Transmedia storytelling is a relatively new and exciting concept that is considered to be the “ultimate 360 approach to storytelling –360content, 360platforms and with the potential for the full 360experience.” Alison Norrington, a novelist and Ph.D researcher says, “Its success relies on fragmenting a narrative and making each platform do what it does best which, in turn, extends the life and longevity of the story” (Norrington, 2010). Telling stories through numerous media platforms has worked successfully for the film industry, as The Matrix for example, has conveyed information to audiences through three films, a series of animated shorts, comic books and multiple video games (Jenkins, 2010).
Many publications have already tried the basics of transmedia storytelling by enabling audiences to read their stories via various platforms such as print and online (Ford, 2007). Numerous publications also now offer different parts of their articles on different platforms, for example, you might read an article online and then be directed to the print version in order to read the entire story. However, publications have not fully embraced transmedia storytelling by completely fragmenting their stories and using different platforms to deliver separate parts of the story in order to give the narrative longevity. A news article written by a journalist is usually only read once, whereas a story that is initially presented in a film and is then conveyed through books and video games has a much longer life cycle and is more favoured by audiences (Jenkins, 2010). Perhaps this is why journalism is suffering.
Kevin Maloney, a veteran journalist and journalism educator, says journalism has always been constrained, whether this has been by the inverted pyramid writing style or the 30-second broadcast time limit. Although he says this can have positive effects on the journalist, as it can help them become a better and more concise writer, Maloney supports transmedia storytelling (Maloney, 2011). In Maloney’s case study, ‘Porting transmedia storytelling to journalism,’ he says, “to reach the public with a story we journalists see as important or compelling means that we must find the public where it already dwells. There we must engage readers so that they are more likely to pay attention to the story, share it, interact with it, contribute to it and understand its complexities” (Maloney, 2012).
In order for transmedia storytelling and journalism to be a success, the story would need to be designed this way from the beginning. Maloney says, “Editor’s must consider what media are available to them and how the individual strengths of those media can be used to the story’s advantage.” He says organisations would need to use popular platforms like Youtube and public TV to broadcast parts of their stories in order for readers to find them and he says there are certain stories that would be more suitable for transmedia storytelling rather than others. For example, he says short, daily news stories about a crime or a disaster from the day before may unfold too quickly, however investigative pieces that take longer to progress would be more suitable (Maloney, 2012).
One of the primary roles of a journalist is to tell stories. It is up to the journalist to find a newsworthy idea, investigate it and then report it to the public (Journalism: Wikipedia). A successful story is one that has a long-term impact on the reader; most news stories do not have this effect. The face of journalism is rapidly changing as we know it. We are experiencing a decline in print media as readers can access the same stories in newspapers or magazines as they can via the Internet; the problem is that no content is unique. Transmedia storytelling is the perfect solution to this issue, as this would mean that journalists could assemble their stories so that different parts of the narrative could be presented on different platforms, however they all could contribute something valuable to the story and more importantly, engage readers like never before (Holubowicz, 2011). “[A] transmedia approach to reporting is not about the technology, or the platform, or the cost-cutting measures - it's about the story and how best to report that story” (Ford, 2007).
References:
Ford, S. (2007). Transmedia Journalism: A Story-Based Approach to Convergence. Retrieved February 19, 2012, from http://www.convergenceculture.org/weblog/2007/04/transmedia_journalism_a_storyb.php
Holubowicz, G. (2011). Introduction to Editorial transmedia, why we need to move forward? Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://www.o2creation.org/2011/03/08/introduction-to-editorial-transmedia-why-we-need-to-move-forward/
Jenkins, H. (2010). Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Transmedia Storytelling 101. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html
Journalism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism
Maloney, K. (2011). Porting Transmedia Storytelling to Journalism (Thesis). Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.bond.edu.au/pqdlink?vinst=PROD&fmt=6&startpage=-1&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=2510689501&scaling=FULL&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1329545833&clientId=21143
Maloney, K. (2012). Transmedia Journalism. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://transmediajournalism.wordpress.com/
Norrington, Alison. (2010). Transmedia Storytelling – What’s it all about? Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://futurebook.net/content/transmedia-storytelling-–-what’s-it-all-about
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