Transmedia essay:

For this module I would need to devise, pitch, plan and produce a prototype artefact appropriate for distribution that complied to the conventions of a transmedia outlet.

“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 its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story” –  Jenkins (2007)

Transmedia is commonly defined as a narrative or project that combines multiple media forms together. A transmedia project may combine many different types of prints or prose text, graphics and animation, or work across multiple platforms, such as different types of social media platforms, interactive websites or advertising outlets. In order to successfully create a transmedia platform, you must begin with a single media platform to use a base in order to expand from with other forms of media linked in.

“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. This process of world-building encourages an encyclopaedic impulse in both readers and writers. We are drawn to master what can be known about a world which always expands beyond our grasp. This is a very different pleasure than we associate with the closure found in most classically constructed narratives, where we expect to leave the theatre knowing everything that is required to make sense of a particular story” – Jenkins (2007).

In transmedia storytelling, engagement with each successive media heightens the audience’s understanding, enjoyment and affection for the story. When creating my transmedia project, I searched for an existing media platform that was popular enough to create a successful transmedia product set for a wide enough audience but did not already include a large range of media platforms.  

The initial stage of my transmedia outlet was to find the base idea to start off my process. This meant researching into different media outlets to find an idea that I was familiar with and could expand on. I firstly researched and questioned the base point being “Shrek” with another student. I created ideas for different artefacts that consisted of a theme park, a children’s T.V series and another movie following on from “Shrek 3”. The main audience for this outlet would have been children and younger adults. From researching further into this option, I discovered that there was already a large transmedia outlet in play for this media platform, including blogs, merchandise, games, social media and theme park rides. This meant the transmedia outlet was sufficient enough as it is and adding more media platforms would only create a small affect when expanding its market. With a lot of media platforms, it would also make it less unlikely for the audience to input into the outlet and visit all areas of the platform, including the ones I would be adding. I also discovered that the intended audience for “Shrek” has been expanded through the use of social media but has been done in a secondary purpose. Shrek’s main purpose was to entertain a younger audience, however through the use of social media and the increasing popularity of memes, Shrek has become a laughing stock across social media networks. An article written by The Atlantic (2014) states “As with all good internet memes, it feels like one giant agreed-upon joke. No one ever admits that the Shrek series is pretty crappy, even though DreamWorks drove it into the ground as hard as it possibly could.” This shows that Shrek’s purpose and popularity is changing and therefore adding to its transmedia outlet would be a questionable opportunity. This pushed the production process back for me and I struggled to start to think of something else that could work for me.

With my initial idea being proven to be unworthy of generating a good enough prototype, I sat down to come up with a second option that would fit better. With help from my lecturer, he suggested working in a group may help to produce an idea quicker in which we all had an interest in. We found it very difficult to agree and collaborate on an idea and spent too long trying to find something that could work for all of us. Me and two other friends concluded to have a shared interest in the T.V show “Friends” which disbanded in 2004 but the interest has never faded and instead, increased again with the release of all 10 series on Netflix at the beginning of this year. Inputs were made by all members of the group however it was clear that not one idea was to be agreed upon and I had the most knowledge and understanding of the show which was a positive for me. This concluded us to go our separate ways and return to individually producing the prototype after realising we had wasted too much time. This allowed me to research deeper into “Friends” and make my own judgements and decisions on what media platform I was going to explore and use to think of prototype ideas. Due to the research process of this production taking up too much of the time we had, I was unable to create a project proposal that was sufficient enough to present. This caused me to miss out on the opportunity to gain feedback on the idea I was starting to piece together. The proposal would have allowed me to clarify the audience for my prototype with my lecturer, at the early stages, conclude the problems and opportunities, how the audience would experience the prototype and the benefits of it for them. If I was to create a transmedia product again I would demand myself to use this opportunity in order to gain the feedback and improve on my prototype as early as possible to make it more beneficial for my intended audience.

My audience for this transmedia prototype would be linked sufficiently to the target audience from the “Friends” T.V show. As well as the show there is also a “Friends Fest”. This is a convention that does a 12-week tour of the UK and is advertised online. Social media pages for both media platforms also exist, where updates are regularly posted. The audience for all three of these are of a similar notion and sit in the bracket of 18- 29 year olds being the most popular age and with females just marginally making up the most of that age demographic (IMDb).  This therefore meant that my prototype would also have to fit into this age bracket, to some extent, in order to gain the interest of the already existing audience. This research information gave me an in look into the type of media platform I could engage into with my prototype. I would be able to create something that could be linked to an online platform as well as through film and T.V. I came up with a range of prototype ideas that I believed could all easily link together and fit into a “Friends” transmedia outlet. This meant I could look into all the options and, with the time I had, make the best decision to create a prototype.

I decided to make a blog as my prototype idea with the concept of a spin off series, a film, virtual and augmented reality and a live performance to go alongside to make up the transmedia outlet. The reason I chose a blog is due to blogs having a middle depth of engagement with its audience and the range of options I had with the blog. To make the most out of the blog, I made the decision to present it from the view of a production company who are using the blog for marketing purposes as well as a fan page for audiences. This meant links could be created back to the T.V show, the main media platform, and also link to the other ideas that I had come up with and create marketing for them via the blog if I wished to do so. This would make the prototype social and interactive for my targeted audience. Due to the limited time frame I had, from my mistake of taking too long with the idea choosing, it also meant I could put most effort into the design and headings of the blog and add posts on each heading, exampling how the blog would look. The blog would be a constant on-going process so could not be completed as a prototype, but an understanding of the blogs purpose could instead be presented. This worked to my strengths of blogs and online media, however some of the posts would contain existing media related to the T.V show for fan base purposes and the others would relate to marketing purposes. I created a range of different posts that included different forms of media with them and had a variety of lengths dependent on the purpose of that post. If the post was for a fan basis, the post would be long and descriptive, but for marketing material I kept the posts short as a way to entice the audience and not reveal too much. Once I had sufficient amount of posts on my blog and I was happy with the design of it, I guided myself through the transmedia bible and chose to create the treatment section, expressing as clearly as I could my intentions and expectations for the transmedia platform.

Using Kolb’s Learning Cycle from 1984 (McLeod, S. 2017) I have used reflective observation and abstract conceptualization to reflect upon my work conclude the successful areas. I believe I have successfully completed the task set out for me despite my struggles during my original devising of my prototype. With the inclusion of my media platforms, to create a full transmedia platform, I believe my target audience are able to easily enter the platform and any point and work their way through the platforms with them all linking from one to another. I have also used modern and upcoming forms of media platforms by using ones such as virtual and augmented reality, allowing the audience to use their senses and perception to have a more interactive experience. However, I am disappointed with the level of interaction I have for my audience within my prototype and believe its main purpose is only to inform the audience rather than to entertain and engage them more in the blog. This is solely down to the struggles I had at the beginning of the production to make a decision on the idea I wanted to use and develop more. I focused too much on trying to create a transmedia outlet that would be perfect instead of using the knowledge I already had on media platforms and develop them to the best of my abilities. If I had the opportunity to create this task again I would have planned earlier on and had a wider range of initial ideas in order to have back up options in case I discovered one of them could not be used or was not suitable enough for the purpose and audience I had in mind.

In conclusion I consider myself to have devised, pitched, planed and produced a transmedia platform with a prototype blog linking cleverly into the concept. I have conformed to as many conventions as possible by telling a story through the transmedia outlet to a mass audience made up of existing and possible new fans. I have also explored the marketing aspect of my outlet through plot points in the creation of my treatment to combine technologies together. Using Gibbs “reflective cycle” from 1988 (McGregor, D & Cartwright, L. 2011) I also trust myself to have reflected fairly upon my work and criticise it where necessary in order to improve for a second attempt if considered.

 

Bibliography:

IMDb (no date) Friends User Ratings [Internet] Available from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/ratings[Accessed May 2018]

Jenkins, H. 2007. Transmedia storytelling 101 [Internet] Available from http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html[Accessed May 2018]

McLeod, S. 2017. Kolb – Learning Styles [Internet] Available from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html[Accessed May 2018] McGregor, D.

Cartwright, L. (2011) Developing Reflective Practice: A guide for beginning teachers. Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill Education

 

Sims, D. 2014. Why is the internet so obsessed with Shrek? [Internet] Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/05/why-is-the-internet-so-obsessed-with-shrek/371189/[Accessed May 2018]