Transmedia storytelling

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In media studies, the concept of transmedial narration describes a strategy of telling a certain content across multiple media. The term coined by Henry Jenkins is a narrative phenomenon of media convergence .

General

For a transmedia project, for example, a film is first produced on the basis of a book, which arouses the interest of consumers. Fans who are particularly interested then use the accompanying comics, video games, TV series etc. and exchange information on content on fan pages on the Internet. The aim of this strategy is to create a unique complex of narrative structures and thereby turn reception into a special experience, as Henry Jenkins explains on his website:

"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, such a large narrative construct is created from a piece of content that a single medium would not be sufficient for comprehensive reception. The story is therefore "fragmentarily" split across several media. The narrative form has to be adapted to the inherent characteristics of the different media.

Economic background

The transmedia narrative strategy often makes use of the synergetic effects of the modern market economy. Large companies aim to establish their products in as many markets as possible. Through company mergers, it is possible for a product to be successfully marketed in very different sales markets and thereby be profitable for a single large media company. Transmedial narration enables the consumer to enter the complex via his "favorite medium", depending on the focus of interest, and then to work his way through media that are otherwise less used. This also makes it possible for consumers of the "old" media such as books, film and television to turn to newer media such as B. Dare to approach the Internet and computer games. Media groups have the opportunity to generate profits across multiple markets with the same content.

Examples of the convergence of TV and Internet

In most cases, transmedia narratives are not built around a clearly structured plot structure with a single character. Complex actions and person constellations, such as those found in the American television series LOST , offer much greater potential for expansion. A high level of initiative is required of the recipient to immerse himself in the story and perhaps find answers to inconsistencies in other media. On the one hand, the Internet is often used as a platform for exchange between fans.

Here an effect occurs that is characterized by the term collective intelligence coined by Pierre Lévy . With their individual contributions and comments, the enthusiastic fans produce a large body of knowledge about the relevant program. On the other hand, the production companies offer websites on which the series characters are presented - e.g. B. also in the German series dasbloghaus.tv . The Dawson's Desktop page, as a supplement to the Dawson's Creek series , is one of the web-based pioneers. The characters in the series are characterized in more detail here, given a history and a larger social environment than in the series. There are even opportunities to get into personal chat contact with the characters, with the fictional characters being represented by members of the production team.

Transmedia Manifest

The Transmedia Manifesto was created as part of the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2011. As part of the "Storydrive" event, which dealt with the merging of the "Book", "Film" and "Game" industries, a team of transmedia experts from different Areas and entrusted with the task of drafting a story of the future that is to be told transmedially ("The Holger Complex"). The experiences gained in the course of this collaboration were recorded in the "Transmedia Manifesto" and later proclaimed at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jenkins, Henry: Transmedia Storytelling own weblog . Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  2. ^ Jenkins, Henry: Searching for the Origami Unicorn - The Matrix and Transmedia Storytelling. In: Jenkins, Henry: Convergence Culture - Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press, 2006. p. 97
  3. ^ Lévy, Pierre quoted from Jenkins, Henry (2006), p. 97.
  4. ↑ http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/7/2/7/3/pages172730/p172730-1.php