Transmedia: Storytelling for the Digital Age

Michael Epstein and Angela Watercutter:  "VR is still in its early stages, but a look back in history, from Vaudeville to journalism, may help us predict how the technology will find its footing."

Ethan Saplenza:  "It's not just big-budget blockbusters that get sponsorship deals. Indies do too - and there's quite a big upside."

Kevin Ohannessian:  "The co-founder of RocketJump shares what he's learned on his journey from YouTube to Hulu."

Ted Hope:  "Filmmakers, Hollywood, The Industry, rarely know whom their audience is. We do it so ass-backwards: we make a movie and we think it is so wonderful that people all over the world will come to see it. Wouldn’t it be a hell of a lot easier ifall we did was take our movies where people are already gathered?"

Anna Kerrigan:  "You have the freedom to stick to your pure, unadulterated vision of the project."

Sam Baron:  "From "The Social Network" to "Her," films are increasingly depicting online conversations onscreen. Here's how to make it work for your film."

Ethan Gilsdorf:  "Small productions are becoming better—and more professional—than ever. But the falling price of good equipment is only part of the magic."

Josh Dickey:  "Though the first of three Avatar sequels won't unspool until 2017, here's good reason to believe that they are right around the corner: All of the film's social-media feeds, some of which have sat idle since 2011, are being re-launched this week."

Oakley Anderson-Moore:  "While it's true that many Sundance films get distribution deals, they aren't always the deals of the filmmaker's dreams. With over a dozen feature films at Sundance this year that raised part of their budget on Kickstarter, is it possible to use that crowdfunding platform as collateral to attract a distributor? Or can you bypass a distributor all together using Kickstarter?"

Ryan Gilmour:  "One of the most compelling developments in modern filmmaking is how evolving technologies influence the ways that artists express themselves" ...

Jeff Beer:  "The actor talks about "In A City," the partnership with Samsung, and why he considers remixing the ultimate artistic compliment."

Matthew Poe:  "The true crime podcast has become an addiction for millions of listeners -- and the reasons why might be useful for any storyteller."

DRC:  "You might also be interested in reading Mashable's 12 podcasts that will tell uou a fantastic story."

Josephine Opar:  "Google and Millward Brown Digital broke down how American and Canadian moviegoers research the films they watch, and it looks like YouTube is a major source of inspiration."

Angela Watercutter:  "Oculus Story Studio's new project is more than a cute animated short--it's a test case for narrative techniques that could change the way we watch movies."

Paula Bernstein:  "Radium Cheung, HKSC, talks to Indiewire about how and why he used a mobile phone to shoot Sean Baker's new film - and why he doesn't plan to shoot another film on a phone ever again" ....

"David Sheldon-Hicks, who has worked on Guardians of the Galaxy and Ex Machina, examines advances in motion capture and 3D printing".

Stephen Follows:  "Grab a cup of tea – this is a long one. It’s rare for filmmakers to get a candid look at the books of someone else’s film but, thanks to the generosity of Marcus Markou, that’s exactly what you’ll get to read below."

Luke Holland:  "James Cameron’s plan to film three Avatar sequels one after the other represents the peak of Hollywood’s obsession with stockpile film-making."

DJ Roller:  "From the Chauvet Cave paintings of 30,000 years ago, to 6K digital cinema today, we've always told stories, we just do it differently as media changes. There's a new leap in storytelling happening now. Virtual Reality (VR) is going to change the way we express ourselves, communicate with each other and experience the world."

Fred Wagner:  "From risky new formats to digital advances, award-winning films in vogue are using different models – but will they affect the future?"

Adrienne LaFrance:  "A century ago, people worried that color would ruin motion pictures; instead, it changed visual narratives forever" ...

Angela Watercutter:  "If the offerings at this year's Sundace Film Festival are any indication, VR filmmaking is coming—as soon as these folks figure out how to master it."

Josh Dickey:  "The first time Peter Jackson presented footage from The Hobbit at 48 frames per second, most hissed that they hatesss it.

But the high-frame-rate format has had a long journey since that April day back in 2012, when exhibitors and press saw a 10-minute sneak peek of Hobbit footage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas."

Fiona Milburn talks with Brent Kennedy of Camaraderie about compelling storytelling, audience engagement, and values integration in the fast evolving world of branded entertainment.

Eric Johnson:  "The hopes for VR movies are huge, but there are a few technical kinks to work out first."