Secret Story Network

Anna Zaluczkowska (Leeds Beckett University) and Krishna Stott (Bellyfeel)

Since 2016, Leeds Beckett University and Bellyfeel Productions have been experimenting with story structures and forms of delivery. In 2018, after receiving an Arts Council of England award, the research team designed 12 stories of different genres from around the world and trained the writers to become story conductors in live RPG story games on chat. In 2019, they extended the development of the project with funding from XR Stories, creating a basic chat app which was designed in response to the audience participation and stories developed with Yorkshire based TV companies.

The aim of this SIGN project is to develop a new storytelling ethos, training methodology and some highly engaging content IP. As well as an entertainment aspect to the project which includes VR, the research team will develop the application to help deliver storytelling skills in education, as well as learning tools and modules that can be used at higher education courses to teach screenwriting. Leeds Beckett University is testing the idea out with its screenwriting MA students to see how it can be used to teach screenwriting, develop new skills and promote collaborative creative work.

Based on a successful trial with assets from Fremantle Media, this project also intends to test its innovative storytelling attributes applied to a dedicated world-wide soap franchise. This will investigate the possibilities of generating an ongoing, interactive, online, user created soap format which assets will be created for and tested over several week-long periods.

This project is part of:

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  Research

  Investigating the challenges facing the screen industries and devising evidence-based interventions