Useful quotes on transmedia storytelling

In Transmedia storytelling, content becomes invasive and fully permeates the audience's lifestyle. A transmedia project develops storytelling across multiple forms of media in order to have different "entry points" in the story; entry-points with a unique and independent lifespan but with a definite role in the big narrative scheme. The Labyrinth Project's Marsha Kinder calls them “commercial transmedia superstructures” in her 1991 book Playing with Power in Movies, Television, and Video Games: From Muppet Babies to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She goes on to say “transmedia intertextuality works to position consumers as powerful players while disavowing commercial manipulation.”

 I didnt realise the concept of transmedia storytelling or 'commercial transmedia superstructures' as it is explained here has been discussed for so long. I have been recieveing the image that it has only been around a few years. This may by true for Henry Jenkins view on transmedia storytelling. 

Perhaps the most comprehensive use of transmedia storytelling so far is by the artist Stuart David, in his work with the fictional character Peacock Johnson, which began in 2000. Peacock's story and character were created across multiple platforms, including in novels by Ian Rankin, on BBC radio and television, in press scandals and internet hacks, in guerrilla theatrical events, as well as in David's own novels, and in songs by his band Looper. This work perhaps differs from most other transmedia storytelling in that the character was actually created by the transmedia method, rather than pre-existing in one fixed text originally and being later expanded, which is more often the case.


In his book Convergence Culture, Jenkins further describes transmedia storytelling as storytelling across multiple forms of media with each element making distinctive contributions to a fan's understanding of the story world. By using different media formats, transmedia creates "entrypoints" through which consumers can become immersed in a story world. The aim of this immersion is decentralized authorship, or transmedial play as defined by Dinehart. Transmedia Storyteller Jeff Gomez defines it as "the art of conveying messages themes or storylines to mass audiences through the artful and well planned use of multiple media platforms."