Transmedia Storytelling Analysis

 The difference between multimedia and transmedia is that when it comes to multimedia, it usually stays on one type of media like videos and pictures. Transmedia is when a certain medium like comic books is adapted into movies, shows, pictures, novels, and so much more when it comes to the media world. 

Transmedia in a nutshell

For example, Warcraft started out as a multiplayer video game, and it has expanded into comic books, novels, manga, magazine, and even has its own film adaption that was released recently. When we look at how big the game got, we can see why the owners of the worldwide game thought it best to expand into more expansion packs. But, they didn’t only stop there. They continued with novels, which interests the people who are more into the story rather than the game. In Pavlik/McIntosh’s focus on transmedia, they talk about how companies use that opportunity to expand fan bases and the brand itself, catering to specific wants. 

World of Warcraft answered to fan's call for a movie on June 10, 2016. Fans were the only ones who vouched for the major box office flop.

Marketing goes a long way when it comes down to photographs, movies, and television. We have colored photos, CGI movies, and cable television which boosts up to another expanding branch. What they all have in common, according to Pavlik/McIntosh is the fact that they are all now becoming interactive which captivates audience.

Televisions have drastically changed even their sizes to be "futuristic".

In order to feel like you're a part of something, you need to have something to do with it. That's how the marketing team works when it comes to one multimedia that they are planning to span in transmedia.

Ever since Ipads came out, interactions between humans and electronics have increased.

In Jenkins' "Searching For The Origami Unicorn", he points out the most famous one, The Matrix. The makers of the movie were geniuses to leave it to the audience and even the actors of the movie to interpret what the whole "Matrix" was about. With the interpretation left to the audience, you have different types of people who like it better in novel form or maybe comic book form. So, you have all these different branches that are extending outside of the main question of what is the "Matrix."

The election is another example where transmedia came into use starting from Obama’s campaign. Obama was well-known to young voters due to his well-known charisma when it came to relating to the youth and their problems and that was when his campaign made good use of social networking.

For example, the artist behind Obama's Hope poster, Shepard Fairey, was an influencer for Obama since he owns a streetwear company called Obey, which is heavily influenced by storytelling of struggle and anti-propaganda. 

In the sense of Trump’s campaign, he was infamous for using Twitter and his own reality show, “The Apprentice,” gave him a signature that, for some odd reason, may have given people a reason to think that he was “normal.”

This flyer spoke to the young generation because this was made by Shepard Fairey, who owns Obey streetwear.

Transmedia is used popularly because of the intention of getting that one idea out there to each and every audience. The transcendence of multimedia is one thing that was to expected.

Works cited:

Jenkins, Henry. "Searching For The Origami Unicorn." Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide              New York: New York UP, 2006. 101-04. Print.

Pavlik, John V., and Shawn McIntosh. Converging Media: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Boston: Pearson, 2004. Print.

The Media of Transmedia (DClermont)

Multimedia, in a general sense, is a medium that focuses on a form of media being transmitted through multiple outlets with the same story. It is the mass transmission of content through different media that have similar or unchanged elements. Multimedia reaches out to a set audience through set media, so chances are that the content itself would be niche to a particular medium. On the other hand, transmedia is the transmission of media that reaches out to all possible mediums that are interconnected with each other, only to lead into a singular theme of the content in question. That means the content that utilizes all possible mediums to tell and interpret different parts of the story can attract more attention to different audiences that were initially attracted by the content’s extra perspectives while not limiting to niche mediums. So anyone that has started a series that originated from a television series and notices that part of the story is continued or added on through a comic or novel can keep track of how it progresses until the next possible medium is available. It’s the factor of interconnectivity and relevance to a mainline story that makes transmedia such a variable medium of media dispersal

Media platforms being utilized in all possible areas to contribute to the overarching presence of a content's story.

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There are great examples of multimedia and transmedia that can originate from Japanese media. Different means of telling a story, whether it is through drama CDs, mangas (Japanese comics), light novel, games, and anime adaptations, all reach to different audiences that would be hooked into the story itself and wanting more in return. Even if it touches base on a few of the mediums that I previously mentioned, as long as it progresses the main line story, the newfound fans can be engaged. A series in particular that I want to use that exemplifies the presence of transmedia is one of my favorites, Gundam. The Gundam universe is expanded into different kinds of universes that follow the same convention of the original series, Mobile Suit Gundam, which aired in 1979. While there are different universal stories that carry the name, the main line universe in Gundam is noted as the Universal Century. It was at that point where the idea of transmedia started to influence the series itself. The Universal Century has been hailed as the most expansive universe in the entire Gundam series, with a plethora of side stories and sequels in the forms of novels, mangas, video games, a few movies, and anime adaptations.

The 1979 series directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino that spawned a pop culture phenomenon all around the world. 

There is an idea of the “media mix,” a phrase mentioned by The Art of Immersion author, Frank Rose, which correlates to the media approach that Gundam and many other series from Japan utilize to reach the general audience. The transmedia concept of media mix harps on one of Japan’s major consumers of these kinds of content; a demographic called otakus. Since otaku culture relies heavily on the transmedia approach to certain media, it is easy to see the direction of where potentially new stories could come about in the process. As characterized by Rose, “Otaku like to live in alternate realities, and sooner or later this means they want to start telling their own stories in the worlds others have built” (Rose 31). Otaku culture has extended into the Western audiences too, thanks to the migration of Japanese animation like Pokemon and Gundam to American televisions and markets.

One of the many novels for the Universal Century timeline of Gundam, Hathaway's Flash. This takes place later than some of the animated U.C. Gundam shows.

Gundam’s main line universe is heavily immersive, urging fans to explore different reaches of the Universal Century through available means. Notable interactions of fans and content can be sought through the Side Stories games and mangas that have existed to expand the lore of the Gundam mythos. Even textual novels such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash and Gundam Sentinel tell new stories that correlate to the main timeline of the Universal Century. There are also recent interactions from Gundam’s English main website, en.gundam.info that have posted Gundam shows and events on their Youtube channel with about 518,000 subscribers that frequent their content. Merchandise of Gundam toys and memorabilia go through various avenues that have been made accessible thanks to the internet and social media, with groups like Gundamplanet and HobbyLinkJapan providing service for Western Gundam fans that want content that is normally and readily available from Japan.

The Gundam Versus series mashes all Gundam timelines in a 2 v 2 competitive arcade arena brawl. This game is consistently the most popular arcade game in Japan.

Outside of the attention and notoriety of Gundam’s Universal Century is the other timelines that were created to appeal to different generations at the time. The most familiar ones that first came to the Western audience were G Gundam, 08^th Mobile Suit Team, and Gundam Wing. With the exception of 08^th Mobile Suit Team, G Gundam and Gundam Wing were completely different series that had their own story, but still have the conventions of the original Gundam universe, thus giving them their own memorable identities. The multiple timelines were a method of media mixing that Gundam utilized that brought new fans as well as enticed older fans to watch and participate in the constantly-evolving nature of the series. Even the alternate timelines are given the same treatment as their Universal Century counterparts, with manga and video game spinoffs that tie into their own stories or lack thereof.

The various approaches present options for people that want to find their way into a series that interests the audience, but want to experiment through their own specific means of media consumption. With numerous ways to enter a series, the level of participation solely depends on the level of intrigue that is amassed by the consumer of that product. Through that intrigue, the consumer might want to see how others have introduced themselves into a particular medium of media consumption, creating a network of like-minded individuals that want to find out more about a series. However, the participation could be separated based on the level of involvement a person may have, or if they “get” the idea of what a series is about. Similar to how the hardcore audiences of The Matrix consume different media platforms to get the full story and understanding of the series beyond the movie trilogy through comics and video games, as it was noted in Henry Jenkins’s Convergence Culture.

Using a multitude of media platforms can give stories a life of their own, encouraging audiences an opportunity to expand their horizons to create a story of their own. The ability to tell multiple stories through multiple platforms creates the possibilities that could influence a series as a whole. It depends on how the story of a series is capitalized to garner attention from all possible angles of entry. Once that series gains popularity, the widely consumable media trickles down into other media platforms for everyone else to obtain and enjoy amongst themselves before moving on to other platforms. The multiple platforms will only propel the audience to immerse themselves into the mythos being presented in a variety of paths to choose from, leaving only those heavily invested in a series that utilizes media mixing/transmedia wanting more for the series itself.

Works Cited

Jenkins, Henry. "Synergistic Storytelling." Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

              New York: New York UP, 2006. 101-04. Print.

Rose, Frank. "2. Fear of Fiction." The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. 31. Print.

Group 6 Summary: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is about visual media, specifically photography, movies, and television and its influences as well as their future outlook. All three of these forms of media have a great impact on culture and it also reflects the culture. Their future outlook depends on the prominence of social media and streaming. This century promises to continue reshaping the visual storytelling of each of these mediums in an increasingly public and participatory environment of social media and interactive technology.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Vr8SY-qUzphDOnI95tZjn_IFhUBHVqSJir9HbdfHLnk/edit?usp=sharing

Midterm: Project Proposal

A: For my final project, I am looking to write a research paper which will delve into the sports media landscape, more specifically, how the platforms for viewing and consuming sports has shifted. A statistic that got me interested in this topic was that television viewer ratings for the NFL has been dropping at unforeseen rates this season. NFL football had long been seen as being exempt from dropping television viewer patterns, and although other factors have been blamed for this, the fact remains that less and less people are watching sports on live television.

Various other platforms for viewing and consuming sports have usurped the need to watch any game on TV anymore. From companies like FOX and ESPN releasing apps which allow a user to watch programming on that channel from their smartphone.

B. An alternative pitch for my final project, I would like to investigate the ongoing corruption scandals happening with the soccer world governing body of FIFA. I would like to create an interactive timeline which details the events and decisions surrounding the very controversial activities of FIFA. 

Eight individuals have already pled guilty to varying charges concerning the corruption scandal, and even a corporation (Traffic Sports USA) has pled guilty. Fourteen additional individuals have been formally accused. I feel that this is a more narrowed down project. Interestingly, the United States Department of Justice has been the forerunner in investigating and punishing the individuals involved. 

I have done plenty of preliminary research and plan on watching the BBC Panorama program which did a special on this topic called Foul!: The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote Rigging and Ticket Scandals. This was the groundbreaking documentary that uncovered this scandal to the public. Plenty of journalists have done work on this topic already and I hope to create an interactive timeline which simplifies the entire situation for someone who isn't privy to the fine details of the story. I would like to also cover the bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups which are also shrouded in controversy. 

MIDTERM ARTICLE PRESENTATION

     DIGITIZATION

OF THE HUMAN LIFE

Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital format. This process has over the years has tremendous change in the culture and way of life of people.

•In recent times, many cell phone owners who want to burn calories have been able to do so by using their cell phones to calculate the number of steps they take in each day to achieve desired results

So digitization has over the years helped in greater revenue and integration with business applications, global interconnectivity, and supporting preservation.

Revenue Generation:

The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced in August 2016 that the “estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2016, was $97.3 billion, an increase of 4.5 percent from the first quarter of 2016.

Global interconnectivity: Have you ever left your cell phone somewhere and how did your

Feel?

Can you go a day without your cell phone?

Well, Pew Research observes that “As cellphones and smartphones become more widely adopted and play a larger role in people’s daily communications, their owners often treat them like body appendages”.

The world has become so connected because almost everything is now digitized and so connectivity has become easy. You can connect on video live with someone as far as thousands of miles away.

Digitization also helped shaped education and supported preservation. Many people have signed on to online schools and others are using digitization to preserve important documents ranging from photos and arts at the museums  and scholarly articles and books at the libraries.

So do you think we have seen it all as far as digitization/ What do you think the future is for us and digitization?

MIDTERM

Collins Agyapong

Professor Doris Cacoilo

Convergence

Digitization of the human life

We are living in a digitized world. We order food by the phone, take photos by the phone, bank online, and interact with each other on our finger tips. Technology makes cell phones function not only as a tool for calling but also capable of being used increasingly as surfing platforms. Digitization thus permeates in all aspect of our lives and Professor Dr. Thomas Hess in “Digital Living”, noted how “new cars are equipped with web access and voice commands.  He goes on to observe that “thanks to sensors in their running shoes, athletes can transmit their running speed, distance or calorie consumption directly to an online platform and thus analyze their training results. Or they can challenge friends to contests and find running partners in their neighborhood. Just how networked are our lives right now”, reinforcing that our live have become digitized. In recent times, many cell phone owners who want to burn calories have been able to do so by using their cell phones to calculate the number of steps they take in each day to achieve desired results. So digitization has over the years helped in greater revenue and integration with business applications, global interconnectivity, and supporting preservation.

The idea of digitization has led to increasing revenue and integration with business applications from across the globe. The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced in August 2016 that the “estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2016, was $97.3 billion, an increase of 4.5 percent from the first quarter of 2016. Total retail sales for the second quarter of 2016 were estimated at $1,201.9 billion, an increase of 1.5 percent from the first quarter of 2016.” Corporations have been able to reach out to an immense number of customers and clients through digitization of products and services made available online by just a click or a touch of the human finger. The introduction of mobile applications and its different contents also makes it possible for corporations to reach out a larger audience by engaging customers with sales and promotional mobile notifications. Celebrities on Instagram are able to reach huge endorsement deals based on the number of followers they have. In the past, it was almost impossible to quantify the number of people that follow one particular celebrity but with digitization, numbers are immediately known on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and You tube. And these numbers are what bring in revenue for brand ambassadors and the like. So businesses continue to capitalize on digitization to grow wealth and resources.

Digitization has also enhanced global interconnectivity. In the book “convergence culture”, Henry Jenkins noted that “as cyberspace broadens the sphere of our social interactions, it becomes even more important to be able to talk about people we share in common via the media”. As mobile devices become more common and essential, people are creating and navigating new norms around these gadgets’ use in social gatherings and public spaces, as Pew Research Center notes; “fully 92% of American adults own a cellphone, including the 67% who own a smartphone. As cellphones and smartphones become more widely adopted and play a larger role in people’s daily communications, their owners often treat them like body appendages.” Many people thus carry their cell phones with them everywhere they go and many people connect with the outside world through video calling applications which allows users to not only talk to the person but also see them too. Most Public Square and eateries have been filled with free public Wi-Fi, USB plug-ins for commuters and the general public. Years ago, landlines were only used to connect to the world only when one was at home or in a phone booth or at the office and only allow for voice communications. There has been tremendous impact of digitization on human lives.

Digitization also helped shaped education and supported preservation. As more and more people enroll in online courses, there is also growing demand for immediate access to rich content and easily accessed, up-to-date information from news and media organizations. The era when library close for the day are far gone. Now there are scholarly articles and books that are available online with just a click of a button and digital records offer the same functions as paper collections. Libraries, Museums, and other institutions have made use of digitization as a cost effective tool since there has been a greater potential reduction in storage space. The Newark Museum for example has collections that can be made accessible, via digital surrogates, in an enhanced format that allows searching and browsing, to both traditional and new audiences via the internet. Digitization has become a new way of engaging customers, students, stakeholders and investors into an idea or activity in a quicker and efficient way.

As technology continues to evolve, digitization will continue to play an important role in the human life by among other things, helping in greater revenue and integration with business applications, global interconnectivity, and supporting preservation of ideas and values.

Bibiography

Jenkins, Henry. (2006). “Convergence Culture; where old and new media collide.” New York University Press. P. 84

Hess, Professor Dr. Thomas. “Digital Living”. (2016) Retrieved from http://www.studie-life.de/en/life-studies/digital-living/digitization-and-networking/

Rainie, Lee and Zickuhr, Kathryn. Pew Research. (August 25 2015). “Americans view on mobile etiquette.” Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/26/chapter-1-always-on-connectivity/

DeNale, Rebecca and Weidenhamer, Deanna. U.S Census Bureau News. (2016). “Quarterly retail e-commerce sales 2nd quarter 2016.” Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf

Group 5 Presentation

Our chapter is on the impact of social media. It continues to be defined by scholars, professionals and the press. The tools for social media change with popular sites and advances in technologies. We will discuss social medias exact definition by comparing and contrasting its different types. Also whether social media impacts society due to privacy and reputation, even how far it has come and where it is heading.
http://theimpactofsocialmedia.tumblr.com/