Johansen Quijano University of Texas Arlington English Department

1. Transmedia Storytelling Johansen Quijano University of Texas Arlington English Department

2. But First… About Your Responses… For your responses to digital texts • A short summary of the text: • What happens? • How does it happen? • Your reaction to the text: • How did you feel as you engaged with the text? • What did you think about? • Linking the Text to an Idea • Can you connect any of the ideas discussed in class to the text?

3. …And About Your Discussions… For your discussion on issues: • State the issue in question and your claim on the issue. • Write a brief statement about why you think as you do. • Give one or two examples. • Explain how the issue affects you or society as a whole.

4. OVERVIEW • What is Transmedia? • Transmedia Storytelling: A Story Across Multiple Platforms • Transmedia 1.0: “Pushed Media” • Transmedia 2.0: “Extended Media” • Transmedia 3.0: “Adapted Media” • Transmedia 4.0: “Experiences in Media” • The case of The Matrix • The case of Pokemon • The case of YuGiOh!

5. What is Transmedia? “The way interactive media is becoming immersive is through the newly coined term transmedia” (Henderson). “Transmedia is the process of taking a story, for any form of media, and expanding and developing for all media” (Henderson). “Most often, transmedia stories are based not on individual characters or specific plots but rather complex fictional worlds which can sustain multiple interrelated characters and their stories” (Jenkins). There are various levels of transmedia.

6. “Transmedia Storytelling” • The type of transmedia that is going to be immersive is transmedia storytelling (Henderson). • Trasmedia storytelling would be the expansion of the universe or world created telling the story of many inhabitants of a world (Henderson). • “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” (Jenkins). • 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 (Jenkins).

7. “Transmedia Storytelling” • “Transmedia storytelling is about immersion, participation & experiences in an authored environment which will not only attract existing readers, but bring new audiences and modes of fragmentation” (Norrington). • “The fact remains that successful and credible transmedia novels must focus primarily on storyand, without that focus, will be in danger of shifting from a viable ‘immersive experience’ to one of those transparent ‘cross-media marketing initiatives and/or brand extensions’” (Norrington). • “Transmedia storytelling is the ideal aesthetic form for an era of collective intelligence” (Jenkins). • “The audiences around the world want to be involved with their entertainment” (Henderson).  

8. Cross Media 1.0 “Pushed Media” Pushed media happens when the same content is delivered in the same form or with very minor modifications or editing across multiple platforms. The user in this case could create their own cross media linkages by watching half of the episode on mobile and the rest on broadband. This level does not have strong cross media triggers but may promote the same content on another platform. One Piece Multicast Transafaring Kindle Books Wii U Gamepad-compatible games What is it? How does it work? Good examples:

9. Cross Media 2.0: “Extended Media” Extended cross media happens when additional content is produced alongside a main production but delivered through different platforms. This 'extra' cross media content is naturally different from the main property and not necessarily dependent on it - temporally or editorially. Derived downloadable content. Flash / Facebook games. Online “making of” videos. Editing software for computer games. What is it? How does it work? Good examples:

10. Cross Media 3.0: “Adapted Media” Adapted media happens where a specific existing narrative is specifically re-authored for a new form of media. The content placed on the original platform is adapted for a different platform. Elements of the original content can be lost in the transmediation process, but new experiences can be gained because of the process. Harry Potter Lord of the Rings Twilight Dante’s Inferno What is it? How does it work? Good examples:

11. Cross Media 4.0: “Experienced / Bridged Media” An aggregation of the first three levels, this is also where the content is distributed across many platforms in a non-linear way. It is producer ‘hands-off’- in that they have created an environment, much like a game, that the participant/s ‘lives’ inside of, following their own path and therefore personalizing the experience. A crossmedia 4.0 property is co-creative, collaborative play with the audience across many devices, which evolves and grows a life of its own. Blair Witch Project The Matrix YuGiOh! Pokemon What is it? How does it work? Good examples: This level of cross media is also called “Transmedia Storytelling”.

12. The Matrix as a Transmedia Text “The Matrix is entertainment for the age of media convergence, integrating multiple texts to create a narrative so large that it cannot be contained within a single medium” (Jenkins, 95). Movies introduce the world, the story, and the mythology. The comic books and animations expand the world and mythology. The games allow for exploration of and immersion into the world.

13. Pokemon as a Transmedia Text By design, Pokemon unfolds across games, television programs, films, and books, with no media privileged over any other (Jenkins). Movies can introduce the world. TV series and comic books can introduce and expand the world. Players explore the world through the games. Players can integrate the world of Pokemon into their reality through the card game.

14. YuGiOh! As Transmedia Text Transmedia Storytelling is perhaps at its most elaborate, so far, in children’s media franchises like YuGiOh (Jenkins, 128). Movies can introduce the world. TV series and comic books can introduce and expand the world. Players explore the world through the games. Players can integrate the world of YuGiOh! into their reality through the card game. Special events enhance the transmedia experience.

15. Discussion Questions • How can transmedia storytelling serve as an aesthetic? • How can transmedia be used as a marketing tool? • What are the most effective ways to bridge boundaries between media? • How are new tools for media production (mobile devices, etc.) changing the aesthetic and the impact of transmedia projects? • How can transmedia transcend media and cross over into reality?

16. References: • Henry Jenkins – Convergence Culture • Marie-Laurie Ryan – Narrative Across Media • http://www.futurebook.net/content/transmedia-storytelling-–-what’s-it-all-about • http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/13052/page1/ • http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html • http://criticalcommons.org/Members/CTCS505/lectures/transmedia-interactive-becoming-immersive • http://books.google.com/books?id=raDNu1lThHQC