Transmedia story telling is a technique used to share a story experience across multiple platforms and formats using digital technology. This idea is also known as transmedia narrative or multiplatform storytelling.
We might not realize it, but Transmedia Storytelling shows up quite a bit throughout our everyday lives. For example, a newly released gaming app that adapts Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein novel to fit into modern society or a blog post that implements new sci-fi into a new action movie that was just released.
During undergrad, I was fortunate enough to take a literature class called, “Transmedia Storytelling.” Throughout the semester, I learned many things that could be useful to content creators in all fields and platforms that is critical for success in today’s society.
Before we dive into the benefits of transmedia storytelling, we must talk about the God father of Transmedia Storytelling, Henry Jenkins. Transmedia storytelling was first presented by Jenkins at the beginning of 2003 in a MIT Technology Review magazine. The article shows the difference between Cross Media and Transmedia Storytelling.
To be exact, Cross media is taking the same story line and moving on to different digital platforms. Transmedia Storying is rather a human interpretation of a story line, changing it in some way and then moving it on to a different digital platform than what was original presented.
When I started my blog, I intended it as a positive promotional for being unique and different in anything you do. When learning about Transmedia storytelling, I realized how beneficial this idea was to the message I was presenting with my business.
As content creators, we can really use the idea of transmedia storytelling to better content with endless inspiration on the internet, in books or in the nature around us. Here are two major take a ways for implementing transmedia into businesses:
Transmedia Storytelling allows us to steal and rediscover.
Transmedia Storytelling is an accepting scholarly term for “take from others.” Before I lose you for good because of my last comment, take a moment to watch the Ted Talk “Steal Like an Artist,” by Austin Kleon who does an excellent job of presenting this idea.
For those of you who didn’t watch the video, ideas are meant to be taken and redesigned. This is how innovation comes to life. Many public figures understand this philosophy and accept it with open arms. An example of this is Drake in the song, “Wu-Tang Forever.” Drake states in a lyric, “It ain’t about who did it first. It is about who did it right.”
In order to achieve what you wish for your business, start stealing ideas and think about ways to make it more efficient for your audience. For example, you see a video online about gaining followers. As you watch the video, more ideas and tactics pop into your head that the video neglects to touch on. After the video, you decide to revamp the notes taken and create a simple infographic to better layout a plan for your viewers online. In your infographic, you accredit your sources.
This is transmedia storytelling at its finest. Taking this idea, reworking it for your audience and properly accrediting your inspiration. To get a more detailed explanation of Transmedia Storytelling by Jenkins himself, I highly recommend reading “Transmedia Storytelling 101.”
Transmedia Storytelling gives us creative freedom that turns into flow.
Take the inspiration you gain from the internet or books to break barriers for your audience and to continue your creative flow process. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a book that dives deep into working countless hours on something you are passionate about without realizing the amount of time has passed.
Creative freedom can really make or break your experience in creating content which ultimately hurts your business. When focused on an idea, use transmedia to stretch this concept to the very end. Play with crazy ideas and test boundaries. When you’re working diligently on a task, keep in mind the “steal like an artist” idea that was discussed earlier.
If you get stuck in working, find something to help you get inspired to create like crazy. Use Transmedia Storytelling principles to start with anyone’s ideas and make it more complicated and ultimately more like you. Reach for the next level in that flow state rather than figuring out everything someone else already learned.
This flow state is critical for content creators because this is where the bulk of your content comes from. Challenge yourself and your business to reach new heights that will make you proud looking back.
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