The Art of Immersion by Frank Rose

“People have always wanted to in some way inhabit the stories that move them. The only real variable is whether technology gives them that opportunity.”

–Frank Rose

The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories by Frank Rose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Art of Immersion is a much-needed bridge to/from Henry Jenkins’ seminal Convergence Culture, as Frank Rose crafts an engaging, insightful overview of how storytelling has evolved in the digital age that’s accessible to all, whether enthusiast or skeptic. Focusing primarily on the intersection of film, TV and gaming, there are plenty of takeaways and insights of interest to writers and publishers, too.

Unlike most transmedia advocates, myself included, Rose focuses on immersion and depth of story, rather than just the primacy of STORY itself, offering a variety of compelling examples. Among them, his contrast between Star Wars and Avatar is on point, and I enjoyed his emphasis on marketing and engagement vs. interruption advertising; it’s a key aspect that gets overlooked in most discussions about transmedia.

The final three chapters delve into the science of immersion, with some really interesting info, though Rose’s take on Twitter is surprisingly simplistic and disconnected from earlier references in the book. Particularly interesting is the Lanier-ish (You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto) cautionary tone he ends the book on, somewhat surprising coming from one of the Wired crew.

All in all, a great read, and highly recommended.

NOTE: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher, W.W. Norton. My disclosures are here.

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