What is Transmedia and What is a Transmedia (Deriviative) Web Series
(I updated this and other thoughts since original post - check here for newer things - home.comcast.net/~docwho2000/moreinfopages/transmedia.html - 11/19/09)
OK - I typed in transmedia definition and was blown away by what is out there. Transmedia as a concept has been around for a long, long time, yet it is only in the last few years that it is exploding and working its way through the assorted layers of society. It is an awesome thing and a bad thing, yes I am invoking both sides of the coin/fence and trying to have my cake and eat it too. I love any medium that enriches a story; that brings it to more people and brings out a larger set of toys to play with.
Some like to read, some like to listen, some like to see. But, that is the bad too... if I have to see, and read and listen to EVERYTHING to really get a feel for the story and universe it is playing with, well, am I going to miss something? Am I going to lose a part of the story and never be able to understand what is going on? I'm not a gamer (ok well I am kinda but, to play devil's advocate), so if I do not play the game, will I not understand the movie? As you build a universe with transmedia, there is not only the possibility of scooping up new eyes and ears, you run the risk of losing eyes and ears too.
Plus, let's be honest, time sprinkled with interest is the one commodity that truly governs everything (even overrides money believe it or not - although money comes a close second in the transmedia race). If I have to spend too much time on trying to find every piece of this story, will I lose interest and give up completely?
So much to think about and so many wonderful discussions. But, for now, I am keeping my focus on web series as that is what I am collecting : )
So a transmedia/derivative web series is in essence a piece of a bigger pie. Now what the piece looks like, that is where the discussion comes in and the fun really begins.
So - that said, IMO, at least looking at things now and how the whole culture and society is changing and flowing regarding communication (another pet project of mine is social media and technology and the impact on collaboration :P - but regarding communication - I think transmedia is a major concept that is here to stay and a lot of projects in the web series world you see will be linked to a bigger pie more and more. In the short term the economy and the "flash" of social networking will drive transmedia projects, meaning the big guns will hold the most sway over producing much of the transmedia web series. But this will trickle down to even the "everyman" level of web series as social collaborative tools and accessible technology facilitates the building of transmedia.
Of course the real question is: how well did the person(s) use the medium/method of transmedia to make a story, because when it all boils down to the nitty-gritty, it's about the story dude, it's about the story...........
docwho2100 last updated Nov. 12, 2009
PS - to answer the essential question behind this blurb - What is a transmedia web series? Which by the way, when typed into Google with quotes returned no results... I am going with this general definition from Henry Jenkins pulled from: http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html
"Transmedia storytelling represents 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 it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story..... .... Ideally, each individual episode must be accessible on its own terms even as it makes a unique contribution to the narrative system as a whole. Game designer Neil Young coined the term, "additive comprehension," to refer to the ways that each new texts adds a new piece of information which forces us to revise our understanding of the fiction as a whole."
So a transmedia web series is a web series that offers new and unique information while contributing to the larger narrative which has been created/delivered using other methods of information delivery (aka a simple sequel to a movie is not transmedia as both original and sequel were delivered as movies. But a sequel to a movie delivered as a game or web series is transmedia).
PSS - I love the Henry Jenkins article I just pulled from for my definition - in #10 he mentions fanfiction as a form of transmedia, which I write, so YAY - hehe go Fanfic :P
I leave you with this thought-provoking quote from http://www.postadvertising.com/post/2009/03/27/Transmedia-Storytelling.aspx :oP
"Transmedia storytelling is one of those monikers that runs the risk of being added to a Bullshit Bingo card some time very soon. On the other hand it could just be the saviour of brand communications. "
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Here are a few things I found. Feel free to add, please, to the discussion.
blogs.middlebury.edu/mediacp/2009/06/17/22-storytelling-or-marketing/ - very short but a good start
http://henryjenkins.org/2009/09/the_aesthetics_of_transmedia_i.html (all three parts especially part 3) - Great article Henry Jenkins - make sure to track down all of hi stuff on transmedia - also check out
www.henryjenkins.org/2009/08/transmedia_storytelling_and_en.html - a nice list and class outline - I wanna take this class!!!!!
http://transmedia-storytelling.tumblr.com/
www.eguiders.com/video/heroes-creator-tim-kring-on-transmedia-storytelling - video interview with Tim Kring
www.viddler.com/explore/HollywoodEastTV/videos/50/ - another video on the basics
www.psfk.com/2009/03/understanding-transmedia-psfk-talks-to-starlight-runner.html - nice article highlighting examples
www.hollywoodeasttv.com/profiles/blogs/the-series-what-is-transmedia - a video from The Series: about transmedia
The entry on transmedia storytelling at Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmedia_storytelling - has a great discussion and brings up the concept of hypersocialbility (encouraging participation through social media and interaction) and multimodality (moving between multiple modes of interaction).
And like this image and the site - seizethemedia.com/what-is-transmedia/
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4 comments:
There's an upcoming conference in Boston that starts a week from tomorrow (Nov. 20,2009), at which Henry Jenkins and an ever-expanding cast of scholarly luminaries will reconvene to discuss the daylights out of this topic.
The Futures of Entertainment 4 is just the tip of the iceberg. Previous-conference podcasts (dating back to 2006) are available for free at iTunes under CMS Colloquium Podcast from MIT. And Power to the Pixel's website is another treasure trove of discussion that approaches the transmedia phenomenon from the points of view of independent filmmakers, which differs profoundly, in several ways profoundly different from mainstream media thinking.
Have you seen/read Level 26: Dark Origins? It's Anthony Zuiker of CSI fame telling a story across various media.
scotellington - awesome thanks for the links - I know I am even lower than the rookie level with this topic :) and in many ways saying what has already been said and moved way beyond - this is just me dipping my own toes in and finding what an incredible world exists - I am a few states too far south to make it to Boston but that would be an awesome experience and I will look at the podcasts - as to the concept being discussed for awhile, you are right - I was reading an article the other day about some old tyme radio writers/producers who were having a laugh at the "new frenzy" big companies are having with "discovering" the transmedia concept because they said they use to do that all the time.... I am coming at this topic from the laywoman user/viewer of web series and not a professional (alas) but I can already see how there are some 180 viewpoints on this
lisa - ooo I have not - I shall look that up - thank you for the reference - is this a favorite? Do you have others?
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