World building is an essential component of story creation. Here we discuss points of what it means to build a world, how to prototype one using Unity 3D, and the wonderful contributions from Alex McDowell at the X Media Lab Transmedia conference.

1. Transmedia Zurich
Mark Melnykowycz
World Building and Character
Development
Dec. 2nd 2013
Colab Zurich

2. Transmedia Toolkit
What is Transmedia
World Building Basics
http://www.transmediazh.ch/
http://www.meetup.com/Transmedia-Zurich/

3. Meetups
Ideas
Experiences
Transmedia Toolkit
Story
Consumption
www.transmediatoolkit.org
Container

4. Why Transmedia?

5. Media
Channels
Story
Engagement
Transmedia
Users
Narrative
Audience
Emotions

6. World Building
The over-arching purpose of building a world
is to setup the context and conflict for the
characters. They may triumph in a traditional
story structure, but only because they have
the opportunity to, either by their own
devices or by being placed in a unique
situation.

7. Story Structure and
Conflict

8. A Generic Story
Character presented with challenge
Generic Hero
Generic Threat
Character overcomes challenges
Finds courage...
Character evolves
Triumphs!

9. Character Change Through Conflict
Character evolves
A character evolves/
changes due to
conflict inherent
in the story
Relationships
Environment

10. Story Development
Character Driven
World Driven
Generic environment,
used as a setting for
character interaction to
take place.
The story of a character
in a given environment,
which forces action /
conflict
...character traits stay the
same
...become a different person
How will the world affect
character development?

11. Traditional
action hero
Contemporary
super hero
Die Hard
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ironman, Thor, Spiderman,
etc.
Watchmen
Dark Night
Man of Steel
X-men
Simple dialogue, hero never
dies, always triumphs.
Question their actions and
place in the story, supporting
characters die, like real life.
Good vs. Evil
Good? vs. Grey Zone

12. World Building Basics

13. Characters
Characters represent
the windows through
which the audience
experiences the story
by emphasizing with
those characters and
their choices/actions.
Conflict
Story
Conflict is the reason
that characters grow
and evolve, the reason
why they change, and
teach the audience how
to live (or not live) their
own lives.
World
The world sets the stage, the context in which the
characters exist and deal with the conflicts they are
presented with. The boundaries of the world can directly
influence how conflict materializes.

14. World building often revolves around origin stories. If the
world exists in a certain time or physical set of laws
govern it, then logic dictates how it has evolved.
The origin story is the
logical set of events
which allow the world
to exist, similar to how
we explain our own
history on the Earth.
World
The speed and ease
which a character can
negotiate their world
will profoundly
influence how they can
overcome challenges.
Logistics
Origins
Conflict

15. The context in which the characters exist and deal with
the conflicts they are presented with.
World
Location
Time
Physics
Where is the world?
Is it a city, a new
planet, a coffee
house? Each comes
with specific physical
boundaries.
Time is an important
physical boundary that
can dramatically
influence characters.
Place a person in
another time or use a
world from a different
time?
If it’s a new world, does it
respect the physics of
Earth as we understand
them? Changes the basic
laws of gravity or physics
can have a profound
influence on characters.

16. Character Integration
Character traits can be determined after building the
world
Build
World
Character
Journey
Define
Character
Define your world,
physics, time, location,
etc.
The character journey
helps define character
traits or elements
based on the logistic
challenges of the
world.
Based on the origin logic
of the world and the
Character Journey, finetune character traits that
define who they have to
be to fit with the logic of
the world.

17. Character
Journey
How does a character move
around the world?
Transportation
logistics
Character
becomes sick
How would she
die?
Must go to
hospital
Never invented
gasoline, all
hydrogen

18. Alex McDowell
X Media Lab Switzerland
2013

19. Alex McDowell has working on world building aspects for many movies,
such as Minority Report, Fight Club, Charlie and Chocolate Factory, Man of
Steel, etc.
X | Media | Lab Switzerland 2013: Transmedia
Alex McDowell – Transmedia’s Renaissance Man: Narrative Designer for Minority Report; Fight Club; Man of
Steel; Associate Professor, USC – School of Cinematic Arts; Visiting Artist, MIT Media Lab (Hollywood)

20. At X-Media Lab I got a fine appreciation for the aspect of origin and story/
character evolution related to the framework or boundaries of the world
one wishes to create.
X | Media | Lab Switzerland 2013: Transmedia
Alex McDowell – Transmedia’s Renaissance Man: Narrative Designer for Minority Report; Fight Club; Man of
Steel; Associate Professor, USC – School of Cinematic Arts; Visiting Artist, MIT Media Lab (Hollywood)

21. In creating the world for Man of Steel, design logic started from the
Superman “S” and the organic-inspired form logic for the Krypton world.
The language of Krypton served to define the identity of Krypton society,
and also integrated into the spaceship and physical planet design.
More info:
http://www.fastcocreate.com/1683341/alex-mcdowell-on-creating-krypton-and-the-future-of-production-design
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=105221
X | Media | Lab Switzerland 2013: Transmedia
Alex McDowell – Transmedia’s Renaissance Man: Narrative Designer for Minority Report; Fight Club; Man of
Steel; Associate Professor, USC – School of Cinematic Arts; Visiting Artist, MIT Media Lab (Hollywood)

22. Starting from organic forms, the design philosophy of Krypton included only
curved lines. Since Krypton was a dying planet, fully mined of resources, this
was reflected in the stratified terrain of the planet.
X | Media | Lab Switzerland 2013: Transmedia
Alex McDowell – Transmedia’s Renaissance Man: Narrative Designer for Minority Report; Fight Club; Man of
Steel; Associate Professor, USC – School of Cinematic Arts; Visiting Artist, MIT Media Lab (Hollywood)

23. Virtual World Building
and Prototyping

24. Physical Virtual World Building / Prototyping
In case you don’t have the resources of Alex McDowell,
how can you digitally build a world for your story?
Flexibility to
build physical
terrain
Ability to add in
elements like
buildings, tanks,
etc.
Able to use free
tools and access
a community for
support

25. Physical Virtual World Building / Prototyping
Unity 3D
• Multi-platform Game
•
•
•
•
development
Terrain building
Visualization
Integration of buildings,
people, etc.
Free version

26. Sketch out worlds
The Hobbit Map
http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/File:F27c_thorins_map_from_the_hobbit.jpg
In prototyping your world, the digital canvas can act as a way to visualize the place you’re
creating. This can allow easy play in the creation process, giving context to the world you’re
creating in your mind.

27. Paint terrain and
topography features
Add textures for grass,
rock, water, etc.
Add buildings, people,
tanks, etc.

28. Unity User Interface
Paint on topography
Load new models
Use different brushes
Load textures

29. Thank You Colab Zurich
for hosting!

30. Transmedia Zurich
http://www.transmediazh.ch/
http://www.meetup.com/Transmedia-Zurich/
Mark Melnykowycz
Liz Henry
@americanpeyote
idezo.ch
Lostinreality.net
@whereareyouliz
henrygeneral.com