I know, I know – I’m reading the Trades too much. Actually, in this case, I have to thank/blame my esteemed friend and colleague Sebastian Sylwan (late of Autodesk, and currently at WETA) for forwarding this article.
Under the portentous headline “Transmedia Storytelling is Future of Biz – Studios create mythologies, multimedia worlds” the article reports on various companies’ work with franchise and brand extension under the guise of creating Transmedia content.
Well… Not quite. Here’s my comment to the article on the Variety site:
“Brand-extension and franchise-building are NOT Transmedia storytelling. You miss the key point of Transmedia: interactivity. Just because you’re building a world from the beginning doesn’t mean somehow that you are doing anything different from what marketers do in the process of selling traditional media. In your model, media is still just a one-way downstream flow from the creator to the consumer. It’s just a more coordinated vision, taking into account the frailty of current distribution platforms, and recognizing the need to target these platforms more and more simultaneously. Variety recently reported on a venture between the Scott brothers’ Scott Free, and London producer Ag8 on a Bladerunner online series called Purefold. Content is being generated in collaboration with users on an open source “Commons” license. Now THAT’s Transmedia! What you’re reporting on is just smart marketing that’s using a hip buzzword.”
Keep trying, Variety!
And I promise to make my next post about something other than a condescending reference to the Trade Press…!
JUN
Henry Jenkins
Lawrence Lessig
Richard Florida
George Lucas Educational Foundation
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
ThinkQuest Foundation
Hi John,
First I think we should give credit where it’s due — for any publication designed to convey news tidbits to the movie business to take on concepts as heady as transmedia is a significant breakthrough, and Caranicas makes a fairly valiant effort to convey a whole mess of alien concepts to novice readers.
Although much of our conversation focused on interactivity and the validation and celebration of audience participation in transmedia narratives, I think Caranicas (rightly) focused on selling the concept to this specific audience by emphasizing the most overt upside potential. Maintaining story continuity over multiple platforms can make you lots of money, because it respects the narrative and that in turn is embraced by the audience.
The element of interactivity and participation is actually fairly frightening to corporate execs, because it implies a loss of control, and there is no clear monetization model for this. All in good time, I say. The Star Wars galaxy was not built in a day.
Finally, you’ve got to trust me when I say this article has major significance. Though only out for a few days, it has allowed for companies like mine to slip our foot in the door of studios and other companies that had turned us away previously. There is no transmedia without deep, rich interactivity — but we have to trigger a dialog before we get to the complicated part.
jg
Jeff: thank you so much for your comment! Yes, I agree absolutely that this is a process, and that the Variety piece is a definite step in the right direction. It is great that you and your company are focusing in this area. As the generational shift hits the decision-making echelons, there will be more and more opportunities for a wider availability of Transmedia content, and the business model will shift as it becomes increasingly viable to monetize it.
You’re spot on, JT. We’re very much using the same language. I’ve been a fan of your insights and it’s great fun actually getting to correspond with you. You have my word that I will do my best to defend and protect the integrity of transmedia narrative.
Have a listen to the second half of KCRW’s The Business from 6/29. An interview with Marshall Herskovitz from Quarterlife fame. He is almost there with transmedia but really is still trying to squeeze the square block into the circle hole.
I keep trying to speak with Marshall but at every function we attend for some reason he keeps scurrying to the opposite side of the room!
Probably because he doesn’t want to get truly interactive with transmedia?
Congrats on the Variety mention altho’ have to agree on the hefty oversight of interactive aspects to transmedia.
The interview ran over an hour with Variety and I can’t tell you how often I touched on that. It’s the heart and soul of what we do, but because I was unable to get into detail on the individual properties (i.e., Transformers, etc.) none of it wound up in the piece. Still, it’s progress and some other coverage on our work will be delving more deeply into the art and interactivity of this form of expression.