Transmedia Storytelling has changed
the face of multimedia forever. Without multimedia there would not be
transmedia. The concept of what transmedia in relation to multimedia is
explained thoroughly in several books and articles. John V. Pavlik author of the
book Convergence Media explains that multimedia is the, “combining [of] various
media types into one package.” (Palvik p. 60) Simply a moving picture with sound is an
example of what he speaks of. Transmedia
takes multimedia to a new complex state.
The Blair Witch project is the
perfect place to begin explaining the beauty of Transmedia. According to Henry
Jenkins in his book, Convergence Culture, in which Asian distributors took the
American media marketing tactics to assist in their globalization process. The
globalization process and the power of its influence is the same as the art to
a successful transmedia project. Their are, ”three distinctive kinds of economic
interest [that] are at play in promoting these new cultural exchanges: national
or regional producers who see the global circulation of their products,”
(Jenkins p. 112) Transmedia allows for, “multinational conglomerates who no
longer define their production or distribution decisions in national terms but
seek to identify potentially valuable content and push it into as many markets
as possible; and niche distributors who search for distinctive content as a
means of attracting upscale consumers and differentiating themselves from stuff
already on the market.” (Jenkins p. 112)
The Blair Witch project did just
that by initially creating an independent film that created a web fan base,
“more than a year before it hit any theaters.” (Jenkins p.103) The company created a website geared towards
the theme of the movies missing producers in which web users could go to the
realistic site. The site provided, “documentation of numerous witch sightings
over the past centuries, most which are not directly referenced in the film,
but form the backdrop for it actions.” This film soon gained enough attention
to create room for a similar sci-fi show that generated even more interests to
a larger audience. When the major film was released it was a hit. Many still
question the validity of the original documentary and the “facts” behind the
story, but that is the beauty of transmedia. Creating an interactive world that
is easily accessible to a mass audience across a multiplatform.
Through further research there are
so many transmedia projects that are seeking success throughout the world. One
that is extremely intriguing out of Toronto Canada. Created by Sam Blackman,
“Murder Passing,” is a project in which commuters and online users in Toronto
Subway stations and at home is able to solve a murder mystery of a bike
courier.
According to Simon Staffans, a
transmedia specialist, new episodes appear weekly on the subway platform
screens and online, encouraging commuters to solve the mysteries and win
prizes. He states, “it’s like elevators, where the best spot to place an ad would
probably be in the upper corners of the elevator since everyone is looking
there to avoid eye contact. The same here – everyone is at least glancing at
the screens, and chances are the same people are in the same place at the same
time at least five times a week.” This idea is truly ingenious. Upon further
discovery “Murder Passing,” has a twitter account, a 4 out of 5 rating on the
website ‘good reads’ and much more. Interviews with the directors John Greyson
and Chase Joint trigger a national conversation about the project.
Transmedia storytelling is indeed a
process that is thoroughly thought out. The thrill enters the process when the
chance portion takes place: will the consumers by into all or just one of our
programs. This is an evolving process derived from something that we already
know, the globalization process.
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