14 Matching Annotations
  1. Oct 2018
    1. But Twain understood what modern storytellers seem to have forgotten-a compelling sequel offers consumers a new perspective on the characters, rather than just more of the same.

      In terms of polar opposites think Star Wars and some (not all) of its sequels and spin offs. Many prefer "Empire Strikes Back" to "A New Hope" few would admit to liking the prequels ("Phantom Menace" et al). Sadly there are too many examples of bad sequels. For this author, each installment of "The Matrix" progressively disappointed, so much so that I couldn't bother with the games, graphic novels or animated series.

    2. current licensing system typically generates works that are redundant (allowing no new character background or plot development),

      I agree. Licensing can be very restrictive. It would seem that a collaborative creativity involving mutually beneficial remediation of various creations could be a good way forward. Although Jenkins isn't referring explicitly to phenomena like "fan fiction" or its game/film alternative, it does seem that an iterative approach could benefit all. The fan or alternate media producer would feel validated and invested. The studio/production house benefits from a greater pool of imagination. In many cases fans of media are far more invested, know more, and are in a better position to contribute than the original creators. A network of loosely connected, differently wired creative brains could be a powerful force.

    3. computer owners consume on average significantly more television, movies, CDs, and related media than the general population.

      Would be nice to see the sources/reference for this information. From a logical viewpoint, it makes sense, computer users have a device in front of them which makes it a task of milliseconds to find all the information, linkages and layers of a game, film, book, album, piece of theatre or performance. I would extrapolate this even more to mobile device users. In a sense, finding this information on a mobile device, to me at least, feels more like flow, than doing the same thing on a desktop machine. But perhaps Jenkins was referring to all users of digital devices, regardless of screen size.

    4. Transmedia stories aren’t necessarily bad stories; they are different kinds of stories

      An interesting case study whose theme runs somewhat tangentially to Jenkins' article was conducted by Wu (2016). Wu references "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World"- originally a comic series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Wu notes that the use of video game motifs and conventions helps to bridge the gap between the comic world and video game world. Wu, L.Z., 2016. Transmedia Adaptation, or the Kinesthetics of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Adaptation 9, 417–427. https://doi.org/10.1093/adaptation/apw033

    5. meeting reflected a growing realization within the media industries that what is variously called transmedia, multiplatform, or enhanced storytelling represents the future of entertainment.

      It's problematic to make a pronouncement like this with such confidence. Many other media forms and approaches have been declared as "the future". However, Jenkins does present some interesting case studies later in the article which would seem to corroborate his argument or to at least justify his zeal. There are also echoes from other industries which make similar clarion calls for the importance of transmedia. For a journalistic perspective see: (Gambarato and Tárcia, 2017- Gambarato, R.R., Tárcia, L.P.T., 2017. Transmedia Strategies in Journalism. Journalism Studies 18, 1381–1399. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2015.1127769 )

    6. audiences want the new work to offer new insights into the characters and new experiences of the fictional world.

      A case in point is the spin-off series "Fear the Walking Dead" which looks at the "Walking Dead" universe form a different perspective and has recently had a character crossover (Morgan)- see here for more details: http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Morgan_Jones_(Fear_The_Walking_Dead)

      The "Walking Dead" franchise began with graphic novels. "Harry Potter" much surely mark one of the most successful transmedia franchises, books, films, computer games, lego characters, costumes, and extended fanclubs (UCC Harry Potter Society uses a sorting hat, and the quasi-gothic architecture of UCC as a backdrop).

    7. A good character can sustain multiple narratives and thus lead to a successful movie franchise. A good “world” can sustain multiple characters (and their stories) and thus successfully launch a transmedia franchise.

      Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" and their film adaptations are possibly the ultimate exemplar of the power of world-building. To a lesser extent (and aimed at a younger age group) would be C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" with various stage,T.V. film, animated and radio adaptations

    8. enjoying Pokemon across media are going to expect this same kind of experience from The West Wing

      From a personal perspective I see this all the time. My children (7, 10) are multiscreen users and are frequently consuming video walkthroughs of games on youtube, whilst playing the games, whilst also messaging and conversing with friends online. Various academics waver over whether multiscreen use encourages more or less engagement with media and learning. Coates-Nee and Dozier (2015) conducted a study which seemed to "support a theoretical model linking frequency of complementary simultaneous media use to engagement, which in turn mediates incidental learning". I mention this, more as an aside, or addendum, as the Jenkins article doesn't advocate simultaneous use of transmedia. Nee, R.C., Dozier, D.M., 2017. Second screen effects: Linking multiscreen media use to television engagement and incidental learning. Convergence 23, 214–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856515592510

    9. If each work offers fresh experiences, then a crossover market will expand the potential gross

      Makes perfect sense. Many times an original consumer of a film will continue engagement through books, graphic novels and games as a means of staying connected to the world of the film.

    10. When Star Wars moved into print, its novels expanded the timeline to show us events not contained in the film trilogies, or recast the stories around secondary characters,

      The Star Wars Franchise has almost become post-modern in its self-referential universe of spin-offs, books, graphic novels, games, lego figures, Lego Star Wars games and short animated features. In some ways it has set a bar which may be too high for many transmedia creations to see, let alone reach.

    11. a new model for co-creation-rather than adaptation-of content that crosses media.

      A somewhat "utopian" vision, no matter how logical. I believe that politics, human nature, power and perception of power have maybe not as much but a proportionate impact on these decisions/strategies as economics.

    12. Younger consumers have become in

      The affordances of digital, social media, wikipedia and google would certainly seem to support this. Frequently, although not a "younger consumer", I find myself googling and searching across different media when I find myself enmeshed in the plot of a tv series, or even whilst enjoying books or documentaries about, or by, my favourite photographers and filmmakers.

    13. era of media convergence that makes the flow of content across multiple media channels almost inevitable.

      From a very surface level this is clearly evidenced in the transmission of material, image, text, video sound across multiple platforms (twitter, instagram, soundcloud, youtube) and also exemplified to some degree in the proliferation of storymaps (maps and timelines with embedded photographs, audio, text, links, video and other media).

    14. I saw the movement of content across media as an enhancement of the creative process. He saw it as a distraction or corruption.

      Points to a short-sightedness and tunnel vision in sections of media. Taking a focussed view on a very narrow area of a field, as opposed to a "world view" as advocated by the author.