Transmedia Narrative

According to Henry Jenkins, 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. It is the ideal aesthetic form for an era of collective intelligence. This week’s lecture discussed the significance of transmedia narratives and I learnt it in my social context.

Undeniable, I am a huge fan of Harry Potter and Twilight.

Image URL : http://members.outpost10f.com/~lindax/harrypotter/wallpaper.html

 

In Harry Potter, I can see how J.K. Rowling’s empire is portray and is the transmedia narrative gold. It’s not only a series of novels, but also a multi-million dollar films, action figures, costumes, digital gaming, board games, fan websites and also toys.

From Harry Potter, I can now understand that with books and films release, the audiences can now follow the detailed of the creation that came out the knowledge of Harry Potter’s world.

Image URL : http://www.twilightersmalaysia.com/

 

While Twilight, is also an example of transmedia narrative which each of the various channels provides slightly different information that form audience understanding as a whole. Besides that, it also use an array of media to convey its message.

Twilight, is a growing enterprise with millions of people exposed towards it. It is also not only a series of books, but  movies, soundtracks and also board game. With these, the twilight saga  had made the whole world obsessed into it.

However, like what Henry Jenkins says, “A good ‘world’ can sustain multiple chatacters (and their stories) and thus successfully launch a transmedia franchise. Thus, a huge world of publicity and money has resulted from the multiple channels of entry provided by the Harry Potter and the Twilight franchise.

References:

Jenkins, H 2003, “Transmedia Storytelling”, Technology Review, 15 January, accessed 18/4/2012, http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/13052/page1/

Mitew, T 2012, BCM112 ‘Transmedia narratives’, lecture notes, accessed 16/04/2012, eLearning@UOW.

Will you be my audience ?

No doubt about it, the audience nowadays are getting stronger compare to the audience older time. Previously, news are delivered from monologic media that basically a one to many situation where the audience are just allowed to keep quiet, see and digest it.  But now, with the advance of the technologies and platforms, news are now deliver by the dialogic media whereby it allow people to speak it out and everyone can access it free, easily and the freedom of comment.

With the dialogic media – social networking sites, consumers are now turning into prosumers whereby the audience are no longer being able to just consume the content, but comment, share and discuss about it.

A very good example will be the issue of LYNAS in Malaysia.

Lynas is a company from Australia that decided to build a factory in Kuantan, Pahang to refine rare earth ores but the rare earth will brings a lot of disadvantages for Malaysian for examples, the mining for rare earth elements has numerous negative effects on the environment and creates radioactive waste as a byproduct. Because of this, the Malaysian as an audience are now speak it up and they wanted to try their best to stop the government from giving out the license to them. With that, there’s an non-governmental organisation formed to against this issue. They created a Blogsite, Facebook page and also Twitter account to spread the latest update news to the Malaysian and to raise their awareness of the dangerous of Lynas coming to Malaysia and also recruit more people to join their “Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas” activities. Below is the youtube link where the first activities they held in Kuantan, Pahang trying to speak it out to the government what is their feeling to protest their land and also the future generation.

 

With all the social networking sites and the technology convergence, it is so easy to spread this news around the world. Now, even australian speak it out for Malaysian as an audience. Below is the print screen of the australian’s action site.

 

In conclusion, the effect of the audience now is massive. When the news spread and everyone know it and comment on it, speak it out together. Government can’t ignore the power of rally. This is a very good example of the power being an audience.