Transmedia storytelling is on the rise, with more and more production companies (and industries in general) trying to utilise it within their latest projects. It's possible that transmedia will soon be the prominent form of storytelling and will in fact be the main way in which we as an audience consume and interact with media.
But, what exactly is transmedia storytelling? Where did it come from? Why is it so important?
Henry Jenkins, a media scholar who has written extensively about new media cultures, coined the term 'transmedia', describing it as:
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| The 'new' transmedia world |
Henry Jenkins, a media scholar who has written extensively about new media cultures, coined the term 'transmedia', describing it as:
"[A] process where integral elements of a fiction
get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the
purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience.
Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding
of the story."
Essentially, transmedia storytelling revolves around utilising different mediums and formats to tell one story. This isn't to be confused with more traditional media franchises that spawn spin-offs, sequels, reboots and merchandise. The key difference is that transmedia properties tell one story, instead of re-telling or branching out into territories with multiple stories.
Jenkins uses the example of The Matrix franchise:
"[K]ey bits of information are conveyed through three live action films, a series of animated shorts, two collections of comic book stories, and several video games. There is no one single source or ur-text where one can turn to gain all of the information needed to comprehend the Matrix universe."
Compare The Matrix with a similar, yet more traditional film franchise, and the distinction becomes more apparent. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film spawned two sequels, video game adaptations of each film and was based off of an original comic book series. Yet, those video games simply retold the story of the films, and the film storylines themselves were adaptations of the comic book narratives. With each new property the same information was relayed - you could invest in one source and gain all of the needed information.
It won't come as a surprise that transmedia storytelling really took off with the advent of modern media technologies. With technological advancements came the ability to watch film and television on portable devices, the option to play mobile games relating to film and TV properties as you watched and the ability to interact with media properties using apps and interactive websites. Technology changed the way we consume media, and this naturally lead to a new type of storytelling.
The reason all of this matters really ties together everything I've discussed. In a world of multi-screen viewers the need to engage an audience through interactivity and active involvement is more important than ever. New projects are constantly coming to the fore that try to innovate beyond the usual standard and that try to attract audiences using new, transmedia solutions.
In my next post I will assess just how successful current attempts at transmedia storytelling are, focusing on the Defiance TV show and video game project created by Universal Cable and Trion Worlds, as well as the Halo universe created by Bungie.
In the meantime, you can check out Henry Jenkins' blog, as well as his posts on transmedia storytelling:
http://henryjenkins.org/
henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html
http://www.henryjenkins.org/2011/08/defining_transmedia_further_re.html
Essentially, transmedia storytelling revolves around utilising different mediums and formats to tell one story. This isn't to be confused with more traditional media franchises that spawn spin-offs, sequels, reboots and merchandise. The key difference is that transmedia properties tell one story, instead of re-telling or branching out into territories with multiple stories.
Jenkins uses the example of The Matrix franchise:
"[K]ey bits of information are conveyed through three live action films, a series of animated shorts, two collections of comic book stories, and several video games. There is no one single source or ur-text where one can turn to gain all of the information needed to comprehend the Matrix universe."
 |
| 'The Matrix' 'universe' |
Compare The Matrix with a similar, yet more traditional film franchise, and the distinction becomes more apparent. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film spawned two sequels, video game adaptations of each film and was based off of an original comic book series. Yet, those video games simply retold the story of the films, and the film storylines themselves were adaptations of the comic book narratives. With each new property the same information was relayed - you could invest in one source and gain all of the needed information.
It won't come as a surprise that transmedia storytelling really took off with the advent of modern media technologies. With technological advancements came the ability to watch film and television on portable devices, the option to play mobile games relating to film and TV properties as you watched and the ability to interact with media properties using apps and interactive websites. Technology changed the way we consume media, and this naturally lead to a new type of storytelling.
 |
| Our new 'multi-screen world' |
The reason all of this matters really ties together everything I've discussed. In a world of multi-screen viewers the need to engage an audience through interactivity and active involvement is more important than ever. New projects are constantly coming to the fore that try to innovate beyond the usual standard and that try to attract audiences using new, transmedia solutions.
In my next post I will assess just how successful current attempts at transmedia storytelling are, focusing on the Defiance TV show and video game project created by Universal Cable and Trion Worlds, as well as the Halo universe created by Bungie.
 |
| 'Defiance'; TV show by Universal Cable & video game by Trion Worlds |
In the meantime, you can check out Henry Jenkins' blog, as well as his posts on transmedia storytelling:
http://henryjenkins.org/
henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html
http://www.henryjenkins.org/2011/08/defining_transmedia_further_re.html
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