From eBooks to cBooks – new eBook format combining the best of book and film in an exciting new story platform…

Posted on by Chris The Story Reading Ape

by Elsa Evripidou and Nick Fletcher on Talking New Media site:

Guest Column: Screenwriter and film producer Nick Fletcher and creative author Elsa Evripidou talk about the creation of the new cinematic book ‘Monsoon Tide’

Imagine a product where you can access a character’s backstory, inner thoughts and motivations but you can also see and hear the people, locations and action with the immediacy of a film.  With a cinematic book or cBook you read a chapter on your e-reader and then click to view the ensuing clip which propels you to the next chapter and so on.  The story is therefore revealed, half in a written and half in a film format.

Reasons for it:

  • We have all had the experience of watching beloved novels become slightly disappointing feature films because some of the intricacies of the original story and the insights into the characters have got lost in translation.  The cBook means that this depth of background can be retained whilst at the same time exploring some wonderful cinematic possibilities.

  • In our view, e-books are, for the most part, merely replicating conventional books in an electronic format.  As a result, they are losing market share to the old style printed books.   E-books, however, can do so much more.  There are many audio-visual, gaming and interactive possibilities which could be added to e-books and could perhaps appeal to new audiences.

  • As avid readers ourselves, we were naturally concerned that the cBook might be seen as a dumbing down of literature, taking people away from the joys of reading and immersion in a story.  However, English teachers have been very enthusiastic about the concept, seeing the possibility to attract reluctant readers into the wonderful world of literature.  The clips can act as motivation… reading a few pages will be rewarded with a visual treat.  Also, a cBook story (akin to a 300 page novel) can be read in under two hours.

Who should consider making a cBook?

Click the ‘Look Inside’ to see examples

of what clips inside an cBook look like,

HERE

25 thoughts on “From eBooks to cBooks – new eBook format combining the best of book and film in an exciting new story platform…”

  3. Sorry, Chris, I was stopped in mid-sentence by an errant stroke of my keys. I am all for audio books so people with vision disorders, can enjoy the wonder of books and people with other learning disabilities, like Dyslexia, also love audio books and they have been around for a long time. So, the purpose of the cBook, from by understanding (and I could be wrong) is a form of explanation of why the character is acting the way he/she is and the motivation of that character or characters. Please tell me if I have missed the whole point of a cBook, if I have, then, I will certainly change my perception! Thank you, Chris! Karen 🙂

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  5. Reading words on the written page, in my opinion, is a comprehension skill that is developed through understanding the complex nature of words and their meanings that are often lost in conversation. Hearing someone else speak words can bias the listener by vocalization tones and emphasis that reduce the meaning of words to sound bites. Reading activates different areas in the brain that tend to improve critical thinking skills and learning. When reading, the words themselves develop a cadence that encourages creativity and makes the reader an active participant with the written word. There is a certain beauty in reading that nothing else can replace.

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