Ilya Ryvin

Ilya Ryvin
Honors Thesis Colloquium
Prof. Lee Quinby
Position Paper #2

This begs the question: What is transmedia storytelling?

Transmedia Storytelling: What Is It?

On April 6, 2010, the Producers Guild of America made an announcement that many in the media industry were waiting for: the expansion of the Guild’s Producers Code of Credits to include the category of Transmedia Producer. With this announcement came a guideline as to what constitutes a “transmedia narrative”; it states:
A Transmedia Narrative project or franchise must consist of three (or more) narrative storylines existing within the same fictional universe on any of the following platforms: Film, Television, Short Film, Broadband, Publishing, Comics, Animation, Mobile, Special Venues, DVD/Blu-ray/CD-ROM, Narrative Commercial and Marketing rollouts, and other technologies that may or may not currently exist. These narrative extensions are NOT the same as repurposing material from one platform to be cut or repurposed to different platforms. (“Code of Credits – New Media”)

Almost immediately, these guidelines sparked a healthy debate, some arguing that the definition was too narrow in scope. For example, Christy Dena, a prominent media scholar, questioned the requirement of a work having to permeate at least three different media platforms, thereby ignoring transmedia works that span only two platforms (“PGA’s Transmedia Producer!”). Likewise, the Transmedia Hollywood: S/Telling the Story conference held in March 2010 ignited a similar debate amongst a number of industry insiders who could not even agree on the newness of transmedia, with some arguing that it is ultimately a rehash of “long-standing practices” (“Hollywood Goes ‘Transmedia’”).
While this development within the PGA certainly legitimizes transmedia as an industry practice, the debates within the scholarly and creative communities reveal an interesting problem: we, as of yet, have no authoritative definition for transmedia storytelling. Henry Jenkins, a noted transmedia scholar and USC professor, offers an explanation for this omission; he argues:
From the beginning, transmedia has been a site of experimentation, innovation, and exploration at the heart of mainstream media…. As such, the transmedia discussion has always moved across registers and as a consequence, needed to be expansive, to include anyone who wants to engage with these topics and who is willing to put these ideas into practice…. This very expansiveness is what allows us to bring many different voices to the table, to map diverse kinds of experiments, and to promote new explorations and innovations. (“Hollywood Goes ‘Transmedia’”)

Although the PGA offers a perfectly adequate definition, I agree with Jenkins that we “should push back on any attempt to too quickly formalize the limits or boundaries of this practice” (“Hollywood Goes ‘Transmedia’”). However, the simple fact that the PGA was able to create a definition means that there are a number of transmedia practices that are largely agreed upon as central to the form. In fact, several key players in the field, specifically Starlite Runner’s Jeff Gomez, have been instrumental in lobbying the PGA to get the aforementioned classification approved (“Hollywood Goes ‘Transmedia’”). Therefore, I want to use the PGA’s definition for transmedia storytelling as the foundation for my definition. Building on that foundation, I can take what other scholars have said about transmedia storytelling and apply their theories to case studies, allowing me to analyze what works and what does not. By no means will my definition be authoritative. In fact, because the field is in a constant state of flux, my definition may very well be obsolete half a year from now. Nevertheless, I am but another “voice” bringing my own perspectives about what I have seen, and as you will see in section 3, my goal is to promote further “explorations and innovations,” specifically through the application of transmedia practices in television (“Hollywood Goes ‘Transmedia’”).

Transmedia Storytelling: Extensions
In his book Convergence Culture, Where Old and New Media Collide, Jenkins discusses “transmedia storytelling” at length. He describes it as the following:
A transmedia story unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole. In the ideal form of transmedia storytelling, each medium does what it does best−so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, novels, and comics; its world might be explored through game play or experienced as an amusement park attraction. Each franchise entry needs to be self-contained so you don’t need to have seen the film to enjoy the game, and vice versa. Any given product is a point of entry into the franchise as a whole. Reading across the media sustains depth of experience and motivates more consumption. Redundancy burns up Fan interest and causes franchises to fail. Offering new levels of insight and experience refreshes the franchise and sustains consumer loyalty. (Convergence Culture 95-96)

Before I continue, it is important to explain why two portions of Jenkins’ definition have been highlighted. When comparing the PGA’s definition to Jenkins’, a number of similarities become obvious. Both definitions agree that each text in a transmedia franchise should contribute something new to the whole, and that redundancy should be avoided. It is also the case that both definitions mention the actual dispersal of information across different media platforms, as they should. However, Jenkins’ definition deviates in two ways: he claims that each medium should do “what it does best,” and that “each franchise entry needs to be self-contained so you don’t need to have seen the film to enjoy the game, and vice versa. Any given product is a point of entry into the franchise as a whole” (Convergence Culture 96). By analyzing The Matrix franchise, it becomes evident rather quickly why both points are not absolutes.

Extensions in The Matrix
Jenkins’ argues that The Matrix franchise, developed by Andy and Larry Wachowski, is the most ambitious attempt at transmedia storytelling (“Transmedia Storytelling: Business, Aesthetics…” 14). When the The Matrix hit theaters in 1999, no one could have predicted that it would become a worldwide phenomenon. The film, which tells the story of humanity’s struggle for survival against brutal machine overlords, eventually went on to gross more than $463 million worldwide (Box Office Mojo). But the Wachowskis did not stop there; the brothers had a plan that would expand the universe of The Matrix beyond the scope of just one film. What soon followed were two sequels, a series of comics and web-comics, a number of anime films released on DVD, and two videos games.
Each text was designed to contribute new material to the narrative without rehashing the same old information. In the first film, Morpheus briefly recounts the war between man and machine. He does not divulge much about the war, but at one point states, “We don’t know who struck first, us or them. But we do know it was us that scorched the sky” (The Matrix). “The Second Renaissance,” a two-part animated film included in The Animatrix DVD, explores the entire history of the war. It even reveals what Morpheus meant in his cryptic speech to Neo by showing how humans used nano-machines to darken the sky and block out the sun (The Animatrix). In this case, the Wachowski’s managed to successfully add distinctive and valuable information to the world of The Matrix by expanding through the anime something briefly mentioned in the film.
However, not every extension was this successful; in some instances, the extensions hurt the franchise. For example, the story of Kid was first introduced in “Kid’s Story” in The Animatrix. He is next seen in the first sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, interacting with Neo. He is never properly introduced in the film, and the interaction between Kid and Neo alludes to events that occurred in the anime. By the third movie, The Matrix Revolutions, Kid plays an even larger role where he heroically defends Zion against the robot invasion. This lack of formal introduction in the films presents a problem for those who have not seen the anime, so much so that when Kid has his heroic moment at the end of the third film, it is difficult to react with anything other than indifference. However, those who saw Kid’s background story in the anime may have a different reaction when watching the same scene, having been exposed to him in a much more meaningful way.
According to Jenkins’ definition of transmedia, both the film and the anime should provide potential points of entry into the franchise “for different audience segments” (“Transmedia Storytelling 101”). For example, both film and television attract relatively large and diverse crowds; comic books, animes, and video games, however, are more tailored to a specific niche (Convergence Culture 96). In other words, an anime fan can enter the franchise through The Animatrix, a gamer can enter through Enter the Matrix, and a film buff can enter through the film. Once inducted into the franchise through one entry point, further exploration of the franchise through other media is encouraged; a gamer might want to watch the film after playing the video game and vice versa.
However, this is only possible if each point of entry is self-contained, as can be seen by the backlash the franchise encountered. A number of critics panned the films, arguing that they “were not sufficiently self-contained and bordered on incoherent,” and a number of video game critics complained that the story of Enter the Matrix “isn’t strong enough to stand on its own…making the game worth a look for hard-core fans of The Matrix films, but a buggy disappointment for just about anyone else” (Convergence Culture 65; Gerstmann). Following Jenkins’ definition, the video game should engage more than just fans of the film; it should also work as an entry point for people who have not seen the films. In this case, however, it is unlikely that a person who played the game will be engaged enough to explore the rest of the franchise if his experience with the game was disappointing.
It is here that I take issue with Jenkin’s claim that every “franchise entry needs to be self-contained” (Convergence Culture 96). I contend that only the primary text needs to be self-contained, and extensions should be used to explore the storyworld, or “diegesis,” of the primary text; these extensions can flesh out backstories, histories, and locations to create a multilayered universe (Film Art: An Introduction 76). Extensions that do this and strive to be self-contained should stay within the universe of the primary text, but focus on elements outside of its direct narrative. This claim implies several things:
1) Not all texts are created equal. There is one primary text that drives the core plot (everything that is “explicitly presented”) through which extensions develop (Film Art: An Introduction 76).
2) Extensions are optional. They should not be mandatory for understanding the narrative of the primary text.
3) Some extensions explore the storyworld by expanding on something that appeared in the primary text. Others can simply expand the storyworld without referencing material from the primary text.
4) Not all extensions need to act as entry points into a franchise.
5) Transmedia producers need to understand how to best utilize the conventions of the platforms through which they create their extensions.
These points exist to highlight the fact that producers need to be highly selective when choosing to extend their narratives across different media platforms. They need to understand and utilize the conventions of the platforms through which they create their extensions, otherwise they will repeat the mistakes the Wachowskis made with their franchise. I contend that this is what Jenkins meant when he said, “each medium does what it does best” (Convergence Culture 95). However, this too is difficult to determine What works in a ten minute animated short may not work as well in a video game.
As I mentioned already, Enter the Matrix was seen as a failure due to its lack of self-containment and uninspired gameplay, the result of the Wachowski’s lack of understanding of the video game platform. Stephen Johnson argues that video games emphasize “form” instead of “content,” and he contends that “with the occasional exception, the actual content of the game is often childish…” (Everything Bad Is Good for You 39). While I agree that some games like Pac-Man and Halo do focus more on form, an increasing number of video games today do have “complex storylines” with “memorable and endearing cast of characters” that drive player engagement (Shoemaker). Therefore, there should be a focus on not just form, but the ways form and content work together to create a compelling game. In the case of Enter the Matrix, the Wachowski’s tried too hard to intertwine the game’s narrative with the film’s narrative, jumbling the coherence of the game. At the same time, by using the game to fill in the narrative gaps between the first and second films, they ignored the form of the game, essentially turning Enter the Matrix into a mini-film. Critics noted that this problem was so pervasive that at times narrative cut scenes would interrupt actual gameplay (Gerstmann). Perhaps the game would have served the Wachowski’s better if they chose to explore some other facet of the Matrix world, one that has no mention in the film but is still clearly recognized as belonging to that universe. This way, the game does not have to rely on the film for coherence and a gamer can enjoy the game on its own merits, with a cohesive storyline and form that work together.
On the other end of the spectrum, The Animatrix highlights not only the failures of the Wachowski’s transmedia experiment, but also its successes. I have already demonstrated how “Kid’s Story” created problems for the films. I have also demonstrated how “The Second Renaissance” successfully fleshed out the history of the war between man and the machines from a conversation in the first film. It is important to emphasize that this extension is not necessary for us to understand the story of the first film; we are told that mankind fought a war against the machines and lost, and that all subsequent events are the result of that conflict. However, those who watch “The Second Renaissance” can achieve a deeper understanding of that conflict, and ultimately, the world that The Matrix inhabits. Jenkins calls this deeper understand “additive comprehension,” asserting that “each new texts adds a new piece of information which forces us to revise our understanding of the fiction as a whole” (“Transmedia Storytelling 101”). Furthermore, The Animatrix is also unique in that it can attract a niche audience to the franchise. Made up of eight films, The Animatrix is a collaboration between The Wachowskis and a number of renowned Japanese anime producers. It is arguably the best example of a stand-alone extension within the franchise, and I agree that this is true to some extent. By collaborating with a number of well-known Japanese anime producers, the Wachowskis succeeded in creating eight varied and visually exciting stories. This by itself can be a potential attractor for someone who simply likes anime and is a fan of said producers. These works offer a new interpretation of the universe within the franchise, and that interpretation may inspire further investigation.
I have already said that transmedia storytelling builds worlds, and that transmedia extensions are crucial to that process. But how can transmedia producers design transmedia narratives? What separates transmedia narratives from other grand, multi-platform stories from the past (Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings). And what happens when there are multiple authors in one franchise, as was the case in The Animatrix. The follow section will explore these issues, and offer further insight into the question: What is transmedia storytelling?

Transmedia Storytelling: World-building, Additive Comprehension, Adaptation, and the Issue of Canon

In Convergence Culture, Jenkins quotes a Hollywood screenwriter:
When I first started, you would pitch a good story because without a good story, you didn’t really have a film. Later, once sequels started to take off, you pitched a character because a good character could support multiple stories. And now, you pitch a world because a world can support multiple characters and multiple stories across multiple media. (Convergence Culture 114)

The screenwriter highlights a very important point: there has been an increase in the number of films and television programs that take place in highly expansive and imaginative story worlds. With all this excitement hailing transmedia as the next big thing, it is important to note that transmedia storytelling is not an entirely novel concept. Specifically, the notion of dispersing a story or world across a number of different platforms is not unique to transmedia storytelling as it is defined today. There have been a number of media franchises in the past that did just this, perhaps the most notable example being George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise. The first trilogy started with Star Wars: A New Hope, released in 1997, and ended with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in 1983. It sparked a number of tertiary texts aimed at expanding the universe, focusing on characters and stories that were ultimately unexplored in the films. While some of these works were produced under the watchful eye of Lucas, many were produced by outside authors who ultimately had little to no affiliation with Star Wars or Lucas.

Works Cited
Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Print.
“Code of Credits – New Media.” Producers Guild of America. Web. 3 Nov. 2010. .
Dena, Christy. “PGA’s Transmedia Producer!” Christy’s Corner of the Universe. 5 Apr. 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2010. .
Gerstmann, Jeff. “Enter the Matrix Review.” GameSpot. 20 May 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .
Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press, 2006. Print.
Jenkins, Henry. “Hollywood Goes “Transmedia”.” Web log post. Confessions of an Aca-Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins. 12 Dec. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .
Jenkins, Henry. “Transmedia Storytelling 101.” Web log post. Confessions of an Aca-Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins. 22 Mar. 2007. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .
Long, Geoffrey A. “Transmedia Storytelling: Business, Aesthetics, and Production at the Jim Henson Company.” Thesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. .
Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.
Shoemaker, Brad. “The Greatest Games of All Time: Chrono Trigger.” GameSpot. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .
The Animatrix. Dir. Mahiro Maeda, Shinichirô Watanabe, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike, Kôji Morimoto, and Peter Chung. Warner Home Video, 2003. DVD.
The Matrix. Dir. Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne. Warner Bros., 1999. DVD.
“The Matrix (1999).” Box Office Mojo. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .
Shoemaker, Brad. “The Greatest Games of All Time: Chrono Trigger.” GameSpot. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .