Transmedia Storytelling
Instructions: Choose one of the following topics and write a clear, concise essay of two full pages. The essay should have a title and a Works Cited page.
1. Discuss the relation between fictionality and historicity in relation to Lisa Goldstein’s “Breadcrumbs and Stones” and David Brin’s “Thor Meets Captain America”.
2. Discuss the relationship between word and image in mixed-media narrative texts, illustrating your discussion with a graphic novel of your choice.
3. Discuss the concept of transmedia narrativity and give an example of transmedia storytelling. How does the change of medium affect the meaning of the story
Solution.
Transmedia Storytelling
Transmedia narrativity, also referred to transmedia storytelling, relates to a method of telling a story or any story experience across different or multiple formats and platforms that are of current digital technology. Henry Jenkins, warns us that we should be able to differentiate between media mixes, traditional cross platforms, and transmedia storytelling (Jenkins 56). The word transmedia means “across media.” This paper will outline the concept of transmedia narrativity, discuss an example of transmedia narrativity and discuss how meaning is altered when a story is delivered in different media platforms.
Concept of Transmedia Storytelling and examples
Transmedia storytelling was born in the early 1960s when the Japanese’s marketing strategy of media mixes hit the world with a bang. The telematics artists then made experiments of collective narratives and produced visions and critical theories of what became transmedia. With the advancement of technology, in the 1990s, many authors and producers began to explore unique ways to entertain their audience and tell stories using the new digital platforms. Digital platforms offer powerful means of conveying stories. Transmedia combines the art of narration with multimedia devices such as photography, animations, audio, video, and so on. Many early examples of the transmedia works took the form of alternate reality games(ARG), coined in 2001. Other examples of early works include On line (a feature film, 2001), the beast (a game 2001). The best example of transmedia work is Superman. The first works of Superman were in an action comic book in 1938, later on, the story has been transmitted through different platforms and format. For example, the Superman story was aired on television in 1948 and 2001, Film series Superman and Smallville respectively (Scolari, Bertetti and Freeman).
Additionally, in transmedia storytelling, each media platform used has essential functions be it comic, novel, mobile apps, or video games. Each piece underwrites to a larger narrative or story. Therefore, each piece adds richness and details to the story world. The audience in transmedia storytelling are actively involved, preeminent to social and artistic collaborators. The story design in transmedia storytelling simply creates motivation to participate with others, hunt for other parts of the story and contribute to the story by adding more content. The main aim of transmedia is to bring the fictional world into the real world through these platforms that are digitally up to date with technological advancements. Transmedia narrativity is advantageous in that many companies use it for marketing, branding and advocacy campaigns. Transmedia storytelling possesses three features in fostering marketing and awareness campaigns. First, it is an excellent persuasion tool, as it engages our minds. Secondly, it creates audience connection. Therefore more population can access the media. Lastly, it has a financial impact (C. A. Scolari 12).
Conclusively,
educators often identify the benefits associated with the use of transmedia storytelling as it provides an array of
technical tools that students can use for creative expressions. The method is
efficient and makes the meaning of the story more understood by the audiences.
Many argue that the meaning of the
original text be altered at some points
as producers tend to come up with more details to capture the attention of the
audiences. Therefore, with the core aims of using transmedia as a method to
capture audiences some of the meaning of the original story is manipulated. Transmedia storytelling is now
the new way to convey stories to the new generation since it is evident that
people are now addicted to new methods of technology in the world of
literature. Therefore, as a narrator, it is recommended that works of narration should be transformed
into transmedia methods so as to be delivered to a larger audience and convey
different messages.
Works Cited
Jenkins, Henry. Transmedia Storytelling. Vol. 1. Sage Publishers, 2009.
Scolari, C, P Bertetti and M Freeman. Transmedia Archaeology: Storytelling in the Borderlines of Science Fiction, Comics and Pulp Magazines. Springer, 2014.
Scolari, C. A. “Transmedia storytelling: Implicit Consumers, Narrative Worlds, and Branding in Contemporary Media Production.” International Journal of Communication, 2.21 (2009): 1-40.
