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Transmedia Storytelling

I believe that the webseries projects we will be working on in the next few years will be based on transmedia and synergic storytelling: Stories so large that they cannot be squeezed within a single medium or platform. The experience spreads across as many media as possible and every single medium makes exclusive and distinctive contributions to the story. A story will probably start with a short webisode. However, for users to understand it, will have to follow the characters of the story on Twitter, join a group on Facebook or Flickr, visit a channel on Youtube or Vimeo, participate in a forum, play a game or an ARG, or attend an event. We will need to create as many point of entry into the content as possible and offer a transmedia experience that gives users resources to shape their own stories.

Tags: storytelling, transmedia, webisodes

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Permalink Reply by Massimo Martinotti on November 17, 2009 at 12:14pm: A few days ago I also posted this: http://transmedia-storytelling.tumblr.com/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by docwho 2100 on November 17, 2009 at 4:15pm: Thank you so much - I have read some of his material and I am working through more!

Massimo Martinotti said:
I suggest reading this posting by Henry Jenkins: http://henryjenkins.org/2009/09/the_aesthetics_of_transmedia_i.html; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by docwho 2100 on November 17, 2009 at 4:45pm: Thank you for that link as well - between those two - I think the discussion on world-building (overdesign) and episodic/serial narrative discussed by Mr. Jenkins are two avenues where transmedia connects very well with the technology culture we live in today (which makes transmedia of today very different from the historic transmedia mentioned in the blog discussion).

Combine this with your discussion on how viewers (such as me) want to be more involved in the story/world/and media and that is what makes transmedia so great : ) That is why so many like social networks and the technology culture that has developed over the last few years.

I am a teacher and transmedia offers something else - it allows a story to be told in different methods that will reach out to a greater audience - in teaching, we call it universal design for learning - you offer different points in the classroom lesson for students to access, some prefer to read, some to watch, some to hear, some to do. If you teach one style, you only reach one type of learner in an optimum way. If you design a lesson with multiple ways to get to the content, your audience is larger - I would hazard a guess that translates right into the media world too.

So it seems there are multiple roads to why to use transmedia (an ironic twist as that is what transmedia is about) - but do you wish to offer the world-building/over design element? Do you wish to build a serial connection and follow those seeds in more detail? Do you wish to reach viewers/consumers/users through multiple avenues and multiple forms of design/learning? Yes? No? :o)

Massimo Martinotti said:
A few days ago I also posted this: http://transmedia-storytelling.tumblr.com/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by docwho 2100 on November 19, 2009 at 6:56am: I continue to work through all the wonderful references, discussions and content regarding transmedia storytelling. One of the questions/concerns/hmmm what happens if... that I have (and I know others do too) is with the construction of a transmedia universe - what happens if people can not get to certain sources? especially with digital...

I am trying to collect references to all resources in one place, review, list, and rate web series (just going from a web series angle as this is a huge task in and of itself) - but I am looking at web series that are part of a transmedia story. And ok, some of the series I stumble across, many of the sources have been lost or are no longer available - so what happens to the story? One example is the Tardisodes that were created for the second season of the new Doctor Who - they still do exist (cough, cough) but not 100% legally and not easy to find. So has part of the story been lost (that specific example I have more to say at my site so I argue, no the story is not too shattered, but)...

Another example - using Twitter - well are you or someone going to archive the tweets? Or will any story developed there be lost to someone who finds the story six months or more later.... and what about web sites going down, or changing owners, or... what if I do not have enough money to purchase the animatrix but can watch it on cable or such.... If i do not have a mobile phone with Internet and App capability - is that story lost to me (does this make a story then elitist or stratified in some aspect)??? Does this divide transmedia experiences into TWO categories - one that is a preserved story and one that is more an event or interactive story but is a ONE SHOT type of deal???

And for those creating transmedia experiences, I am curious how you tackle those issues? Are there plans in place for somehow preserving the entire story? Are you going more for the EVENT and real time interaction and thus that is lost later - or do you want the preserved story and the audience's ability to access ALL part of a story...

I know, I ask too many questions (I am often called Curious George for a reason). And please if these are being discussed and asked other places, let me know, I would love to go and read and find my answers ;); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Todd Ciaciuch on November 19, 2009 at 12:39pm: Transmedia seems like a lot of work to follow a story. For narrative shows, meandering through advertisements and ad games to get the whole story may not hold onto the audience's interest. And it might backfire if not executed well. Usually, people go on click discoveries when they like a show and characters so much, they search out for more content and commentary. The idea of Transmedia as it is defined, is entertainment built exclusively to facilitate advertising models on the assumption it will be popular because of the brand or the outlet it's played on. I think once the public really gets a good grasp on New Media, they'll avoid schemes like this and go directly to thought-provoking and engaging stories without non-creative corporate influence. An good example for me is Illena's IKEA show. I liked the concept at first, but the writing quickly fell apart into a self-promotion for the actors involved. It seems the sponsorship and hubris of the participants superseded the creative writing. This whole web series thing almost looks like something discovered by children, and the adults just have yet to catch on to it. In the meantime, we have a lot of underdeveloped, overtly sexual, and often immature content that the mass audience will never settle with.

But it's still early and time will ultimately tell.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by docwho 2100 on November 19, 2009 at 5:27pm: I agree using transmedia to tell a story can be work, depending on the story, the type of sources and how big the narrative is... but then one could argue some stories are like that (look at the Star Wars universe 6 movies, the Clone Wars, how many books, etc.....)

Some of what you mention is usually labeled more as Branded entertainment (I think) such as the Ikea series which can use transmedia storytelling to develop the narrative but has that brand link. And yes, sometimes branded web series end up becoming more commercial... have you seen Back on Topps or In Gayle we Trust? Sometimes branded entertainment is not that bad (IMO of course).

I do think there is a danger with transmedia stories in losing viewers if it is too involved. Of course the opposite is maybe the transmedia sources will bring in people who might not have otherwise stumbled into the universe. I worry though that transmedia stories will not last over time as digital mediums flux and flow - I have been looking into the early web series and transmedia examples - Homicide: Second Shift is an example - those web sites and thus web series do not directly exist, so if I rent the Homicide TV show, I will not understand some of the story (there was crossover between the web series characters and the TV characters).

Of course another topic to consider is funding, as with any entertainment source/media/etc. Who is paying the bill and what's the "Bottom Line".

Todd Ciaciuch said:
Transmedia seems like a lot of work to follow a story. For narrative shows, meandering through advertisements and ad games to get the whole story may not hold onto the audience's interest. And it might backfire if not executed well. Usually, people go on click discoveries when they like a show and characters so much, they search out for more content and commentary. The idea of Transmedia as it is defined, is entertainment built exclusively to facilitate advertising models on the assumption it will be popular because of the brand or the outlet it's played on. I think once the public really gets a good grasp on New Media, they'll avoid schemes like this and go directly to thought-provoking and engaging stories without non-creative corporate influence. An good example for me is Illena's IKEA show. I liked the concept at first, but the writing quickly fell apart into a self-promotion for the actors involved. It seems the sponsorship and hubris of the participants superseded the creative writing. This whole web series thing almost looks like something discovered by children, and the adults just have yet to catch on to it. In the meantime, we have a lot of underdeveloped, overtly sexual, and often immature content that the mass audience will never settle with.

But it's still early and time will ultimately tell.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by docwho 2100 on November 20, 2009 at 1:48pm: Is anyone attending or following the FOE4 conference? http://futuresofentertainment.org/ - any thoughts or comments on what is happening there (ala the Purefold development, the new measures and other items)????; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by petersteel on December 4, 2009 at 1:40am: i agree with your view about trans media storytelling ... but still u have nicely written the blog... for more information about memoir writing, storytelling,corporate communication u can visithttp://jayspeyerer.com/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by docwho 2100 on December 4, 2009 at 5:08am: Thank you so much for the link reading for this evening!!!!!! (I am guessing I will find some of your thoughts and observations on this topic there???)) -

petersteel said:
i agree with your view about trans media storytelling ... but still u have nicely written the blog... for more information about memoir writing, storytelling,corporate communication u can visithttp://jayspeyerer.com/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Massimo Martinotti on February 10, 2010 at 8:03am: I just read "Show sold separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts" by Jonathan Gray
It is a very enlightening book.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rich Mbariket on July 18, 2010 at 8:05am: Guide: Getting started on Transmedia Storytelling - http://workbookproject.com/culturehacker/2010/07/07/transmedia-stor...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by modelmotion on July 18, 2010 at 8:25am: We already did all that with Lonelygirl15. There are some important lessons to be learned. The most important is that to have such engagement you need extremely involved fans. The more complex a story is in terms of where and how it is consumed the more it tends to make it harder to follow. And the more stories you follow simultaneously the more you compound the issue. Back in the day of Lonelygirl15 there were very few stories. Today there is a new web series every day.

These type of stories are amazing but they are also dangerous if you are not highly skilled at building an audience. Many web series creators still do not know how to build an audience for a simple linear story and if you cannot do that then your chances of surviving in the land of transmedia are slim.; ▶ Reply to This