Framestore Teams with io9 on Exquisite Corpse Project

Leading visual effects, animation and digital production company Framestore [1] announced the launch of a collaborative storytelling project called an “exquisite corpse” in partnership with Gawker sci-fi site io9 [2].

An exquisite corpse is a storytelling method by where the narrative is collectively assembled by a group of individuals. Each writer adds to the body of work by advancing the story where the last writer left off. In the Framestore-io9 collaboration, artists will participate in advancing the story as well as writers.

With the goal of enhancing reader engagement by creating dialogue between writers and artists, io9 will showcase concept art developed by Framestore’s visual development department once every two weeks in a regular feature on the site called the “concept art writing prompt.” Readers will be encouraged to submit a short piece of fiction inspired by the artwork. Framestore will then create new works of art in response to the writing. In the end, the hope is to create a one-of-a-kind story that never could have existed without an ongoing dialogue between writers and artists.

“Our partnership with io9 is a prime example of the power of using great content to create a dialogue with a highly loyal community,” said Sir William Sargent, founder and chief executive of Framestore. “The io9 community loves concept art, making it the perfect place to showcase the talented artists in Framestore’s visual development department, whose work is rarely revealed publicly.”

Concept art is created to give a visual representation of movie scenes before they are filmed, and has become a mainstay for sci-fi fans.

“Concept art is part of the fabric of the io9 sci-fi community and this project will allow us to engage with them in a really new and unique way,” said Annalee Newitz, io9’s editor-in-chief. “This is new territory for us, and we’re excited to see the kinds of stories that our readers create around these images.”

Source: Framestore