Case Study #2

Meghan McBreairty
Case Study #2
GMMD 409
Doctor Sweeney

Transmedia
It's being called Transmedia. Can you define
this using experience looking at these sites and finding information about it?
Transmedia is something that I have
never heard of before but from what I have learned about it may replace the
traditional textbook. This is a new
development for entertainment, “capitalizing on the abundance of platforms
which consumers can be reached” (Vitter 2011).
Transmedia storytelling is supposed to engage the consumer through a
different means to traditional storybooks.
This new media shifts form linear story, to a more complex,
multi-dimensional “story world” (Vitter 2011).
One of the things that I found particularly interesting is that the
characters and plot/story world can exist and develop outside of their initial
film timeline. This means that the
integration will allow consumers to enjoy different entertainment and
events.
What I found that happens with using
a Transmedia story, rather than simply watching a movie, you are allowed to
virtually interact with the characters on websites, experience the world in
games, follow leads on Twitter, and participate in a vast array of other events
on different platforms while still uniting them in one “story world” (Vitter
2011).
I was able to find quite a bit of
sites that talked about what Transmedia is especially when dealing with
Transmedia storytelling. One website
that I found that had a PowerPoint that talked about how Transmedia can be used
in advertising too, and brushes up on storytelling. It gives quite a few good examples of what
some advertisements would look like. The
website was http://www.transmediaproducer.org/. Another aspect that I
found very interesting about this website was the definition that it provided
about Transmedia storytelling, which was “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”.
In conclusion I think that the new
Transmedia technology is quite interesting and compelling. I think that this technology offers a
completely different outlook on things like advertising and more than anything
storytelling. Transmedia technology
opens up many new paths and ideas for how the story world can be seen. I think that this technology will be seen
more in the future, and will eventually change the way we look at stories with
this new interaction available.


Sources:
http://www.transmediaproducer.org/
http://www.nmincite.com/?p=4002