An overview

While the term infers that it may have a modern, convergence-related background, ‘Transmedia storytelling,’ is actually a fairly mature concept. Transmedia storytelling refers to any additional content or narrative which may exist outside the original one. Transmedia storytelling is not a replication or an adaption of a story (for example say a book to a film) however it is something either hidden within the text or added onto the text which extends the audiences experience of the narrative.

Traditional examples of transmedia storytelling includes: games, merchandise, store appearances, theme parks and media which may extend on a particular part of a storyline (i.e a secondary character getting his own novel about his crazy adventures through space. Subsequently transmedia storytelling really isnt a very new concept. Star Wars and the early Jim Henson films are good examples of early forms of transmedia storytelling. Extra parts (which were often woven into the narrative of the original text on purpose) were made outside the script/2 hours of movie time to ultimately enhance the viewers engagement and understanding of the text.

In the advent of the ‘convergence’ (the process of many technologies being compounded into devices which perform multiple functions; fuelled by globalisation and technological advancement) transmedia storytelling has taken on a new meaning. There has been a significant increase in the content-based elements of transmedia storytelling. Online platforms, mobile phones, podcasts, vodcasts and other media channels (i,e digital) have enhanced the potential for producers to create and share media outside the traditional mediums.

In his article, ‘Transmedia and the world of Jim Henson,’ new media academic Geoffrey Long makes some good points about how transmedia storytelling is being reshaped by changing audience expectations. He refers to the dmeographic group called, ‘the millenials,’ who are ‘the first generation to grow up with high-speed internet connection and social media.’ Children of this generation will grow up with a highly developed knowledge of social software and networked media. Words like, ‘podcast,’ and ‘YouTube’ will become a natural part of their everyday vernacular. Transmedia storytelling is at a point of transition into the online world because producers are now under more pressure to create content that will satisfy the expectations of a highly technically aware and socially networked generation. Long relates transmedia story telling to a, ‘anti-passive consumer culture,’ especially for children who are most likely to participate in the narrative and extended content which surrounds a story. Long cites Henry Jenkins in his article commenting on how the expectations of the younger generation who grew up with a transmedia experience of pokemon will now expect the same things from the media they watch as they grow older.

So basically transmedia storytelling is a rich extension on the narrative. It is highly intertexual asnd often incorporates many different typoes and platforms of media to provide a ‘multi-dimensional’ experience of the text to the audience. What is the most relevant to our investigation of childrens TV and transmedia storytelling is the anticipated change to audience expectations as the next generation of media audiences grow up with changed expectations and literacies.