TDS NEWS Digital
Thornhill
Digital Storytelling (TDS)
Monday, May 28, 2012 - Week 23
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Digital Storytelling As Documentary Process
Creating Programming For Digital Media
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Administration Update
Thornhill
Digital Storytelling has survived two upgrades and amazing shifts in the
documentary, non-fiction, journalism and advertising worlds over the last three
years.
This
time, for our upgrade, we opened the doors to input from friends, associates
and communications professionals to get a broad range of thought, ideas and
needs. However, we are still in the
process, so let’s not declare victory yet.
We had a
casual planning meeting on Friday, May 11, 2012 at Café Racer, Seattle,
Washington. That was productive in that
most of the time was spent reviewing current files and making sure that we had
a beginning timeline for all of 2012.
So now we can call on
planners, potential administrative assistants and project managers. We need these good folks to make our
aggressive program complete.
Administrative services interested in partnering for development of
businesses, events, publications and documentation might want to get their
information to me.
Duties as basic as
maintaining the project calendar and as difficult as database management will
be offered to professional services.
If you
have questions, or want to make a suggestion, let me know. June 2012 is dedicated to making our status
easily available to interested businesses.
Thanks.
Andrew
W. Thornhill
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Design Thinking
Our digital
storytelling initiative is now a part of The Thornhill Design Laboratory. As such, the planning, development and
operation has the resources and skills of a unit dedicated to business and
communications design. Form and function
are a part of everything we think about.
And we are not alone… Forbes Magazine says “Welcome To The Era of
Design.”
www.forbes.com/sites/gyro/2012/05/03/welcome-to-the-era-of-design/
In checking where we
are now, we could take the proverbial 2 steps back and look at the last two
Thornhill Digital Storytelling Documentary Proposal Seminars.
In Seattle TDS
presented on April 12, 2012 in Columbia City, a distinct neighborhood in
Seattle. This validated the real need
for a redesign of the seminar / publication combination.
On April 27, a
completely updated seminar was presented in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh,
in association with Homewood Nation, a compelling, neighborhood-based, multi-platform
marvel operated by Elwin Green, formerly a journalist with the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette.
For the month of
June, our dedication is to a top-to-bottom layout for Thornhill Digital
Storytelling. This the best time for a
tune-up. With our sparkling new look and
feel, we will offer ourselves to a sophisticated audience in July in Baltimore
and the toughest audience of them all, Los Angeles in August.
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Given the tasks
before us, you can imagine that we feel that we are literally starting over.
As you might know,
we started as a documentary workplan, in the frenzied world of The Digital
Television Report (DTR) National Tour.
Although the tour
started as quarterly seminars in Los Angeles, pulled together with Ernest D.
Dillihay, now CEO of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, LLC, we elevated to a combination
of visits to cultural facilities in Los Angeles and roaring around the country
to major universities. As an element of
the packaging to keep the campus officials aware of our availability, we
devised a never-ending schedule for them – and really for us as well.
This schedule was maintained by Communication Research
Enterprises, LLC (CRE), under the direction of Lillian R. Dunlap, Ph.D., Principal
and CEO. On the schedule appeared dates
in Los Angeles, university lectures, meetings and conferences. As the scheduling matured, we initiated the “Second
Wave” to make offers to schools to return with a strengthened program.
Then the big planning evolved. DTR Journey, The Print & Interactive
Program Guide was conceived. To help
move matters along, Shane M. Hyatt, a former production manager for a local
design agency, was drafted to plot the print production lines.
From textured outline to printed publication is still
gaining ground. In fact, there are now
inquiries and schedules for an Internet and a tablet version.
With this layout in hand, the concept was given an inspired
new challenge. With additional research
and going back to each date on the 10 year calendar of events, a new group
would be brought in to build a telling documentary, DTR Journey, Food &
Beverage Stories.
To make life easier for the planners and writers, the documentary
work plan was structured to employ every conceivable digital tool for
production efficiency and carry every digital asset and feature for ease of
presentation and distribution.
To answer the piercing questions posed by potential sponsors
and producers about our “digital strategy”, these were gathered together as “50
Steps To Documentary Success” and the Thornhill Digital Storytelling concept
was born!
New we can help others.
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Documentary Funding
Proposals
What’s Your Story?
The
focus of this leading-edge workshop is showing how to link the many necessary
parts – from inception, through creative, technology and production, to
traditional or digital distribution and real world business development. These are the elements that will make your
funding proposal rise above all the rest.
The agenda for this brand of
storytelling covers more than 50 items.
Each is offered in a way that shows how to be a winner in the specific
category, yet still blend them all into a meld that guarantees continuity and
continuous improvement.
Are you
expected to integrate digital assets into your documentary funding
proposal? If you, your organization,
office or company are planning a film, television show, radio special, Internet
presentation or a interactive photo essay, the answer is yes!
To
create a digital documentary using a competitive, multiplatform model, your
timeline could be 3 years. Also, expect
that your expenses might creep to $2 Million or more.
As we each grow beyond web sites
and social media, Digital Storytelling is turning into a hotbed for
collaborative development and ever-expanding production crews. Team members learn from one another and your
end product gains from the combined intellect, energy and projections. This means greater expenses.
If your associates can’t relate to Digital Storytelling as
a genre, try Multimedia, Transmedia, Webisodes, Branded Content or even Branded
Entertainment. We offer these and many
subcategories in the Thornhill Digital Storytelling Seminar.
·
TDS NEWS, our detailed event program, is available only at the
seminar and includes:
·
The Thornhill Digital Storytelling “50 Steps To Documentary
Success” checklist and
up-to-date industry examples and
news links.
·
The publication lists “Everyday Resources” a slate of industry
stalwarts providing no-cost,
e-mailed, daily information
reports on individuals, companies and trends in digital media.
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The Thornhill Design Laboratory
Now the mission has moved on. Strategy and management is the province of
The Thornhill Design Laboratory. The
product base has been expanded to seminars, the printed event program TNDS NEWS and TNDS NEWS Digital.
The application options will continue to be refined. What started as the DTR Journey, Food &
Beverage Stories Documentary workplan will now be used by the producers of The
Digital Television Report theatrical film for planning and to develop the script.
There is even talk at Thornhill Design Lab about a production
and training studio based on the precepts of Thornhill Digital
Storytelling. What a great facility that
will be!
Next in line at the Lab is The Fashion Media Project, a true,
collaborative, transmedia project.
So many facets of the communications industry are finding
new value in the basic skills of storytelling.
We find that the products from TDS are used to stimulate awareness
through our resource lists, to add practical training to existing programs and
to help build proposals for film, television and radio documentaries.
The process in our 50 steps now gets appreciative comments
from events producers, photo essayists, corporate communications professionals
and certainly production crews working on branded entertainment films.
More and more we appreciate
the flexibility of our proprietary Thornhill Digital Storytelling process as a
tool and the respect given by media management.
You might enjoy this Washington Post interview with Larry Kramer, the new publisher for USA
Today.
Go to www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/at-usa-today-larry-kramer-jumps-back-into-fray-of-digital-journalism/2012/05/15/gIQAiHFNSU_story.html
Digital storytelling
has certainly influenced ad agencies, producers of every stripe and the
mainstays of entertainment in Hollywood.
Next will be the distribution companies and the device manufacturers.
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Product Development
Our Thornhill Digital Storytelling Documentary Proposal
seminars are getting sufficient attention.
Production values will now get the big push. Screens are being considered. Facilities and hospitality must be next.
TDS NEWS has proven itself as a beneficial publication. The print version serves as our program for
each seminar, being updated for every single date. One of the sections, Branded Content /
Entertainment has grown so fast, that the issue now floats between 32 and 36
pages. Hurray for continued
research. Do you remember when it was
only 2 pages and carried a brief introduction and the “50 Steps To Documentary
Success?”
Before it swells to become magazine-like, a big question has
been bandied about. Should we
synchronize the editorial from the print with the digital version? What about multi-platform design?
And then, should we answer the market by adding E-book or
tablet apps and hardware?
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Continuity
Seattle has been
selected for the test of our new planning, research and design. Once we find the appropriate venue, we will
initiate a series of local presentation designed to make the whole system even
better. There is certainly sufficient
talent in Western Washington. Can we
find a home?
Key to the success
of this test will be the participation of local support. The involved industries, the creative
community and sponsors will be called upon to help make the plan work.
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We need a new calendar
to fit the current statement.
A Thornhill Digital
Storytelling
Documentary Proposal
Seminar
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And Introducing
The New Video
Marketplace
June
Testing in Seattle
July
Baltimore
In Association With United Community Access Media and Instant Karma Entertainment,
LLC. - www.ikellc.com/
Postponed From Friday, June 8,
2012
A Casual Reception Will Follow
August
Los Angeles
More dates will be
added in the next two weeks. Look for
the eastside, Eastern Washington and Phoenix.
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The TDS Documentary Proposal
Seminar
Coming to your town…
In order to have an
event occur, we truly rely on the support of our Event Partners in each
city. The local team must be dedicated,
great communicators and willing to help with every level of prep, promotion and
review. In our next meeting, with the
files, we will look very closely at our track record and list those things we
believe are important to make every trip and presentation giantly successful.
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Financial Planning
Event Registration $50
Sponsors $100
TDS NEWS $10
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Crew Additions
Busy says it all. Administration still includes scheduling,
calendaring, database management and preparing all documents. I think we’re ready to search for partners to
help.
And while the searchlight is on, help with financial
planning, diligent producers, capable designers, and nimble local promoters are
needed as well.
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Services
As you might recall, we met last month to discuss the
possible addition of subscriber and/or membership services to our offer
sheet. Currently our only products are
seminars, TDS NEWS and TDS NEWS Digital.
The more conservative players suggest that we simply work this limited
inventory more attractive and the swifter folks want more growth. Interestingly, they both feel that we should
think about operating weekly.
This could be for meetings to start – and then seminars and
publications.
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Business Development
Now that we have opened the door on products and services,
we might as well get into pricing.
To test the waters and to have a real audience for our work,
we have offered the Seminar and TDS News combination at minimal cost and in
some cases for free.
Before we end that practice, we might look into additional
revenues through the Subscribers / Members model as well as advertising and
sponsorship.
Partners assist in offsetting ordinary charges and sponsors
pay for the alignment with our products.
Our co-working arrangement in Culver City is also considered
a vital part of our business development strategy. It places us in the midst of the motion
picture community as we learn and grow.
Next, we will investigate the incubator pool to see if there
is a relationship to pursue.
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Distribution
We help others make their product. We could spend additional energy providing
detailed information on digital distribution.
Beyond the obvious options via the Internet, there is the expansive
world of Digital Channels. Perhaps this
premise warrants our attention – finally!
And in the engineering world, communications engineers are
advancing the notion of a World Standard to facilitate greater ease to have our
digital stories zipped around the world.
See The Future of Broadcast Television (FoBTV) at
Or try this article from Harry
A. Jessell, editor of TVNewsCheck.
www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2012/03/30/58452/the-future-of-broadcast-tv-is-next-month?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=The+Future+Of+Broadcast+TV+Is+Next+Month&utm_campaign=Jessell%3a+The+Future+Of+Broadcast+TV+Is+Next+Month
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Spaces
With great luck we
will strengthen our facilities planning with a crew to start on Proposals and
eventually a presentation.
In the meantime, I
am searching for space to host meetings, conduct training for our new friends
and to establish an office. We can build
a template for seeking support for documentary filmmakers and refine the
protocol from our simple list to full automation.
Recently, to further
this quest, I have attended meetings with writers, toured possible meeting
spaces and delved deeply into the new co-working model
Facilities
Columbia
City
The TDS
seminars have survived interesting venues.
There has been a photography center meeting room, a music studio,
library meeting rooms, classrooms, a beautiful visual art gallery, a bar, a car
dealership showroom and a technology center.
Digital Facilities…
Are facilities important enough to
create a true digital hub? The
presentation would be fantastic with internet connections, cable connections, a
satellite dish, large monitors, comfortable seating and hospitality. How expensive are these digital facilities and
who would build or outfit them? This
will certainly take additional research.
Production and Learning Studio
Would such an environment result
in actual contracts? Could it start with
a training schedule? What design and
environment questions do we start with?
Digital Metropolis
A much more efficient process
would be to start with a design for a cluster of buildings – planned for owner
or tenants with a mutual interest in digital development. Is there a plank in the local economic
development platform to address such issues?
An exciting option like this takes
about three years to evolve. Please
don’t think that immediate answers are required, but paying attention would be
a good idea.
Partner recruiting will not be easy. We continue to grow in sophistication – and
each year is better than the last. Our
upgrades are reasonable and we love our work.
It will happen
Thornhill
Digital Storytelling (TDS) is maturing very nicely in so many ways. Of course the piece that keeps making new
friends for the package – and keeps the veterans coming back – is our concept
of Kai Zen; Continuous Improvement. This
is most visible in product development.
Research
continues everyday. As we make this
primary product better, we are really following a game plan that will keep us
on the right track for years.
You Can Participate
- Let me know
that you are interested in this or similar projects
- Refer this
information to everyone you know who needs to be enlightened
- Attend, or
sponsor ($20 each) a seminar
- Attend, or
sponsor, one or more of the social events
If you are interested in becoming
a sponsor, send your e-mail indicating what part of our package has your
attention. You can pledge with an e-mail
or a phone call to (206) 265-2279.
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Ask About The Maui Video Marketplace
Our marketplace concept brings
together all parts needed to build a film, or a production
studio or a collaborative cluster
of film-related businesses to grow the region.
We start with a seminar series,
printed programs and access to information supporting the
global transition from analog to
digital product distribution. From
Internet applications
to digital television to digital
channels, your career in the industry will be given a
major boost by participating in
the Thornhill Digital Storytelling seminar.
The Maui Video Marketplace will
grow from an idea to a location for training, serving clients and developing
proprietary and contract media products.
The choices will include live events, classes, print media, audio and
radio, video and television, digital and Internet, plus film industry
connections.
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For Digital Storytelling Weekly Updates: http://digitalstorytellingseminar.blogspot.com/
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The Thornhill
Design Laboratory
Business,
Communications Design
(1) Thornhill Design Lab Workshop
Design Review / Kai Zen
What is design?
Aesthetics for inspiration, product development, financial planning and
real-world
case studies are included - create using function and
form. Design efficient operations
structures,
work processes, digital networks, multi-platform media
programming and manufacturing to
proceed aggressively in the digital-led economy. You will better understand and
appreciate the talents of designers, storytellers,
planners and artists.
(2) Thornhill Digital Storytelling (TDS)
TDS Digital Storytelling Proposal Seminars – Series
& Special Events
TDS NEWS - Subscribers / Subscription Management
TDS NEWS Digital -
http://digitalstorytellingseminar.blogspot.com/
Digital Media Devices
(3) The Fashion Media Project
Research, Radio, Television
The Fashion Bloggers Mixer
(4) Client Services
Case Studies / Digital Strategy / Extensions
(5 Development
Editorial, Design Continuity, Administration, Database
Management
Financial Planning, Integrated Marketing Planning,
Partners, Sponsor Presentations
(6) Production & Learning Studio
Schedule, Research, Internet Presence
Facilities / Environment,
Library / Archives
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May 2012
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Andrew W. Thornhill
Nextspace Los Angeles
9415 Culver Boulevard
Culver City,
California 90232
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2012 Is Your Year
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Copyright © 1971 - 2012, Andrew W. Thornhill, All Rights Reserved