Transmedia Storytelling Takes Particpants On A More Engaging Travel

Storytelling has been around for thousands of years but times has changed since ancient cave paintings, Egyptian hieroglyphs and even campfire stories. Now imagine being immersed into the stories, not only in listening but watching and playing them. Times has certainly changed for storytelling and technology has paved the way for a more multimedia channel called Transmedia Storytelling. Transmedia stories can take a participant on an adventure from one form of media to another while continuing the direction of the narrative. One such example is the new SyFy show, Defiance, which takes a fan from the show to their online multiplayer game with providing elements from the show’s storylines.

Aside from creative cross platform shows and films, Transmedia Storytelling can also be utilized for video, social media, marketing and advertising campaigns. One can promote a product or brand by creatively producing stories that will entice the audience to take part in other available platforms that the brand or service is one. The focus of Transmedia is to have the viewer become the participant and enjoy a more immersive and interactive story experience.

If you like to know more about Transmedia Storytelling you’re in luck because a colleague of mine, Jenny Wakefield, who is researching the topic for her PhD program happens to provide links to books that you can download for free as PDFs and on E-Readers. They are listed at the bottom and I hope you take the time to read them because I do see Transmedia Storytelling expanding as immersive technology grows.

Stories in Between: Narratives and Mediums @ play by Drew Davidson

Cross-Media Communications: An Introduction to the Art of Creating Integrated Media Experiences by Drew Davidson by Drew Davidson

Beyond Fun: Serious Games and Media by Drew Davidson

Transmedia Storytelling: Imagery, Shapes and Techniques by Max Giovagnoli