Transmedia Storytelling

Figure 1 www.amazon.com/Buzz-Lightyear-Star-

Command-Playstation/dp/B00004TEXV

Transmedia storytelling, or the “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” (Jenkins, 2007), has been around for some time now. Many stories have used multiple media channels to extend and connect plot lines, such as Toy Story using a video game to explain the background on Buzz Lightyear (Figure 1). This can be a useful tool in extending the products life and helping to reach new audiences. Bringing back a story in the form of a new media channel is also an excellent way to rejuvenate sales and excitement surrounding that product. This strategy has been used by various different stories, including Star Wars, The Matrix, and various comics that have been turned into movies, television series, video games, and much more. (Jenkins, 2007). Another good example is 24, along with several other television series, deciding to make an appearance on the big screen, and several movies, such as Friday Night Lights, turning into television series.  Although this strategy has seen fairly widespread use on various occasions in the past, crossing between multiple channels in several directions, talk about it appears to have really taken off as of late.

Figure 2 www.nmincite.com/?p=4002

According to Vitter (2011), talk about transmedia storytelling increased by more than four times from 2009 to 2010, see Figure 2, and has continued to rise throughout 2011. While it has been around a while as a marketing tool, the recent increase in popularity in transmedia storytelling is most likely a result of, as most new media, the rise in popularity of the internet. The internet has provided a very simple and easy platform for producer to extend the reach of their story to, and many of them are taking full advantage. Also, coming in at 93 in the J. Walter Thompson Company’s “100 Things to Watch in 2011”, only because items are listed alphabetically, was “Transmedia Producers”. (Mack, 2010). The internet will continue to add to the growing world of transmedia storytelling, but the popularity of transmedia storytelling is also due impart to the current trend towards convergence.

Flew (2008), mentions that convergence in one sense refers to the “interlinking of computing and IT, communications networks, and media content that occurred with the development and popularisation of the internet.” (p.22). With the combination of media content across deferent networks becoming more readily available, it is no wonder that the use of multiple media platforms to tell stories has become more and more popular. The increase in technology has also lead to an increase in the demand for transmedia stories. Now that people are able to access the internet from their smart phones to check email, news, and facebook, they want to be able to find their favourite stories on there as well. Whether they are a fan of Star Wars or Star Trek, as the ability to stay connected to digital media increases, and society’s fixation with new technologies increases, the demand for favourite old stories across an entirely new media platform will continue to increase as well. This demand has helped to create new streams of revenue for old stories. Most recently the trend towards 3D movies has opened up a new ally for Disney to bring back several of its older movies, such as The Lion King. By rereleasing their movies in 3D now, Disney has managed to capture a whole new generation of viewers and reignite its popularity with older viewers. This use of transmedia storytelling is an excellent example of how companies can use it to maximize the potential reach of their stories and the revenue they receive.

Work Cited

Flew, T. (2008). New media: an introduction (3^rd ed). (p.22-24). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Jenkins, H. (2007, March 22). Transmedia storytelling 101. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html

Mack, A. M. (2010). JWT: 100 things to watch in 2011 [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/jwtintelligence/2f-100-things-to-watch-in-2011-6306251

Vitter, L. (2011, March 16). Transmedia storytelling. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.nmincite.com/?p=4002

Knowledge Economy

    I am not doing a full post this week, but in Auckland this weekend I went to see a movie which seemed to fit in with this weeks topic. This weekend I went to see Real Steel with a small group and after reading the chapter and some of the readings due for this week I realized that the movie itself was a kind of metaphor for fighting against this shift into a knowledge economy that we seem to have undergone.

    The movie is about robot boxing. Instead of the old flesh and blood of Rocky and Raging Bull the boxers are now 9 ft tall and made out of steel. These robots are controlled by humans outside of the ring with controllers, like a video game. The protagonist of the film is a former boxer who made the switch to robot boxing as traditional boxing went out of style. As the movie progresses the better boxing robots are not controlled by just one person attempting to box, but by a team of computer technicians working from behind screens. 

    Not to give too much for those who may want to see it, but the end of the movie pits the ultimate in programming technology, the champion bot "Zeus", versus an old beat up bot controlled by an ex-boxer that has to rely on human intuition. It is a battle between knowledge and labor as dominant resources that humans can provide. It also has Hugh Jackman and a boy that dances with a robot. Here is the trailer for your enjoyment: 

 

Convergence

Both Flew(2008) and Standage(2006) refer to two forms of convergence. The first form in both being the convergence of the providers of services, their equipment, the content they provide, and the rules regulating them and more interconnected, and the second is the combining of devices to support multiple purposes. (Flew, p. 22-23; Standage, p. 1). The first form of convergence is very apparent in the in many aspects of media. The Economist points out the telecom and cable television industries as major players in the convergence of services, but it can also be seen in the convergence of Skype (www.skype.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com) which now allows users to use the video calling capabilities of Skype through the “chat” feature on Facebook. The best example of the second form of convergence is the smart phone, which has become popular because of its abilities to make calls, take pictures, surf the internet, and much more. Having all of these abilities in one compact device is very convenient. The profession that I am working towards is teaching, and a clear example of both forms of convergence that is used in this field and will have a great impact in the future is the iPad (figure 1).

Figure 1 (http://i.bnet.com/blogs/apple-ipad-
reader.jpg?tag=content;drawer-container)

The iPad’s capability to download eBooks, email teachers, and navigate mobile learn shows the combination of various forms of media through one service. In the past students would have had to go to the library or bookshop to get the textbook, call teachers, and rummage through a hard copy of the syllabus to check assignments. All of these tasks can be done from the same device now, generally faster and more conveniently. As the world becomes more digitized the teaching profession is beginning to rely more and more heavily on converged services. More schools are requiring teachers to use site such as iLearn, or mobile learn, to post class assignments, and more books and textbooks are moving to electronic form because of advantages in the content that can be included such as interactive pictures and videos, as seen in video (Matas, 2011). Having one service that can provide all of these services is very useful, because then they can all be accessed on one device.

As a device, the iPad also shows the benefits of morphing devices. The screen is bigger than that of mobile phone, allowing for easier reading things like books and papers, but it is smaller than a laptop, allowing for better mobility. One advantage for me of the iPad over a laptop in class was that the iPad did not actually come up between the professor and I, making it far less distracting. Students will also no longer have to carry around several heavy textbooks, but rather they will download them electronically. The organization of electronic documents is much easier, helping to eliminate the clutter of loose papers. The use of the iPad will extend to teachers as well.

As a teacher I will also be able to carry all of my books on an iPad, and having knowledge of the eBook system will better allow me to help students use it. The iPad can also be used to carry my presentations and class notes. The move away from paper will eventually lead to tests and quizzes being done online, and so I will be able to do most, if not all, of my grading on the iPad as well. The iPad will allow me to email students to answer their questions, or even skype them if they are really struggling. The reason the iPad will have such a great impact on the educational world is essentially that it is the convergence of textbooks, or books in general, and the internet into one convenient device.

Work Cited

Flew, T. (2008). New media: an introduction (3^rd ed). (p.22-24). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Matas, M. (2011). Mike Matas: a next-generation digital book. Talks in Less Than 6 Minutes. TED. Retrieved from www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/mike_matas.html 

Strandage, T. (Oct. 12th, 2006). All things to all men. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/7995324/print

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