by Christophe Cluzel, published on 1.06.2010

From July 5^th to the 7^th, those were the themes of a series of debates featuring Transmedia Lab in Angoulême. La Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée (the international comics center) and Le Pôle Image Magelis organized the 4^th Comics Summer University to discuss the role and the place of authors, and more broadly, of image creators, in the context of media convergence and global works.

Media networking now allows interactions between different disciplines serving a common artistic goal or a common path. This is the case, for example, of the conception of a comic series in a plural format and destined for multidimensional use. In parallel, a large number of authors are now migrating from drawing to programming, from scriptwriting to animation, which is the sign of a new generation of multi-disciplinary authors…just like these three days of conferences.

In which way do global media, meaning multiple formats, influence cultural content? How do the new forms of mediation (web streaming, e-ads, blogs, etc) transform the relationships all along the creation, distribution, conception and reception chain? How does one conceive a trans-media work intended to be shown on different platforms? What can we expect from the switch to hyperbooks, including from the readers’ perspective? Which new professions are cross-media creating?

These are some of the questions that were at the heart of the meetings, presentations, conferences and workshops of this summer university. Extensions of the creative field or “simply” economic transformations? Starting from case studies with authors and image professionals, the Summer University asked questions about the ongoing evolutions and the fields opened by this new type of creative writing. The debates touched upon the creative potentials as much as the reconsideration of the traditional economic model.

Info on www.citebd.org