This project report outlines a proposed transmedia storytelling project called "Dearly Departed" that will investigate how The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Australia from a Mexican-Australian perspective. Key stakeholders for the project include Robyn Ravlich from ABC Radio National and Racquel Duran from Multicultural Arts Victoria. The project will tell personal stories and explore Mexican cultural elements like altars, calaveras (skeleton art), and the legend of La Llorona through multiple mediums like a website with categories. The report provides examples of comparable online projects and proposes design elements and categories to organize content for "Dearly Departed."

1. Dearly Departed
PROJECT REPORT
COMM 2323
Diana Conti
s3285719

2. The Brief
Key stakeholders:
 Robyn Ravlich
 ABC Radio National
 Racquel Duran & Multicultural Arts Victoria
Key considerations:
 Type of content produced by the ABC
 Radio National and their content/audience: RN identifies itself
as a broadcasting service ‘where people can hear the latest in
science, books and publishing, religion, social history, the arts
and current affairs’

3. Dearly Departed: A Common Thread
What binds our stories together?
The project will investigate what it means to celebrate The
Day of the Dead in Australia and uncover the social and
cultural implications of the festival in regards to
globalisation and cultural interchange. The Mexican-
Australian perspective on the celebration will no doubt be a
common thread found in everyone’s work.

4. Transmedia Storytelling
Key characteristics of successful transmedia storytelling:
 Multiple mediums/platforms
 Interactivity
 Active audience/audience involvement
 Well-designed: Aesthetically pleasing and visually engaging
 Easy to navigate
 Encourage conversation via social platforms - Facebook,
Twitter, Blogs etc.

5. Comparable Online Projects
An appropriate example: SBS ‘Multimedia’ Web Documentaries
The Dragon Children
SBS web documentary asking the question: What’s behind the
success of Chinese-Australians?
Why is it a good example?
Good use of categories (chapters)
Easy to navigate
Visually pleasing
Photography and basic design are simple
Similar content: focus on telling intercultural stories featuring
everyday people

6. Techniques that could be used in
‘Dearly Departed’:
 Categories: used to organise
content and allow audiences to
choose stories of most relevance
to their interests
 Simple design that doesn’t
overwhelm
 Links to Facebook & ABC Pool
easily accessible to encourage
conversation with viewers

7. Design Skeleton (excuse the pun) - Proposed Categories
Personal
Stories
stories
detailing the about
way Mexican- artwork
Australians Altar Calaveras (Calaveras
celebrate the poems, La
festival Catrina)
(stories of
family)
Stories
about the The tale of
La Llorona
music of The Music La Llorona
Day of the
Dead.

8. Last words:
Although influenced by an audio feature, ‘Dearly Departed’ will
develop into a largely visual work that will aim to integrate many
different stories and concepts under one common thread: the
Mexican-Australian view of The Day of the Dead.