Transmedia Storytelling: A Feature of the Digital Media World

Abstract

The process of convergence/deconvergence in media-
communication industry introduce new concepts and methods in content
production. Recently researchers and practitioners’ interest has been drawn
to the idea of transmedia storytelling, developed by Henry Jenkins. Russian
authors’ works are based mostly on foreign sources offering the ways of putting
this innovative technology into practical use predominantly in the field of
journalism and marketing. The purpose of our research is to consider the
benefits of transmedia storytelling in the production of television drama series.
On the production side, transmedia storytelling presumes planning of the
global series narrative with the perspective to distribute it piece by piece on
multiple media platforms. Ideally this conception expects every medium to do
what it does best. It is vital to choose transmedia extensions which best suit for
rendering of the particular story to support the branded narrative universe, fill
the intervals between the seasons, maintain the target audience interest and
supply new information about the characters. This is achieved by such means as
viral marketing and advertising, graphic novels/comic books, applications for
mobile devices, web-pages, computer games, online games, alternative reality
games, role games, etc. One of the producer’s main tasks is not only to attract
as big audience as possible, but also to immerse it in the common experience of
a drama series. The clash between the television series fiction and reality of the
people’s living world guarantees a lasting connection with the content.
In conclusion it should be underlined that feature films and drama
serials still provide symbolic material which helps the public to exist in their
sociocultural contexts. Transmedia storytelling makes researchers to look for
new more complex methods of media content and audience analysis.