Successful vs Unsuccessful Transmedia

For my mid-term post I decided to expand my discussion of transmedia storytelling by walking through some of the points on Henry Jenkin’s handout, Transmedia Storytelling 101. In this handout he discusses 10 points that help explain transmedia. I will be discussing how the method of transmedia has been beneficial to such texts such as Tomb Raider and Batman and have proven unsuccessful for other texts such as The Matrix using some of the points Jenkins provides.

(1) 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 it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story. So, for example, in The Matrix franchise, key bits of information are conveyed through three live action films, a series of animated shorts, two collections of comic book stories, and several video games. There is no one single source or ur-text where one can turn to gain all of the information needed to comprehend the Matrix universe.

The first point that Jenkins brings up is how transmedia storytelling does not provide a single source in order to comprehend the text. This can be either good or bad depending on how the text is distributed. With The Matrix the elements of dispersed texts across a multitude of channels were too much to handle for an informal customer. According to Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins, “For the casual consumer, The Matrix asked too much (126)”. Consumers didn’t expect to turn to one text where they could get all the information but at least gain a general idea of what was going on. In order to fully understand what was going on, the viewer had to have knowledge of the other texts that were distributed in order gain a sense of the story in the films. “The depth and breadth of The Matrix universe made it impossible for any one consumer to ‘get it’…(127)”. Where as Tomb Raider and Batman make the story simple and easy to follow even with transmedia. They are able to please die hard fans and newer fans at the same time. A cosumer doesn’t need to do their hw to understand what is going on, but if they do then they have more appreciation for the media that is being presented before them. Hence why they are still in existence today and still popular.

After discussing how the texts of Tomb Raider and Batman are simple to follow in comparisson to The Matrix. This leads me to challenge you the consumer to answer this “simple” question, “So what is The Matrix? (100)”. Think of something? Not that easy is it? “As one fan demostrates, the question can be answered in so many different ways: Is it a ‘love story’? (Keanu Reeves said that in an interview), Is it a story about religious salvation? (The Matrix Reloaded was banned in Eqypt, because it is ‘too religious’), Is it a story about men’s history or men’s future? (100)”. There is no one answer to this question because the transmedia efforts of The Matrix have been taken so far. Now when I ask you so what is Tomb Raider or Batman? The answers are simple. Tomb Raider is about Lara Croft, a British archaeologist who is in search of ancient treasures. Batman whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, thus trains himself in order to fight crime and wears a bat-themed costume. These two stories have been strecthed out in different directions through it’s multiple distributions but a casual consumer or die hard fan can provide the same answer when asked what the text is ultimately about.

(2) Transmedia storytelling reflects the economics of media consolidation or what industry observers call “synergy.” Modern media companies are horizontally integrated – that is, they hold interests across a range of what were once distinct media industries. A media conglomerate has an incentive to spread its brand or expand its franchises across as many different media platforms as possible. Consider, for example, the comic books published in advance of the release of such films as Batman Begins and Superman Returns by DC (owned by Warner Brothers, the studio that released these films). These comics provided back-story, which enhanced the viewer’s experience of the film even as they also help to publicize the forthcoming release (thus blurring the line between marketing and entertainment). The current configuration of the entertainment industry makes transmedia expansion an economic imperative, yet the most gifted transmedia artists also surf these marketplace pressures to create a more expansive and immersive story than would have been possible otherwise.

Another point that Jenkins touches on is that the line is blurred between marketing and entertainment in terms of transmedia. Thus the entertainment industry makes transmedia an economic imperative. The comic book that was released before Batman Begins indeed helped to publicize the film, but for a casual consumer this does not affect their experience if they choose not to read it. It is just an extension of the story. Casual fans may read it and enjoy it, but die-hard fans will have more appreciation for it. Where we have The Matrix releasing The Animatrix, which is a collection of animated short films set in the fictional universe of The Matrix. Casual consumers need to view these short films on top of other texts in order to understand The Matrix films. Again this is where The Matrix is unsuccessful with its’ distribution of transmedia. I think that the goals of distributing The Matrix were to create a more expansive and immersive story than would have been possible otherwise but if they followed what Tomb Raider, Batman, even Indiana Jones accomplished, the attempt would have been long lasting instead of a crash and burn.

Overall I think Jenkins says it best (9) a transmedia text does not simply disperse information: it provides a set of roles and goals which readers can assume as they enact aspects of the story through their everyday life. When action figures are released for Tomb Raider and Batman consumers are encouraged to create their own story using these figures. Consumers are encouraged to interact in this other world, which they can integrate into their everyday lives. The Matrix tried to accomplish this but again asked the consumer to enact aspects of the story through their everyday life above and beyond the average consumer. Overall I think transmedia can be used proactively and can be successful but (7) requires a high degree of coordination across the different media sectors.

Check out this cool video as an example of transmedia:

Fan Fiction: Enhance or Undermine?

Fan fiction definitely enhances commercial media. Fan fiction can turn a semi popular or unknown text into something bigger. In the day and age we are currently in fan fiction has to be acceptable, it is impossible with all the technology that we have available for fan fiction to be non existent. In regards to the Harry Potter phenomenon the kids participating in this informal classroom through the Daily Prophet are participating in convergence culture just as other texts in today’s culture are through a set of skills. According to Henry Jenkins in Convergence Culture, these skills are:

The ability to pool knowledge with others in a collaborative enterprise (as in Survivor spoiling), the ability to share and compare value systems by evaluating ethical dramas (as occurs in the gossip surrounding reality TV), the ability to make connections across scattered pieces of information (as occurs when we consume The Matrix, 1999, or Pokemon, 1998), the ability to express your interpretations and feelings toward popular fictions through your own folk culture (as occurs in Star Wars fan cinema) and the ability to circulate what you create via the Internet, so that it can be shared with others (again as in fan cinema). (176)

Fans wish to express how their interpretations of the fan fiction they enjoy, such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. They do not see any harm because they have appreciation for the media text they  just wish to expand on it and become connected with other people who feel the same. However commericial media such as studios beg to differ. Some are concerned with remaining true to the original story and making money off their product not having fans gaining financial security or publicity with their product. There is nothing clear in writing that protects media companies from this insecurity, “current copyright law simply doesn’t have a category for dealing with amateur creative expression…it surely demands close reconsideration as we develop technologies that broaden (189)”. For this very fact what are fans suppose to do if there is nothing in clear writing? Times are changing and so is technology. Fan fiction can definitely enhance commericial media because these are fans who have appreciation for the text.

To counter this point, Diane Nelson, senior vice president of Warner Bros. Family Entertainment discusses how a fan’s sense of ownership over a particular property poses a challenge for studios. “When we stray from the source material or what the fans perceive as the true roots of a property, we are under their scrutiny. They can become either advocates for what we are doing or strong dissenters. They can shift the tide of how a property is introduced to the market place depending on whether they perceive us as having presented it carefully, respectfully, and accurately…(191)”. However, the material you are introducing are for the fans and consumers. Don’t they have a right to shift the tide? As consumers we always had the ability to shift the tide but never had the abundance of resources to do as we do now. Before all we could do was to talk amongst ourselves and tell one another not to go see a film because it was horrible, or not to buy a book because someone heard it’s a dull read. Now through fan fiction consumers have the ability to shift the tide all they want. This probably poses a big threat to media companies not that they realize the ball is in the consumers court, and not vice verca.

I think Jenkins puts it best “Establishing the fans’ loyalty often means lessening traditional controls that companies might exert over their intellectual properties and thus opening up a broader space for grassroots creative expression (191)”. Come on media companies lessen those traditional controls! Start treating “cult properties as ‘love marks’ and and fans as ‘inspirational consumers’ (191)”.

Take my breath away

Professor Harriss wanted us to find an example of fan fiction and possibly write a film review or criticism. So for my found item of fan fiction this week, I started thinking about what in terms of media consumption do I really love. With seeing Julie’s found item of the Grey’s Anatomy music video, I thought about my favorite movie which is Top Gun. I know what you are thinking. I get a lot of slack from my friends about this film but I absolutely love it. The music, the actors, the storyline, it all works! Apparently there are others who feel the same way I do and I found tons of fan fiction productions from fans. Here is one I found that is hilarious and with true Top Gun spirit:

This fan fiction is hilarious. I love the spin that Variety Show Online takes with this. It is still true to the story of Top Gun but told in a car as opposed to in the air! I give this video a 10 out of 10. If you have seen the film Top Gun then you will definitely understand. They captured the speed that is portrayed in the film, the feel of the scene when Maverick talks to Goose and needs help, the rotation of the camera when the cars are moving just like in the film and the shakiness of the camera while in the air as well. This is truly an ode to the film. This site takes great action scenes and remakes them into whatever they please. I do not think this piece of fan fiction is distasteful or takes away from the film. It is clear the people behind this are fans of the film or at least think this scene in the movie was worth recreating. I do not think the producers of the film or Paramount Pictures should necessarily have a problem with this Top Gun remake considering the film was released in 1986 and this YouTube video was released in 2005. It means the Top Gun spirit is still alive and kicking and it is still making people talk!

Where is the line drawn?

“The Web represents a site of experimentation and innovation, where amateurs test the waters, developing new practices, themes and generating materials that may well attract cult followings on their own terms.” (148)

After reading the chapter Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars? in Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins, the quote above made me think about the relationship between the consumer and media companies. If the web provides the opportunity to experiment and be innovative why are media companies surprised or upset when a consumer of their product has created another version of their product as an ode to the product. Isn’t is the goal to attract niche audiences and have them participate. My question is where is the line drawn?

“Media companies are giving out profoundly mixed signals because they really can’t decided what kind of relationships the want to have with this new kind of consumer. They want us to look at but not touch, buy but not use, media content.” (138)

This kind of relationship cannot work if the studio does not recognize the consumers effort. If the studio wishes to only take credit for all the value in their media product. However is it wrong for consumers to want to embrace a film like Star Wars and create different media products besides the films? Some studios and producers such as George Lucas make this clear,”We’ve been very clear all along on where we draw the line. We love our fans. We want them to have fun. But if in fact somebody is using our characters to create a story unto itself, that’s not in the spirit of what we think fandom is about. Fandom is about celebrating the story the way it is” (149). If fandom is about celebrating the story the way it is, then why has the story of Star Wars turn into something bigger. I think that the fans definitely have appreciation and wish to celebrate the way the film originally was but they have their own interpretations of how they feel about the story and that is what is portrayed through their media products. Even with such a statement do they really think that can stop the fans from doing so? With the technological advances we have made in society since Star Wars why not use the Web to experiment and be innovative. If anything, this probably makes cult fans and niches feel negative towards the studio. When they are Star Wars conventions or events don’t you think the fans are creating a story unto itself, it’s their interruption of what the characters would do in the story, they are just in their shows now, and they are bringing the characters to life.

Here is an example of fans interruptions of Star Wars. Now you be the judge and think about if there is something really wrong with fans using the Web to pay ode to the film.

Here’s a Simpsons pardoy of Star Wars made by fans.

Batman

After some thinking I was able to find another example of transmedia, Batman. The most recent movie that was released was Batman Begins and prior to the movies release there have been comic books with some prior information that provided background information for the movie. For the newest movie that is currently in production Dark Knight this movie is based on another comic book as well called “Lore” mainly for the character of the joker (in order to make him as original as can be). Also in doing some research I found that the marketing campaign for the release of Dark Knight has transmedia all over it. A direct-toDVD anime has been released which contains information that happens between the Batman and Dark Knight series (pretty much fills the gap between the two films). Warner Brothers also released a website called “Anticipation” that had fans go through a scavenger hunt to find publicity clues for the next film. Six Flags Great Adventure is going to have a ride called “The Dark Knight Coaster” sometime in 2008, I assume before the movie is released. Mattel is also shelling out tons of different toys for hyping of the movie, such as action figures, costumes, board games, and UNO cards. Even though this seems like a lot, I feel that Batman is success and will be success because Batman has been around a long time. The newer movie Batman Begins which put life back into the series was successful because the producers were taking the story back to the way it should be told from the comic books and at the same time the story is simple and easy to follow. It is able to please die hard fans and newer fan at the same time. You don’t need to do your hw to understand what is going on, but if you do then you have more appreciation for the media that is being presented before you. I actually had the opportunity to visit DC Comics this summer with the organization that I am President of, Drawn to Diversity. We were given a tour and it was amazing. I was able to go to the Batman floor of DC and it was great. A comic book artist at DC Comics gave us the tour and we all talked about how much we love the new Batman. He commented on how successful the series is doing now and how the production people for the movie do work with the comic book artists because the want the movie to be as authentic as possible, which I thought I was great. Overall, again here is another example of transmedia and how it can be successful. 

Transmedia Storytelling: Tomb Raider

According to Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins, transmedia storytelling “unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole…each medium does what it does best-so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, novels, and comics” (96). After reading this definition I automatically thought about Lara Croft: Tomb Raider as an example of transmedia storytelling. Lara Croft is in multiple media platforms, such as video games, comic books, novels, movies, animation and through modeling (yes people are hired to be Lara at conventions and other events!). There have been 2 Tomb Raider movies to date and the third is being rumored to be in production and Angelina Jolie has placed Lara on the map. The movies as a medium for Lara is incredible, it provides a life like stunning image of how Lara would look in the real world. Video games as a medium in the Tomb Raider series have the record for being the highest selling video game series of all time. Lara as a video game character is even in the Guinness World Book of Records as “The Most Successful Video Game Heroine.” In the novels, they take off from where the video games end. The newest video game, Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released this summer for the PSP and is now being advertised to come out for the Wii in November as the current movie is in production. It helps to give some background for the movie. The Tomb Raider series reminds me of the Matrix series because both are in many different forms of media, very widely distributed.

I think transmedia storytelling is a great idea! I am really into having access to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in many different media outlets. I have the opportunity to keep up with Lara in different ways, I can play the game one day, watch the movie, read the book, and even see her in “person”. This is a good idea because not everyone is interested in the same forms of media and to be able to get the idea or product out there then many people have access to it. “Offering new levels of insight and experience refreshes the franchise and sustains consumer loyalty. The economic logic of a horizontally integrated entertainment industry-that is, one where single company may have roots across all the different media sectors-dictates the flow of content across media. Different media attract different market niches (96).” This is exactly what transmedia does, attracts different markets niches.

According to Jenkins, the Matrix transmedia attempt failed. I agree there was a lot of expectations for the audience to do a lot of outside hw in order to grasp what was going in the Matrix. Even though transmedia was not successful for the Matrix it is a success for Lara Croft. The Tomb Raider series is successful for a number of reasons. One being for it’s simplicity, “The old Hollywood system depended on redundancy to ensure that viewers could follow the plot at all times, even if they were distracted or went out to the lobby for a popcorn refill during a crucial scene (103-104).” This is the formula Tomb Raider follows. No matter what form of media Lara is distributed in, the story is easy to follow, she is on a mission, and the viewers are along for the adventure. As compared to the Matrix where if you watch one of the films, in order to understand it, as a viewer you would have to watch the animations, read the comic books, play the video games, etc. With Tomb Raider, what you see is what you get. A second reason for Lara’s success can be compared to Indiana Jones success, “When Indiana Jones went to television, for example, it exploited the medium’s potential for extended storytelling and character development: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) showed the character take shape against the backdrop of various historic events and exotic environments (106).” There was potential in expanding the character development of Lara Croft and extended storytelling. She was able to take shape against other forms of mediums. Hence how Indiana Jones is still around and is currently in production of a new film. This is a perfect example showing how Tomb Raider is able to be successful. Characters in the Matrix have no room for development because they are following specific guidelines for all the different forms of mediums that have been predetermined.

http://www.tombraider.com/

It’s a Dell World

Searching on YouTube for product placements I came across a really interesting video on YouTube. Watch first, then I will discuss!

Ok, I couldn’t believe this when I saw the video. My initial reaction was, well this is the President of the United States addressing the nation and he is talking about Dell! My thoughts after my initial reaction was that advertising has done such a good with being intertwined in Americans everyday life. Maybe what President Bush said was, believe it or not a natural comment?

Reading Jenkins thoughts on advertisers and audiences he really made me think more about the video than just my initial gut reaction.

“Marketers seek to shape brand reputations, not through an individual transaction but through the sum total of interactions with the customer-an ongoing process that increasingly occurs across a different range of media “touch points.” They don’t simply want to get a consumer to make a single purchase, but rather to build a long term relationship with a brand. “(63)

I agree. Marketers try to assimilate advertising into our lives. Be it through TV, internet, radio, at the supermarket, in the movie theaters, etc. bam! It’s everywhere we go! By doing this we are building a long term relationship with the brand. We all have a specific brand for different products we use. Why do we use that specific brand? If we used a generic brand that wasn’t as heavily advertised would we still use it? It’s probably just as good as the brand itself. These are important things to think about as consumers of these products. I challenge you if you are reading this blog to really think about why we use the brands we do? We should really think what we are using our time and money on. Don’t you think?

However, even though I have come to this realization about product placement. I do believe that as consumers we are capable of realizing what advertisers are doing. There is no right answer to the debate of product placement. There are many pros and cons. To be my devils advocate, Jenkins brings up another good point:

“Emerging discourse of affective economics has both positive and negative implications: allowing advertisers to tap the power of collective intelligence and direct it toward their own ends, but at the same time allowing consumers to form their own kind of collective bargaining structure that they can use to challenge corporate decisions.” (63).

Obviously advertisers tap all the power they can get with product placement and advertising. It’s what they do. We can’t blame them for doing their job. However as I said earlier as consumers we form our own opinion on such kind of placement. We have already gained control in some markets such as reality television. Although there are product placements within these shows, we control the show through being able to vote for contestants, make producers work harder to keep viewers guessing, etc.

All in all, I do not mind product placement. However I am starting to think why I use the brands I do now as I stated earlier. Maybe that will be the topic of my next post!

American Idol

After reading the chapter “Buying into American Idol” in Convergence and Culture a quote from Karla Peterson in the San Diego Union-Tribune really bugged me.

“American Idol was not a dumb summer fling, but a conniving multimedia monster. Shameless product placement. Bloodless nostalgia. Incestuous corporate hype… American Idol has absorbed the sins of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstructed evil.” (61)

I agree with Jenkins when he says “Peterson is correct that American Idol was shaped at every level by blatant commercial calculations. Yet, her moral outrage doesn’t take us very far towards understand its appeal to the networks, advertisers, or consumers. (61)” I feel that in all different types of prime time television there are product placements. A great example is in the show Friends. I remember watching on TV how companies would pay for spots in Monica’s kitchen, such as cereal, cookware, etc. For Peterson just to crucify American Idol and not think about every other show that does it, is distasteful. As viewers, I feel that is up to us to make ourselves aware that television companies are targeting us when we watch TV and if we don’t make ourselves aware that is not any TV companies fault.

Morally what she thinks of the show has nothing to do with why the show is so successful. Anyone from the country can audition for the show, everyday people like you me, could audition for the show. Middle class to lower class viewers are the ones auditioning and the ones who are watching the show. Also the power to be able to select your next “American Idol” is ideal to many viewers who are sitting at home and want to share such responsibility.

Personally I love American Idol. I only watched the first season when Kelly Clarkson won and been up to date with the seasons by reading about it online or watching clips of it on the news. The first season wasn’t filled with tons of advertisements, I feel that after FOX realized the show was a definite hit, that’s when they raised the stakes. However, I feel that America doesn’t have a big problem with it. It has been on the air since 2002 and still going strong. I do believe that all good things must eventually come to an end, and who knows maybe one day the end could be near for American Idol?

Spoiling the World of “The Hills” on MTV

Ok so it is apparent that out of all my friends, I have a habit of always wanting to know what is going to happen on a TV show before hand and that I love to know about interesting facts about movies, TV shows and pop culture in general! This became clear when yesterday “The Hills” gang, (3 of my close friends) gathered yesterday evening to watch “The Hills” on MTV. So we are watching the show, and there is a scene with Lauren Conrad and Jason, and there is speculation on the show if they will get back together, and I’m like, no they won’t, I read that Jason is engaged and not to Lauren, and my friends are like oh yea you told us about that. When we see the scenes for next week’s episode, we can see that Jason has a girlfriend and it’s not Lauren, and they announced the engagement. It was so cool, that I was right and knew it already. I don’t know why but it was cool. After the show, I wanted my friends to hear this song that one of the people on the show, Heidi Montag has just recorded with her boyfriend Spencer, I thought it was hilarious and pointless and wanted to share it and I came across tons of websites and spoiler sites about this show. Heidi always blogs on her website which is cool. It is crazy!! I wanted to share some of the things I found:

http://www.tv.com/the-hills/show/48806/jason-engaged/topic/59789-847778/msgs.html

http://www.myspace.com/heidimontag

http://officialheidimontag.com/

http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070917200032AAxzwbf

Anyhow, these message boards and blogs from the stars themselves are cool. I feel that with my participating in this, I have some kind of connection with other fans. Also I can always fill my friends in on what is going on behind the scenes n the show. I am sure when we watch next week, I will have some new info to share!

 

The World of Spoiling

I just finished reading Chapter 1, “Spoiling Survivor” in Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins and I found the concept of spoiling to be quite interesting. According to Jenkins, “The word spoiling goes way back – or at least as far back as you can go- in history of the Internet.” (30) Then he goes on to talk about how people on the east coast and on the west coast would see a series at a different time, then in the international markets shows would be seen much later. People weren’t talking about it so they were able to experience it for the first time.

I found this to be really interesting because I have to admit, I have searched through blogs and chat rooms just to find out what will happen or has happened in a television show. Never did I think about how the television markets were “helping” viewers spoil the shows. Of course someone who has watched a show on the west coast will blog about the show or tell someone what happened and then spoil the experience for someone else. It’s too easy. Also with the technology we have now to be able to communicate with so many other people in various ways, it’s super easy.

I feel that people do enjoy finding spoilers about television shows and other forms of media. How many are music albums leaked before they release? And how many people do we know have those albums playing in their cars already? I have tons of friends who are guilty of this. This is just one example, but there are many other examples of how American culture embraces the spoiling world. It’s true what Jenkins says viewers “ are determined to figure it out-together-before the producers reveal what happened.” (25) I have to admit before the Real World Australia season began, I did search for spoilers. I was interested in who the cast and wanted to know what craziness would happen this season. The information was out there. There were sites with the links of the cast’s myspace sites and tons of other information that I read. The day the last book of Harry Potter came out, I couldn’t help but know if Harry lived or not and went to Wikipedia to read a shortened version of what happened and was satisfied. Sounds crazy? Yeah, I know! I feel as though that society has helped me to turn into this kind of person and be ok with because we are never satisfied with waiting and always have to know something as fast as we can.

In ‘Speculation on Spoilers” by Jonathan Gray and Jason Mittell they say, “Watching a serial television drama is a huge time investment … For fans of such an ongoing series, there may be a question as to whether the temporal investment will be worth it – will I get the narrative payoff I desire?” This is very true! I feel this way about Grey’s Anatomy this season. With all the changes that have occurred on the show, I feel that the time I have invested in the series has gone down the drain. A lot of my peers who watch the show feel as though it is not worth watching this season. We all agree to watch the 1^st episode of the season but after that we probably won’t invest a lot of time as we did in the past. Reading this quote, it really clicked. I feel that I won’t get the narrative payoff that I desire from Grey’s Anatomy this season. For example, if there is no Burke, how can it possibly work with Cristina? How the hell is George going to be an intern again? Why is McDreamy and Meredith’s “new” sister are linked to something romantic (gross)? I feel that I got want I had needed from the narrative and now since I can no longer devote the time I once had, now it my time to spoil!