Transmedia Storytelling

Transmedia storytelling (alternatively called transmedia narrative or multiplatform storytelling) is telling one story through multiple formats/platforms - games, books, tv shows, comics, etc. It is not the same as 'cross-platform media franchises' adaptations or sequels that use different formats for different stories within one universe.



One example of this (tough it doesn't contain animation) is the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. They are  series of Youtube Vlogs telling a modern day version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. What makes it transmedia is that each of the characters have social media accounts (Twitters, Tumblrs) that are linked into the Vlogs; the other characters' sides of stories are told there, all tying in with the main show, allowing you to see more of the Lizzie Bennet universe from different points of view. I think that this is a particularly good idea because not only is there more content for viewers to see (and so more ways and opportunities for them to find the series) but it also means more frequent updates in one way or another, so excitement levels are kept high and viewers will be thinking of the series more often, as different social media platforms they check will involve different things to do with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.




Defiance took a risk releasing a game and TV show at the same time that ties in together. A the show follows Nolan and Irisa in the town of Defiance, the game provides you with an RPG where you have your own character doing quests in missions in that town and surrounding areas, and in certain missions you will bump into and interact with both main characters from the show, as they follow the TV series' plot. The game even had some weekly events tying directly into that same week's episode meaning that you can interact directly with what you have just watched.
Although a good idea, the show/game hasn't done as well as hoped, but it must have been extremely expensive to produce the two at the time, so I think that with maybe better writing/directing and more experimenting with consoles' capabilities could have produced something better. I think that is a well written show with an already established fanbase did something similar to this, it would go down a lot better.



Assassins Creed has also experiment with transmedia storytelling. With the amount of characters and plots and time periods all tied together, there is a lot of stories that go untold, and at first it was only a case of reading between the lines and listening to the events in game. Later on, they began to release comics that ran alongside the games, shedding some light on other parts of the plot and other characters' sides of the stories. In some comics they vary slightly from the game (possibly because it would have given spoilers to later games) but on the whole they tell the same story. A 3 part film was also released on to Youtube, setting up the events of Assassins Creed 2. The film was live action acting mixed with backgrounds and locations from the game's environment. Transmedia is a great way to include all characters and tell all of their stories parallel to each other rather than just concentrating on the main protagonist, and it brings much more depth to the characters, which is vital for such a large franchise.