The "Made-for-Digital" debate

The Dubs was recently invited to speak at the Transmedia seminar at Metroscreen held in Sydney. We were presenting The Goa Hippy Tribe documentary series, alternatively broadcast across Facebook.

 

There was an impressive line up of innovative story tellers and producers including web celebs such as Miles Becket the originator of Lonely Girl 15 & Kate Modern (debatably the most successful web series to date), and the Emmy awarded Marcus Gillezeau, the producer of Scorched.

 

Following what appeared to be on the surface a disparate range of interesting formats and themes, and a variety of motivations, experiences and outcomes that were discussed I couldn’t help but see these examples falling into three categories.

 

Being...
1/Scouting: Made-for-digital production is a facilitator for traditional media to spot talent.

2/ Proof is in the pudding: Made-for-digital is a clear way to prove a format and demonstrate to funding bodies, networks and brands there is an audience.

3/ The main event: Made-for-digital formats are the main game but we are just in its infancy.

Or is it all three ?

 

Well, Lucas Crandles (short film Black Button and animated series Wentworth & Buxbury) and biz partner Nicholas Carlton (online web series Oz Girl) would probably say it is all three.

 

They use the internet as their principal outlet but have garnered syndication across TiVo, iTunes, Zune and virgin inflight entertainment. And 20-year-old Carlton is being touted as the Robert Rodriguez of the digital age.

 

Toby Yoshimura the EP of Freshwater Blue, Australia's first unscripted drama would definitely go for number two.

 

With entertaining anecdotes about the teenage reactions to his original edits, Yoshimura was clearly baffled by their response. Yoshimura contributes visibility with broadcasters by using Facebook as his audience litmus test.

 

We’ve gained insights from audience behaviour with our Made-for-digital projects that confirm that social entertainment is main game but in it’s infancy.

 

We have seen first hand how Made-for-digital formats take on a life of their
own when the audience engages with the material, which in turn adds an extra layer(s) to the content.

 

By empowering the audience, the tone of the content is made more dynamic and powerful. Not only do they feed in to the content but they are equally affected emotionally by the viewing of content, which also key in swaying audience opinion.

 

This could be a positive and equally negative reaction to the content but if harnessed it can be extremely powerful, a phenomenon that only exits in these environments.

 

These early experimental projects place the audience in the heart of the content,
which is at the other end of the spectrum of traditional television.

 

As young audiences grow up on a diet of social entertainment, I can’t help but think there is going to be a massive hole for television networks who don’t commission made-for-digital formats now.