A TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING CAMPAIGN

"Before it's too late"

This is a simulated work created for a module called "Digital Storytelling" I had in my second year in the Singapore Institute of Technology. We were tasked to create a story with the appropriate worldbuilding and storyworld rules. 
 
THE STORY:
18-year-old Hunter Emerson has just lost her mother to terminal cancer. Drowning in debt, she receives a mysterious letter from her grandfather’s estate inviting her to attend his funeral. With no contact with her estranged family since her mother ran away with

her the night of her father’s death 15 years ago, Hunter sets out to The Davenport Estate for the funeral, hoping to reconcile with her family. Little does she know, she has been thrust into an elaborate treasure hunt-style competition to fight for her inheritance

alongside them. With ominous clues, secret doorways, and dirty secrets, what starts out as a friendly competition quickly turns into a fight for her life. Can Hunter escape her ruthless competitors before their secrets swallow her whole?

TARGET AUDIENCE & GENRE:
The target audience for this project and its iterations is young adults aged 13 to 20 years-old. After a lot of research, I decided to create a young adult mystery thriller. But The Game of Heirs is not a typical mystery "whodunnit" story. The murder mystery comes out later in the story. The story focuses more on clue-solving and finding and Hunter's growth from a grieving girl into a strong woman. 
 

STORYWORLD RULES:

Setting:

New Hempshire, US, The Davenport Estate– a towering

Victorian mansion built in 1890 by Rupert Davenport III. Its confusing architecture includes secret doorways, stairs leading to nowhere, and hidden rooms. There are no neighbours for miles.

Time Period: Modern day, January 2022.

Environment:

Middle of winter, extremely cold temperatures. The

weather is very dreary and dull, snow surrounds The Estate. All

are required to wear thick winter clothing like snow coats.

Culture & Language:

All characters speak fluent English, they have American accents, though a few characters have adopted fake British accents to appear more posh. The family is very cold to Hunter. Unlike down-to-earth Hunter, they are self-centered, entitled, and will do anything for the inheritance.

History:

The Davenports have been around since the 1600s. It is not known how they have amassed such wealth, but most have been known to be politicians or in secret societies. Most recently, William Davenport was the previous President of the United States

before his death.

Heirarchy: Narrative

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TRANSMEDIA CAMPAIGN:

The Game of Heirs can be adapted into a movie, a digital treasurehunt, video game, audio and hardcover book and

mobile app. While the main gist of the story will remain the same across the different platforms, the adaptations may vary in story, focus, or intensity. 

A transmedia campaign will be launched to market and advertise the story (and products). This form of storytelling is the practice of designing, sharing, and participating in a cohesive story experience across multiple traditional and digital 

delivery platforms. 

You can view the project highlights by here. 

ITERATIONS:
A number of iterations of the story have been made. While not produced fully, trailers for each iteration have been made using existing footage. These trailers are just for reference, for viewers to understand the mood and rough storyline of what the story

is about. 
 
MANOR MYSTERY GAME:

Manor Mystery is a mobile game available on The App Store or on

Google Play. The goal is to solve the clues in The Davenport Estate and escape with the inheritance before getting offed by the masked killer. It is in a first-person perspective, where players will have full control of the characters. They will be able to choose which character they want to play as and even compete with their real-life friends for the inheritance.

It features:

1. Interactive buttons

2. Customisable choices

3. Engaging dialogue

4. Immersive storyline

5. Interesting visuals

See the trailer here.

See the gameplay screens here. 

THE GAME OF HEIRS MOVIE:

All marketing will culminate in The Game of Heirs movie. It is a

full-length film that will be released 8 weeks after #FINDTHEMONEY. The movie will follow the same premise and rules as the story. The ending of the story leaves

things open so a series of movies or even spinoff shows may be greenlighted if this movie is successful.

See the poster here.

See the trailer here.

#FINDTHEMONEY:

Is a digital "treasurehunt" where participants will be tasked to move

around and source for clues using AR/VR technology on the app. The winner gets $100,000 in prize money. Since young adults are very involved in the digital space, AR and VR technology will allow them to engage in an intriguing and fun way. This immersive experience coupled with the prize money will encourage more people to participate in the hunt, building anticipation, ensuring

maximum exposure and increasing brand loyalty.

Social media posts from participants will generate impressions in the press and on such sites, helping to create a nationwide community by turning the audience into true heirs in the fight for

the Davenport inheritance.

See the posters here.

See the trailer here.

THE GAME OF HEIRS AUDIOBOOK:

The original story will be made into a novel which will be read in an audiobook available on the audiobook site, Audible.

The audiobook will allow young adults to still consume the story in novel format, but in a more convenient way. They will also be able to skip to chapters, bookmarks or annotate pages. This will create a more conducive and streamlined reading experience.

See the trailer here.

See the screens here. 

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THE GAME OF HEIRS HARDCOVER BOOK:

The original story will be made into a hardcover book. It will

follow the original premise of the story. To ensure all the needs of the target audience is met, hardcover books will be published for those who prefer the traditional reading experience.

See the mockups here.

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THE GAME OF HEIRS MOBILE APPLICATION:

An app has been created to support #FINDTHEMONEY. The app will feature:

1. Interactive buttons

2. GPS system

3. Live streaming

4. Chat function

5. Personalised feed
 

See the mobile screens here.

​

PROPOSAL DECK:

A proposal deck has been created. The deck summarises the whole project and its iterations. It is recommended to read or browse through it to get the full The Game of Heirs experience. 

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See the proposal deck here. 

 Year: 2022