I found the “Transmedia Storytelling 101” by Henry Jenkins to be fascinating. As I was reading it, I was reminded of various stories that are told over different sources of media. Sure there are series like Batman and Spiderman. And then there is the success of the more recent transmedia story, Cloverfield. However, I am not familiar with any of those in particular. I guess one that I am most familiar with would be The Simpsons.
The Simpsons started out as a cartoon television series but it has expanded into so much more. There are now comic books, video games, and even a full length movie on the Simpsons. It is not one continual story but it is many stories that lead to developing the characters and eventually you see all of them in the movie. I would have to agree most with Jenkins’ statement that said “Transmedia storytelling practices many expand the potential market for a property by creating different points of entry for different audience segments”. This means that there is something for everyone or a way for anyone to get hooked on the show. In the example of the Simpsons, there are comic books for those who like to read, video games for those who like to play them, and a movie for those who enjoy going to a theater. On a personal level, I got hooked onto the Simpsons by the television show, their main source of fan attraction. By watching the episodes on television made me want to go see the movie and find out what the story was about. There were a lot of things in the movie that related to the TV series such as similar characters and their funny traits or sayings that were popular from the series. By having so many different ways to see the stories or play games to learn the characters is really beneficial and is a great marketing tool. To get people interested on a variety of levels is good for the business of the Simpsons. So while it is not an action show like Superman or Batman, it definitely is advertised and directed toward many different groups of people through many different types of media.
1 comment:
Amy.. Your Simpsons example is very good. The Simpsons have been around through multiple media sources for years with many people obsessing over them. I have a friend who watches it ritually and collects all the comic books. I agree with you that the Simpsons are advertised towards certain groups in the media however, I think that a diverse group watches it. Your blog was a great example and the Simpsons are the perfect example of transmedia storytelling!
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