May 26, 2012

How to Create a Franchise, Indie-Style

Harness the power of transmedia to develop a fan base and create a built-in audience for your film

by Nuno Bernardo | Published November 15, 2011

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It’s always a good idea to try and build small pieces of content as early as possible before the big and expensive movie (or TV series) comes out. Thanks to the popularity of tablets and eBooks, it’s now easy to release a novel or comic based on the story or world you are creating. Remember all that backstory you wrote for your characters that never made it into the script? Releasing it as an eBook or comic book may work as a prequel to your movie, letting the audience connect with your main characters from an early stage. Or you could create a Webseries as a prequel to test your casting options.

Then complement these digital releases with a social media presence to start creating buzz and getting audience feedback. You may find out that your main character is not as lovable as you need him to be. Maybe the audience is reacting to your story in different ways than you expected. If you still haven’t shot your movie, you can go back and fix the script. If your project is a comedy and you’re trying new talent, you can test your material with a live audience, possibly as a stand up comedy show where you can see how a real audience reacts to your lead actor and your jokes.

This audience interaction may give you good ideas you can use to fix your script (or your casting options). Is your project in the sci-fi or horror genre? If so, developing (or asking a games company to develop) a game for the Web, Facebook or mobile and tablet platforms based on your property could be a good way to build an audience. This may also cost you nothing, as you can do a co-production with a games studio and split the revenues.

While executing these ideas, you’ll be building your audience. People will become aware of your brand, and if they are enjoying what you’re serving them, they will share it with their friends and family. On top of that, you’ll be getting the best feedback possible: Real, live audiences will react to your work, which will allow you to fine-tune your movie. This is the sort of advice and reactions you will probably never get from a script editor or a test screening.

Does this transmedia approach fit all film projects? No; it depends on the filmmaker’s plans for his work. I usually say that the transmedia franchise approach, because of the commitment in time and resources it requires, only makes sense if you see yourself producing sequels to your original movie. If you are only interested in producing a one-off movie—a small character-driven drama, say—the franchise approach probably doesn’t suit you. But even so, you can use some of the concepts of transmedia to build your fan base and feed the content development stage.

The secret is to involve your audience as early as possible. Ask for their participation. Let them help. This can be done by allowing them to suggest plot points or casting. Or there are more sophisticated approaches; one example is letting the audience create some elements for your movie, such as posters, Websites or online communities. If the audience is involved making your movie, they will be the first ones to want to see your (and their) work. They will also be the ones promoting your movie and getting their friends and family to join them in the experience.

The big complaint I keep hearing from film producers is that transmedia is more work for less money. It’s true that the majority of distributors and traditional funders will not give you any additional money for the production of the transmedia elements, but the truth is that the power of having a preexisting audience is probably more important for your movie. Unfortunately, we live in a world overcrowded with movies. But audiences are becoming smaller. If you have your own built-in fan base, you have more chances to succeed. Film distributors, sales agents and exhibitors are not just looking for good movies; they are also looking for movies with built-in audiences.

Nuno Bernardo is the co-founder and CEO of the transmedia production company beActive. He is also the author of The Producer’s Guide to Transmedia: How to Develop, Fund, Produce and Distribute Compelling Stories Across Multiple Platforms. For more information, visit www.beActiveMedia.com or follow Bernardo on Facebook (facebook.com/nmfbernardo) or Twitter (@nmfbernardo).