Screenwriter Kristi Barnett Breaking New Ground, Preparing to Unleash a Horror Experience … on Twitter

Transmedia is a technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats. As new forms of internet communication evolve, more and more film makers and writers are taking the opportunity to get their stories out to the masses. Social networking has provided a platform for transmedia projects to flourish, allowing new and diverse ways of storytelling to emerge. Kristi has discovered a way to visually tell a story that no one else has tried and the key… is Twitter.

“As a writer, I am constantly stuck with a dilemma; how do I get my story telling abilities out for the world to see?” Barnett said. “To have their screenplay actually filmed and released to the public is a huge achievement but very difficult to realize.”

With this in mind, Barnett has decided to use a different approach to getting her stories in front of the public. She will be using Twitter, its third party applications like Tweetdeck, YouTube, Facebook and transmedia utility Conductrr, to tweet out the first Twitter movie over a three week live period, using pre-filmed footage and photos to supplement the story.

In fact, the production has just wrapped. The actors filmed themselves using a 1080p Kodak Pocket Zi8 Cam (shooting in 720p mode for online) and a high quality smart mobile phone; the HTC Desire Z. The HD phone is perfectly adapted for social networking sites and is a key part of the story as Karen Barley uses the phone to tweet. And it’s a creepy story to follow!

The Story of Karen Barley
Something strange is happening to Karen Barley…

Karen is convinced by her sinister Boss to take on an outdoors project in an ancient Bronze Age woods in Surrey. Her boyfriend Darren is excited about the mysterious legend of the Hurst and can’t wait to find a hidden path he’s heard of.

On first appearance the Hurst seems mundane, with traffic and people close by. But gradually they begin to experience strange sounds and druid like signs. When Darren discovers the path, he opens a portal that lets in his Other.

Convinced that her boyfriend is trying to frighten her, Karen slowly spirals into a deadly paranoia that result in tragic consequences. And all the while her madness is played out for all to see as she uses Twitter to tell everyone “what’s happening”.