Transmedia storytelling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Transmedia" redirects here. For a related process, see Transmediation.
 This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. (May 2013)

Transmedia storytelling (also known as transmedia narrative or multiplatform storytelling) is the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies, and is not to be confused with traditional cross-platform media franchises,[1] sequels or adaptations.

From a production standpoint, it involves creating content[2] that engages an audience using various techniques to permeate their daily lives.[3] In order to achieve this engagement, a transmedia production will develop stories across multiple forms of media in order to deliver unique pieces of content in each channel. Importantly, these pieces of content are not only linked together (overtly or subtly), but are in narrative synchronization with each other.

Contents

Academic discussion [edit]

In 1991, then University of Southern California professor Marsha Kinder coined the term for this form of storytelling, calling franchises that use such a model "commercial transmedia supersystems". She went on to say "transmedia intertextuality works to position consumers as powerful players while disavowing commercial manipulation."[4] In 2003, then Massachusetts Institute of Technology media studies professor Henry Jenkins used the term in his Technology Review article, "Transmedia Storytelling," where he reflected that the coordinated use of storytelling across platforms can make the characters more compelling.[5]

History [edit]

By the 1970s and 1980s, pioneering artists of telematic art made experiments of collective narrative, mixing the ancestors of today's networks, and produced both visions and critical theories of what became transmedia. With the advent of mainstream Internet usage in the 1990s, numerous creators began to explore ways to tell stories and entertain audiences using new platforms. Many early examples took the form of what was to become known as alternate reality games (ARG), which took place in real-time with a mass audience. The term ARG was itself coined in 2001 to describe The Beast, a marketing campaign for the film A.I. Some early works include, but are not limited to:

  • Dreadnot,[6] an early example of an ARG-style project, was published on sfgate.com in 1996. This ARG included working voice mail phone numbers for characters, clues in the source code, character email addresses, off-site websites, and real locations in San Francisco.
  • FreakyLinks (link to archived project at end of article)
  • The Blair Witch Project - feature film
  • On_Line - feature film
  • The Beast - game
  • Majestic - video game

Many franchises have adopted this method to further enhance their products. Youth in today's society has so many different media platforms with which to explore that companies have taken advantage of this knowledge and spread entertainment to many varied sources. Pokemon is a prime example of this. The franchise spans several different media platforms from a card game to a tv series, with movies, action figures, stuffed animals, merchandise, electronics, and video games all in between. It is all encompassed by one universal story that the participant takes part in. With the transmedia storytelling they are able to fully immerse themselves in the narrative on several different levels.

See also: List of alternate reality games

Current State [edit]

As of 2011, both traditional and dedicated transmedia entertainment studios are beginning to embrace transmedia storytelling techniques in search of a new storytelling form that is native to networked digital content and communication channels. Developing technologies have enabled projects to now begin to include single-player experiences in addition to real-time multiplayer experiences such as alternate reality games. While the list of current and recent projects is too extensive to list here, some notable examples of transmedia storytelling include:

  • Conspiracy 365, a transmedia/multiplatform experience for The Movie Network TV in Australia.
  • Slide, a native transmedia experience for Fox8 TV in Australia.
  • Dirty Work[disambiguation needed], a an interactive web series by Fourth Wall Studios.
  • Skins, a transmedia extension of the Channel 4/Company Pictures TV show by Somethin' Else in the UK.
  • Cathy's Book, a transmedia novel by Sean Stewart.
  • Year Zero, a transmedia project by Nine Inch Nails.
  • ReGenesis, a Canadian television series with a real-time transmedia (alternate reality game) extension that took place in sync with the episodes as they aired.
  • The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a web series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with a significant social media footprint.
  • Pandemic, an independent film and event created by Lance Weiler.
  • MyMusic, transmedia sitcom by Fine Brothers Productions as part of YouTube's original channels initiative.
  • Clockwork watch, an independent project, about a non-colonial Steampunk world, told across graphic novels, live events, online and a feature film created by Yomi Ayeni.
  • ZED.TO, a crowdfunded Canadian ARG that simulates the rise and fall of a futuristic Toronto "lifestyle biotech" corporation.
  • Wakfu, a MMORPG, an animated serie and a trading card game by Ankama Games.
  • Defiance, a television show and video game paired to tell connective and separate stories.

References [edit]

  1. ^ Jenkins, Henry (August 1, 2011). "Transmedia 202: Further Reflections". Confessions of an AcaFan. 
  2. ^ Pratten, Robert (2011). Getting Started in Transmedia Storytelling: A Practical Guide for Beginners (Paperback). London, UK: CreateSpace. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4565-6468-1. 
  3. ^ Bernardo, Nuno (2011). The Producers Guide to Transmedia: How to Develop, Fund, Produce and Distribute Compelling Stories Across Multiple Platforms (Paperback). London, UK: beActive Books. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-9567500-0-6. 
  4. ^ Kinder, Marsha (1991). Playing with Power in Movies, Television, and Video Games: From Muppet Babies to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. pp. 38, 119. ISBN 978-0-520-07570-2. 
  5. ^ Jenkins, Henry (January 15, 2003). "Transmedia Storytelling". Technology Review. Retrieved December 2, 2010. 
  6. ^ "Dreadnot". SFGate. Archived from the original on 2000-02-29. 

Further reading [edit]

  • Azemard, Ghislaine (2013), 100 notions for crossmedia and transmedia, éditions de l’immatériel, p.228
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Transmedia_storytelling&oldid=556747616"