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Feb

28

The Need for a Universal Encyclopedia

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : February 28, 2007

Category: Creative Process, Media Franchise

When I began working with a concept artist I discovered that all of my images and descriptions were not catalogued in any convenient way for someone else to browse and get a quick feel for my ideas. I created a reference page for the concept artist I was working with, although during the process of my first concept piece I realized that the reference page was not as good as it could have been.

That got me thinking, “Why not just create a full blown encyclopedia of my world?” Hardly an original idea, but one which is proving helpful to my slow process of building an intellectual property.

With that in mind, I have set about building a comprehensive reference to explain different locations, characters, vehicles, factions, and other nitpicky details to chronicle my vision. As I work on my treatments and drafts, this will help not only solidify my own ideas, but help me communicate them to others.

Do you have an encyclopedia for your universe?

Jun

22

Context & Branding of Intellectual Properties

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : June 22, 2006

Category: Marketing, Media Franchise

The latin roots of the word context mean “with text.”

In our creative endeavors we often strive to be clever. I came to storytelling after a thorough mentorship in marketing from my bosses at 3D Realms. Positioning is everything, which is why the soon-to-be-released game Prey features a Native American character named Tommy Hawk. Get it? Har har.

However, there can be a shortsightedness in trying to be so clever.

For every Tommy Hawk there is a James Bond. Ian Fleming explained that he chose the name because it was the most generic name he could come up with. It had no pre-built associations–a blank slate.

It worked out pretty well, don’t you think?

This Design Observer article agrees.

So which do you prefer? Ideas with pre-built associations? Or the blank slate?

If you prefer the blank slate, how do you propose to build a healthy, marketable context for your brand?

Jun

22

Fiction and the Thirst for Knowledge

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : June 22, 2006

Category: Media Franchise, Memes

This explains why I love reading non-fiction.

It also explains fiction. A story is a collection of ideas: mythical characters, settings, and events. It takes a little bit of ramp-up for an audience to ‘get it’ – but once they do, they start to experience the rewards. And each new twist in the story is a new reward.

As far as the brain is concerned, entertainment is the same as education. The brain is sparked to life by interesting concepts.

“There’s this incredible selectivity that we show in real time. Without thinking about it, we pick out experiences that are richly interpretable but novel.”

Indeed. So what we crave from entertainment is also what we crave from ‘art,’ which is also what we crave from education. The brain is drawn to novelty.

Does your novel have novelty?