Transmedia Project Design

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Transmedia Project Design: Theoretical and Analytical Considerations

Transmedia Project Design: Theoretical and Analytical Considerations

by Renira Rampazzo Gambarato

Source:

Baltic Screen Media Review (Baltic Screen Media Review), issue: 1 / 2013, pages: 80-100, onwww.ceeol.com.
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RENIRA RAMPAZZO GAMBARATO, National Research University HigherSchool of Economics, Russia; email: [email protected]

Article

Transmedia

Project Design:Theoretical andAnalyticalConsiderations

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ABSTRACTTheoretical and analytical considerations around thedevelopment of transmedia projects are evolving, but arestill widely open, probably because transmedia story-telling is a relatively new subject that does not yet haveits own specific methods and methodology of analysis.Moreover, transmedia projects are complex phenomenainvolving multiple dimensions, such as narrative, culturalcontext, marketing, business models, and legal framework.Currently, the usual approach gives place to methodologi-cally separate analytical perspectives related to some ofthese dimensions. This article first discusses the elusiveconcept of transmedia storytelling and later presents ana-

lytical considerations outlining relevant aspects that cancontribute to perceive the process of developing trans-media projects. The significance of these discussions isto address essential features of the design process behindtransmedia projects and contribute to support the analyticneeds of transmedia designers and the applied research inthe interest of the media industry.

INTRODUCTIONTheoretical and analytical considerationsaround the development of transmediaprojects are evolving, but are still widelyopen, probably because transmedia story-telling (TS) is a relatively new and elusivesubject that does not have yet its own spe-cific methods and methodology of analysis.Moreover, transmedia projects are complexphenomena involving multiple dimensions,such as narrative, cultural context, market-ing, business models, and legal framework.Currently, the usual approach gives place tomethodologically separate analytical per-spectives related to some of these dimen-sions. Jenkins assumes that dealing withtransmedia is especially challenging inpart because the topic represents an inter-section between fields of research that are

normally held as methodologically sepa-rate (2010a: 943).

Scholars and media professionalshave been applying different methodo-logical approaches and methods to betterunderstand the structure behind TS (Long2007; Dena 2009; Scolari 2012; Saldre, Torop2012). Usually the methodologies of analy-sis used to address transmedia projectsvary from semiotics (several kinds of semi-otics), narratology, sociology, and ethnogra-phy to economics, marketing, branding andso forth. The methods incorporate quan-titative and qualitative analyses and canbe based on interviews, comparative stud-ies, narrative analyses and documentaryresearch, for instance.

Indeed, a plurality of perspectivescould be included in an analytical approachinterested in understanding a transmedianarrative as a whole. Here, however, the

emphasis relies on the essential featuresof the design process behind transmedia

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projects aiming to support the analyticneeds of transmedia designers and theapplied research in the interest of the mediaindustry. Analysis is being employed as theessential component of the binomial anal-ysis-synthesis approach within the designprocess (Dubberly et al.2008; Liestl 2003).

DISCUSSING TRANSMEDIASTORYTELLING

Before discussing analytical considerationsfor transmedia project design, it is neces-sary to address a more fundamental issue:What could be understood as TS? Firstly, itis important to stress that there is not yetconsensus on what exactly TS means, butalthough the definition of TS is still open, itis certainly possible to trace its main char-

acteristics and follow its footprints. Startingfrom the word transmedia itself, there isthe prefix trans-in combination with media.This Latin prefix means beyond, through,transverse, conveying the idea of tran-scendence. Consequently, the word trans-media would then go beyond, transcendinga variety of media. Geoffrey Long (2007: 32),moreover, suggests that the term trans-media should be considered an adjective,

not a noun, i.e. a word able to describe andto qualify a substantive.In this context, the use of the term

transmedia to depict a particular formof storytelling emerged in 1991, whenMarsha Kinder published the book Playingwith Power in Movies, Television, and VideoGames: From Muppet Babies to TeenageMutant Ninja Turtles. In her book, shedefines commercial supersystems oftransmedia intertextuality (1991: 3) asreferring to relevant franchises distributedon multiple media platforms. Nevertheless,the term TS was first coined in 2003 byHenry Jenkins in his article published byTechnology Review (2003). Three years later,he improved the concept and published itsdefinition in his notorious book ConvergenceCulture: Where Old and New Media Collide(2006).

A transmedia story unfolds acrossmultiple media platforms with each

new text making a distinctive andvaluable contribution to the whole. Inthe ideal form of transmedia storytell-ing, each medium does what it doesbestso that a story might be intro-duced in a film, expanded through tel-evision, novels, and comics; its worldmight be explored through game playor experienced as an amusement parkattraction. (Jenkins 2006: 9596)

Carlos Scolari defines TS as a particularnarrative structure that expands throughboth different languages (verbal, iconic,etc.) and media (cinema, comics, television,video games, etc.). TS is not just an adapta-tion from one media to another. The storythat the comics tell is not the same as that

told on television or in cinema; the differ-ent media and languages participate andcontribute to the construction of the trans-media narrative world (2009: 587). ChristyDena highlights that TS is all about a sto-ryworld unfolding across media platforms(2009: 18) and Geoffrey Long emphasizesthat TS is the art of worldmaking (2007:28). I propose TS as referring to, at least,integrated media experiences that occur

amongst a variety of platforms. A transme-dia narrative tells altogether one big perva-sive story, attracting audience engagement.It is not about offering the same contentin different media platforms, but it is theworldbuilding experience, unfolding contentand generating the possibilities for the storyto evolve with new and pertinent content.

Regardless of all the effort to specifyTS and differentiate it from other con-cepts, there are still conceptual confu-sions around it and several other termsthat, to certain extend, are commonlyconsidered synonyms, such as inter-media (Dick Higgins, 1966), multimedia(Bob Goldstein, 1966), cross-media (PaulZazzera, 1999), multimodal discourse(Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen,2001), superfictions (Peter Hill, 2001),multiple platforms (Stephen Jeffery-Poulter, 2003), screen bleed (Matt Hanson,

2003), networked narrative environment(Andrea Zapp, 2004), transmedial world

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(Lisbeth Klastrup and Susana Tosca,2004), distributed narratives (Jill Walker,2004), hybrid media (Jak Boumans, 2004),media mix (Mizuko Ito, 2005), cross-sitednarratives (Marc Ruppel, 2005), and deepmedia (Frank Rose, 2011).

TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING,CROSS-MEDIA AND MULTIMEDIA

Probably the most referred terms alongsideTS are cross-media and multimedia. Arethey really synonyms? No, definitely not,but this answer is not unanimous. It seemsthe answer will plausibly rely on personalpreferences. Starting from the prefix cross-,there is the indication of movement, ofaction across something, and the idea ofintersection. Hence, the word cross-media

would carry on the essential meaning of avariety of media that intersect each other.For instance, considering Drew Davidsonsdefinition of cross-media, it would be dif-ficult to differentiate it from TS:

Cross-media Communications areintegrated, interactive experiencesthat occur across multiple media,with multiple authors and have mul-

tiple styles. The audience becomesan active part in a cross-mediaexperience. It is experiences thatoccur across the Internet, video andfilm, broadcast and cable TV, mobiledevices, DVD, print, and radio. Thenew media aspect of the cross-media experience typically involvessome level of audience interactivity.(Davidson et al.2010: 4)

In spite of it, as we emphasized earlier, itis possible to notice a largely acceptedassumption in considering cross-media abroader term, a more generic one, whichincludes the whole process of communica-tion and interactivity not restrict to audio-visual industry, and the main differencewould be the emphasis of TS on the narra-tive. That is the proposition of this article.Corroborating this premise, Scolari distin-

guishes both concepts but, nonetheless,assumes that he uses cross-media and TS

as synonyms. His statement could soundparadoxal:

The concept of cross-media is widelyused in the professional scope,although some countries like Italyalso use it in the academic world.Transmedia storytelling a conceptintroduced by Henry Jenkins in 2003 is more specific and sounds muchmore theoretical. In general, both con-cepts refer to productions that takeplace through different media andplatforms, such as social network-ing, YouTube, etc. On the other hand,Jenkins gave much importance touser-generated content. If we talkabout transmedia storytelling, we evi-

dence the narrative dimension of theseproductions, while cross-media is abroader term that also includes otherdimensions, not only the narrative one.For my part, I use the terms as syno-nyms. (Mungioli 2011: 128)

In addition to Scolaris considerationsabout the professional and academicscopes that tend to favor either the use

of the term cross-media or TS, there aredifferences between the discourses fromcountry to country and the preferences canalso vary depending on the sector of mediaindustries. For instance, TS is preferred inBrazil to the detriment of cross-media inboth professional and academic contexts.In the United States, it is possible to iden-tify the preference for TS in the moving pic-tures industries, especially in Hollywood.The terms are organically evolving inconcomitance with the society they areinserted in.

Andrea Phillips acknowledgesthat although cross-media was until veryrecently considered the same as trans-media, now, a consensus is growing thatcross-media refers to releasing the samecontent () over multiple platforms (2012:19). Phillips assumption follows the sameorientation I proposed before, considering

cross-media a broader term that differenti-ates itself from the specificities of TS.



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Including multimedia in the discus-sion, it seems easy to comprehend thatthe prefix multi-, used in the formationof compound words, means many, much,multiple, and numerous. Indeed, the termmultimedia was coined by Bob Goldsteinto promote the 1966 opening of his lightingshow in Long Island, USA. The light workpresented music and visuals combined. Inthe 1990s, multimedia assumed the mean-ing of any combination of text, graphic art,sound, animation, and video that is deliv-ered by computer. Pierre Lvy, in his bookCyberculture(2001), discusses the varietyof meanings that the concept of multimediahas acquired, including the use of multime-dia, for instance, when the release of a filmgives place, simultaneously, to the release

of a video game, a TV series, T-shirts, toys,etc. In this case, he denominates that amultimedia strategy is being faced. Lvysperspective is not the same that is beingimplied in this article. Despite the fact it hasbeen argued that TS is not the same as mul-timedia, both terms are still being misusedworldwide.

Apart from the confusions, there areseveral characteristics that can be traced

to TS, such as being the kind of commu-nication in which the storyline directs theaudience from one medium to the next;the ability to build content over a variety ofmedia; and the capability to exist not justby the juxtaposition of different devices andplatforms, but to spread the common goalon the different platforms throughout anintegrated production. While the definitionis flexible, most often transmedia narra-tives include key story information over avariety of platforms, each used for what itdoes best; multiple entry points into thestoryworld; and the opportunity for collec-tive action rather than passive consump-tion. A transmedia story normally involvesdifferent dimensions, for instance, narrativespaces (location, characters, time, etc.),number and relative timing of the platforms(sequential, parallel, simultaneous, non-linear), and type of audience involvement

(passive, active, interactive, collaborative)(Pratten 2011).

As a work in progress, in 2009 Jenkinsissued Seven Core Concepts of TransmediaStorytelling(2009; 2009a; 2011)based onhis talk at the Futures of EntertainmentConference(Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology). The core principles he men-tions are: (1) spreadability vs.1drillability2;(2) continuity vs. multiplicity; (3) immersionvs. extractability3; (4) worldbuilding; (5) seri-ality; (6) subjectivity (diversity of perspec-tives); and (7) performance (user-generatedcontent).

These principles certainly contributeto the development of the field, but do notintend to end the difficult task of definingTS. Towards a more pragmatic definitionthough, in 2010 the Producers Guild ofAmerica (PGA) expanded their code of cred-

its to recognize the transmedia producer.This decision, after a deliberate effort byHollywood transmedia practitioners, suchas Mark Gordon and Jeff Gomez, under-scores the evolution and changes in thenew media realm. PGA states:

A Transmedia Narrative project orfranchise must consist of three (ormore) narrative storylines existing

within the same fictional universe onany of the following platforms: Film,Television, Short Film, Broadband,Publishing, Comics, Animation, Mobile,Special Venues, DVD/Blu-ray/CD-ROM,Narrative Commercial and Marketingrollouts, and other technologies thatmay or may not currently exist. Thesenarrative extensions are NOT the sameas repurposing material from one plat-form to be cut or repurposed to dif-ferent platforms. (Producers Guild ofAmerica 2012)

1 Jenkins uses the preposition versus to indicatecontrast opposite sides of the same issue but itdoes not mean that in the context of TS it is eitherspreadability or drillability, either continuity ormultiplicity, and either immersion or extractability.All these features characterize transmedia stories.

2 Drillability refers to the possibility to explore, in-depth,the content of narrative extensions offered by a trans-

media story (Caddell 2009; Mittell 2009).3 Extractability refers to the possibility fans may have

to take away with them aspects of the story, incorporat- ing it in their everyday lives (e.g. memorabilia) (Caddell

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Actually, the PGA definition seems to bestrongly based on Jeff Gomez propositions,especially his eight defining characteristicsof a transmedia production, which include:(1) content is originated by one or a veryfew visionaries; (2) cross-media rollout isplanned early in the life of the franchise;(3) content is distributed to three or moremedia platforms; (4) content is unique,adheres to platform-specific strengths, andis not repurposed from one platform to thenext; (5) content is based on a single visionfor the storyworld; (6) concerted effort ismade to avoid fractures and schisms; (7)effort is vertical across company, third par-ties and licensees; and (8) rollout featuresaudience participatory elements, such asWeb portal, social networking and story-

guided user-generated content (ProducersGuild of America 2007).

Although the PGA initiative to rec-ognize the role of transmedia producerspleased both scholars and media profes-sionals and is considered an historic movebecause the Guild rarely backs new cred-its, their proposed definition reignited thedebate around the concept and causedcontroversy. The main concerns are the

strict minimum of three narrative storylines,the fact that the definition seems to favorfranchises in detriment of other TS appli-cations, and the omission of video games4from the list of media platforms (Dena 2010;Thompson 2010; Jenkins 2010).

TRANSMEDIASTORYTELLING TYPES

The overall assumption is, at this point, thatthe transmedia space5is large enough toembrace distinctive types of stories/experi-ences. However, neither the terminology northe quantity of different categories are yetultimate. Christy Dena refers to two maintransmedia types: The first one is a col-

4 The Guild already informed that video games wereexcluded from the list of potential media by oversightand that it will be amended to include games.

5 Transmedia space appears as a notion that integratesmeta- and intercommunicative levels, presuming theinterpretation of the same message as the sequence

of proto- and metatexts described in different discours es and fixed in different signs systems and media.

(Saldre, Torop 2012: 41)

lection of mono-medium stories (she callsit intracompositional), commonly knownas a franchise, in which a book, a film, anda video game, for instance, all contributedistinct stories to one overarching story-world; the second type is a collection ofmedia that tells one story, for example, anentertainment program that takes place onTV and on the Web simultaneously (2011:48). Andrea Phillips, within the US context,refers to West Coast vs. East Coast trans-media types: West Coast-style transme-dia, more commonly called Hollywood orfranchise transmedia, consists of multiplebig pieces of media (2012: 13). East Coasttransmedia, on the other hand, tends tobe more interactive, and much more web-centric (ibid., 14). Robert Pratten (2011),

even though with different nomenclature,describes nearly the same types, but alsoconsiders a third one, which incorporate theother two: Transmedia franchise, portman-teau transmedia, and complex transmediaexperience. His perspective is consideredhere the most pertinent because embracesmore explicitly the inherent complexity oftransmedia projects.

Transmedia franchise, according to

Pratten, is a series of individual mediaoutlets, such as a comic book, a TV show,a film, etc. Each media platform involvedis independent except that they cover dif-ferent narrative spaces, such as prequelsand sequels. The classical example ofthis model is The Matrix(1999) by theWachowski brothers. In between eachfeature film, additional content (includ-ing graphic novels, animations, videogames and memorabilia, for instance)were released to give the audience a richerunderstanding of the storyworld and tohelp keep fans engaged. Other examplescould be TV series 24, Mad Men, Heroes,for instance.

Regarding franchises, it is essentialto take into consideration the issue aroundadaptation and transmediation. TS, accord-ing to Jenkins (2006: 96105), is unlike thecurrent licensing system, which typically gen-

erates works that are redundant. Any com-position that does not make a distinctive and



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valuable contribution does not offer a newlevel of insight and experience. Redundancycan burn up fan interest and may causefranchises to fail.

When the topic of transmediation isfirst breached in conversation, oftenthe initial response is somethingalong the lines of, Oh, like the Lord ofthe Rings films! Well, no. Not quite.Retelling a story in a different mediatype is adaptation, while using multi-ple media types to craft a single storyis transmediation. (Long 2007: 22)

Jenkins and other researches, such asGeoffrey Long, clearly exclude adapta-tion from the TS realm. Christy Dena, on

the other hand, interrogates this issue inher thesis (2009: 96175) and suggeststhat, in opposition to the main argumentby Jenkins, not every adaptation is neces-sarily redundant. Saldre and Torop alsoinclude adaptations of a text in the realmof transmedia, justifying that intersemiotictranslation is the building principle of alltransmedia texts, no matter whether theyare transmedial at birth, extended to be

transmedia after initial success or regardedas transmedialpost factumin the culturalmemory (2012: 32). Carlos Scolari tries toconciliate both points of view and this per-spective can be the appropriate resolutionto the issue, especially taking into consid-eration the unlimited variety of scenarios inthe realm of transmediality:

Transmedia narratives can be repre-sented as a centrifugal process: froman initial text a narrative big bang isproduced, in which new texts will begenerated to reach user-generatedcontent. From this perspective, trans-media storytelling generates a textualgalaxy. The intersemiotic transla-tions follow more linear (from book toscreen, from comics to television, etc.)and less explosive paths. Can we con-sider adaptations a particular form of

transmedia narratives? I do not believethat it is an issue to discuss. If we con-

sider that every translation is a processof text transformation, in which youalways lose and win something, maybethe adaptations could be incorporatedas one of the possible strategies oftransmedia narratives. (Mungioli 2011:130)

Returning to the second type of TS, Prattensportmanteau6transmedia model is definedas multiple platforms contributing to asingle experience. The story content isdistributed simultaneously throughout dif-ferent media platforms and each platformcontributes significantly to the whole story.For instance, an Alternate Reality Game(ARG) covers a single narrative across mul-tiple platforms each alone insufficient to

carry the complete narrative but like puzzlepieces they must be assembled to completethe story (Pratten 2010; 2011). Indeed, anARG is an interactive narrative that blendsreal life treasure hunting, interactive sto-rytelling, and online community. ARGs arecomplicated series of puzzles involvingcoded websites and real world clues, suchas newspaper advertisements, phone calls,and text messages. It connects the player to

the real world and to other players as well.Many game puzzles can be solved only bythe collaborative efforts of multiple play-ers. Most notorious examples of this kindof game are The Beast(2001), connectedto Steven Spielbergs filmA.I.: ArtificialIntelligence; I Love Bees(2004), linked to therelease of the video game Halo 2; Why SoSerious(2007), associated to ChristopherNolans film The Dark Knights; and TheMaesters Path(2011), related to HBO seriesGame of Thrones.

Complex transmedia experience, thethird type of TS referred by Pratten, com-bines both franchise and portmanteau,offering the audience a widely experience.This kind of TS could be described as ahybrid produced by the interaction of theprevious two types. A prominent exampleis the transmedia project The Tulse Luper

6 The French word portmanteau formally meansa suitcase to carry clothes while traveling, but can alsobe understood as embodying several uses or qualities.



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Suitcases(2003) created by British film-maker Peter Greenaway. This pioneeringproject follows the journey of the maincharacter Tulse Luper and the 92 suitcaseshe has archived and catalogued during hisentire life. The result of this non-linear nar-rative consists of three feature films, 92DVDs, TV series, books, websites7, blogs,online competitions, and exhibitions. Thefilms present the story background andthe most significant actions take placethroughout other mediums. This complextransmedia experience reconstructs thelife of the supposedly real character, pieceby piece, across different media platforms.His enigmatic journey, filled with mysteries,secrets and objects, gives a place for audi-ence interaction and engagement. The Tulse

Luper Suitcaseshas a series of individualstories pertaining to a bigger pervasivestoryworld, which characterizes a transme-dia franchise, and is structured around acomplicated sequence of puzzles that leadsaudience into solving a mystery, which dis-tinguishes a portmanteau transmedia.

PRO-ACTIVE AND RETROACTIVETRANSMEDIA PROJECTS

Another relevant approach to TS is the tim-ing of a transmedia project, i.e. when thestarting process of developing a transme-dia storyworld takes place. Drew Davidson(2010: 17) employs the terms pro-activeand retroactiveto refer to stories that aredesigned to be transmedia8from the begin-ning and to the ones that turned transme-diatic afterwards. Pro-active transmediaprojects are considered up front, full of tie-ins planned from the beginning. An examplewould be The Blair Witch Project(1999). Itswebsite chronicles the story of three filmstudents who have gone missing after goingthrough a forest investigating stories of awitch. To further solidify the fiction in reality,a mockumentary, Curse of the Blair Witch,was aired on the Sci-Fi Channel just before

7 Access The Tulse Luper Suitcasesmain website:http://www.tulselupernetwork.com/basis.html

(26 September 2013).8 Drew Davidson uses the term cross-media

communication instead of TS.

the release of the film, delivered as a docu-mentary. Comic books, community of fans,and spin-offs, such as the video games BlairWitch Volume 1: Rustin Parrand Blair WitchVolume 2: The Legend of Coffin Rockare alsopart of the project. On the other hand, retro-active transmedia stories are the ones thatstart to be planned after the fact normallybased on a successful preexistent project.This is the case when a book, for example,is already created and it is subsequentlyexpanded to become a transmedia experi-ence. Most Hollywood transmedia produc-tions are retroactive.

OPEN AND CLOSED SYSTEMSContinuing to trace TS attributes, it is nec-essary to address the relationship between

stories and audience. A crucial componentof TS is interaction, but moreover participa-tion. An interactive project allows the audi-ence to relate to it somehow, for instance,by pressing a button or control, decidingthe path to experiencing it, but not beingable to co-create and change the story; aparticipatory project invites the audienceto engage in a way that expresses theircreativity in a unique, and surprising man-

ner, allowing them to influence the finalresult. Participation occurs when the audi-ence can, with respect at least to a certainaspect of the project, influence on the set ofcomponents, such as the story. Stories thatare mainly interactive can be consideredas closed systems, in which the audiencecan act but cannot interfere with the story.Closed systems presuppose interaction butnot participation. Besides the interactiv-ity, open systemsallow participation, i.e.the audience can influence the result andchange the outcome (Gambarato 2012: 75).

The Portuguese multiplatform produc-tion Sofias Diary(2003) is an example ofopen system TS. The project was producedin different countries (Portugal, Brazil, UK,USA, Germany, Turkey, Vietnam, Chile, etc.),mixing TV, Internet, mobile and other media,such as books and magazines. Sofia, theprotagonist, is a sort of virtual friend who

interacts with the audience and allowspeople to participate in her life in a way



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that their voices can be heard. The relation-ship between the story and audience waspossible by daily SMS/MMS alerts sent bySofia, voting service to decide next episode,premium call service with the summary ofdaily episode, blogging9, and e-mails, forinstance. Participants could also communi-cate and get heard. As friends, they expresstheir opinions in different ways (voting, dis-cussing, blogging, etc.) to help Sofia to solveher dilemmas. The production company wasable to effectively incorporate audienceinputs, giving the possibility to participantsto shape the content. Nuno Bernardo,responsible for Sofias Diary, clarifies howit was doable in the beginning of the project:

When we started the show, there was

no video element so therefore it wasblog-based, SMS-based, and e-mail-based; we could write in the morningand publish in the afternoon. We wouldthen wait for the results overnight andincorporate the viewers desired plot-line the next day. (Bernardo 2011: 53)

An example of a non-fictional open systemtransmedia project in which people can

participate and make difference is TheGreat British Property Scandal: Every EmptyCounts(2012) by Channel 4. The TV chan-nel launched a season of special programsto investigate the British housing crisisand discuss alternative solutions. In 2011,the TV series Dispatches: Landlords fromHell, an undercover investigation aboutthe degrading conditions in which tenantsare forced to live in the UK was launchedfollowed by the TV series The Great BritishProperty Scandal, which addresses theissue of unoccupied homes. The GreatBritish Property Scandal: Every EmptyCountscampaigns to bring Britains emptyhomes back into use in order to stop thewaste of one million empty homes in theUK. The campaign is web-based and alsoencompasses social networking and mobileapplication. The goal is to engage people

9 Access Sofias Diary current blog:http://www.bebo.com/sofiasdiary (26 September 2013).

to report empty properties they know andlobby government and local councils tohave a low-cost loan fund for the own-ers of empty homes who are struggling torefurbish their properties. According to thecampaign website10, there are two millionfamilies in need of a home and the resultsachieved so far are: 120 000 petition sig-natures; ca. 8 000 empty homes reported(many of which have been brought back intouse); 17 million allocated for new nationallow-cost loan funds in England, Scotlandand Wales; and George Clarke, the TV seriespresenter and responsible for the cam-paign, was appointed Independent EmptyHomes Advisor to the Government. In TheGreat British Property Scandal: Every EmptyCounts website there are videos showing

what they call online heroes: Some of theparticipants who reported empty homesthat are now back into use because of thecampaign. The outcomes of this transmediacampaign are being crafted by their partici-pants.

Farewell Comrades! as an exampleof closed system TS is an aspiring projectinvolving television, online and print medialaunched in 2011 on the occasion of the

20th anniversary of the USSR collapse.Although the projects tent pole is a six-partTV series documentary, equally relevantis the web-based Farewell Comrades!Interactive, produced by Gebrueder BeetzFilmproduktion (Germany) and ArtlineFilms (France) in partnership with the TVchannels ARTE and ZDF. The well-designedinteractive website11allows the audience toclosely follow personal life stories through30 postcards written during the last 15years of the Soviet era. Each postcardunfolds the story of the people featured inthe documentary series alongside with anenriching collection of information aboutthe people involved and their countries.Farewell Comrades! Interactivealso com-

10 Access the campaign website:http://www.channel4.com/programmes/

the-great-british-property-scandal/articles/home(26 September 2013).

11 Access Farewell Comrades!website:http://www.farewellcomrades.com/en/(26 September 2013).



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bines personal and official archive footageto expand the transmedia story. The factthat the project relies on real personal post-cards contributes to the emotional connec-tion appeal to bond stories and audience.The emphasis on the interactivity of thewebsite naturally provokes audience inter-action. However, the project was designednot to deliberately incorporate the audienceinsights. All the story development wasalready planned and controlled by the pro-ducers, which configures a closed systemTS.

In association with these aspectsinvolved in TS, it is worth mentioning thattransmedia experiences should allow usboth to dip into just one medium and havea great time regardless of what happens

with other media, and also to explore othermedia in order to find more layers of mean-ing and get even more engaged with thewhole experience (Davidson et al. 2010: 31).To achieve this goal, however, it is absolutelynot an easy task.

Any single-medium work can intheory make an audience laugh or cry.But make an audience feel directly

involved in the events in a story?Whether were talking about respon-sibility for sending a woman to hermurder, or perhaps instead saving herlife or introducing her to her partner,you just cant evoke that feeling witha book or a movie. This is the power oftransmedia. (Phillips 2012: 5)

All the above-mentioned characteristics,attributes and core principles of TS maybe (or not) present in transmedia projects.However, an important aspect is to under-stand how these attributes (or the lack ofthem) are contributing to the developmentof such projects and what are the conse-quences derived from them. The main ques-tion would be, then, how relevant each ofthese characteristics is to the transmediaproject? In order to undertake this matter,analytical considerations are presented in a

methodical way.

ANALYTICALCONSIDERATIONS

The following analytical considerationsaim to outline essential features of thedesign process behind transmedia projectsin order to support the analytic needs oftransmedia designers and the appliedresearch in the interest of the mediaindustry, considering analysis as a crucialaspect of the design process that can leadtowards synthesis (Dubberly et al.2008;Liestl 2003). Jay Lemke suggests thatlarger transmedia complexes have alreadygrown beyond the capacity of individuals tocogently analyze them, which means that itmay well take communities to investigatethe transmedia phenomena (2011: 589).In this scenario, the considerations here

proposed are oriented to address not thetransmedia phenomena in all its possiblescope, but rather to focus on the transme-dia project occurrence in order to facili-tate practitioners to better organize theirapproach to complex transmedia experi-ences. It is a possible way to build an objec-tive analytical view of TS project samples,but it is certainly not restrictive. The ana-lytical perspective may include, but is not

limited to the questions and prepositionspresented below. Other questions and lay-ers of understanding can be considered andadded as well. Qualitative and quantita-tive methods can be used according to thenature of the question and the availabilityof data, if it is the case.

Elizabeth Strickler, the AssociateDirector of Georgia State UniversitysDigital Arts Entertainment Lab, presents10 Questions(2012) to orient the analysisof the structure of integrated entertain-ment projects in consonance with Jenkins(2010a) assumptions. The structure of theanalytical considerations to be presented isbased on some of her propositions, such aspremise and purpose, audience and market,but expands the amplitude of them, incor-porating specific concepts, such as negativecapability, migratory cues, canon, and othermatters like non-fictional characteristics, dif-

ferent kinds of viewers, and business model,for instance. Other relevant references are



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key questions raised by Geoffrey Long inhis analytical thesis (2007: 70139). Aimingto facilitate the approach to these severalaspects, a series of questions related to eachof the topics considered is presented.

1. Premise and purposeNuno Bernardo advises that a transmediastory must be based on a premise and muststate clearly what it is about (2011: 21). Thepurpose, the reason for which a transme-dia project exists, is key to define not justhow, where, and to whom the project is ori-ented, but above all to determine for what itserves. If the premise and purpose are notclear, it will probably be difficult for peopleto have the interest to engage in the project.Relevant questions that may be considered:

1.1. What is the project about?1.2. What is the projects core?1.3. Is it a fictional, a non-fiction or

a mixed project?1.4. What is its fundamental purpose?

Is it to entertain, to teach or toinform? Is it to market a product?

2. Narrative

A narrative creates a world and populate(s)it with characters and objects (Ryan 2004:8). Although there are different approachesto narrative, for instance, existential, cogni-tive, aesthetic, sociological, sociolinguistic,and technical, here the interest is in thedirection of the structure storyworlds evokein the TS milieu. David Herman, in his inves-tigation Toward a Transmedial Narratology,discusses five sets of strategies that canbe used to structure TS: a) processes andparticipants, which include particular rolesto entities mentioned or implied in the nar-rative; b) states, events, actions blends ofinterior states of participants, events anddeliberated actions; c) temporal ordering timeline; d) spatial configuration story-telling entails configuring places and pathsof motion in space; and e) deictic reference,which means the use of deictic expression(here, I, now) to place storyworlds in par-

ticular contexts (2004: 6068). Direct ques-tions that can be applied:

2.1. What are the narrative elements(such as plot, theme, characters,etc.) of the project?

2.2. What would be the summary ofits storyline?

2.3. What is the timeframe of thestory?

2.4. What are the major events orchallenges offered by thenarrative?

2.5. Does the project utilize gamingelements? Does the projectinvolve winning or losing?

2.6. What are the strategies forexpanding the narrative?

2.7. Are negative capability12andmigratory cues13included?

2.8. Is it possible to identify

intermedial14texts in the story?

3. WorldbuildingThe world the story inhabits determinesthe narrative itself, but moreover, the pos-sibility to expand the transmedia story. Asmentioned earlier in this article, transmediastorytelling is all about the unfolding of astoryworld across media platforms. A sto-ryworld or story universe should be robust

enough to support expansions, going aboveand beyond a single story. The world canbe considered the primary character of thestory of its own. Long reiterates the relevantcharacteristic of transmedia stories to beable to shift the emphasis from a moretraditional character-building approachtoward a worldbuilding one (2007: 129).Saldre and Torop (2012: 29) also underlinethe understanding of transmedia projects interms of worldmaking by the broader scopeof its applicability. In this context, there arebasal aspects that could be inquired:

3.1. When the story occurs?3.2. Which is the central world where

12 In the context of storytelling, negative capability meansthe ability to build strategic gaps into a narrative toprovoke a sense of uncertainty and mystery in theaudience (Long 2007: 5359).

13 Associated to negative capability, migratory cuesrepresent the ability for these gaps to function as

directional pointers for intertextual connections withinthe storyworld (Long 2007: 139166).

14 Refer to Grishakova 2010.



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the project is set?3.3. Is it a fictional world, the real

world or a mixture of both?3.4. How it is presented geographi- cally?3.5. How the world looks?3.6. What challenges, dangers, or

delights are inherent to thisworld?

3.7. Is the storyworld big enough tosupport expansions?

4. CharactersAndrea Phillips suggests: make your audi-ence a character, too (2012: 149). To createcharacters for transmedia stories is morethan to describe who they are, what theylike or dislike, and how they look. The fea-

tures of the characters and the way theyappear across all the platforms should bein unison. In addition, how the audience willengage with the story is one of the mainspecificities of transmedia projects.

Related reflection points:

4.1. Who are the primary andsecondary characters of thestory?

4.2. Does the project have anyspin-offs15? If so, who are thespin-offs protagonists?

4.3. Can the storyworld be considereda primary character of its own?

4.4. Can the audience be considereda character as well?

4.5. Are there non-player characters16(NPCs) in this project? If so, whoare they and what kind of role dothey play (allies, adversaries,helper figures, etc.)?

15 Spin-offs are media outlets, such as TV series, comicbook, and video game, derived from already existingstorylines. The specific characteristic of a spin-off isthe shift to a new protagonist that originally appearedin the main storyline as a minor or supporting character.A secondary character in a medium becomes theprotagonist in the spin-off, adding a new perspectiveto the storyworld.

16 A non-player character (NPC) in a game is a fictional

character not controlled by the player. It usually meansthat this kind of character is controlled by thecomputer.

5. ExtensionsTS involves multiple media in which the sto-ryworld will be unfolded and experienced.The strategy to expand the world presup-poses the specification of what the outputsshould be, for what they serve, which mediawill the used according to its purpose andthe timeline the extensions will be released.The storyline will direct the audience fromone medium to the next. Within the story-world, the maintenance of continuity, orthe logic of the story, should be observedthroughout the extensions. The integra-tion and interrelation of each extension arecrucial for the coherence and plausibilityof the story. Therefore, the following may bepondered:

5.1. How many extensions does theproject have?

5.2. Are the extensions adaptations(the intersemiotic translationfrom one system to another) orexpansions of the narrativethrough various media17?

5.3. Is each extension canonical18?Does it enrich the story?

5.4. Does each extension maintain the

original characteristics of theworld?5.5. Does each extension answer

questions left previouslyunanswered?

5.6. Does each extension raise newquestions?

5.7. Do the extensions open up newpossibilities for additionalexpansion?

5.8. Do the extensions have theability to spread the contentand also to provide the possibilityto explore the narrative in-depth?

6. Media platforms and genresA transmedia project necessarily involvesmore than one medium and can also

17 Refer to Long 2007: 2225; Mungioli 2011: 130;Scolari 2009: 587; Elliot 2004: 220243.

18 Jenkins defines canon as the group of texts that the

fan community accepts as legitimately part of thestoryworld (2006: 281). Also refer to Long 2007: 3334,163164; Dena 2009: 56, 98123.



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embrace more than one genre (science fic-tion, action, comedy, etc.). The logic behindTS is that telling stories across multiplemedia platforms enhances the possibilityto have a more enriching and satisfactoryexperience within both fictional and non-fictional projects. Pratten emphasizes thatTS allows content that is right-sized, right-timed and right-placed to form a larger,more profitable, cohesive and rewardingexperience (2011: 3). Selecting the plat-forms that will be part of a transmediaproject is the art of matching the rightcontent to the right audience throughoutthe most appropriate way, which includesplatforms and devices that are suitable tothe challenge. Each medium has its owndistinctive characteristics and should con-

tribute to the whole transmedia experience.The platform timing, or roll-out, is equallyimportant for the project design, i.e. whenthe platforms will be released according tothe project objectives, business model andresources. Core points to be considered:

6.1. What kind of media platforms(film, book, comics, games, andso forth) are involved in the

project?6.2. Which devices (computer, gameconsole, tablet, mobile phone,etc.) are required by the project?

6.3. How each platform is partici- pating and contributing to the

whole project? What are theirfunctions in the project?

6.4. What are the distinctive characteristics of each media platform?6.5. Identify problems that are

specific of each medium.6.6. Is each medium really relevant

to the project?6.7. What is the roll-out strategy to

release the platforms?6.8. Which genres (action, adventure,

detective, science fiction,fantasy, and so forth) are presentin the project?

7. Audience and marketPratten stresses the importance to offer

the right content, to the right people and[at] the right time (2011: 19). Scoping theaudience is fundamental to more appro-priately deliver the transmedia experience.Discussing TS earlier in this article, it wascommented about the crucial role audi-ence plays in transmedia projects. This kindof project involves some level of audienceengagement. The Rules of Engagementproposed by Mike Dicks and presented byPratten (2011: 22) describe quantitativelythat 75% of the audience is constitutedby passives, 20% by players and 5% byproducers. Although these numbers cannaturally vary, it is undeniable that in theTS realm audience is taking multiple rolesfurther away from mere passive spectators.In this sense, even the term audience (the

group of spectators) may be not enough todescribe peoples engagement in interac-tive and participatory transmedia projects.There are variable designations that areapplicable in the context of TS, such aslisteners, viewers, readers, players, andusers. In the 1990s George Landow (1997),discussing hypertext narratives, renamedreaders with creative power wreaders(reader + writer). As an alternative to char-

acterize the emergence of a more complexkind of audience, in 2006, Stephen Dinehartcoined the term VUP (viewer/user/player),relating TS to Richard Wagners concept ofGesamtkunstwerk(total artwork), in whichthe spectator becomes actor/player.

In a transmedial work the viewer/user/player (VUP) transforms the storyvia his or her own natural cognitivepsychological abilities, and enablesthe Artwork to surpass medium. Itis in transmedial play that the ulti-mate story agency, and decentralizedauthorship can be realized. Thus theVUP becomes the true producer of theArtwork. (Dinehart 2012)

Dinehart reinforces the notion of decen-tralization of authorship and what he callstransmedial play is the engagement with

multiple media platforms within the samestoryworld.



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Both crossmedia and transmedia areobviously multimedia approaches,using largely of any available channel,tool and media to tell a story. The dif-ference between the two is to ascribeto a consequent evolution in publicdemand. Content spread across vari-ous media (crossmedia) is no longersatisfying enough, viewers wants more,they are becoming VUPs and in view-ing/using/playing want to participate,and to a certain extent create, thestory themselves. (Iacobacci 2008)

Although viewer, user and player are defi-nitely not the only roles the audience canplay in transmedia projects, the acronymVUP has been used as an overall term to

refer to this variability behind audienceengagement in TS.

In terms of market, the financialissues around transmedia projects are notrestricted to the old model (Pratten 2011:81) to produce a film, for instance, in whichit was necessary to raise finance first andmainly throughout investors. Transmediaprojects can instead be low-cost and grass-roots audience builders. Different business

models, such as free, premium, freemium19

and crowdfunding20can be applied in thecontext of TS. Pertinent questions aboutaudience and market to reflect on:

7.1. What is the target audience ofthe project? Who is the intendedVUP?

7.2. What kind of viewers (real-time,reflective, and navigational21)does the project attract?

7.3. What kind of entertainment

19 Free, Premium (only available for sale), and Freemium(mix of free and paid) (Pratten 2011; Shmilovici 2011).

20 Crowdfunding is a collective cooperation of people whonetwork and pool their money in order to support anidea, a project, a product, a research, etc.

21 Janet Murray argues that stories will have to work fortwo or three kinds of viewers in parallel: The activelyengaged real-timeviewer, who enjoys each singleepisode; the more reflectivelong-term audience, wholooks for coherence in the story as a whole; and thenavigationalviewer, who appreciates the connections

between different parts of the story and the multiplearrangements of the same material (Murray 1997: 257;Jenkins 2006: 119).

does the target audience enjoy?7.4. What kind of technology/devices

are people in this group involvedwith?

7.5. Why does this project appealto them?

7.6. Do other projects like this exist?Do they succeed in achieving theirpurpose?

7.7. What is the projects businessmodel?

7.8. Revenue-wise, was the projectsuccessful? Why?

8. EngagementAll the dimensions of a transmedia project,in a lower or higher level, are implicatedin the experience people will have when

engaging into the story. As it was discussedin the first part of this article, interactionand participation in closed or open systemsare directly connected to the VUP approachto the project. Another pertinent aspectthat can contribute to design a more or lessengaging experience is the point of view(PoV).

Regarding the PoV, a transmediaproject can involve first-, second- and third-

person PoV isolated or in conjunction withinthe story and its extensions. The first-per-son PoV limits the audience to one charac-ters perspective, but can be more personal;the second-person is a kind of PoV that,although being the least common, canmake the audience feel as if they are char-acters in the story; and the third-person PoVcan be limited closely to one charactersperspective or omniscient the most ver-satile PoV in which the narrator knows thethoughts and feelings of all the charactersin the story.

For example, different media might beused to present the differing accountsof multiple first-person narrators. Theintense intimacy of the second-personpoint-of-view could present a power-ful emotional draw for the audience.The third-person point-of-view can be

used throughout the narrative or maybe combined with the first- and sec-



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ond-person points-of-view to providean interesting combination of perspec-tives. (Stackelberg 2011: 227)

An array of questions about how people areexperiencing a transmedia project can beposed:

8.1. Through what point of view (PoV)does the VUP experience thisworld: first-person, second-

person, third-person, or amixture of them?

8.2. What role does the VUP play inthis project?

8.3. How the project keeps the VUPengaged?

8.4. What are the mechanisms of

interaction in this project?8.5. Is there also participation

involved in the project? If so, howcan the VUP participate in theopen system?

8.6. Does the project work as culturalattractor/activator22?

8.7. How does the VUP affect theoutcome? What do they add tothe storyworld?

8.8. Are there UGC related to thestory (parodies, recaps, mash- ups, fan communities, etc.)?8.9. Does the project offer the VUP

the possibility of immersion intothe storyworld?

8.10. Does the project offer the VUPthe possibility to take awayelements of the story andincorporate them into everydaylife?

8.11. Is there an important goal thatthe VUP is trying to accomplishin the project?

8.12. What will make the VUP want tospend time accomplishing thisgoal?

8.13. What adds tension to the

22 Cultural attractors areprojects thatattract people ofsimilar interests and, consequently, they can beginto pool knowledge together. Cultural activators are

projects that give audience something to do, somemeaningful form of participation (Jenkins 2006: 95,283).

experience? Are there any tickingclocks?

8.14. Is there a system of rewardsand penalties?

9. StructureThe organization of a transmedia project,the arrangement of its constituent ele-ments and how they interrelate to eachother can offer concrete elements to beanalyzed. A visual map or chart of its ele-ments in space and time can facilitatethe visualization of the project as a whole.Hayes suggests: One or two very detailedcharts will show how platforms, and thechannels within them, are interconnectedand how content and data flows around thistechnical ecosystem (2011: 13). Regarding

the structure, certain details can be con-templated:

9.1. When did the transmediationbegin? Is it a pro-active orretroactive TS project?

9.2. Is it possible to identify anyconsequences for the projectcaused by the fact that this iseither a pro-active or a retroactive

transmedia story?9.3. Is this project closer to a transmedia franchise, a portmanteau

transmedia story, or a complextransmedia experience?

9.4. Can each extension work as anindependent entry point for thestory?

9.5. What are/were possibleendpoints of the project?

9.6. How is the project structured?What are the major units oforganization?

9.7. How could a map23of the storyworld be presented?

10. AestheticsVisual and audio elements of a transmediaproject should also contribute to the over-all atmosphere and enhance the experi-

23 For some examples, refer to Long 2007: 15, 18, 33, 41,43; Hayes 2001 and 2012.



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ence spread throughout multiple mediaplatforms. Design components, such asinterfaces, color palettes, graphics, fonts,shapes, textures, sounds, and so forthcharacterize a transmedia storyworld andare powerful tools to attract and maintainaudience engagement. The design ele-ments do not function as mere illustrationof the content. Actually, they are part of thestory themselves. In this regard, a set ofattributes can be considered:

10.1. What kinds of visuals are beingused (animation, video, graphics,a mix) in the project?

10.2. Is the overall look realisticor a fantasy environment?

10.3. Is it possible to identify

specific design styles in theproject?

10.4. How does audio work in thisproject? Is there ambient sound(rain, wind, traffic noises, etc.),sound effects, music, and so forth?

In this article, hints of the trajectory of theelusive term TS were discussed togetherwith the main characteristics of transmedia

stories, such as its types, core principles,dimensions, timing, and the relationshipbetween stories and audience. More spe-cifically, analytical considerations werepresented in a methodical way organizedaround 10 key topics aiming to (a) outlineessential features of transmedia stories;(b) contribute to perceive the design proc-ess behind the development of trans-media projects; (c) support the analyticneeds of transmedia designers; and (d)serve as applied research in the interestof the media industry. The analytical con-siderations presented in this article havebeen applied by my students within theMasters Program in Crossmedia Productionat Tallinn University Baltic Film and MediaSchool, Estonia with satisfactory results.Firstly, the students analyze24existing

24 Access the students analyses according to the

analytical model presented in this article:http://talkingobjects.org/portfolio-2/(26 September 2013).

transmedia projects, such as The Truthabout Marika, Med Man, Inside Disaster:Haiti, and The Beauty Inside, according tothe analytical model. Secondly, they plan,develop and execute their own transmediaprojects. It characterizes analysis and syn-thesis mutually collaborating to each other.As a result of this process, for instance, agroup of my masters students25developedApothecary Melchiortransmedia experience(Figure 1).

Apothecary Melchiorfictional sto-ryworld is based on the bestselling bookseries by Estonian author Indrek Hargla.Melchior is a 15th century apothecary, whosolves crimes in Tallinn medieval Old Town,Estonia. By means of mobile devices, inter-active locative narrative and augmented

reality, the transmedia experience takesthe audience back in time to the Hanseatictown in order to uncover clues, mysteriousitems and additional content. Therefore,the group of students developed an inter-active sightseeing mobile application asa prototype to be used in loco (Figure 2).Besides the interactive application, thewhole project is planned to involve multipleextensions such as, film, documentary, and

puzzle games.After all, what could be depicted andinterpreted from these analytical consid-erations are the structure of transmediaprojects and the relevance of each andevery constituent of it. Premise and pur-pose, narrative, worldbuilding, characters,extensions, media platforms and genres,audience and market, engagement, struc-ture, and aesthetics are fundamental forboth designing a transmedia project andanalyzing its pertinence.

EMBRACING TRANSMEDIASTORYTELLING

As a matter of fact, transmedia is a buzz-word that has been used (and misused) inthe last couple of years. Scholars, research-ers, and media professionals appear to feelcomfortable enough to attribute a multitude

25 Access more information about theApothecaryMelchiorand the students: https://www.facebook.com/

ApothecaryMelchior (27 September 2013).



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FIGURE 1. Poster of Apothecary Melchiortransmedia project by Andrey Kulpin.



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FIGURE 2. Structural scheme of the Apothecary Melchiorinteractive sightseeing mobileapplication by Andrey Kulpin.



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of meanings to the word. Probably there isa substantial disparity between the realityof the market and its concrete samples ofTS and the perfect theoretical frame thatinsists on confining TS to certain precisecriteria. Olivier Godest (2011) even suggestsincluding in the TS classification a specifictype that he entitles pure transmediaworks. This kind of transmedia projectwould be the one that meets allthe basiccriteria of the definition already mentioned;the one that is as we imagine it with allthe TS principles we know, but that is stilldifficult to get. As examples of pure trans-media works, Godest mentions The BlairWitch Projectand the ARG created for thelaunch of the HBO True Blood(2008) series.However, is there such a thing as a pure

transmedia work? Well, if there is not yeta consensus around TS definition, it seemsimprobable to have an immaculate trans-media story though.

The design process in general and alsospecifically related to transmedia projectscan be understood as involving the analysisand synthesis phases, or preparation andinspiration. Synthesis preceded by analy-sis, synthesis conformed according to the

analysis, from synthesis to analysis or viceversa (Dubberly et al.2008; Liestl 2003).Inquiring on how designers move fromanalysis to synthesis, Hugh Dubberly,Shelley Evenson, and Rick Robinson pro-posed a model that shows this path andbridges the gap between analysis andsynthesis based on other classic models,such as Beer model (1966) and Alexandermodel (1964). Moreover, Dubberly et al.discuss the relevance of the binominalanalysis-synthesis throughout modelingin the design process, arguing that it ena-bles designers to develop larger and morecomplex systems and makes the processof working with larger and more complexorganizations easier (2008). In this context,the analytical considerations outlined inthis article were proposed.

All in all, it is possible to infer thatlarge broadcasters as well as independent

media companies are already aware of theglobal developments in TS and understand

that this is the trend. TS is both a realityand a tendency worldwide and the prospectof TS is to grow and to improve rapidly. TSanalysis can help this process.



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