Transmedia Storytelling is Going to Save the Arts - But What is it?
Hollywood is dying. The era of peak TV is rumoured to be in its final days, and everybody wants to know where it went wrong. As industries collapse, major corporations are trying to monopolise what’s left, squeezing the final pennies into their bank before the inevitable collapse. Transmedia practices offer a collaborative, adaptive, audience focused and artist centric way to tell stories. Done right, they can build exponentially outside the Hollywood system and hopefully, one day, replace it.
Transmedia storytelling is a new word for an old thing. Once upon a time, it was just ‘storytelling’. But, as civilisation developed, storytelling became a puritanical and enclosed experience. Leaving anything out of the singular story experience was considered the height of laziness. These days, as we once again find ourselves with an infinite number of ways to consume stories, this original practice is finding its way back into the light. Transmedia scholar and daddy of all transmedia theorists, Henry Jenkins, defines it thusly:
“A transmedia story unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole.”
Think of the story of Cinderella.
What if there was a book about a single mother, struggling to support her two daughters. She finds a rich man with a daughter of his own. To survive, she must go against all her morals to woo this man and find a safe home for her impressionable daughters.
Turning on kids TV, there’s a cartoon series about a Fairy Godmother in training, but she’s completely incompetent. Every episode she’s assigned a would-be princess or prince, and every episode she messes up. In the season finale, she’s assigned a scraggly girl who just wants to go to a party. Even that she messes up, accidentally including a “midnight” clause into the spell.
Looking to the cinemas, there’s a new film coming soon about a lonely prince. He meets the love of his life at his birthday party, but she flees at midnight, leaving naught but a glass slipper. As pressure builds for him to find a wife in-line with kingdom customs, he goes on a quest to find his one true love and live happily ever after.
Three stories that stand completely on their own, but when brought together… it’s Cinderella. That’s transmedia.
Most scholars agree there’s three core pillars to any transmedia story, but I would change one of them:
Story
Audience
Technology
Transmedia storytelling as a practice was borne of a convergence of media. As technology expanded, transmedia was defined to fit within it. But as storytellers we aren’t restricted to digital media. Look at Stranger Things, whose prequel found a home on the stage. Instead, these are the three pillars for transmedia storytelling:
Story
Audience
Medium
Stories leave natural gaps which can be exploited through external stories. These are called “entry points”. Think of Obi-Wan talking about the Clone Wars in Star Wars. The audience doesn’t see or hear any more about it in that film, but if you want you can go and watch the seven-season animated series.
THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR!
It should! Transmedia stories are everywhere these days. Here are some examples of modern transmedia narratives:
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
The DC Movie Universe
Stranger Things
Star Wars
The Hunger Games
Doctor Who
The Monsterverse
Death in Paradise
The list goes on and on, and it’s getting longer.
WHAT ISN’T TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING?
There’re a few common misconceptions about what is or isn’t considered ‘transmedia’ these days. So, to help with understanding, here’s a few things that AREN’T transmedia storytelling:
Adaptation: This is a form of retelling. Taking the original material and reworking it into something new and separate from the original. If a book is adapted into a movie, the two exist entirely separately from each other. That’s why fans talk about ‘changes’ in adaptations, where material has had to be removed or reworked to fit the new version of the original text. Transmedia doesn’t retell a story, it expands it in the same way a sequel would.
‘Alt’ Universes: Similarly to adaptation, alternative tales are designed to operate completely independently of the original text. Yes, there’s a level of understanding that comes from experiencing the original story, but to be considered transmedia, both MUST exist in the same chronology.
Merchandise: Merchandise will sometimes allude to story expansion. Think of how Slave 01, the ship both Jango and Boba Fett fly in the Star Wars franchise was given a new name through toys. Sorry, Disney, but it’s Slave 01 in the movies, the shows, and everything else except the toys. That’s not to say merchandise isn’t inherently anti-transmedia, but thus far merchandise hasn’t been used as a storytelling tool, but rather a marketing avenue. Which brings me on to…
Marketing: I’ll circle back to marketing, as it’s an important part of transmedia, but this is a storytelling blog, and while marketing is important, it’s only in very specific circumstances that it becomes an integral part of the storytelling. On the whole, marketing occupies a similar space to adaptation. It’s repackaging what exists, rather than elaborating or expanding on it.
Forced Entry Points: Okay, this one actually is transmedia storytelling, but it’s awful, bad, and should be avoided at all costs. Natural entry points only, please!
A WHOLE NEW (STORY)WORLD
The land of Narnia is so much bigger than the story of four evacuees. Oz lives far beyond the viewpoint of a crushed witch and pair of slippers. At the heart of transmedia stories are the story worlds they occupy. The cohesion of rules and adherence to chronology are how your audience will anchor themselves. That can be scary, but it’s no different than writing a story set in a hospital or in an office building. Every world has rules. Every company started somewhere. So, instead of finding it scary, try finding it freeing!
That’s right! Be free! If you’ve spent months, years, or longer creating a magic system for your book, but you can’t find anywhere for your characters to naturally explain how it works, don’t bother! Focus on the story you’re telling, and save that exposition for somewhere it really matters. You could tell the story of the cult that discovered the magic, or even turn the rules into exercise books for your audience to study themselves! You’re no longer tied to putting EVERYTHING into one story. Of course, the rules must still be followed, but explained? Nah, save that for a story where it has more “power” (pardon the pun).
YOUR STORY WILL NEVER DIE
Okay, maybe Hollywood is dying. But acting like this is the death of story is a bit of an overreaction. If you’re lucky enough to get your franchise kicked off on the big screen, it can be terrifying to think you might never get to finish your tale. Well, dear reader, I have good news! Just because the multiplex has closed, doesn’t mean your story will never end. Transmedia storytelling is very audience focused. For stories to survive, narratives must go where the audiences are. If they like your stuff, they’ll follow you anywhere.
So long as what you write is making a meaningful contribution to your story, the audience will be there. You just have to meet them in the middle. And please make sure what you’re putting out there is actually making a unique contribution, because as daddy Henry Jenkins says,
“Redundancy burns up fan interest and causes franchises to fail.”
*cough* looks at the MCU *cough*
ANY MEDIUM DOESN’T MEAN EVERY MEDIUM
Off the back of that slightly passive aggressive quote, it’s worth noting that redundancy is a real concern when creating transmedia stories. Building an audience is exciting, and it can be easy to get swept up in pushing the story further and further out.
Don’t do that.
The more a story grows, the more the story should ‘specialise’ in one or two mediums. Audiences should feel like they’re following a trail of sweets, not running a marathon through a maze.
THAT’S ALL WELL AND GOOD, BUT I CAN’T AFFORD TO MAKE THAT
Don’t be a fool! Big doesn’t have to mean expensive. Local theatres are dying for new material and a guaranteed audience. If you’re reading this, you have access to a keyboard and the internet. Microphones can be bought on Amazon for under £20. Students are always looking for short scripts to produce for their final projects.
Resources are out there. It’ll cost a great deal of time, energy, and confidence, but this section is about financial cost, and that’s all I’ll be saying at this time, your honour.
OKAY, BUT GOOGLE MAKES IT SOUND VERY CORPORATE
Marketing strategists do love transmedia, it’s true. A good marketing campaign has cohesion, as it helps them sell more products. Why? Because although a marketing campaign can spread across posters, trailers, interviews, stunts, and more, it’s all to tell a good STORY. The language is different, but the message is the same.
SO HOW DO I DO IT?
Success is never guaranteed, but there are a few markers for telling a great transmedia story:
Air-tight timelines: If a bomb went off on Friday, then make sure very story corroborates that. If it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, the suspension of disbelief is gone.
Tonal consistency (Except where there’s narrative purpose): If your transmedia story is following the different departments of a hospital in their day-to-day lives, a story about a haunted space station probably won’t fit in.
Grow naturally, not quickly: Drop the sweets, let your audience savour the flavour, then coax them somewhere else. Too much, too fast, and they’ll get sick.
Collaborate: You know your medium. You know your niche. If you want to expand somewhere else, listen to the experts. Let them contribute. Yes, it’s your baby, but eventually that baby goes through puberty and moves out. Make yourself a safe space, not a domineering control-freak.
Relax, but don’t be lazy: “I’ll fix it in a short story” sounds all well and good, but then you have to write the short story. If the gap you’ve left in the main narrative is too large to close, it’s too late. Your fix is a botch job, your audience sees it, and suddenly the whole thing collapses.
Exploit natural entry points, don’t force them. Not every story has transmedia potential.
ALWAYS operate story first: You are not an executive. You are a storyteller. If you’re in this for the money, you’ll fail.
IN CONCLUSION
Ultimately, transmedia storytelling it just that. Storytelling. It’s not a new type of story, it’s actually the oldest kind of storytelling. Stories around campfires would be expanded on cave walls, and sequels would be put onto papyrus print. All those storytellers didn’t have the money of Disney, or the ambition of Ubisoft. They just had a love of stories and several mediums to tell them. In this the year 2025, we have more mediums at our fingertips than ever before, so why not use them to progress the one thing that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom?
Stories.
If you’re looking for comprehensive, concise, and constructive feedback on your script, check out my Fiverr profile to see how I can help, or contact me! It’s cheap as chips and may just get you that Oscar!
