breaking bad: using transmedia and freeconomics to beat the pirates

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CASE STUDYAMC BREAKING BAD

DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

Dr Lance Dann, University of Brighton

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What is Breaking Bad?

Grown into biggest Television Phenomenom since Sopranos

Rated by Metacritic as the best TV series of all time.

A barrel load of Emmy’s

5 seasons.

End last week.

Globally trended on Twitter for most of the week.

DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

Dr Lance Dann

So what’s the story?

…a drug dealing school teacher with caner becomes a criminal mastermind…

Why did I story about meth addicts become so popular?Phenomenal writing

Great acting

Great direction.

Smart marketing.

Genius online distribution and content.

How to outsmart the piratesOwned by SONY

pictures.

Screened in US by AMC.

Relegated to Channel 5 in UK.

Loosing viewers and eyeballs to torrents.

Awareness of product huge because of downloads.

What they didn’t do was this…

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

“Of all the people in the world who didn’t read my book yesterday… far more didn’t read it because they didn’t know about it than didn’t read it because they somehow got a free copy.

”Cory Doctrow (2013)

They were also open to fan works and adaptations…

Lego Breaking Bad Game

Not all theft is bad…Showrunners of

Heroes and Game of Thrones both pleased their shows are most torrented.

It is all a question of drawing in audience and attention.

The skill is then monetizing that attention

Breaking Bad Series 5

Broadcast on AMC on Sunday Evening in US.

HD download to iTunes overnight.

Next day available as a stream from Netflix.

Blue-Ray box set released at end of series.

Breaking Bad goes viral… Audience and attention

went past the tipping point in Season 5.

Live audience increased 5 times in final weeks.

All a question of playing long game.

Audiences can always catch up and don’t have to follow from the beginning.

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Part of this was due to Transmedia Marketing

AMC have always been very ahead of the curve with their media positioning.

Started with a personal video message

Save Walter White campaign

Better Call Saul website

DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

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Criminal Aptitude Test

Character Blogs

Interactive Graphic Novels

Evidence Board

Insider Podcast

DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

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Story Sync – Season 5

DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

something immersive

Creation of a storyworld.

An experience that follows you off screen.

A marketing tool.

A money making tool.

A way of challenging audiences and form.

Henry Jenkins saw this coming…… but is his beard as good as mine?

Developed the term in 2006 when he looked at programmes like Survivor and the Matrix franchise.

Story does not lie in just one space.

Simultaneous existence across forms as part of a story world.

Links to articles for this weekStudent Central has links to articles to read in preparation for next week.

Pinterest board for this session

Digital Media Pin Board

Recommended reading: Frank Rose and Henry Jenkins

April 11, 2023

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Or… a project that is just as relevant

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