Transmedia storytelling, as defined by Henry Jenkins in his 2006 book Convergence Culture, is storytelling across multiple forms of media with each element making distinctive contributions to a viewer/user/player’s understanding of the story world.
Talk about transmedia…
For many of us (and that includes all of you) Spike emerges as one of the first and most iconic examples of the indie filmmaker creating a brand and audience all by himself.
As I was digging around while writing this post, I actually came across this promo film below Spike made waaaayyyy back in the day for “She’s Gotta Have It”.
Even to this day when I sit down to work with him, somewhere in the back of my mind I can’t help ruminating on everything he did…
He blazed a path for many an indie filmmaker to be sure…
But on TOP of that he repurposed the grainy black and white look and editing style (and of course Mars himself) from Nola Darling’s tale to introduce some basketball player from North Carolina to the world.
Gotta give Nike some props for letting him do it. But he took it and ran a loooonnnggg way with it.
Matter of fact, he’s still running with it.
Actually the reason this whole post began is because I was on a site and saw a commercial for his latest transmedia endeavor (still using good ol’ Mars).
It’s a campaign (complete with a microsite and video here) with Nike, Jordan and Spike allowing shoe buyers (followers?) to use an Iphone App to turn themselves into Mars Blackmon…
You can even get a special “Spiz’ike” edition of the Air Jordans… man, I had no idea. I gotta get my game together…
I mean, is it just the shoes?
Oh and Ted Hope mention all this the next time you bring up what filmmakers must do now.
I mean, nothing is new right and others have already blazed the path before us…
Thanks Spizike.
4 Comments
I’m obsessed with self marketing right now Keith…in this prolific (and highly mediocre) indie filmmaking climate it’s up to us to formulate an “image” of ourselves that stands above the fray. Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Website/Teaser/Trailer…we can start a movement: especially us black filmmakers.
I plan to do just that…start a movement.
Sign me up Niky… sign me way up.
And thanks for the comment too, Sis.
Good stuff. Although being at the right place at the right time says alot. But in the new age, brand=behavior right? You was who you was before you got here. There is already a Keith Davis brand-a little blues, a little south, a little hip-hop, a little city. Some theater spliced in there. No Jordans, just those ill hard-bottoms. And there’s a certainly a Nikyatu brand already. I definitely have my brand. Tags is one of a kind. So what then? I think it’s all about context. In this new era, since everybody’s trying to push brand so hard, authenticity is what, say, separates Jay-Z from his counterparts, Spike from his. You can smell when you see a person being authentically who they are from the bottom of the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads, and when they’re just pimping for the camera.
Right?
Dom,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, you’re right. We’re already branded. And authenticity is all. My real problem might be I can’t be anything other than this… you know?