Why build a world and only visit it once?
Stories end. Worlds don’t have to.
Stories have a beginning, middle and end — but the worlds they conjure can be open-ended. A rich storyworld can support not just single original works — a film, TV show or game — but sequels, spinoffs, exhibitions, format and remake rights, and other extensions from tourist attractions to stage shows.
But building storyworlds requires a different development model — more patient, more engaged with audiences and working across different media.
Why It Matters Now
The storyworld is becoming a fundamental unit of creative value.
Entertainment financing is shifting. Backing discrete assets — a film, a series — is giving way to continuous IP systems that build audience, engagement, and monetisation across multiple platforms.
“George Lucas’s first ‘Star Wars’ — as a kid, I think I saw it 12 times in the cinema. That, for me, was just the essence of this medium — create an entire world that you can understand and live in, that’s absolutely different from everyday life. That’s the great joy of movies.”
Christopher Nolan
“The storyworld as fundamental asset does not require the movie business to invent a new kind of creator. It requires it to recognise the ones already doing the work in adjacent fields.”
Duncan Nimmo · AGBO
Coming up
Join us at SAE Melbourne on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of August for a free workshop exploring the development pathways and emerging economics of storyworlds. Register below before July 30th to secure your place!
Proudly Supported by
VicScreen is Victoria’s creative and economic screen development agency. They’re behind the scenes, supporting screen businesses, infrastructure, festival and events. Helping develop the skilled practitioners, professional crew and talented creatives that elevate Victoria as a global screen destination.