for Advanced Media Production), The Literature Board of the Australia Council ‚- The Story of the Future, and The Project Factory

Thursday’s Fictions is a fantastical parable about reincarnation by Australian writer Richard James Allen which has evolved over almost twenty years to become a cross media work for the stage, the page, the screen and most recently with help from LAMP, the new media creative platforms of Second Life (a 3D online immersive interactive story world) and machinima (cinema made inside a games engine).

This documentary devised and edited by Gary Hayes and co-produced with Physical TV.

Voice-overs captured and reassembled from a LAMP Virtual Story seminar in May 2007. Original podcasts here.

Best Multimodal Production (4 finalists)

The Oasis
NSW Ian Darling Shark Island Productions

Find 815
Hoodlum / ABC (US)

Thursday’s Fictions
Richard James Allen, Gary Hayes and Karen Pearlman.

NSW The Physical TV Company, AFTRS LAMP,
The Literature Board of the Australia Council

Girl Friday
Victoria Kylie Robertson Ish Media

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‘Building a Social Network” Strategies, implementation and management of online communities.

Laurel takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the various features and functions of organic social networks and how to identify positive and negative aspects of existing services. She refers to how on entry the motto/tagline, tools and what the community are discussing should be clearly visible. Other critical components Laurel mentions are sustainability of identity, notification of what is public and private, peer appraisal and methodologies to build trust. She then goes on to explain the many and varied forms of synchronous and asynchronous communication and the types of interaction certain demographics prefer.

Explaining why many sites need to also clearly display premium vs free content she references the member life cycle of visitor, newcomer, registered, responder, leader and elder combined with the various leadership types goes to make a rich tapestry of how communities form and evolve. Laurel talks about the best ways to manage closely knit communities and associated swarm behaviour – how empowering structured small groups actually engenders trust and makes it self-contained and ready to grow itself. She ends with a very useful summary of all the key points and answers as few questions such as fake content, her favourite community and reiterates the three main types of social networks (depth of content, filter and straight communications).

MP3 recording time 30:38 (21.8MB) Click to listen

A series of podcasts of short presentations given by mentors at the LAMP VIII residential lab in Marysville, Victoria in February 2008.

All LAMP podcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon below if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

LAUREL PAPWORTH – Online Community Strategist, World Communities

Laurel Papworth is a consultant specialising in educating companies in how to maximise value from social networks, social media and web 2.0 technologies.

In the past she had lead roles in digitising Fairfax Newspapers and establishing Optus Convergent media and now Laurel lectures on marketing into social networks at the University of Sydney and advising clients such as Channel 10 (Australian Idol community) and Telecom New Zealand.

Laurel frequently presents on Web 2.0 technologies and how they can best be used at a business level including corporate blogging, RSS feeds, user documentation wikis and vibrant customer communities. Renowned blog here.

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

Audio recorded by Peter Giles and Brett Robertson

Description, editing, podcasting and produced by Gary Hayes

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Over half of all the LAMP projects are in or have been produced to audiences now. üBERgroover.tv was a project that came into our 4th residential on Milson’s Island in 2006 and we have just heard from ex-AFTRS student Tina Lymberis, it’s driving force, of the official launch and plans to take on the world. Here is the media release

Electronic Engineer Tina Lymberis trades in the circuit board for a camera and microphone. After 12 years of gruelling study and work in fields she had no interest in, Tina found her calling in television production. This was cemented once accepted into the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in 2006. Her AFTRS lecturer, Louise Clarke says: “Combine an ideas powerhouse with the latest knowledge in TV training, add a generous splash of boundless enthusiasm and you have Tina Lymberis: a recipe for success.”

Working as the Head of Video Production with iPRIME through 2007, Tina had a platform to leverage her many years of management experience and delve into the world of online production. Coupled with her passion and enthusiasm for dance, the only logical path was to produce üBERgroover.tv. iPRIME CEO, Tony Surtees affirms: “Really great media finds a way to engage across cultures and connect people…ü̈BERgroover.tv does that by reaching that something in all of us which really “connects” with our emotions. It curls the corner of your mouth, tugs at your heart and brings a tap to your toes. It’s music, it’s community, it’s tribal.”

The first season starts 6pm, 25 June 2008 and consists of 20 Australian made webisodes (each four to six minutes in duration) released weekly via http://www.ubergroover.tv. The show includes everyday people sharing their stories and favourite dance moves. Having grown up in a Greek-Australian household, Tina felt that “Australians need dances that connect them to the diverse constituents of their culture”.

Audiences can create grooves that represent modern Australian culture through “groovemaker”, a tool which incorporates the latest online interactive technology. It allows anyone to combine dance-moves and music, using their web browser, to choreograph their own routines. Gary Hayes, Director of LAMP declares: “ü̈BERgroover.tv is a good example of where collaborative entertainment is heading. It is about community created content in perfect synergy with the intention of the original creators – it is also a great deal of fun! LAMP is delighted with this launch”.

“üBERgroover.tv fuses user created content with professional production values and interactive tools to provide immersive entertainment; a perfect recipe, considering viewers are getting tired of watching stand-alone amateur content, but still wanting to show themselves off”, concludes Ms Lymberis. “Viewers hold the future of propelling Australian dance culture in the click of their mouse.”

Media contact: Tina Lymberis +61 402 123 933 tina@mediarize.com

Good luck from all the LAMP team and keep on ‘grooving’!

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A rough transcript of a presentation Gary Hayes (LAMP Director) gave as part of the Digital Content Session at the Trilateral KANZ Broadband Summit in Seoul on 19 June 2008. It looks at the emerging nature of Social Media Entertainment but focuses on how creative professionals can keep up with ‘the crowd’. Covers how Film, TV and Radio are early types of non-participatory, localised, social media content but interactive digital experiences are inherently global. LAMP, forward thinking companies and other Australian initiatives develops new multi-platform services that reach out to international markets – video sharing communities, social virtual worlds, alternate reality games, locative stories, simulations and newer hybrid forms. Gary looks at Australian successes of the collision of animation, online games, film, mobile, broadband web and social media applications and the potential for co-development and cross-training between NZ, Korea and Australia. Transcript below the SlideShare embed

| View | Upload your own

Innovating Global Social Media Experiences and Collaborative Entertainment Production © Gary Hayes 2008

An nyoung, Hello

Thank you for inviting me to speak at this Kanz Broadband Summit this morning and I hope I can inspire collaborative action in us all. My talk is based around one key premise that those who we used to call ‘our audience’ are now empowered and creating, I would suggest, more compelling relevant and original content than ‘us’ so-called creative professionals. I look at how the creative content industry can become relevant again and innovate global social media experiences and particularly how collaborative creative development between cultures and countries can bring back the initiative. I will also touch on the fact that the real paradigm shift of broadband is not about technology but about enabling creative collaboration in social groups (the industry and audience). I use the ‘them and us’ metaphor for ease of presentation because of course they are us!

Don’t worry this is not another ‘community-created-content-will-take-over the world’ talk, there have been many of those because that has already happened, this is about a co-creative society sharing it’s media and creating tools to make the process much easier. A high bandwidth wired up world gives them the many-to-many distribution channels and with community created tools for self-publishing they are entertaining each other and creating flexible companies with a skilled and transient human resource. What does this mean for industry and creative professionals? The good news is that ‘they’, are showing industry (inside and across national borders) the best processes in how to create original and innovative content. We, the creative professionals must take note – be as flexible, fleet of foot and inventive as the ‘crowd’ are becoming.

We are hard wiring the world and humans when given the means to communicate over open, high bandwidth channels will share their stories and develop loyal followings from 100s to 100 000s of those who want to be engaged by them. Trying to regulate and halt the growth of social media will also be at our peril. Force majeure will mean ‘they’ will develop their own connected communities with or without telcos, governments or entertainment companies. But that is another story, what remains are new, niche ‘born to be wired’ communities of interest mashing-up content, engineering better software and deciding between themselves what products will succeed in the marketplace. How can industry emulate this force of nature?

Now everyone is a filmmaker, broadcaster and storyteller. The quaint but already outdated methods of distributing ‘stories’ that relied on reaching ‘captive’ audiences by broadcasting ‘at’ them in one direction, we can liken to someone watering a tamed forest with a spray hose. That walled forest was once refreshing but they have quickly learned that outside this wall they have the ability to ‘grow their own’ they will, with or without us – and their combined wisdom dwarfs any sized company or government organization.

Playful Content R&D. Innovation is not about delivering linear tv and film over the wired network to a pc or onto a mobile phone. That is the utility business not the creative one.
The participatory audience are showing the way in how they create hybrid forms from film, tv, games and web applications. They often do this through behaviour rather than engineering. They mesh the way they consume media. Sending facebook updates from their mobile phone while half watching a TV programme but talking about it on twitter while listening to a friends music playlist and so on. New generations learn that they can cherry pick key parts of services making the new form better than the source as this diagram illustrates, it is not about the content, display or distribution but about the format they enable. The way the community are creating this content is a model for industry and the content and telco industries need to move beyond old business models and look at cross-media form rather than distribution

We have to think beyond mono-media. By that I mean see media as just a single film or TV episode or a mobile game. In fragmented markets where participant audiences spend time across hundreds of touch points we need to provide our stories for them across those devices and channels.

Peter Jackson said “I think we’re on a threshold of a new way to tell stories… It’s a form of entertainment that’s not a game and it’s not a film. It’s a filmic game experience.”

As an example quite a few companies and academic organisations in Australia are now developing compelling hybrid forms, such as TV and Games. This cross-reality mix is showing real potential as the live dynamic element of TV utlises the immersive quest like elements of online games. We must also be careful of assuming all interactivity is equal. There is a big difference between on one-hand, point-and-click ‘broadcast-interactivity’ or games where there are preset outcomes (watch a video or hear a sound) and on the other hand, spaces and places where the community can promote, comment or co-create with the original creators.

Moving on a little, I would like to quote from Building a Creative Innovation Economy, A Cultural Ministers Council report from February of this year.

“The creative sector must engage with the community to ensure ongoing support and survival in a global environment where there is increasing competition for consumers’ disposable time and dollars from an ever-expanding choice of leisure services and products. In this sense, user created content on social media web services such as YouTube and MySpace can be seen as competition for cultural audiences’ attention.…The Australian Film, Television and Radio School’s Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (LAMP) is another example of an innovative approach to training. The program enables the conception and development of multimedia content and services in a live-in setting, facilitating collaboration between project teams and mentors. The four stage process equips participants with the tools they need to create compelling interactive content that meets the needs of their audiences and marketplaces. LAMP offers participants a healthy mix of creativity, business awareness, technical skills and audience awareness.”

So I am keen to talk about one of many innovative initiatives in Australia to aid the development of new form content. LAMP (The Laboratory for Advanced Media Production) was formed in 2005 through AFTRS and comes from a tradition of hothouse development initiatives in the UK, at the BBC and the American Film Institute’s Digital Content lab. My experience is that Australia has some of the most creative thinkers in new emerging media content and they are very keen to work on creative vs just technological collaborations.

Since its inception LAMP has propelled over 61 projects and transformed hundreds of participants at workshops and seminars. The reason the hothouse, live-in-labs work is that they create small social networks with a complimentary mix of great story tellers, innovative technicians, interactive designers and producers. They also take these time poor people away from the normal day to day activities and allow them to take risks. This is exactly what the community is doing and who naturally take risks. The more we allow international teams to come together and take risks, the better for all and innovation will result.

Here is a short sample of some social media projects that have been developed at LAMP. Four example projects and two from the last collaborative Australia/New Zealand lab. Portable ghosts explores games that cross from web to real world to mobile. Master Raindrop looks at the combination of online games, mobile and real life movement training. Thursday’s Fictions explores spirituality and literature in a social virtual world and Wild Ark tells stories using mobile devices around zoos and other immersive real life environments.

Our second was developing seven ABC TV original and existing IP of which many ideas are now being implemented in that organisation.

Many projects developed around the world now create content that the community can take up, give them the tools or the forums to continue the stories so they can build and grow the original idea. Most LAMP projects now take this onboard and see the interaction with the audience as a primary driver behind their original idea. A good example of this is Bush IPTV – a pilot LAMP is producing for a broadband TV service in remote indigenous communities in far north Queensland.

Many projects also fall into the ‘simulation’ camp, creating virtual spaces that allow scenarios for entertainment, research and social collaboration. Here is a small selection of testimonials from recent participants.

I can highly recommend LAMP to anyone with a great idea looking to turn it into a success.
It was a totally immersive and focused, overwhelming experience – nothing like I’ve experienced before
The impossible is possible
It was a wonderful creative experience where I believe we were able to generate a wealth of truly new ideas. Marvellous!
A creative vibrant practical atmosphere
The lab exceeded my expectations…The way everyone helped each other out in an environment that was friendly, affectionate and creative allowed us to take our project in ways never thought of before.
This has definitely been one of the best experiences of my life. Thankyou!
I loved loved loved it!
Concept of LAMP is wonderful and it was above and beyond expectation
LAMP helped solidify confidence in the concept and creating a truly viable cross media platform
LAMP 08 was the most amazing professional development experience of my life!

The role of media producers now is to create compelling cross-media immersive entertainment experiences for global audiences. The producer as aggregator of content/curator – creating the conditions to activate audiences.

Games I would suggest are the most social media. A recent report from Bond University said that in Australia social and casual games are now the most dominant with only 19% of all gamers preferring to play alone with more than 56% preferring to play with others.

That suggests why the merging of traditional online social networks such as myspace and facebook with game worlds are growing so quickly. I personally have been involved in the creation of some of these spaces inside virtual worlds with Telstra’s and ABC TVs presence in Second Life (a great portent of future socio/economic virtual worlds) with BigPond now the highest globally for all brands in second life.

There are great opportunities for collaboration and the creation of a new form of global Social Virtual World like Korea’s Cyworld potentially stretching into English speaking countries – and to reiterate the social aspect again, 84% of Australians think that playing together is important for forming family connections with more than half saying games are more social forms of entertainment than other media.

To jump back to the notion of the hybrid form again. Much of this is reflecting my definition of web 3.0, the live or synchronous web where we communicate and co-create in real time. Social interaction through virtual worlds, interactive broadband TV or web and mobile applications can coexist and mingle in this world.

Australia for instance already have a range of companies that are pushing the envelope of what new form entertainment is. Hoodlum for example have just won BAFTA awards for their extended entertainment titles alongside Lost and BBC Spooks and like many LAMP projects they are creating ‘social entertainment’ which is about connecting communities with common goals and quests and stimulating the wisdom of the engaged crowd.

In 2007 Australia had around 40 traditional game companies who have produced more than 200 games resulting in $100mill in exports – notables include Ty The Tasmanian Tiger and De Blob but we still see the growth and dominance of MMOGs many originating in Asian countries and proliferating in Australia

AFTRS is pioneering new forms too. Alongside it’s world renowned TV and Film courses, AFTRS is developing a range of foundational and specialised graduate courses that will explore games, virtual environments and innovative new forms. They will explore the link between story and participatory applications and how interactive media can be made more ‘cinematic’ and immersive. At post graduate level it is planning to offer a project based course that encourages pioneering projects and inspires innovation.”

Australia, New Zealand and Korea are a wonderful mix of original thinking, great test-bed participant audiences and world leading technology. Able to leapfrog over legacy telecommunications we see in other parts of the world it is possible for ground breaking new formats to be developed in partnerships between the three countries. Australia and New Zealand particularly bring world leading innovative media forms to the mix.

Finally social networks have come about to both connect family and friends but also out of business and a collaborative need – we as content producers must be very focused on this to be relevant to the audience that are doing it themselves. Governments and creative industries can become allies in this equation and become authentic co-creators of social media spaces where the voice and creativity of the ‘audience’ can play out.

Nations who have key creative synergies, technical innovation and highly motivated participant audiences to collaborate and develop new forms together. Which is why I suggest we endeavour to create an initial rapid content R&D lab between the three countries be set up this year. The outcome of these will be many real projects a selection of which can be developed to market.

Kamsahamnida
Thank you

© Gary Hayes 2008

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Don’t have a black Friday-register now. Places filling fast!

AFTRS LAMP presents two cutting edge seminars:

Generating Online Buzz for Creative Projects
Thursday June 19. Learn how to attract online attention and engage participatory audiences and global consumers.

Building Social Networks and Growing Communities
Friday June 20. Follows on from Generating Online Buzz for Creative Projects, and focuses on building and managing online social networks and communities.

Generating Online Buzz for Creative Projects

Led by Laurel Papworth these two seminars cut through the jargon and find the true potential of Web 2.0, ‘The Sharing Web’.
Learn how to attract attention and engage participatory audiences and global consumers. A must attend workshop for writers, designers, filmmakers, producers, gamers and marketers or anyone who wants to build and maintain a presence online.

• Discover techniques to find and build online audiences
• Utilise blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, twitter and social media portals and networks to connect with global communities of interest
• Learn strategies that encourage people to virally recommend and distribute your content
• Understand how to make your content findable on the internet

Laurel Papworth is a senior consultant in social networks. She helped digitize Fairfax in the early 1990′s and established Convergent Media at Optus in the late 1990s. Laurel is a dynamic speaker and workshop trainer, regular radio and TV guest, and is in demand by companies globally to help leverage their media and public relations activities with social networking tools and strategies. Laurel teaches social media at the University of Sydney and lectures as part of a Masters of Convergent Media at the University of Western Sydney. Laurel consults to government, business and not-for-profits around the world. She recently returned from teaching blogging and social media to Arabic women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Other speakers include:

• Bruce Moyle – Joffre Street Productions
• Andrew Apostola – Portable Content
• Peter Giles – AFTRS Director of Digital Media Division
• Catherine Gleeson – AFTRS Interactive Media Lecturer

Date: Thursday 19 Jun 2008

• Duration: 1 day. 9.30-5pm, lunch included
• Course Fee: $120
• Venue: The Australian Film Television and Radio School
• The Entertainment Quarter
• 130 Bent St
• Moore Park NSW, 2021
• Application deadline: June 13. Places filling fast-register here

Building Social Networks and Growing Communities

This seminar follows on from the Generating Online Buzz for Creative Projects seminar and focuses on how organisations can utilise online social networks to meet business objectives. It is ideal for those with a general grasp of blogs, wikis, and tagging – even if you are currently a forum or community leader, you may not have thought of all the insights this course presents on running an online community.

• Learn how to prepare for massive membership signups
• Use the best techniques to gain, retain and manage members in your social network
• Create a safe space for brand leaders and evangelists to grow your network
• Build trust and develop blueprints for a self-sustaining network

Speakers include:

• Ngaire Stevens – Habbo Hotel
• Laurel Papworth – Social Network Strategist.
• Peter Giles – AFTRS Director of Digital Media Division
• Catherine Gleeson – AFTRS Interactive Media Lecturer

Date: Friday 20 Jun 2008

• Duration: 1 Day 9.30 -5.00 pm, lunch included
• Course Fee: $120. By attending both seminars you pay just $200 – a saving of $40
• Venue: The Australian Film Television and Radio School
• The Entertainment Quarter
• 130 Bent St
• Moore Park NSW, 2021
• Application deadline: June 13. Places filling fast-register here

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‘Inviting Participants to Your Party and Keeping Them There’ will demystify Web 2.0 and help you harness its power to promote your creative project online.

This LAMP Insight Seminar series in Hobart, Sydney and Melbourne examines techniques to attract online audiences and keep them coming back for more. It also explores how to effectively promote a project online, initiate conversations with online audiences and build and manage communities.

Designed to get participants thinking on their feet and engaging with the latest techniques of building online audiences and managing growth – participants will find out how to keep a crowd.

Key topics explored during the seminars include:

• What techniques can be used to build an online audience
• How to prepare for massive membership signups
• How to make sure content is ‘findable’ on the internet
• What the best techniques are to gain, retain and manage members in a social network
• How to build trust and plan for a self sustaining network

The LAMP Insight 2008 Seminar Series 1 includes:

Creating Online Buzz and Growing Communities Hobart – 10-May-2008

A must for writers, designers, filmmakers, producers, gamers and marketers, or anyone, who wants to build and maintain an online presence. This one day seminar with a workshop component will empower participants to:

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing social networks
• Explore the emerging opportunities of online media to enrich creative projects
• Evaluate tools and techniques for building online communities
• Stay up to date with the latest cutting edge work in web 2.0, mobile media, advanced TV, games and virtual worlds.

Course Details

Growing Worlds: Turning Stories Into Games Hobart – 28-May-2008

Find out how to adapt your story for the world of games. Come and hear award-winning novelist, TV and games writer Matt Costello talk about the key ingredients for planning, writing, designing and structuring a compelling game. Course Details

Generating Online Buzz for Creative Projects Sydney – 19-Jun-2008

Cut through the jargon and find out the true potential of Web 2.0 to initiate conversations with global audiences. Areas include:

• Techniques to use to build an online audience
• Using blogs, wikis and social networks to connect with global communities of interest
• The best techniques to encourage people to virally distribute your content

Course Details

Building Social Networks and Growing Communities Sydney – 20-Jun-2008

A one day seminar with a workshop component designed to get you thinking on your feet and engaging with the latest techniques to build and manage fast growing social networks.

This course is focussed on how business needs can be met by supporting an online social network and is ideal for those with a reasonable grasp of user applications such as blogs, wikis, and tagging – even if you are currently a forum or community leader, you may not have thought of all the insights this course presents on running a community. Course Details

Generating Online Buzz for Creative Projects Melbourne – 4-Jul-2008

Cut through the jargon and find out the true potential of Web 2.0 to initiate conversations with global audiences. Course Details

Building Social Networks and Growing Communities Melbourne – 5-Jul-2008

Find out how to community maintain user engagement and ensure your online audience comes back for more. Course Details

Speakers in the series include:

• Laurel Papworth – Social Network Strategist
• Bruce Moyle – Joffre Street Productions
• Gary Hayes – AFTRS Director of LAMP
• Andrew Apostola – Portable Content
• Catherine Gleeson – AFTRS Interactive Media Lecturer
• Peter Giles – AFTRS Director of Digital Media Division

How to apply:

• Click here or call 03 6223 5983 during business hours for more information.
• Be quick places are limited.

Venue and fee for Tasmania only:
Course Location: Hobart Function Centre, Elizabeth St Pier, Hobart, TAS
Start Date: 10-May-2008
Finish Date: 10-May-2008
Duration: 1 day 9.30-5.00pm
Course Fee: $120
Applications Deadline: 25-Apr-2008

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Last year LAMP helped SBS, Change the World and Film Australia by work-shopping some cross-media, social networking ideas around the short films commissioned for the project. They are asking for contributions on the Earth Hour theme and asked us to post this.
_____________
The Change The World in 5 Minutes project is is encouraging one and all to

TUNE IN & TURN OFF – - YOUR LIGHTS – - this SATURDAY 29th March at 8pm

And if you do you could win a set of 5 DVDs from Film Australia.

To be in the running for the DVDs all you have to do is log in to the Change The World in 5 Minutes website  and let them know your thoughts on Earth Hour.

We want to hear your answers on any of the following (it’s up to you – answer just one – or all three questions)

1. What Earth Hour means to you
2. How you plan to spend Earth Hour
3. Your ideas about changing the world by reducing energy consumption

The DVD sets will be given to the best entries received before the closing date of  Thursday April 3rd.

Contributions can be made by individuals or groups and can take any of the following forms: UPLOAD PHOTOS or VIDEO Why not record a mobile or video clip about reducing energy consumption and tell us how you participated in Earth Hour? Start or join one of our Earth Hour BLOGS

All competition details at http://www.sbs.com.au/changetheworld

And to get you started here are some inspirations we’ve found around the web for ways to spend EARTH HOUR 2008

• Champagne by Candlelight
• Gaze up at stars
• Listen to the bird and the bees.
• Make music.
• Break out the old ouija board
• Get physical Go Camping

Change the World in 5 Minutes is a partnership between Film Australia, AFTRS, FTO, SBS, We Are What We Do

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Andrew Apostola and Peter Giles outline typical online revenue generating systems and business models. They touch on direct payment types such as free and chargeable content, and indirect payment types such as pay per click advertising models based on traffic volume and sales results. They discuss various forms of subscription models, one example being micro-payments as used by iTunes with the ‘buy per song’ purchasing system. The info-media model is primarily a data mining model, and consists of on-selling collected data to third parties.
Peter and Andrew provide case studies that demonstrate the packaging of multiple revenue streams and the types of information required to convince advertisers to partner with your online service.

MP3 recording time 30:10 (14.7MB) Click to listen

A series of podcasts of short presentations given by mentors at the LAMP VIII residential lab in Marysville, Victoria in February 2008.

All LAMP podcasts are published through iTunes – click on the icon below if you have iTunes to subscribe now!

ANDREW APOSTOLA – Creative Director Portable Content

Andrew Apostola is the co-founder and Creative Director of Portable Content, an Australian based digital studio that designs and manages innovative web applications for a range of clients in the online space.

In 2006 the company successfully launched portablefilmfestival.com, a user generated video site that distributes video to users through portable video platforms including iPods, mobile phones and laptops. In 2007 the project expanded internationally and was recently launched in the United States at the South By South-West Film and Interactive in Austin Texas.

Andrew has worked for a range of broadcasters and media providers and is well known for successfully launching the Student Youth Network alongside Portable Content co-founder Simon Goodich in Melbourne in 2003. The network is the largest youth media orgnanisation in South-East Asia, operating a full-time terrestrial radio license and broadcasting on television and the web.

As Creative Director of Portable Content Andrew follows the emerging online video sector closely and develops and implements innovative video components for the company and its clients. These include the creation of classnet, a video sharing community for educators and students and syn.org.au, an online distribution platform for independent mediamakers.

Andrew has completed a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), a Post Graduate Diploma in English Literature at the University of Melbourne and Film and Television Production at Ryerson University in Toronto.

PETER GILES – Director of Digital Media Writers-Strike-Hurts-LA-Economy AFTRS

Peter Giles is the Director of Digital Media at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) where he has established leading postgraduate and professional programs in Computer Animation, Visual Effects, Interactive and Emerging Media. Projects developed in these programs have won major national and international awards for creative excellence.

Peter specializes in developing innovative media education programs that interface directly with industry. He has worked in partnership with companies including MTV, Nickelodeon, ABC, SBS and Fuel TV to deliver advanced courses with real world production outcomes.

Since 2005 Peter has led a national initiative to address skills shortages and knowledge gaps in Australia’s media industries. He has worked with a range of international thought leaders in the emerging media field and established leading programs in the area.

Prior to working at AFTRS Peter established digital media programs at Sydney’s Metro Screen including innovative workshops run with the Loud Youth Festival, IBM, the ABC, SBS TV, the Performance Space, the Australian Centre for Photography and the Australian Network for Art and Technology.

Peter has produced projects for delivery on a wide range of media platforms. He has worked as a radio journalist producing programs for ABC Radio National’s ‘Radio Eye’, ‘Background Briefing’ and ‘Life Matters’ and JJJ’s ‘Morning Show’. He worked in film sound recording and post production for BBC TV and on a wide range of independent projects in the UK and Australia. He has produced interactive media and museum exhibition projects and taught media production courses at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney. Peter’s video artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art Art-of-Estimation in Sydney and the Institute of Contemporary Art in London.

Peter is a well known commentator on digital media and has appeared on ABC Television programs including ‘Stateline’ and ‘Mondo Thingo’. He has facilitated and spoken at a wide range of public forums including Popcorn Taxi, the Australian Effects and Animation Festival and the Sydney Film Festival. He is the past Chair of the Sydney Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH, the leading international computer graphics industry body.

ABOUT LAMP PODCASTS

This podcast presentation by LAMP @ AFTRS.

Live audio recorded by Peter Giles and Brett Robertson

Podcast description by Rachael Hainsworth

Editing, processing and podcasting production by Gary Hayes

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LAMP Lab: Marysville, Victoria, February 2008

Title: Portable Ghosts – NZ

Tagline: The best way to solve ghost mysteries is to have ghosts helping you!

Project Description: Become a Ghost Detective from the TV show to the virtual world onto the mobile, the web, print and into the real world. A truly unique social network experience that is also aimed at schools and parents. Based on the book of the same name by Margaret Mahy.

Target Media: Web, Mobile, TV, Virtual Worlds, Locative Mapping, Physical World

Team Members:

• Yvonne Mackay – Director
• Dan Milward – Software Developer
• Phil Wickliffe – Designer

Guardian Mentor/s: Jim Shomos

Copyright: Production Shed TV 2008

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