Transmedia storytelling
Transmedia storytelling if done effectively can tell a story across any number of media and each form will have its own unique style, it’s own voice. A recent example of this done well would be ‘Tron’, at first there was the original film, then came the digital games (which were set soon after)such as ‘Tron 2.0’. Following on from this was the film’s upcoming sequel. Then came the digital games and later, the prequel comic books and prequel digital game.
As first mentioned each of these media told a different part of the story, making best use of those mediums particular strengths. If the transmedia story telling is successful and effective it will also form part of an interconnecting story. If we take The ‘Tron’ example, The ‘Tron: Evolution’ digital game and the ‘Tron: Betrayal’ comic books would tell a background story to main film and would reinforce and open up and enhance the film as an experience.
Although Tron in all its incarnations is a good example, it was not the first nor the most effective example. Many other titles have done this. Unfortunately, it’s often the case that bad examples are the rule rather than exceptions as many companies will pump out ‘Tie-ins’ to popular products which rather than enhance the story, are just another way to sell a product.
The scope of transmedia storytelling allows people to enter a story at any level from whatever their primary interest may be and brach off from there, for instance an anime fan may have first seen anything to do with the new incarnation of WB's Batman via the 'Gotham Knight' anime title which had a series of short Batman episodes by various popular anime artists on DVD and then had went to watch the Batman Begins film and the greater their interest, the more they will pursue the other media the story is told in. There are almost limitless possibilities and companies who have or wish to create popular franchises are starting to see this potential and use it wisely instead of pumping out 'tie-ins'.
Many of the most successful transmedia stories do not stick to a singular character as this often creates continuity issues for instance: if Marvel wanted to create a comic book based in the Iron Man movie universe, they couldn't involve characters who haven't yet been introduced in the films as the versions would most likely not be similar. Instead, successful transmedia involves a wider scope. Henry Jenkins agrees with this and states "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."
With transmedia so readily attainable by games companies, it's unsurprising that it is now almost commonplace for a games company to dabble in transmedia when a large-scale game is being released, prequel comic books are almost par for the course. The difficult part is allowing these different media to have a vibe of their own and make them part of the same universe as the 'hub' media without having to employ all the same characters and storylines.
The transmedia scope is something I would like to explore further in the future and something I would like to utilise in my own digital game designs, specifically the use of comic books and animated films to expand an established fictional world.
The scope of transmedia storytelling allows people to enter a story at any level from whatever their primary interest may be and brach off from there, for instance an anime fan may have first seen anything to do with the new incarnation of WB's Batman via the 'Gotham Knight' anime title which had a series of short Batman episodes by various popular anime artists on DVD and then had went to watch the Batman Begins film and the greater their interest, the more they will pursue the other media the story is told in. There are almost limitless possibilities and companies who have or wish to create popular franchises are starting to see this potential and use it wisely instead of pumping out 'tie-ins'.
Many of the most successful transmedia stories do not stick to a singular character as this often creates continuity issues for instance: if Marvel wanted to create a comic book based in the Iron Man movie universe, they couldn't involve characters who haven't yet been introduced in the films as the versions would most likely not be similar. Instead, successful transmedia involves a wider scope. Henry Jenkins agrees with this and states "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."
With transmedia so readily attainable by games companies, it's unsurprising that it is now almost commonplace for a games company to dabble in transmedia when a large-scale game is being released, prequel comic books are almost par for the course. The difficult part is allowing these different media to have a vibe of their own and make them part of the same universe as the 'hub' media without having to employ all the same characters and storylines.
The transmedia scope is something I would like to explore further in the future and something I would like to utilise in my own digital game designs, specifically the use of comic books and animated films to expand an established fictional world.
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